Here is the second installment of the Bobbi Brown & Tibi collaboration, new for spring 2011. We got our first sneak peek with an exclusive set from Neimans Preview Set (reviewed here). I finally had a chance to see the other items in the Python & Peony Collection and fell in love with the new eyeshadow palette, Lilac lipstick and Pale Peony gloss.
Lilac Rich Lip Color has previously been reviewed and swatched here. To recap, it’s a lovely lilac-pinkish cream color. It’s on the neutral-cool side, but not too cool. Beautiful full coverage, soft lightweight but creamy texture, long lasting. Pale Peony Rich Color Gloss is a sheerish cream pink – compared to other colors in this formula I found Pale Peony on the sheer side, but it still gives a noticeable coverage. There is a slight mint scent. Texture is not as sticky as her regular glosses. Here they are compared to the Pink Lilac Brightening Gloss so you can gauge how cool/lavender/pink these are.
Pale Peony lip-swatched by itself (no liner or lipstick underneath):
I was going to pass on the Python & Peony Eyeshadow Palette mainly because I wasn’t too keen on the packaging. The zip closure is a bit difficult to handle for me (not to mention a bit difficult to hold while applying). However I was smitten with the color palette – I do wish these were available in individual pan form (would have passed on Cool Ivory, Plum Orchid and Eclipse). Opal is a pale cool greyish cream, Lavender is a cool pinkish lilac, Cool Ivory is a grey beige, Cobra is a metallic steel grey, Plum Orchid is a sheer plum, Eclipse is a sheer black. I found the matte colors chalky by themselves, but liked the way they layered over her gel liner or applied with a slightly damp brush.
Over the weekend, I applied Laura Mercier’s Gold Metallic Creme shadow on the lids and topped with Opal 1/2 way up the lid, layered Cobra on top mixed with the Plum Orchid & Eclipse over a dark black liner smudged and then blended.
Today for work, I applied UD’s Sin Primer Potion all over the lids, applied Opal as a wash with Lavender on the center of lids and blended softly upwards. Then I mixed Cobra with Eclipse together as a smokey liner over her Caviar Ink Gel Liner.
Swatched on the arm:
I do think the Lavender in the palette can look a bit too cool if applied with a heavy hand by itself. I’m one who loves light purples but often times in saturated doses it can look very dated. I personally think it looks best when combined with the other colors in the palette. Layering it over a sheer gold cream shadow (not something I think most think of) like Laura Mercier’s Gold Metallic Creme shadow can help balance out the pink/cool tones. If you are finding it too cool – play around with it and layer it on top of other shades or add a smokey silver on top and blend together.
Overall love but I do hope Bobbi Brown slows down with the palettes. I like to pick out my own colors =)
I’ve prepped for tomorrow (the night before) so I can get a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning. Here’s what I’m wearing on Tuesday plus what’s inside my Balenciaga First in Anthracite from S/S 2007 (everything except the Jo Malone Colognes fit):
Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer, Sunlight Highlighter
Bobbi Brown Pale Pink Blush (her original packaging), Python & Peony Palette, Lilac Rich Lip Color, Pale Peony Rich Color Gloss
Laura Mercier Lilac Lip Glace
Chanel Cassis Eyeliner, Star Glossimer, Tender Bisque Powder Foundation
Mini Brushes, iPhone, Wallet, Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Balm sample
The items I’ll wear tomorrow
(look replicated from this past weekend):
Reviews on Bobbi Brown Python & Peony Palette along with the Pale Peony Rich Color Lip Gloss to come soon. Lilac has been previously swatched here.
A manicure & pedicure was the perfect way to end the week. I’m so happy it’s Saturday but I fear the day will go by too fast. I picked out two newly released shades Dior Beige Lotus 211 (first featured here) and Butter London No More Waity Katie.
Dior Beige Lotus 211 ($21 from Dior.com) is a warm neutral caramel-nude infused with tiny silver micro sparkles. The shimmer is refined and so pretty to look at. Why can’t there be a shadow that exists like this one? (Most beige sparkles I’ve seen are a lot lighter.) With two coats you get full coverage but the shade is so close to my skin tone it looks like a true mannequin hand. Like but will love it more when I’m more tanned (hopefully soon).
Butter London No More Waity Katie ($14 from ButterLondon.com) is a sheer lavender jelly-like base with chunky silver and lavender glitter. I wonder why most of us were expecting a lavender version of Buttter London’s All Hail McQueen (reviewed here)? I had to apply three coats to get it to show up but decided it was a bit too chunky for my fingers. I put it on the toes. London Makeup Girl shows you how it looks with fewer coats versus three coats. Lipglossipping also has a lovely feature. What do I think? Hmmm … it doesn’t seem like a grown-up-princess type of color, the glitter is super chunky, the base is really sheer, but with three coats it does show up. I’m still undecided.
