Bobbi Brown Sparkle Glamour Quad Review, Photos, Swatches
When Things Get Too Glamorous
Bobbi Brown Sparkle Glamour Quad ($40.00 for 0.40 oz.) looks prettier in promos than it does in real life, and it’s prettier in the pan than it is on the eyes. This palette requires some practice in addition to patience, because the glitter will get everywhere–you may even find some in your hair… or in your nose!
These work best with a tackier base, like a sticky cream eyeshadow that takes longer to dry down. You could also use this with something like MAC’s Water-Based Mixing Medium, which has a little tackiness to it. No matter what method you use, some tackiness in the method will allow the glitter to stay on better and minimize fall out. I’d also recommend applying your eye makeup first and then using a makeup remover wipe or tape (lightly!) to remove any excess glitter that’s fallen from your lids. Press, rather than sweep, the product against the lid to further reduce fall out.
All of these shades are sheer; if you want any sort of color pay off, your best bet is to use them wet (water, Fix+, mixing medium, etc.). The “purple” shade looks more like a semi-sheer taupe; the lightest beige is a white-beige with large chunks of glitter; the darker beige is a champagne; and the “black” shade is a soft charcoal that almost looks brown if it is used dry. There is a gold trim that surrounds each “pan” of eyeshadow, and it is hard to use alone, but it just looks like a sheer white gold sparkle.
I wasn’t sure how deep each color went through, since there is the surrounding gold trim, but after digging through the black pan of color, it seems to go quite deep. The palette contains: Pink Glitter Sparkle Eye Shadow, Smoky Sparkle Eye Shadow, Moonlight Sparkle Eye Shadow and Sandy Sparkle Eye Shadow–but honestly, I have no idea which shades are what. I imagine “Smoky” is the black shade. I’m not sure about the rest, and the palette doesn’t indicate any shade names on the back.
When I have to write a full paragraph on how to minimize fall out and make the product worth using, there is definitely something wrong! I was really impressed with fall’s Sparkle Eyeshadows, but I found these too sheer and dry–the ones from fall almost felt wet upon use and held together better when applied.
Sparkle Eyeshadows retail for $24/0.13 oz., while this palette of four Sparkle Eyeshadows retails for $40/0.40 oz. This translates to $184.62/oz. and $100.00/oz. respectively–which does mean you’re getting quite the steal in terms of quantity! Keep in mind that the rating system takes value into account, and the value aspect is particularly strong here, which bolsters the overall grade significantly.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 🙂
- Product: 18/30
- Value: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 3/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you don’t have patience or keen on glittery bits, I’d skip this palette.
AVAILABILITY: Bobbi Brown
“Purple” shade dry/wet
Lightest beige dry/wet
Darker beige dry/wet
Black shade wet/dry
Gold trim (right)
Bland and messy. And pricey. Gladly give it a miss. And I don’t like BB that much as is.
This looks terrible. I wonder if some brands realize how terrible it is for the brand itself to sell a product like this one?!;-(
ugh! I saw this one in store and thought something had happened to the display (i.e., too many oily fingers) to make these swatch so sheerly. Now I see it’s just not a great product. So disappointing from this line…
i just bought it for design! so luxurious
Theres nothing special about this quad… its over priced too.
Oh no! this actually looked like something I would wear daily, the colors look so pretty 🙁
I saw these, and passed completely, because it reminded me of something that Sonia Kashuk put out some time ago — the Showstoppers e/s quad (you reviewed it, too, actually). The colors may not be identical, but they’re not far off, and the finish looks the same to me.
http://www.temptalia.com/sonia-kashuk-showstoppers-eyeshadow-quad-review-photos-swatches
I bought it, and I’m sending it back. It’s a glittery mess.
I was about to purcahse this eyeshadow from Sephora and I’m soooooooo glad i didn’t waste my money.
I really wanted this to be an amazing product. I would have loved sparkle eyeshadows in those shades, if the quality was there! Oh well, it saves me some money!
Aww, but it looks SO cute in the pan! 🙁 Thanks for the review, Christine — you just saved me $40 (which is probably headed towards Clarins Barocco, if I break my no-buy this season)!
This is a lame question but how should you use them wet?
like..wet your brush before?
You can do that, or you can pick up the product and then spritz your brush with water.
I was so impressed when I saw it at the store, but just trying a bit with the tip of my fingers to feel the texture already showed me what a disappointment that would be
Thank you! I was really wanting this (but cannot afford) and now I can see I am not missing a single thing. 🙂
Wow I was totally considering putting this on my Christmas wish list but not anymore. Thanks for the great review Christine!
My Bloomingdales has this quad out in the open and thrown into a container with other stuff that says “Christmas Gifts”. So sad.
Oh it is a mess. Thanks Christine for reviewing this quad. I was tempted to get it but am glad I resisted.
I have been less and less impressed with Bobbi Brown in the past couple of years. The muddy tones to some of the lipsticks, the splaying gloss blushes, the lack of wear–this brand is barely on my radar now.
These shadows sound like another loser, and the market is far too competitive for such a poor product.
Aww that sucks 🙁
It’s such a pretty looking palette, and the colours look so promising in the pan!
But you saved me some money, so I should be happy right? Well my wallet at least is happy…lol 🙂
Excluding her concealer, Bobbi Brown makes such poor quality products — especially considering the price tag.
Wow. This looks nasty. XD
Thanks for the review on this! I thought I wanted it, since I have a few BB palettes that I love. I will save my $$ for something else!
and everyone on BB site said this quad is amazing. :)) I don’t know why but I never was attracted by BB products.
I actually saw a lady at the YSL counter wearing this in Nordstroms and it looked amazing (she was standing directly under lights). It looked like a light wash of brown color with one of MAC’s reflect glitters on top. I was so impressed with the look of it (I’m obsessed with anythign glitter) that I asked what it was and she showed me the pallete. I remember seeing this review and had to come back to check exactly why you rated it C-. I don’t have any previous experience with Bobbi Brown shadows, but I actually considered buying it. I’ll probably hold off though considering I can acieve the same look with my MAC products, but I was just surprised with the low rating after seeing myself.
I just got this the other day. I used it dry on my eyes today. The lightest shade barely shows up…The glitter in it does, though. Anyhow, I did a look using all four colours and LOVE it. Dry, the colours are really subtle, yet pretty. I’ll find out tonight how they fare with flash photography. I’m hoping the sparkle will bring my eyes out. I, personally, love this quad. I wasn’t sure at first, but now that my look is finished, I’m in love!
I have one of this. I use MAC greasepaints stick as base and then apply eye shadow from this quad, using finger. I don’t have too much problem with excess glitter fallen everywhere.So far, I am actually liking it.
I do find their products affordable but a bit pricey though.
I like the wet look you created as well, will try that as well. Thanks