Bobbi Brown Telluride Collection Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink Review, Photos and Swatches

For summer 2015 Bobbi Brown wants to take us on vacation to Telluride, Colorado. I have to admit  when I think of summer vacation I don't necessarily think of heading to the mountains (probably because for the majority of my life they have a mere 45 minute drive away), but sure Bobbi - let's do this alpine thing.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink

Inspired by the warm tawny glow of the late afternoon sun in the mountains, the collection focuses around warm, shimmery neutrals. Today I have the Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink for review ($54.00 CA, LE.)

Sunset Pink is medium peachy-pink highlighter with red undertones and gold shimmer. It has medium to high pigmentation and like all Shimmer Bricks it has a strong metallic finish. Light application for a natural finish is a must with this product! Photos in natural light on NC40 skin.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink

You can't tell from the swatch photo, but this Shimmer Brick packs a punch of metallic shimmer. It has a very strong luminous finish that can easily become overly frosty if application is even remotely heavy. It gives my golden skin tone a peachy sun kissed look that leans on the flushed side. Due to it's fairly strong pigmentation, I would predict this will work better as a luminizing blush for light skintones.

I have a large Shimmer Brick collection, so I pulled a few old releases to see if anything was a dupe for Sunset Pink. Based on how the Shimmer Bricks looked in the pan alone I chose Bronze, Tawny and Brownie for comparison.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Sunset Pink, Bronze, Tawny and Brownie.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Sunset Pink, Bronze, Tawny and Brownie.

I was convinced that Bronze would be close dupe because the individual strip colours look very similar. Much to my surprize out of the three this was the least similar! Here are some observations based on my swatches:

1. Bronze (P): Much more golden with no pink or peach undertones.  When compared side-by-side with Sunset Pink, Bronze is cooler and ashier.

2. Tawny (LE): Fairly similar in terms of pigmentation with the same medium dark pink tone but lacks any peachiness.The other major difference is Tawny has a silver shimmer.

3. Brownie (LE): A deep plummy rose-brown which runs darker than Sunset Pink and has silver rather than gold shimmer.

Sunset Pink lasts all day on my combination skin with slight fading by the end of the day. My big tip for using any of the Shimmer Bricks is to finish the face with MAC Fix+ or any other makeup finishing mist. I find this extra step helps the shimmer particles mesh with the skin so they look more luminous and less glittery/frosty.

Overall a nice product which certainly recalls the type of healthy flush you might have at the end of a long sunny day of hiking.

Grade: A

J

Charlotte Tilbury Vintage Vamp Luxury Colour-Coded Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos and Swatches

The Charlotte Tilbury collection recently launched at Holt Renfrew in Canada, and after finally getting the chance to see the products in person, took a deep breath and made a purchase. Yes, the Tilbury products are pricey but the quality is exceptional and sometimes it's worth it to treat yourself.

I bought the Vintage Vamp Luxury Eyeshadow Palette and the Barbarella Brown Rock N Kohl Eye Pencil. In this post I'll review the Vintage Vamp Luxury Eyeshadow Palette. It costs $64 CDN and contains four eyeshadow colours.

Charlotte has designated each shade in her palettes as the Prime shade, the Enhance shade, the Smoke shade and the Pop shade. Diagrams are on the back of the box and on the back of the compact to show which shade is which.

The box and the compact are a shiny deep red with rose-gold detailing and type. 

More packaging photos.

Charlotte's whole philosophy is that makeup is a secret weapon, that it can change your life and empower you. She's inspired by beauty icons, and creates looks and products to enhance your sex appeal.

The power to mesmerise is in your eyes. With this make-up, hypnotise.

It sounds even better in french. 

Le pouvoir de fasciner repose dans vos yeux. Grace a ce maquillage, hypnotisez.

Inside the compact are the four eyeshadows, and a good sized mirror etched with a small star in the upper right corner. 