Comparisons + Swatches:
L to R: Chanel Inattendu, Chanel Sahara Beige, Dior Beige Lotus, Chanel Delice, Paul & Joe 005 Mirage
L to R: Chanel Rodeo Drive, Chanel Lilac Sky, Chanel Paradoxal, Butter London No More Waity, Katie*, OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?
Many have expressed interest in Bobbi Brown’s new Rich Lip Color in Heather Pink, a pretty neutral rosey-brown, wondering how it compares to a few of her existing classics like Brownie and Brownie Pink. (A few shades reviewed here.) I don’t have her Brownie Lipstick, although if I remember correctly, it’s a neutral brown with a slight tinge of pink. I have picked two other shades to compare for you: Brownie Pink and Blondie Pink.
What’s the difference? Well, they all have different descriptions on Bobbi Brown’s website. However, I can barely tell the difference between these three. If you have swatched tested these to compare, please share your thoughts! The difference is so slight it’s barely noticeable. I had to look at these in different lighting and I had to hold my swatched arm at different angles see the difference. My photos and swatches will most likely all look the same to many of you so I will supplement with descriptions of what I personally observe.
Color Descriptions
Blondie Pink Lip Color – medium natural pink, the lightest out of the three (if you like this one but want something paler, but still pink, check out her Blush Lipstick, it’s a gorgeous color!)
Brownie Pink Lip Color – medium brown pink, has the most brownish tone
Heather Pink Rich Lip Color SPF 12 – medium rose-pink-brown, most rosey
Lip Color vs. Rich Lip Color SPF 12
Lip Color formula has a semi-matte finish with fuller more opaque coverage
Rich Lip Color SPF 12 has a sharp rich color but with a lightweight smoother texture and less matte looking finish, has a noticeable SPF/sunscreen scent
Is one better than the other? I think there are benefits of both formulas. Bobbi Brown’s regular formula has a semi-matte texture which lasts longer than the average lipstick on me, especially when layered over a blended lip liner. The texture is sometimes too heavy for my preference. The new Rich Lip Color is super smooth and lightweight but delivers full sharp color.
I must admit when I first heard there was yet another lipstick formula coming out from Bobbi Brown (in addition to her Regular Lip Color, Creamy Lip Color, Metallic Lip Color, Rich Color Gloss, Treatment Lip Shine and Lip Crayon) I rolled my eyes thinking it was confusing to have so many formulas and options. However after trying a few I have been pleasantly surprised. She has a diverse range of colors in this new line although I would have liked to see a soft watermelon pink or a true mauve plum. Her new formula is excellent for a full coverage lipstick and feels really nice on the lips. I cannot gush enough about how happy I am that she priced these at $22. I find this a reasonable price for a good quality product – something I have to say I was very relieved about in a day & age when every designer brand thinks charging $30+ is ok for a “new” lipstick formula. They are definitely worth checking out!
Here they are lip swatched on me. Note that I do think they all look very much the same on me and on my arm. The differences are so slight I don’t know that I can really tell the difference unless I look really closely. Even after looking really closely, it’s a stretch to see how they differ. I think on fairer skin tones you will be able to notice the difference more. Blondie Pink is the lightest, Brownie Pink has the most brown, Heather Pink has the most rose.
Dior has been revamping their nail polish formula and brushes for a while, but apparently on stealth mode as I have not seen or read any press releases communicating the new changes. I heard about the changes word of mouth from another Dior/Chanel nail polish friend who emailed me that Saks had an exclusive to release new colors first (you can see some on saks.com). I ordered City of Gold some months ago and ever since purchasing the Gris City colors online (see my reviews here), I have been checking in on Dior.com to see if anything new would show up.
Those of you who have been dying over Nude Chic (seen here), good news, it’s been re-released under a new name 219 Safari Beige on Dior.com. At this time I do not know if or when these will be released on counter (with the exception of City of Gold from Saks).
What I ordered left to right: 453 Flapper Pink, 428 Sienna, 211 Beige Lotus, 563 Cabaret Pink, 668 City of Gold (Saks)
Updated with thoughts & descriptions: Overall love the formula and finish. All the swatches were applied with 2 thin coats and went on the nails without any issues. These all have the tapered brush, which I am getting the hang of for application. Descriptions:
The new illuminators in Copacabana, Laguna and Super Orgasm arrived online at narscosmetics.com last week and I decided to order Copacabana and Laguna to compare them to the original release of Orgasm from last February (see my post The Neverending NARS “O” Series). I was also anxious to see how these compared to the other NARS products with similar names, mainly the Copacabana Multiple & Laguna Bronzing Powder.
