Brown Is The New Black

In terms of makeup, I have my basics and my "extra oomph" products. Again, I don't own a whole pot of makeup but I still categorize my makeup into two groups. Granted, my makeup is unbelievably muted and totally neutral, so oomph doesn't mean like...a lime green eyeshadow or anything. A basic for me would be like my Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero (plain matte black), while a product with a little extra "oomph" would be like my Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Stash (an army green/antique gold shimmery colour). Like I said, pretty muted.

Naturally, a makeup brand that one might associate with my makeup style is Bobbi Brown, a brand that emphasizes, rather than distracts from, a woman's natural beauty. Because I usually get my basics from the drugstore, I don't usually bother buying things for the "natural" look from a high-end store. But to be honest, Ms. Brown has really been going above and beyond the call of duty with some of her new releases and I have to say, I'm in love. Unfortunately, I'm on vacation at the moment but you can be rest assured that the minute I reach home, I'm going to be swatching ASAP.

Notable Products:

1. I'm sure drugstore brands will start jumping on the chubby lip product crayon trend, but for now, Bobbi Brown seems to have her formula down pat. Her first release of these products was more like a matte lipstick, which the makeup public seemed to think emphasized lip flaws a little too much for their liking. From the looks of it, these lipsticks are glossy and juicy but also pigmented...and the pencil applicator is a godsend for my tiny lips. I'd love to try out the Dusty Nude colour, as it seems like a wearable, natural nude that doesn't move into dead lips territory.


2. Everyone and their mother has been talking about this liner, and for good reason. The Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Forest Shimmer Ink is a beautiful greenish-taupe-gold liner that a beautiful and yet subtle replacement for typical black liner. This would be a great "extra oomph" product, as it could be used not only for a liner but also a cream shadow, for a taupey green smokey eye. Once I swatch this one, it's going to be hard to resist.


3. The Metallic Collection is something I've been anticipating quite eagerly. I feel like Bobbi Brown would be able to do metallics my way, with satiny shimmer and maybe a bit of duochrome instead of large, obvious sparkles and obviously unnatural colours. Bobbi Brown's cream shadows come in a glorious-looking array of colours...honestly, Antique Gold is just screaming my name. In fact, antique gold anything in makeup is my major weakness, and since I don't really own anything in antique gold this might be my first splurge. We'll see.


All right, Bobbi Brown...I'm definitely warming up to your brand. Especially this new collection, feature the now released metallic cream eyeshadows that are meant to complement Rich Colour Glosses. Seriously? Metallic neutral eyeshadow with highly pigmented yet not glittery gloss? This is going to be a hard collection to resist.

Grey In And Grey Out

I (and the rest of the fashion world) have really been into grey right now. I mean, given my limited colour spectrum it would make sense that I was into grey, but it's become a huge part of my wardrobe.

Of course, it's become a large part of my makeup routine as well. And this little pot of wonders, a.k.a. Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Graphite Shimmer Ink, has become one of my greatest loves ever.


Usually, I wear Urban Decay's 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero (and when I get around to my "basic face" post, I'll talk more about that). But I've realized that I can try out other colours without looking too wacky or out there...and that's opened up a whole new world of possibilities.


This liner in particular has been wonderful. It's not miraculously long-lasting, but with my trusty Urban Decay Primer Potion, it lasts a day without getting all over my eyelid. The colour is not as vibrant, but it's still there. The gel formula is so great to apply, especially with a bent eyeliner brush (more on this later). And the colour...though this may not show up as well when I use it as an eyeliner, it's a beautifully multitoned-shimmery grey. It's almost a light hematite colour. I think it's positively lovely, and is great for people who want a line on their eyes but want a change from black.

(in natural light)

(with flash)

Plus, it pairs beautifully with my NARS shadow in Kiki.


I bought this from Bobbi Brown's website a little while back when there was a discount running, so I got it for a small bit cheaper, but this eyeliner definitely does run on the expensive side at $21. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, get Prestige's Waterproof Eyeliner in Granite. The one downside to the pencil is that it's harder to use it as an eyeshadow base. I didn't talk about this before but the fact that this colour is really multi-dimensional makes it great for either an eyeshadow base, or even a smokey eye-cream shadow type of deal.

My next stop? Conquering navy blue eyeliner.

Bring It, Bobbi

Another item I received recently in a makeup swap is this great Bobbi Brown Lip and Eye Basics Palette. It's a wonderful thing to have for everyday or professional situations, as it has a near-perfect array of items, all housed in an adorably petite compact.