From top left clockwise, the Prime shade, the Enhance shade, the Smoke shade and the Pop shade.

The Prime shade is a soft, shimmery lilac-pink with a hint of gold to it. The Enhance shade is a muted pink-burgundy with a coppery shimmer to it. The Smoke shade is a deeper, richer burgundy with a little bit of shimmer, and the Pop shade is a copper-gold glitter shadow.

Prime, Enhance, Smoke and Pop shades.

All four shadows apply beautifully. The texture of all of them, and particularly the first three is creamy and buttery. The Pop shade is glitter-heavy, so it's not quite as creamy, but it's certainly not dry. They can be applied lightly or more heavily and blend incredibly well. These are easily some of the best eyeshadows I've ever used. 

With four shadows there are a variety of different ways to use this palette. Here's the first look I came up with - a softly smoky look. 

I applied the Prime shade all over my lids, and in the inner corner of my eyes, the Enhance shade in my creases and on the outer corner of my lids, as well as along my lower lash lines. I smudged the Smoke shade along my upper lash lines and then applied the Barbarella Brown Rock N Kohl Eye Pencil on top. I'm wearing a bit of Benefit Rockateur blush on my cheeks and some lip balm on my lips. My base is MAC Face + Body and I've got MAC Pro Longwear Concealer under my eyes and MAC Prep + Prime powder to set everything. I've filled in my brows with Anastasia Dipbrow and I've got Benefit Bad Gal mascara on my curled top and bottom lashes. I'm also wearing some NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy on my cheeks.

I also tried Charlotte's own looks for this palette, which she's got on YouTube here. 

The day version of her Vintage Vamp isn't terrifically different from the look above, with the Prime shade used all across the lids, and in the inner corners. The Enhance shade is is applied to the outer corners of the lids, and softly in the crease. The Enhance shade is smudged along the upper lash line and three-quarters of the way along the lower lash lines. Then you apply the Barbarella Brown Rock N Kohl Eye Pencil along the top lashes. Apart from the eye pencil and the eyeshadow palette, I do not have the other products she uses in her video so I improvised with ones I do own. My blush is MAC's Pink Swoon, my lipstick is the Bite Beauty Lip Lab lipstick I had custom-made for myself. I applied it as Charlotte does in the video, making it look like my lips are stained as if I've been eating cherries.

My base, concealer, powder, mascara and eyebrow products are as in the above look.

And here is the night version of Charlotte's Vintage Vamp look. Starting with the look above, I applied the Smoke shade on the outer corner of my lids, and through my crease, bringing it up in a roughly triangular rectangle in the outer corners to mimic the flapper look of the 1920s. The Smoke shade is smudged quite low along my lower lashes for a vampy effect and the Barbarella Brown Rock N Kohl is applied to my waterline. Finally, I used my finger to apply the Pop shade on the inner half of my eyelids, and on the inner corners.

This was my favourite of the three looks, but not one I can wear everyday. I'll save the other two for that. But next time I have the occasion to do such a dramatic, vampy, sexy look, I'll go full Vintage Vamp.

Yes, Charlotte Tilbury's products are high-end but from what I've experienced, they're worth the splurge. I love the philosophy behind them, and the passion and experience Charlotte puts into the collection. There's magic to her make-up.

Charlotte Tilbury's collection is available at Holt Renfrew stores in Canada, and on her website. 

Grade: A

MAC Bao Bao Wan Beauty Powder in Summer Opal Review, Swatches and Photos

Even for a makeup junkie and blogger/ avid blog reader like me it's hard to keep up with MAC's onslaught of LE releases. I declined buying anything from the past few big recent collections (Lightness of Being, Viva Glam Miley Cyrus and MAC Cinderella etc.), so when the Bao Bao Wan collection started getting good reviews I caved and bought one item, the Summer Opal Beauty Powder (LE $33.00 CA.) 

Photos and swatches in natural light, on NC 35/40 skin.

