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Bobbi Brown Bikini & Desert Sun Glow Sticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches

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Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick

Bikini

Bobbi Brown Bikini Glow Stick ($36.00 for 0.31 oz.) is a light-medium pink with warm undertones and gold and pink pearl. It had sheer coverage with a dewy sheen that did not dry down. The effect is pretty on the skin if you like a really dewy glow, but the lack of dry down made it a fussy product to use as it disturbed any base products, broke foundation/powder down within hours, and on its own, it had moved around noticeably on the skin after four hours. The formula was just too emollient for practical, all-day long wear.

It’s supposed to be a “creamy, lightweight highlighter” with “sheer” coverage that gives “an instant, sun-kissed glow that lasts all day.” The formula was very emollient with a lot of slip and wetness; it never dried down and always felt slick on the skin. All of the shades I tried were sheer, and they were not buildable, so several shades ended up looking very similar on my skin tone (but may look more or less different on other skin tones/undertones). The emollient feel of the formula did not play well with products (primers, cream/powder/liquid foundations or blushes).

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Possible Dupes
These are likely to be very similar shades based on our duping algorithm.

Formula Overview

$36.00/0.31 oz. - $116.13 Per Ounce

It’s supposed to be a “creamy, lightweight highlighter” with “sheer” coverage that gives “an instant, sun-kissed glow that lasts all day.” The formula was very emollient with a lot of slip and wetness; it never dried down and always felt slick on the skin. All of the shades I tried were sheer, and they were not buildable, so several shades ended up looking very similar on my skin tone (but may look more or less different on other skin tones/undertones). The emollient feel of the formula did not play well with products (primers, cream/powder/liquid foundations or blushes).

Browse all of our Bobbi Brown Glow Stick swatches.

Ingredients

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Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick
Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick

Desert Sun

Bobbi Brown Desert Sun Glow Stick ($36.00 for 0.31 oz.) is a soft, medium-dark plum with neutral-to-warm undertones and a natural sheen. It did not seem truly shimmery but possibly had the very slightest bit to give it a stronger shine on the skin. It had sheer coverage and yielded subtle color on my skin tone along with a dewy finish. The stick had an incredibly emollient texture that felt heavy on the skin if built up, so a thin layer was most comfortable and easiest to deal with on the skin. I expected foolproof blending but found that the sheerness made any unevenness more noticeable and the slippery quality made it hard to get an even layer of coverage. The product started to move around and migrate on my face after four hours of wear.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Formula Overview

$36.00/0.31 oz. - $116.13 Per Ounce

It’s supposed to be a “creamy, lightweight highlighter” with “sheer” coverage that gives “an instant, sun-kissed glow that lasts all day.” The formula was very emollient with a lot of slip and wetness; it never dried down and always felt slick on the skin. All of the shades I tried were sheer, and they were not buildable, so several shades ended up looking very similar on my skin tone (but may look more or less different on other skin tones/undertones). The emollient feel of the formula did not play well with products (primers, cream/powder/liquid foundations or blushes).

Browse all of our Bobbi Brown Glow Stick swatches.

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Dior Star Foundation
  • Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder
On eyes:
  • Urban Decay Sin Eyeshadow Primer Potion
  • Viseart Minx palette
  • Chanel Empreinte du Desert Eyeshadow Quad
  • Marc Jacobs Intro(vert) Highliner Gel Eye Crayon
On lips:
  • Chanel Esquisse Rouge Coco Stylo

38 Comments

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Katherine T. Avatar

Oh bummer, just as I feared 🙁 When I first saw these swatches, I was like, ooooooh so pretty!!! But then I thought the swatches looked like vaseline petroleum jelly mixed with pigment/shimmer, and sure enough, first ingredient is petroleum, and second ingredient is castor oil, so no wonder these don’t dry down and melt away foundation/powder. Now I can only stare at the stunningly beautiful tube of Bikini, jam packed with gold shimmer, thinking, what could’ve been, sigh. Hoping some other brand can perfect this formula

Christine Avatar

I should have looked at the ingredient list more closely, LOL! I was sooo unprepared for the never-going-to-dry-down effect. I had to restart testing a few times as I accidentally touched my face and messed it all up the first couple of times (thinking it was surely going to be dry by then).

Tracey E Avatar

I have only 1 Nars Multiple and had Sunkissed on one cheek and Copacabana on the other and Sunkissed was longer lasting. I’ve been changing up my skincare routine, so I wonder if that has been more conducive to the Glow Stick that I bought. One caveat: neither last as long as other liquid, cream or powder highlighters I have from CT, Tom Ford or Bobbi Brown (powder).

Deborah S. Avatar

Beautiful colors but so impractical. I can imagine these would be wonderful as a pro-product for editorial shoots but everyday, no way.

