Palettes

Bobbi Brown has two new limited-edition Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude Eyeshadow Palettes ($59 each, made in USA) and they’re exclusive to Nordstrom. I’ve been eyeing these for months as they launched first in Asia and I was almost convinced we would not receive them in the US but we did! There is a pink version called Rosy Nudes and a medium bronzey version called Bronzed Nudes. Both are beautiful for a neutral with a twist eye look. If you’re one who doesn’t wear a lot of eyeshadow, are just getting into makeup, or want something easy to wear every day both are great options. I particularly appreciate neutrals these days because the warm red copper orange trend for eyes is still going very strong. As pretty as they are on many complexions, I often find them difficult to pull off.

Pigment is good on these palettes. It’s soft and sheer to medium. Color is truly natural but buildable. If you want intense pigment these palettes are going to be too natural looking for you. I find using an emollient cream shadow as a base helps the color show up better. I really love the Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes as my base. I don’t have oily lids so I can use a creamy base as my shadow base all over the lids without it getting greasy looking by afternoon.

How cute are the compacts?

A look at both in direct sunlight so you can see the shimmers better:

Rosy Nudes has pink nude options. There are mattes, shimmers and sparkles in the palette. There are variations of soft pink nudes and shimmers mixed in with a set of deeper tones for crease and definition. Each palette has a small pamphlet inside with combination ideas with step by step application instructions – so if you’re confused on how to apply shadow, it’s a good starting point. I don’t have a go-to technique, sometimes I start light to dark, other times I start with a medium color and then build and blend from there.

Colors include:

• White Smoke – pale matte powder pink
• Watercolor Pink – shimmery soft peachy pink
• Nudest – light matte pink
• Sunrise Glow – shimmery champagne pink peach
• Nude – nude pink matte
• Dusk – shimmery rosy shimmer
• Milk Chocolate – sheer matte cool brown
• Tan – matte tan
• Chocolate Smoke – sparkling light brown
• Rich Caviar – deep plum brown

Bronzed Nudes is my favorite of the two. It has the perfect neutral bronze tan shades to create a natural everyday eye. I’ve been reaching for this one more frequently. It’s one I can see myself wearing year round.

Colors include:

• Bone – matte sheer beige
• Golden Glow – soft shimmering gold beige
• Frappe – matte tan
• Pink Copper – sparkling light copper
• Burnt Amber – shimmering tan
• Buff – warm beige matte
• Copper Chocolate – shimmering warm bronze brown taupe
• Chocolate Truffle – shimmering taupe
• Milk Chocolate – sheer cool matte brown
• Black Chocolate – matte blackened brown

Pigment is good on these palettes but it’s soft with natural-medium coverage. Color is truly natural but buildable. If you want intense pigment these palettes are going to be too natural looking for you. I find using an emollient cream shadow as a base helps the color show up better. They layer well together but if you have dry lids I recommend using something to moisten the skin a tiny bit.

Below wearing Bronzed Nudes along with the following:

• Primer – Bobbi Brown Primer Plus Mattifier
• Foundation – Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wear Foundation in 4.5* (swatches + review here)
• Powder – Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder *
• Eyes – Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Platinum as a base, Bronzed Nudes Palette * with Golden Glow, Frappe, Pink Copper, Copper Chocolate and Black Chocolate
• Mascara – NARS Climax Mascara *
• Lips – Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Color in Bare with Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss* in 712 Melted Honey on top

Closer look:

Overall nice easy to wear colors. I still think the Urban Decay Naked2 Palette is probably one of the best everyday neutral palettes I’ve found, but using it everyday can get boring real fast for me. These Bobbi Brown ones offer a nice variety and I think they’re a great way to start if you’re just getting into shadows.

Given that there are so many options out there a few thoughts on some other palettes I’ve tried recently:

• Natasha Denona’s Camel Palette is a lot more pigmented and runs more camel/tan. These Bobbi Brown palettes are softer in color with pink or bronzey options.
• NARS Mojave Eyeshadow Quad is easier to use with only 4 shades, it pulls more neutral with more pigment. I’ll be reviewing the new NARS singles and duo formula in the next week!
• If you need all mattes, Chanel Clair Obscur is the way to go.
• If you want something more neutral-cool, Pat McGrath’s MTHRSHP in Subliminal Platinum Bronze is the best one I’ve tried.

Bottom line I really love the Bronzed Nudes. All the shades are colors I gravitate towards. I have a soft spot for Pink Copper which I wish was made in full size. Both palettes are nice basic staples that you can wear without having to think about how to wear them. All this said she has launched quite a few nude palettes in the past. I haven’t kept track of them in quite some time so you might want to shop your stash if you own any of her eyeshadows. I keep swatching the Nude Drama Palette every time I go into Sephora but haven’t caved on it yet.

You can find the Nude on Nude Eyeshadow Palettes in Bronzed Nudes and Rosy Nudes Palettes available now at Nordstrom. They just started Triple Points today for card members and refreshed their Gift With Purchase page. I have a whole cart full of things I’ve been wanting to try and have to narrow down/edit my picks.

Bobbi Brown Nude Palettes provided for review. Other Press Samples featured indicated with a *.