No one really knows (MAC included it seems) what specific function a Beauty Powder performs, except that it's meant to enhance the face. Some Beauty Powders I've bought in the past can be used all over to brighten the complexion, others have only been suitable as blushes or highlighter. Bao Bao Wan's Summer Opal definitely falls into the highlighter category. It is a soft peachy beige highlighter with fine flecks of gold shimmer throughout. Although it feels a bit dry/firm in the pan, a soft brush will pick up a good amount of product.

MAC Bao Bao Wan Summer Opal Beauty Powder: 

light application with brush (L) and heavy application with finger (R)

As you can see from the above swatch, the gold shimmers are not highly visible on the skin. The frost of the highlighter is quite soft and fine and I did not find this product emphasized uneven skin texture or pores. Summer Opal buffs and blends into the skin effortlessly and it's softness is a nice change from some of the super metallic highlighters on the market.

I found wear time good with slight fading around the 7 hour mark. MAC is competitive with many high end brands on many products, but I feel in the highlighter category they lag significantly behind other brands such as Cle de Peau, Guerlain and even Estee Lauder. Summer Opal Beauty Powder is a nice indication that they can make a good, solid highlighter...now all they have to do is make it permanent!

Grade: B+

P.S: At the time of writing this post, Summer Opal Beauty Powder was sold out online. It may still be available at your local counter or free standing store. I would suggest calling your local store to confirm, as well as frequently checking back on the website as I have noticed that other LE products from this collection have been restocked after initially selling out. I apologize in advance if this post leads to unfulfilled lemmings! Good luck!

Bobbi Brown Holiday 2014 Shimmer Brick in Copper Diamond Review, Swatches and Photos

The star of Bobbi Brown's Holiday 2014 offerings has to be her limited edition Shimmer Brick in Copper Diamond ($52.00 CA). I almost completely missed this one as I was more focused on procuring her Pink Glow and Bronze Glow Highlighters from her other holiday collection "Scotch on the Rocks."

While researching the Pink Glow and Bronze Glow Highlighters on the blogosphere I noticed how many people left comments raving about Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick. So when I saw one last Copper Diamond at the Bobbi Brown counter in Holt Renfrew, I quickly snapped it up! Photos taken in natural light, on NC 35 skin.

Copper Diamond, like all other Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks, features five stripes of shimmery metallic pigments all loosely based around the same hue. You can use each stripe individually or all five swirled together, although realistically only eye brushes would be small enough to be able to pick up the shades individually. 

Bobbi Brown Copper Diamond Shimmerbrick stripes from top to bottom.

The texture of Shimmer Bricks feel like a baked product - they are finely milled, compact, powdery and all shades are highly frosty/metallic. The first stripe is a pale white-gold, the second a medium gold, the third a medium champagne-gold, the fourth a medium bronze and the last stripe a bright yellow gold.

Mixed together, the five stripes look very similar to the third stripe and the overall effect when used as a highlighter is stunning - it looks like molten champagne-gold has been airbrushed on your cheekbones. So glamorous! This is a full effect kind of highlighter - normal application with a blush/highlighter brush will yield dramatic results, so for a subtle application use a fan brush.

Bobbi Brown Copper Diamond Shimmerbrick mixed.

Tip: If you love rocking a more dramatic/metallic highlighter, give your skin a spritz of MAC Fix + after applying the Shimmer Brick, the moisture in the spray will "foil" the highlighter on your skin giving you a more editorial glow.

Wear time on the Shimmer Brick is good, with a small amount of fading after 8 hours. As the finish is on the high frost side, this highlighter may emphasize dry or large pored skin. This is a particularly great highlighter for yellow based skin tones, though I think this would also work well with cool skin tones as the gold does not run too yellow. This highlighter also pairs well with many blush shades, and is great when mixed in with matte blushes to give them some sheen. Such a beautiful, luxurious highlighter for the season!

Copper Diamond is still available at Bobbi Brown online and may still be available at your local Holt Renfrew counter.