Mariella Avatar

Sing-song-y voice ON: Look who pulled out EduD!!!! I think it speaks volumes when someone like you, Christine, who has access to so much makeup, pulls out a quad that’s a year old (or more???) I really like Sin (now called “Last Sin”, I think) Primer Potion…it brings such a satisfying dimension to shadows like MAC Tempting and similar shades that look glowy and golden in the pan but sort of fizzle out when applied.

Christine Avatar

I was sorting through Chanel quads the other day (I was destashing some of the older, discontinued ones that weren’t good) and saw it, so I pulled it out of my “archive” storage (where everything lives) and put it in my vanity (where I keep go-tos) so I could use it again! Sometimes for longer swatching sessions where I don’t have a viable palette I’m testing (something that I think can pair well enough with most of what I’m swatching), I’ll opt for an easy neutral eye (that’s why you see Tom Ford Nude Dip show up here and there!).

Tracey E Avatar

Hi Christine, was glad to see a review of BB’s Glow Sticks. I purchased Sunkissed when the Boston Store had a discount on cosmetics and some had come in. I chose Sunkissed because it was the most dewy/wet looking of the 4 they had in stock that day. At first, I treated it like a highlighter until I saw Hannah Martin apply it to the larger cheek area using BB’s full coverage brush to distribute. (Blush was applied just to the apples of the cheeks and lightly blended back. I found her technique gave me a much better application and dewy look. Touchups were required to keep the dewy look I had when first applied. Sunkissed also gives me some color, which I appreciate. I’ve not experienced any slipping or movement or breaking down of base products though I don’t doubt some slippage to base products could occur draping and emollient product across that face…it just hasn’t been my experience with the one I purchased. I, too, am finding the shades very close to one another from what I’ve seen online. Fingers crossed some others get better reviews. I’d love to have a second.

Tracey E. Avatar

Hi Christine, I touched up after 3-4 hours but was reminded that the ‘look’ turned from dewy to more of a sheen, prompting my touchups to bring back the dewy look before going out for dinner. I used a lot of product straight from the bullet and lightly pressed it i to my skin with my fingertips. My skin type is light to medium with pink undertones and periodic flushing. I’ve also been changing up my skincare routine lately, which has caused my base to be much more matte, so perhaps this helped. I did compare it to BB’s Moisture Balm and the balm gave a longer-lasting, more illuminating highlight. I think I would get a better effect from the glow stick in the winter when my skin is lighter, or worn against bare skin.

I recalled some advice I was given during my BB consultation. The hot lights were causing my cheeks to flare (hot and red) and my foundation started to melt on my cheeks as it does when this happens. In addition to how to calm the skin and secure my foundation, I was advised to use a powder highlighter and not a product that glides across my foundation. In fact, they suggested I use the natural flush of my cheeks as a blush and Pink Glow as a highlighter. it looked simole yet nice. I will admit that I had higher hopes for the glow sticks and didn’t expect them to be described as ‘lightweight highlighter”

(Now if you want a product that has a truly sticky feel, that barely dries down but loses its glossy effect in rapid speed, try one of BB’s new eye glosses. Dries down to a sheen and grabs at my mascara. A real disappointment though I’m still experimenting with it using MAC Fix+. This collection may be the last headed by BB before she left the brand, so maybe there will be greater quality scrunity in the future where needed.)

Tammy Avatar

Aw, I hate that something so pretty in the tube actually turned out to be so disgusting when applied to the skin 🙁 I’m curious about the NARS Multiples though, so maybe I should give one of those a try.

Claire L Avatar

Bikini looks so pretty in the stick but what a shame it doesn’t exactly translate as well in the skin! The lack of dry down would annoy me as well!

Emma Avatar

Aaaaw shame they didn’t do it for you. I love the one I have. I bought Nude Beach after planning on buying Island but found Island to be too golden when swatched. Nude Beach pulls nude pink on me but I am whiter than white pale with cool undertones. I was looking for that ‘just back from the beach’ look which is how it’s advertised and for me that’s what I got. I use it with a BB cream or alone blended with fingers. I have dry skin but it lasted pretty much all day even in higher temperatures when my skin type becomes a lot less dry. It was great on vacation or when I want a touch of make up quickly. Used it on my lips too which tied the look together nicely. Looked great on my eyelids, the perfect shade I can’t find elsewhere but didn’t last long there.

Christine Avatar

I’m glad it works well for you!

Unfortunately, it had very little wear time on me as a cheek product – it wasn’t the shade or pigmentation that I took issue with, it was very much the wear. I wasn’t holding it to any standards beyond what it was advertised, just to be clear! 🙂

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!