First, there are two sparkly glosses in Pink Bouquet and Orchid, and two lipsticks in Dusty Mauve and Slopes (colours listed from the left).


Then, there are four eyeshadows. From the left, they are Bone, Nude, Stone, and Mahogany.


The palette itself originally came with a Mini Lip Brush and a Mini Dual-Ended Eyeliner/Eye Shadow Brush, but since those aren't included I had use my own tools. Thankfully, my Sonia Kashuk travel-sized brushes fit perfectly in the little trench where the old brushes used to sit...I can fit a lip brush and a shadow brush snugly, and they don't shift over to where the lippies/shadows are.


Of course, I have to post swatches of these lovely colours. The eyeshadows start with Bone at the top, and the lip products start with Pink Bouquet at the top.


The two items that I'd say I like the least are the glosses. First of all, I'm not much of a gloss girl and really dislike the look of overly glossy lips. On an everyday basis, these have great staying power and aren't super-sticky, so I apply just a dab to add some healthy shine to my lips. When I swatched the glosses on my hand, however, they seemed to be pretty glittery...another thing I hate in gloss. In fact, after I washed everything off of my hand, a bunch of glitter particles stayed on my hand, so beware if you want to load on the gloss. For my purposes, however, these glosses are fine...and it's saying a lot about this palette that these are my least favourite items.

The "in-between" items for me are the lipsticks. They're pretty and normal and have pretty good staying power, but they're not swoon-worthy. They're a tad bit dark, and I usually opt for more "my lips but better" looks, but if I dab a little bit on my lips they work out well for everyday.

The real stunners for me are the eyeshadows. They're kind of perfect for my usual everyday looks. Bone is a cream shadow that's great for highlighting the inner corners without excessive shimmer. Nude is a pretty colour that's kind of similar to my skintone on my eyelids, so it's a pretty good all-over colour. It also makes a surprisingly good setting powder for undereye concealer. Mahogany is a surprisingly rich, dark, and pigmented brown that comes out as a brown-black. I can easily line my eyes with this and feather it out so it emphasizes them but it's just a harsh line. I thought it was going to be a softer brown, but the swatch I have is just one swipe, just to show you how pigmented it is. I love it! And Stone...Stone is a beautiful taupey brown shadow. It's a "Shimmer Wash," as opposed to a matte shadow, but it isn't overly glittery and instead has a pretty satin finish. And taupe eyeshadow is really just one of the greatest inventions in the whole entire world, honestly. In a nutshell, I love these eyeshadows.

If you don't feel like scouring eBay for this palette...at least consider picking up Stone! It's so gorgeous.

One Happy Family

So I've got a bunch of little products lying around, and I figured I'd just review this whole little product family at once, going left to right.


1. Okay, so this isn't actually a product review...I just got this set of Bobbi Brown empties for $10.00 and they're so useful!


In the picture, I put the smallest one...I just wanted to give it a little mention because it is absolutely the cutest little concealer container ever! I have this old thick foundation from L'Oreal, which was too dark for me, but I mixed it with some lighter foundation and got this beautiful colour which made for a perfect concealer. Now, I keep the mixed colour in this little container and it looks like a bona fide Bobbi Brown concealer. I'd highly recommend these empties...they're great for lotion, foundation, concealer, pigments...pretty much anything. Plus they're only $10!

2. This is a little sample container of Lancôme's 'Rénergie' Anti-Wrinkle & Firming Cream. It came in a Gift With Purchase, and I'm actually quite liking it. The texture is a smooth hybrid of lotion and gel, and the lotion is definitely moisturizing. I usually wear sunscreen as a moisturizer under my foundation, but if I'm going out at night and don't want to bother with sunscreen, this is a great alternative because it provides for a nice base. I may just be gushing about this lotion because I never ever shell out big bucks on lotion, unless it's Shiseido sunscreen. My little container is .5 oz, which has actually lasted me quite a while. However, I don't like it so much that I'm going to shell out $80 for 1.7 oz. or $95 for 2.5 oz.

3. This is another GWP...it's a little bottle of Bobbi Brown's Soothing Face Tonic I got when I purchased an eyeliner from Bobbi Brown online. I feel exactly the same about this as I do with the Lancome lotion. It's nice, but I wouldn't repurchase it. I don't really use toner, and this is more of a soothing version of a toner. I've tried it a couple of times, and I feel my skin tightening a little bit (like right after you wash your face with strong cleanser), but that's about it. Unlike the Lancome lotion, I didn't have much use for this, but it's nice to use occasionally.

