Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette
Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette
Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette ($60.00 for 0.32 oz.) is new and limited edition for fall and contains eight eyeshadows: Banana (buttery cream), Olive (golden olive), Gold Nugget (yellow gold), Bronze (true bronze), Tiger’s Eye (golden copper), Copper Cocoa (light chocolate brown), Espresso (dark chocolate brown), and Amber (pink bronze).
Here’s a quick breakdown of Bobbi Brown’s finishes: regular eyeshadows have a matte finish, which means no shimmer; sparkle eyeshadows are glittery and have a translucent base to allow it to glide onto the lid; metallic eyeshadows are richly pigmented with a bright sheen; and shimmer wash eyeshadows are sheer and lightly pearlized.
- Banana is a darkened butter yellow with a matte finish. This has a matte finish. It had nice color payoff and applied smoothly, softly, and didn’t feel powdery.
- Gold Nugget is a sheer, yellowed gold color base with yellow gold glitter and shimmer. This has a sparkle finish. The color payoff is low here, which makes some sense if it’s supposed to have a “translucent base,” though I’m not entirely certain that these are supposed to be sheer. To me, this didn’t feel like a regular sparkle–it felt smoother. It’s a lot like MAC Goldmine.
- Olive is a dirty khaki bronze with a metallic sheen. This has a sparkle finish. It’s noticeably more pigmented than Gold Nugget, yet it, too, has a sparkle finish. There is a little sheerness still. It is similar to Make Up For Ever #148 and a little less brown compared to Giorgio Armani #6.
- Bronze is a red-toned bronze brown with a high-shine, metallic sheen. This has a metallic finish. This shade had nice color payoff. It’s a little less amber compared to Giorgio Armani #5. Inglot #406 is similar but richer. This seems like it would be similar to MAC’s Woodwinked.
- Tiger’s Eye is an orange-y brown with a frosty finish. This has a metallic finish. It seemed less metallic, more frost to me. It had nice color payoff. Milani Bronze Doll is a lighter version but comparable in overall tone and color.
- Espresso is a deep black-brown. This has a matte finish. It has really nice color payoff, but it looks a lot darker swatched than in the pan. This shade is part of the permanent range. It seems comparable to MAC’s Showstopper.
- Copper Cocoa is a warm, chocolate bronze with a subtle, pearly sheen. This has a shimmer wash finish. If shimmer washes are supposed to be sheer, this is quite off the mark. It’s one of the more pigmented shades in the palette. It’s a little warmer and lighter than Inglot #409.
- Amber is a semi-sheer, orange-peach with gold and copper shimmer-sparkle. This has a shimmer wash finish. It’s sheer and has bits of sparkle that do leave some fall out when used. Urban Decay Blaze is similar but without the glitter/sparkle.
Unfortunately, the product sample I received to review did not come with a box, and the label on the back of the compact had sample labeling, so I couldn’t get an ingredients’ list or how much product was in it. I called my local Bobbi Brown counter and asked, and they said that the regular eyeshadows (mattes) contain 0.04 oz., sparkle finishes contain 0.02 oz., metallic finishes contain 0.05 oz., and shimmer wash finishes contain 0.05 oz. This palette contains 2x regular, 2x sparkle, 2x metallic, and 2x shimmer wash, which ends up being the equivalent value of: $20 in regular eyeshadows, $7.38 in sparkle eyeshadows, $20 in metallic eyeshadows, and $25 in shimmer wash eyeshadows. All in all, this palette contains $72.38 worth of product.
This is a warmer palette–very bronze indeed–that will suit medium to dark skin tones with yellow undertones best, but I do think it’s suitable for lighter complexions as a few of the shades are softer/sheerer. There are at least two shades (Gold Nugget and Tiger’s Eye) that I could see turning rather orange on pinker complexions, though. Fans of bronzes, earth tones, and metallic-like finishes will find this palette right up their alley, but those who prefer softer, subtler finishes may find this one too sparkly.
Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette
Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette
Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette
Eyeshadows in (left to right, top to bottom): Banana, Gold Nugget, Olive, Bronze
Eyeshadows in (left to right): Banana, Gold Nugget, Olive, Bronze
Bobbi Brown Banana Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Banana Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Gold Nugget Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Gold Nugget Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Olive Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Olive Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Bronze Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Bronze Eyeshadow
Eyeshadows in Tiger’s Eye, Espresso, Copper Cocoa, Amber
Eyeshadows in Tiger’s Eye, Espresso, Copper Cocoa, Amber
Bobbi Brown Tiger’s Eye Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Tiger’s Eye Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Espresso Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Espresso Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Copper Cocoa Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Copper Cocoa Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Amber Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Amber Eyeshadow
Geez, no thank you. I’ll stick with the Urban Decay Naked Palette. 🙂
Will you be posting a review on the Sand palette as well? I have very light skin and it looked gorgeous! But, of course, I want to read your review first 🙂
Lovely palette but the price a bit high. Love the 2nd set of swatches.
Was hoping this was an A as I would have bought it!
