Friday, 3 October 2014

My experience with Bobbi Brown eyeshadows

Left to right: Chino, Praline, Pink Chandelier, Stone, Champagne Truffle, Cocoa Berry







I would like to preface this post by saying that I have owned the Ultra Nude eye palette from Bobbi Brown for two years. Before the Naked palette from Urban Decay, I bought this limited edition item and have since not purchased any eyeshadows from Bobbi Brown. Therefore my experience with eyeshadows from this brand is limited, but I have been using these particular colours ever since I bought the palette. Here's my take on them:

Left to right: Chino, Praline, Pink Chandelier, Stone, Champagne Truffle, Cocoa Berry

The mattes:
Chino (a soft grey-brown) and Stone (a medium-dark brown) are the mattes in this palette and you can see from the swatches that Chino in particular can be patchy. Stone looks pigmented, but bear in mind it took three swatches to achieve that depth of colour. Chino is a shade I use because I love the colour, but the formulation is dry compared to Mac and Urban Decay. I love matte shadows and therefore I would love to try Bobbi Brown mattes from the main collection (Blonde or Cement appeal to me in particular). I would like to think that these would be more soft and less patchy to apply. Chino could be stunning if it wasn't for the texture. 

Omega by Mac and Naked by Urban Decay are two mattes with more pleasing textures and pigmentation for a light brown, natural eye look.

The Shimmer Washes:
Praline (a warm brown with champagne shimmer); Champagne Truffle (a medium-copper shimmer brown); and Cocoa Berry (a blackened-brown with burgundy shimmer) differ considerably in texture.

The most dry and difficult to work with is Cocoa Berry, which requires building up to reach a decent pigmentation. The shimmer is not very noticeable on the eye, so it's not really worth considering it to be a 'shimmer' shadow.

Champagne Truffle is a different story: it is soft, beautiful and very natural looking. The shimmer is very fine and it looks sophisticated when washed all over the eyelids. 

Praline is my favourite shadow in this palette, and one of my favourite eyeshadows from across my whole collection. If it wasn't for Praline, I wouldn't have an interest in Bobbi Brown's shadows because the colours in this palette are nice, but not the highest quality. This glorious shadow is absolutely stunning on. With green eyes, it is such a complimentary colour. Unlike some shimmery shadows I've tried, it looks natural, pretty, effortless and ultimately 'put together', which are qualities that I love in eyeshadows.

The closest dupe that I can think of is Mac's Soba, but I prefer Praline for its abundance of fine shimmer.

The Metallic:
The one metallic shadow in the palette is Pink Chandelier (a rosy, shimmery beige). In the pan it looks very pretty: it's a rose gold, which is very appealing at first glance. On the lids, it applies like a Mac lustre shadow. In other words, it doesn't adhere well to the lid and has some fall out. It is also very light and the colour that you see in the palette doesn't translate to the eye. 

Overall, this palette has made me somewhat curious about Bobbi Brown shadows. Praline is a thing of beauty and I am sad that it is not available in the main collection- perhaps it will be one day! Nevertheless, with brands like Urban Decay, Mac and Nars producing eyeshadows that are both pigmented and smooth to apply, I haven't yet taken the plunge and explored the Bobbi Brown shadow range.

Maybe one day I will...
 
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2 comments :

  1. Wonderful colors...I like your blog.^^
    Maybe follow each other on bloglovin?
    Let me know follow you then back.
    Lovely greets Nessa

    ReplyDelete