I have not tried the newly packaged Orgasm to compare to the new one, but I can provide some initial thoughts on the original O versus the two new shades I bought in Laguna and Copacabana. Both the old and new versions are similar in product amount and texture. Both retail for $29 USD. What are the differences? First I’ll compare the difference in packaging:
Original packaging is skinnier, taller and has slightly less product inside
New packaging is shorter, wider and comes with a flip open lid
Another difference I noticed is that the first version of Orgasm Illuminator is sheerer in finish compared to the new Copacabana and Laguna. Here is Copacabana swatched close up on the skin. The left is heavily swatched, the right is sheered out. Perhaps it’s just contrasted with my skintone because Copacabana is more white, while Orgasm is more peach.
NARS Laguna Illuminator is a warmer almost orangey bronze with gold micro glitter. It also shows up more visible on my face in a warm golden bronze shade.
NARS Illuminators old and new in Orgasm, Copacabana & Laguna all swatched together:
Heavily swatched and sheered out:
Comparisons: Edward Bess Sunlight, NARS Copacabana Multiple, NARS Copacabana Illuminator
NARS Laguna Bronzer, NARS South Beach Multiple, NARS Laguna Illuminator
The comparisons swatched plus some thoughts. The Copacabana Illuminator is whiter and brighter than the Multiple version. The Illuminator is more contrasted with my skin in color but less sparkly and more glowy. I think Edward Bess’s Sunlight Cream Highlighter works better for a natural glow on my skin.
The NARS Laguna Illuminator is warmer and almost orangey next to the original Laguna Bronzing Powder but blends out beautifully on the skin. I swatched it next to South Beach Multiple for your reference.
I haven’t had time to experiment with the new Illuminators much, but so far I’ve used Laguna Illuminator on the cheeks by itself and then also layered under a bright pink blush. It works just like a regular liquid highlighter but dries quickly so I recommend blending quickly. I tested Copacabana Illuminator on the eyes near the browbone to highlight and it gave a lovely glow without the greasy feeling that Multiples can sometimes have when applied on the eyes. So far after a few uses, no irritations or break outs. I find them to be relatively long lasting, but natural in finish.
I assume you can mix these with foundation for a glow but haven’t tried it with Laguna or Copacabana. Overall thumbs up – I wasn’t too keen on the gold glitter in Laguna at first but when blended with a foundation brush the result is subtle enough.
A special thanks to Karlasugar who posted an awesome online discount code for us last week!
When news surfaced that Bobbi Brown was coming out with a new full color lipstick formulation in cream colors I wasn’t too interested. I thought the colors would be too opaque and boring but was proven wrong. One swipe of Bare Pink at the counter and I was in love with the smooth lightweight texture that gave full but not-too-thick coverage. I took advantage of the Neiman Marcus Beauty Event (still going on) and picked up some shades for myself and my mom.
These lipsticks are $22 each with a lightweight cream texture. They are full coverage like her regular lipsticks but glide on easier & smoother with a moisturizing feel. They’re described perfectly on BobbiBrownCosmetics.com, “Lightweight, yet intense, Bobbi’s latest formula combines pigments with a clear base to deliver pure, crisp color with just one swipe.” There’s a slight sunscreen scent when you first apply it on the lips but it fades. I tested Lilac this afternoon and it had excellent lasting power without any liner. The finish is semi-matte and the packaging is semi-matte with a glossy black middle. I love her packaging of individual items because they are great size for the price, conveniently packaged with sleek and simple classic designs. As much as I appreciate her palettes, I really love her individual items more.
The colors I ended up with for myself:
Bare Pink is a beige nude with slight pinkish tones
Heather Pink is a medium nude brown-pink
Lilac is a cool pink
Swatched on the arm:
Swatched on the lips, FYI on the skin is Chanel Teint Innocence in Shell (liquid):
The cute GWP from Neimans with a $150 purchase is two credit card sized palettes the brushes are really crummy in these, but the actual product is a good sample size.
Overall very impressed with the texture and coverage. I really love the way these feel on the lips. The smooth full coverage finish is superb without any feathering, streaking or unevenness. There are many other reviews on these lipsticks from other fabulous bloggers.
A few reviews I found very helpful:
Karlasugar has all the shades lined up swatched on paper
