Bobbi Brown Bikini & Desert Sun Glow Sticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches
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).
Top Dupes
- Sleek MakeUP Ecliptic (PiP, ) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Pink Sand (LE, $68.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Colour Pop Iced (LE, $8.00) is darker (90% similar).
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
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.
Top Dupes
- Bobbi Brown Island Plum (P, $36.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Formentera (P, $45.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Bobbi Brown Nude Beach (LE, $26.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar).
- MAC Tea Petal (P, $21.00) is darker (80% similar).
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.
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
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).
I ADORE the colour and finish of the first one, but I HATE the no Dry down factor. That’s 100% a deal-breaker for me and my oily skin!
I have colourpop powder shadow in come and get it. And that’s close enough for me!
I can’t imagine how fast it would break down on oily skin!
Well that’s unfortunate, they look so lovely in the tube 🙁
The effect is so pretty but wish they had more staying power/utility!
Oh gosh, these are definitely not for me! As I cannot deal with slippery, non-setting cheek products like these. They would really just slide right off my face! Yucky!
I imagine one day, laying in a cabana with no cares in the world, and this could be the highlighter of the hour (literally, an hour). 😉
Ikr?!? LoL! When I read Katherine T.’s comment above about the ingredients, it all made perfect sense of an incredibly imperfect product: Vaseline and castor oil!
Same here. They’d last two seconds on my oily skin.
Shame. They look beautiful before applied. Looks like NARS Multiples are a better choice.
NARS Multiples are much, much better!
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).
Beautiful colors but so impractical. I can imagine these would be wonderful as a pro-product for editorial shoots but everyday, no way.
Yep, perfect as a pro product!
I came across Desert Sun recently and the color and effect was soooo pretty, but the feel was extremely sticky. I couldn’t get past the swatch to even try it on the skin.
Yesss, and the feeling never really gets any different 🙁
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.
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!).
I usually love Bobbi Brown, but I definitely couldn’t deal with such an emollient product. What a shame!
It’s definitely a glossy product!
Speaking of ‘surprising brands’ Bobbi Brown is one of them in an unhappy way. First of all, this looked way too glittery and shiny to be a blush and secondly, it is just not a good product.
I wish it had a bit more lasting power!
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.
How often were you touching up, Tracey? Could you remind us of your skin type? 🙂 So glad you are enjoying Sunkissed!
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.)
So weird that Bobbi Brown didn’t do the finish of these right since I remember her stick foundations being one of her more famous products. I always feel these more balmy products can be replaced with Vaseline.
Vaseline would give a similar effect for finish at least!
Bobbi Brown stepped down from her company last year: http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/makeup-artist-bobbi-brown-leaving-brand
Oh, I know, but so far her line has continued the same emphasis as when Bobbi Brown was at the helm: skin-focused, natural enhancement, etc. I believe the brand is still owned by Estée Lauder, so formulas wouldn’t be changed because of her absence.
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.
Multiples (well, the regular formula) have a more silicone-like texture–more velvety–and not nearly as dewy, so I think the finish sets the two formulas apart!
The colors do look good on you though!
Thank you, Tammy!
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!
Damn, Desert Sun had so much color potential.
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.
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! 🙂