I’m not a fan of matte shades, so the lack thereof isn’t a big deal to me. The shimmery shades look beautiful but dupeable within my current collection, so I think I’ll pass on this one!
I purchased this without seeing it–no BB counter here–and it is a disappointment. The lighter “shimmer” finishes barely have much tonal separation other than all are gold-based; there is a lack of pigment even as one uses a heavier hand. The colors are indistinguishable from other shadows on the market; here I refer to a Lancome palette purchased two years ago.
This is expensive and boring. For my money, both Chanel and Nars (my usual lines) give me more depth and oomph, even in the lighter shades. Tortoiseshell Bronze is too demure and may be too frosty in some shades (certain of them can give that “wet” look if over-applied).
I hate to sound so negative; the palette is attractive and for those looking for a shimmery neutral palette this might be ideal. One thing to note about Christine’s review is that she’s swatched these VERY heavily to get that much payoff. They don’t look that way on the eye.
I didn’t swatch these heavily at all, just FYI 🙂 I swatched these the same way I do all eyeshadows – no extra effort!
Tiger’s Eye and Copper Cocoa look lovely, but other than these it looks like a miss. Some of them just aren’t very pigmented, either, it looks like. For $60, I think I’ll stick with my nude palette.
Hmmm…. naw. It’s okay, but I don’t dig the neutrals.
I like the look of these. I really love neutral metallics and they’re my go-to shades to look nice when I don’t feel like putting any effort into my makeup–these seem like all of my favorite shades of neutral metallics rolled into one palette. For me, the price would probably be worth it!
Hmm I like it but I think i’ll like the other one better!!
Man, it looks like such a good neutral palette from a glance! Do you know whether the size is the same as the NYX Nude on Nude palette?
I’m so glad I saw this. I was tempted to purchase based on the email from her website because it was tapped for medium to darker skin. But looking at your swatches they appear to be too yellow for my skin. I thank you and my wallet thanks you. Can’t wait to see if you review the two new Rich Lip Colors.
Are these meant to be layered? Maybe the sheer shades are supposed to go over a more pigmented base and give depth?
Those colors are right up my alley. I love Bobbi Brown but the price is a bit steep
The Olive and Cocoa Copper are both beautiful but Bobbi Brown isn’t available near me and I’ve got enough “near dupes” of most of the shades I like. Still saving my pennies for Mac’s Semi-Precious (the SA showed me the counter samples today and my head is still woozy!)
I wonder who actually looks good in metallics! Usually I rely on Bobbi Brown for natural classy looking colors, but I’m not crazy about this one.
Yikes, it’s a bit pricey for shades that are not so unique. Like Krystal said, the Naked palette would be better.
I was crazy about the look of these 2 palettes. the packaging is so cute.
if they put one or 2 not so normal colours in, I would definately buy one or even both.
but for all these kind of not exciting and basic colours, i think whoever has a bit of makeup experience has them covered already..
and eyeshadow last years..
I am really surpriced that the price diff isnt more than $12 !! Rather than buying this I think I will just pick out my own 8 BB shades for almost the same price! Im guessing this is what marketing does…
If you pick out and purchase 8 individual BB shades then you will spend no less than $160 dollars, so it is a lot more than a $12 price difference. The eyeshadows in Bobbi’s palettes are not full sized. Christine was calculating the worth of the palette by considering the the cost of the full-size shadow and finding the worth of the smaller shadow. Take the shade “Banana,” for example. Individually, it costs $20 for the 0.08 oz eyeshadow. But in this palette, you get a 0.04 oz size shadow that is worth $10.
I personally never use enough of a specific shadow to justify purchase of her full size shades. I’m always wanting to do different things with my make-up. For me, buying palettes is an economically sound decision. Palettes offer a wide variety without forcing you to buy all those expensive full size shades.
Bummer, I wanted to love these but they are just so so. At that price point, I would have expected something better.
I got this in the post today – lovely packaging but the eyeshadows are not at all breathtaking as I had hoped they’d be. In fact the urban decay naked pallette has better quality eyeshadows! The olive colour in the palette is the most unique but everything else is pretty much dupable! 🙁
I have never been a fan of Bobbi Brown powder shadows. They are never pigmented enough and many shades show similar when worn. I have tried and tried her palettes but was always disappointed so I have just stopped even considering them anymore. There are far better choices out there. I do, however, love many other products from her collection.
I’m not a fan of these colors but I do like the light palette!
I was thinking of purchasing this but now I’ll pass. More often than not BB eyeshadows have low color payoff and I really need to apply with a firmer hand and then deal with fallout. I have many of the dupes; thanks Christine for the review.
If they were all super pigmented I’d be more tempted, thanks for the review Christine!
Thank you so much for posting great quality swatches of this palette. I’m on the fence now since I’d get better bang for my buck with my Naked Palette. The neutral colors in this palette appeal to me, but the hefty $60 price tag doesn’t! I think I’ll save my $ and purchase some Sleek palettes instead.
Love it! 🙂