Grade: A+

J

Stila All Over Shimmer in Rose Gold Review, Swatches and Photos

I adore skin luminzers and own many. I wear them almost every day. When applied to the skin they bring light to that area and they come in a variety of textures - powder, cream and liquid. On a recent stop at Winners, I found one of Stila's All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminzers in Rose Gold and snapped it up. It's regularly about $26 CDN and I paid about $15 CDN for it. 

Stila's All Over Shimmers are creamy, skin-enhancing luminizers that bring a fresh, radiant glow to the skin. They help to diminish skin imperfections and minimize the appearance of fine lines and sun spots. They contain a potent antioxidant component as well as grape seed oil to nourish the skin. As well as the Rose Gold shade, they are available in Pink, Bronze and Kitten. 

Ingredients

The Rose Gold shade is a soft peachy-pink with a good dose of gold shot through it. The texture is creamy and the applicator is much like a nail polish bottle and brush. 

With the applicator, it's easy to control the amount of luminizer you apply. Simply dab it onto the tops of your cheekbones, or brow bone and blend it. Or dab it on your hand and mix it in with a dab of moisturizer or your foundation for an all over glow.

Here is what it looks like on the back of my hand, unblended. At first it seems like it might be pretty intense but as you can see in the following photo, once blended it is much less intense. There's still a lot of shimmer to it, so it doesn't give a natural glow. Still, it's very pretty and unlike some of the powder luminizers I have, doesn't sit heavily on the skin. Because this is a gold luminzer, it's warm on the skin. That's why most highlighters and luminizers are warm-toned - silver looks artificial and unnatural, even on cool skintones.

If I were to place the Rose Gold All Over Shimmer onto a scale ranking of highlighters/luminzers with one being "barely noticeable natural" and 10 being "holy disco shimmer, Batman!", it would sit at a six or a seven. 

Swatched on NW15 skintone.

Swatched on NW15 skintone (blended out).

I anticipated the Rose Gold Shimmer to be quite pink and possibly used as a blush, or on top of a blush to enhance it. But it sheers once blended in, leaving hardly a hint of pink. I could still use this on top of blush but it would be for luminescence only. 

I've been wearing this on the weekend and occasionally during the week, as my makeup routine involves applying my blush and any contour/highlight underneath my foundation, so everything is muted. 

A note about the formula: liquid products always blend beautifully on most skintypes, and tend to be very sheer. Because of this, they tend to look the most natural, like they're part of your skin, not sitting on top of it. 

The Rose Gold Luminzer looks gorgeous dabbed on my cheekbones, brow bones and if I'm dressing up, on my collarbones.

If you're looking for an easy to use, medium-intensity highlighter/luminizer, you can't go wrong with Stila's All Over Shimmer in Rose Gold. 

Grade: A

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil 10L Copper Review and Swatches

This post features one of my favourite makeup products - Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes Eyeliner in 10L. The Aqua Eyes Eyeliners are part of MUFE's waterproof makeup liner which are truly budgeproof, even in the rain, even in humid conditions and even when swimming. 

I came across the the 10L liner at Sephora one day a few years ago and fell in love with the colour. It's not quite gold and it's not quite copper, it's a mix of the two. The shade is subtle enough but with the metallic shimmer, it's also got some oomph. I wear this on days when I want a natural look with a little extra something. 

The texture is creamy and smooth and the pigmentation is immediate. There's no need to go over and over to increase the effect.

Swatches! Lots of pretty swatches!

If you're looking for a long-lasting eyeliner, you can't do much better than the Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencils. I've worn 10L in the rain, on hot, sweaty and humid days in the city and while swimming. It does not smudge or budge one bit. It'd work really well for body art, I bet too. 

Have I talked about the colour yet? Spectacular. A beautiful blend of gold and copper that runs neutral, so it works for both warm and cool undertones and all eye colours. Specifically though, blue, brown and green eyes will pop with this colour. 