4. This is not a GWP...it's actually a tube of Maybelline's Moisture Extreme Lipcolor in Chestnut. I got this at Jewel recently, where all of the Maybelline lipsticks were 50% off. It's a pretty nude colour, but it's a little on the brown side so I would not recommend this for fairer girls. I usually don't wear much in the way of makeup, but if I dab a little bit of UDPP on my lips, spread it on, and then put on some of this lipstick, it's a nice natural look that wears for a pretty long time. I don't think I'll repurchase this lipstick, because I usually like to experiment with new colours (and I probably won't finish this tube), but it's a nice handy little thing to have around. Here's a swatch on my hand (Urban Decay Primer Potion is the stuff on top)...


...and a lip swatch.


5. Urban Decay Primer Potion is totally worth all the hype. I have the oiliest lids in the world and this totally prevents creasing. I love it! For everyday, I usually don't wear eyeshadow...instead, I wear a semi-thick, smudged line of eyeliner. I'm going to be starting an internship soon, so I might start experimenting with a light wash of colour and a thinner (still smudged) line of eyeliner, so this will be really helpful for that. Even besides eyeshadow, this makes a nice lip primer and undereye concealer primer, but more for wearing ability than smoothing ability.

6. I got this Philosophy Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion when I purchased my UDPP, and it's a nice thing to have around that I am slightly considering repurchasing. The lotion feels nice, and has been great for the warmer days to prevent my legs from reverting back to their dry wintry state. It's not particularly revolutionary, though it has some really good moisturizing properties without being too oily. Plus, the smell is really nice. I'm thinking about repurchasing, but there are a lot of other cheaper lotions that smell just as nice. I'm definitely keeping the bottle though, it's really cute!

Makeup Musts, pt. 1

My three absolute makeup brands are NARS, Bobbi Brown, and MAC...in that order. Once upon a time, MAC was my number one, but some of the more disappointing recent launches have demoted it to number three. I also have some specific favourites, which I'll elaborate on later, but I decided that I would give a little review of my favourite brands; what I love most, specific recommendations, and any other little tidbits I want to share. Keep in mind that my main love is neutrals and classic makeup looks, so my recommendations will be mainly centered around those.

Let's start off with Bobbi. Many people dismiss this brand as simply a boring and bland line, but I personally adore Bobbi Brown's offerings, especially those that have to do with sets or assortments.

The thing that I love most about Bobbi Brown is pretty much anything relating to palettes. Her ready-made palettes are brilliant; I especially love her Lip and Eye palette, which includes some of her beautiful metallic shadows. I would also suggest trying out her Mauve Face Palette...it isn't exactly the newest of products any more, but all the products in it are lovely; the reason why I specifically suggest trying it out is that it could be a flop if the colours don't work with your skintone, but a total success if they do. A recent release which I definitely won't be getting but that some more colour-friendly people might enjoy is the "Brights" palette. While this is no Coastal Scents extravaganza, as the pans are incredibly tiny, if I wanted to try out bright colours this is definitely how I'd do it. The shadows are all matte, which might be boring to some, but I love the idea of miniature pans (for those who don't use super-bright shadows as an everyday staple). I will say that it was definitely a strange marketing strategy to say that people should use the shadows by themselves and not mixed together, as many women find hours of joy in preparing new eyeshadow colour combos. I'm guessing that what the BB team envisioned was not necessarily a whole lot of blending and combining, but more allover colours or even pops of colour as a liner.





I also love her palette system with shadows, glosses, and blushes. Though it is more expensive than MAC's system of shadow pans, I love Bobbi Brown's option of buying palettes and individual shadows/blushes/glosses and then popping them in at your will. That way, you can buy a 4-pan palette, a bunch of individual items, and then pop whatever you'll need for the day into a palette.

My personal palette recipe?

1 empty 4-pan palette


1 blush in Apricot Pink


1 gloss in Cherry Pink


2 metallic eyeshadows, 1 in Champagne Quartz (gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous) and 1 in Burnt Sugar


Another well-renowned product from Bobbi Brown is the Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. I absolutely love this product; the staying power is great and the colours are beautiful. I wouldn't say that this is leaps and bounds better than most typical gel liners (MAC Fluidline, etc.) but I think that the colours in this line, specifically the Shimmer Ink ones, are particularly gorgeous. My personal favourites are the Granite Shimmer Ink, either for smokey eyes or for a pretty alternative to plain black, Bronze Shimmer Ink, which brings out blue eyes beautifully and is a nice naturally metallic liner for tan skin, and Black Mauve Shimmer Ink, which is a beautiful black-but-not-quite-black liner.


