This post comes to you from the "why has it taken me so long to discover?" department.
Bobbi Brown offers quite a wide range of unassuming cream eye shadow colors. Twenty one neutral shades in little glass jars similar to the Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. I've often played with them at the counter, liked them but every single time I left the store with something shinier in my shopping bag. A couple of months ago, though, I decided to take advantage of Bobbi Brown's friend & family sale (a national holiday, if you ask me) and do my beauty blogger duty.
Sandy Gold (#4) and Sand Dollar (#15) were my first pick. Both have a somewhat shimmery finish that's more obvious on my hand than on the lid. Sandy Gold is a warm pale gold. It surprised me to see that once on my lid the color loses a lot of the yellow gold appearance and looks far more beige. It has to do with the natural pigment of my skin, of course, and this time I'm not complaining as true gold is not that easy for me to wear. Sandy Gold creates a base, evens out and lightens the lid, looking very pretty just by itself or with (and under) other eye shadow colors, cream or powder.
Sand Dollar (#15) is darker and cooler. The color is a light taupe, a little gray but without any hint of purple. It's a bit more assertive than Sandy Gold, both in shimmer and in pigment and looks lovely as an almost nude crease color. I often wear them together.
The formula of Bobbi Brown cream shadows is fantastic. It's as creamy as you'd like it to be, as long-lasting as Bobbi promises and incredibly easy to use. These eye shadows are among the lowest maintenance products I know. The eye shadows cooperate with every and any brush I've dipped in them (one can also use fingers, but, eww, germs). They lend themselves to the simplest almost naked looks but can also create sophisticated depth and dimension if you take the time and brushes to do so. The cream shadows are perfect by themselves, with a hint of bold eyeliner (teal or turquoise for summer) or as a base for powder eye shadows (try them under any Le Metier de Beaute layered Kaleidoscope colors and see what I mean).
Bottom Line: six is not enough.
Bobbi Brown Sandy Gold & Sand Dolar Long-Wear Cream Shadows ($22 each) are available at the counters and from bobbibrowncosmetics.com.
All photos are mine.
Usually not a huge BB fan (except for the long wearing gel liners) but these sound nice and the colors are lovely! Probably will check these out!
ReplyDeleteAhhh I love these too! So understated but really are a workhorse product. My favourite is Beach Honey, which a while ago replaced Sandy Gold as my go-to shade for a neutral base - the formula is slightly sheerer and just perfection.
ReplyDeleteLOL at the bottom line. "Six is not enough." Even more reason to try it out now! So far I only own two Shimmerbricks from BB but clearly I need to remedy that. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love the blog and just started following.
JC
I've fallen out of love with BB powder shadows (they oxidize on me), but I adore her cream shadows, and Sand Dollar is a must have, along with Cement, Heather, Slate, and Ash. Is that six? ;D
ReplyDeleteI have been really pleased with the one shade I bought. I'm oily-skinned and Galaxy has done well for me even without primer. My one gripe is that some of the colors (perhaps from the Metallic range?) don't contain shimmer like their descriptions say- it's straight up big glitter. I found those at a CCO, so they may have been limited editions. As usual, test before you buy if at all possible. :)
ReplyDeleteDia, I agree with you about the metallic cream shadows. Glitterama = ugh-oh-rama.
ReplyDeleteOh, and yes! Galaxy is gorgeous. I forgot I had it and dug it out just after I saw your comment. (MUST organize this makeup.)
N., I do like Bobbi in theory, though most recent releases were a disappointment and I feel like she's lost her mojo (or is it the bosses at Lauder that are affecting the brand).
ReplyDeleteStar Violet, I'm going to check Beach Honey. It sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteJC., thank you so much! Definitely give more classics from the line a try. The gel eye liners, these cream shadows and some of the blushes are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteZP, Cement and Slate are on my current shopping list. We'll see how they add up ;)
ReplyDeleteDia (and ZP), I remember testing the Metallics at the counter and hating them. They had nothing of the usual BB understated practicality and elegance. The shimmery and cream ones are a delight so far (and, yes, I do have six shades the moment).
ReplyDeleteI have quite a few BB cream shadows that heavy rotation. Ballet Pink, Slate, Heather, Beach Bronze and Stone. Wish BB still carried Sand Castle but it was discontinued. These are great for me, they last and don't change color, even after several hours of wear.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, it's so frustrating when a staple color is discontinued. I'm not yet emotionally attached to any particular shade in the range, well, maybe to Malted, but I'd hate to lose any.
ReplyDelete