I absolutely adore this eyeliner pencil. I wear it all the time, as eyeliner just along my top lashline, all around my eyes and also as an eyeshadow. It works really well as a base. One thing that's neat about it is that if you apply it and then smudge it with your finger, or a Q-tip or a brush, you take away a lot of the metallic sheen. I do this if I want to work it into my lashline or smudge it up into my crease. I then go over it again to get the metallic sheen back. You have to work quickly since it sets quickly and it does not budge until you take it off with a good eye makeup remover, or with a cleansing oil. 

Grade: A

A Golden Brown EOTD

Golden brown texture like sun,

Lays me down with my mind she runs,

No need to fight,

Never a frown with golden brown. 

Those are lyrics from The Stranglers song 'Golden Brown'. It's actually about heroin but it's the first thing I thought of when I titled this tutorial. So let's look at those lyrics very superficially for this purpose. It's a great tune too, so check it out!

I've been on the hunt for simple eye looks for day that use colours that make my eye colour pop. I'm specifically looking for a copper shade that's somewhat subtle that I can wear on my eyes. It occurred to me that I don't really have anything like that in my makeup kit. So I thought I'd play with some of the shades I do have - in shades that do enhance blue eyes. I chose MAC's Satin Taupe (a long time favourite), Bare Escentuals Sex Kitten (another favourite) and the coppery-gold shade from MAC's Stacked 2!.

MAC's Satin Taupe is a classic MAC eyeshadow, a shimmery taupe. This shade is neutral enough for all eye colours and the warm tones in it enhances blue (and green) eyes. 

Bare Escentuals Sex Kitten is a sparkly nutmeg shade. The warmth in it makes it a good shade for blue (also hazel and green) eyes. 

The coppery-gold shade in the MAC's Stacked 2! is a basic, glowy cool-gold shade with a slight copper tone to it that warms it up.

I don't know how successful this eye look was. It didn't make my blue eyes pop as much as I was hoping, but also certainly didn't overpower them or dull them down. I'll keep looking for that perfect daytime eye look that makes my eyes really pop, but this is a simple, subtle, basic look that would work well for day. And not just for those of you with blue eyes. 

Here is what I did:

1. I applied a primer (Urban Decay's Primer Potion) to my eyelids.

2. With an eyeshadow brush I pressed the Stacked 2! shade gently into my lid, focusing on the inner half. Note: this shade looks warmer in its container than it did on my skin. I continued to layer it until I got the effect I wanted. 

3. With another eyeshadow brush, I applied Satin Taupe to the outer corners of my eyes, focusing mostly on a > shape (horizontal V), along my lashline and up and across my crease, ending about halfway across my eyelid. One of my favourite things about this look is how the Stacked 2! shade and Satin Taupe intermingle in the middle of my eyelid. 

4. With an angle brush, I smudged Sex Kitten along my upper lashline. On the outer corner I turned the brush sideways and pulled Sex Kitten up into the Satin Taupe, blending the two together. 

5. With the same angle brush, I smudged Sex Kitten softly along my lower lashline. 

6. I left my browbone bare, as I tend to do these days (I have heavy bangs). Also, this look has a fair amount of shimmer so while a brow colour with a soft bit of shimmer would be effective, anything more might be too much for daytime. If you recreate this look, try it!

7. I curled my eyelashes using my Shu Uemera eyelash curler (BEST eyelash curler I've ever used) and applied L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black to my upper eyelashes only.

I like this look a lot. One thing I didn't like was that the Stacked 2! shade irritated my eyes badly. Even after I washed my face and removed my contacts, I had a headache and fuzzy head that lasted for the rest of the day. So I won't be wearing this look again using that shade. I'll have to use a different but similar shade. 

What do you think of this look? Will you try it? Do you have any favourite shades or eye looks for making blue eyes pop? Do you have a deep, pure love for Satin Taupe too?

C.