This may seem like a random product, but I happen to really enjoy Bobbi Brown's tinted lip balm. I wear it in Rose Petal, which looks scarily pigmented in both the online picture and in real life. It turns out to be a nice, refreshing lip balm that has a pretty good amount of pigmentation, making it great to slip in your purse for touch-ups during the day. I like it because my lips tend to look sort of pale and ghostly as the day wears on, so this is something I can apply even without a mirror to make sure that I still look nice and alive.


Some extra notes: I would definitely say that Pot Rouge deserves a nice mention in this blog post...while it isn't a revolutionarily long-wearing creme blush, I happen to love the colour selection and the large amount of product you get in one of these pots. Calypso Coral is a beautiful peachy-pink colour that works on pretty much any skintone, and Raspberry is a lovely change from typical blush colours. The reason I didn't mention this product earlier is that I don't think that it's something totally unique to Bobbi Brown; in fact, a lot of makeup lines carry creme blushes very similar to this one. However, Calypso Coral and Raspberry do merit a mention.


I also didn't really get to one of Bobbi Brown's signature products, her Shimmer Bricks. While I myself am a highlighter junkie, like I said above with the Pot Rouges, I don't think that Shimmer Bricks are monumentally different from most highlighters. They are quite pretty, but similar highlighters can be found at many other makeup brands. Plus, you can't use them on your eyes because of the extreme fallout, which is unfortunate for people on the go that can't carry tons of products around with them.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Makeup Musts! I'll be covering MAC next.

Bobbi: Beauteous, not Boring

Being a devoted lover and general adorer of Bobbi Brown's simple and classic makeup, I was behooved to discover that her website was having a special 20% off event. This really redefined the word "rare," as Bobbi Brown essentially never holds sales. Actually, now that I think about it, Bobbi Brown, MAC, and NARS rarely (if ever) have sales...they also happen to be my three favourite makeup brands. In any case, though I was attempting to be bargainous in the midst of all the sales going on, I just couldn't help myself with the 20% discount and free shipping. So I ordered a Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Graphite Shimmer Ink. Thankfully I had the chance to swatch this on my skin earlier, so I wasn't just ordering blindly. Graphite Shimmer Ink is a beautiful shimmery grey colour that isn't black, but is dark enough to add definition even on tanner skin. You can smudge it for a smokey eye, use it as a base, or use it as a precise liner. I highly recommend it!


While ordering, I also was able to snag two free samples from Bobbi Brown. I was ordering relatively quickly, so I picked two samples from the ones available. I picked this little container of soothing face tonic


and this one-time use Extra SPF 25 Moisturizing Balm.


Upon second glance, I should have picked the Oil Control Lotion SPF 15


because it isn't labeled as one-time use and, like the Soothing Toner, comes in an adorable little glass container that can be re-used for travel or for storing small amounts of lotion/toner. The container of face tonic is just like in the picture; the bottle's height is about as tall as my pinkie.

If you're ordering something now, Bobbi Brown's thrown in a new option for a sample, which I personally adore. It's a miniature shimmer wash eyeshadow, which appears to be in a neutral champagne/copper colour called "Copper Penny." I adore all colours of this variety, so I really wish this was around when I ordered my gel liner.

Makeup Mishaps and Redemptions

Tea at the Drake was so much fun! But the beauty parts of the trip were a little iffy...then sorted themselves out in the end. To begin with, my friend and I stopped by Sephora to pick up the fragrance for my other friend who was the one celebrating her birthday. Unfortunately, after browsing for a little bit we realized that we had five minutes to walk halfway down Michigan Avenue (which, for those that do not know Chicago, is an impossible feat in heels). Thankfully, we were on time, but the beauty lover in me felt unsatisfied. So, after an amazing time at tea with my friends, I headed down to Macy's with another friend and we counter hopped, visiting different booths and getting our makeup done. Because I got home late, I didn't have time to take pictures of anything, and I didn't buy anything...but I did snag a free gift from Lancome (my friend bought some stuff, so the sales lady gave us two!), so I'll swatch that and maybe do a look tomorrow. But here are just some things I noticed, beauty wise...


MAC Pro Longwear Lustre Twins need to come in more natural colours! I know plenty of people, like myself, that are looking for an everyday lipcolour that's as long-wearing as the prolongwears. Unfortunately, all of the ones I've tried have been far too bright. Today, I tried Ripe and Ready/Soft and Lush, and wow, it's bright. I put on just the stain at first, and my lips were far too orange, so I tried it with the gloss...to no avail. I've seen the colour look lovely on other people, so I'm definitely not slamming MAC for this product at all, I'm just warning anyone who's planning on using these as an everyday, muted colour to not set their hopes too high, otherwise you might end up with orange lips, like me! I ended up having to blot out what I could, and then cover it with a nude lipstick. Maybe next time I'll try Custom Rose/Pink Virtue.


I love MAC Tendertone in Hot 'n' Saucy (bright red). I've always said that my favourite products are tinted lip balms, and this one is definitely no exception. It looks incredibly bright in the pot, but especially on my tanned skin, it comes out to be pretty natural-looking; it was pretty much a "MLBB" (my lips but better) product. I didn't buy it mainly because it doesn't last very long, the little pot is pretty tiny, and it's $14.00. For that price, I can just dab my lips with a lipstick and brush on some Minted Rose balm, thank you very much! This is definitely something not for recessionistas like myself...even though I kind of still want it and I'm kind of still kicking myself for not trying Hush, Hush (shimmery gold) out.


For all of you paler girls out there...give Lancome's elephant bronzer a try. I'm really not much of a bronzer person at all, because my own skin is fairly tan and I'm usually striving to make it paler (don't worry, I don't own any sort of Asian bleaching products). However, a friend of mine was having her makeup done at Lancome and she had the bronzing powder put on her. She is also pretty wary of bronzers, just because she's relatively pale and they often are too dark. But this one gave a nice, light glow...and the design of the compact was adorable. For me, $36.50 is way too much for a bronzer, but if you're planning on using it for a long period of time it could definitely be worth it.


And finally...I am officially in love with Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Graphite Shimmer Ink. I don't care if the container is miniscule...the colour is so unbelievably gorgeous. However, I try my best not to make impulse beauty buys so I'm going to wait this one out a week or so to see whether I truly love the product.

Basically, Bobbi

Bobbi Brown's always been known for really high quality makeup basics. Sure, she may not have that crazy green eyeshadow that you've always secretly wanted to wear out with your girlfriends one night, but her makeup can go from nightclubs to country clubs without looks a tiny bit out of place.

Two products, which I encountered on http://discount.makeup.com, were a pretty pleasant surprise, just because I didn't expect them to be on sale. Usually, that makeup site stocks things in really unpopular colours. Not necessarily bad, but definitely not commonly used colours. This presents a problem in the world of B. Brown, because pretty much everything she makes is "commonly used." So you can imagine my surprise when I found two items that I know and love, the Cream Shadow Stick and the Cream Blush Stick, both at pretty good prices.


The Cream Shadow Stick is probably the less desirable item out of these two, because it only comes in two shades...and they're both really, really light. Iced Pink is a light peachy-pink, and Iced Ivory is just a plain off-white. This product makes a nice base for eyeshadow, and the stick form makes it really quick to apply. I also quickly dab it in the inner corner of my eye for an instant, non-caffeinated wakeup. It's $15.oo (originally $2o.oo), which is a pretty good deal, but if you don't really need any sort of light shadow colour or eyeshadow base, give this one a miss.


On the other hand, you should definitely not give the Cream Blush Stick a miss. These little sticks are genius...maybe not utterly original or different, but definitely worth your while. It's really easy to apply the blush, because you can just dab the stick directly on your cheek and rub it around a bit. The colour isn't too opaque and it isn't too pigmented, which is nice for when you want different intensities. And it isn't so goopy that you have to worry about your hair getting stuck in your cheeks. If you want something a little shimmery, you might have to dab a little bit of shimmery eyeshadow over the blush, because it's pretty much matte (as one would expect from basics-based-Bobbi). Just to warn you, you should probably check out the colour swatches on the Bobbi Brown website before purchasing one of these off of the discount makeup website, because some of their colour swatches are a little bit off. Some of them are discontinued though, so it might be hard to find those. I would personally go for either Sand Pink or Coral, depending on how dark your skintone is and whether you want a pink vs. a peach cheek tint. Both are equally versatile and wearable though, so really, it's up to you to pick whichever Bobbi makes you happy!