Tipped off by Beetrice I toddled off to investigate the new Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadows. The picture looked so pretty especially Mica described as Deep Heather Grey Glitter. Glitter didn’t sound so good, but deep grey did.
Here are the swatches I got:-
The pictures in the boxes are taken off the Bobbi Brown site. There are 4 limited edition sparkle eyeshadows:-
Mica – Dark Heather Grey Glitter
Ballet – Light Pink Glitter
Silver Moon – Light Silver Glitter
Sunlight – Warm Gold Glitter
On the back of my hand it was just glitter, glitter, glitter and glitter!
The Bobbi Brown sales person applied the colours on the back of my hand with a brush. She explained that customers are not allowed to swatch the colours with their fingers as the texture of the eyeshadow is very soft and oils from the fingers can cause the colour to harden. I saw that the Ballet shade was already demonstrating this in the pan.
In the pan there is more differentiation between the 4 colours. On the skin, nothing. So, if you want to get a sparkle eyeshadow, I’d say just get it to layer OVER regular eyeshadow for oomph and don’t waste your money getting one of each. The Sparkle Eyeshadows are limited edition and retail for RM75. They fit into the square Bobbi Brown palette.
I was more captivated by the Bobbi Brown Party Metallics eyeshadow collection which is a collection of 6 new metallic colours.
I found these much more pigmented. The colours in the squares are extracted from the site to compare with swatches. I only swatched each colour 1-2 times which is approximately regular usage. The colours in the pan look very jewel toned and strong but when swatched are less pigmented. They are nice though and worth getting if you like strong colours with metallic tones. They retail for RM70 as part of the regular line of eyeshadows.
Bobbi Brown has absolutely disappointed me with the Sparkle Eyeshadows. Have you tried them? How do you feel about them?
Stay beautiful,
Paris B
nay on all of them! i wonder what’s up w BB these days, since the mauve collection last fall she hasn’t done anything that’s worth the hefty price tag.
Hi Jooj, I must agree with you. I don’t “get” the sparkle collection at all!
Ummm… disappointing! I was liking the Ballet shade initially, but seeing the swatches… *sigh*
Hi Rinnah, It swatches as nothing. I was so disappointed.
I like Pink Chandelier, Glitz and Bonfire. Pink Chandelier and Glitz are quite similar to colours i have. I think Bonfire is quite unusual, but don’t know how it will look on my lids. Will check it out when I go out shopping next week.
Btw, just curious, if you don’t mind, how do you manage to come up with at least 1 post a day and you are working full-time? You manage to type post in between your job? I really salute you, Paris.
Hi vonvon, I multi-task and I work fast I guess LOL… Thanks 🙂
I have never visited Bobbi Brown counter yet, so not sure if we have them, but I am not impressed with the Sparkle e/s they all look the same! LOL You’re right the party metallics are more intriguing 😀
Hey Nikki, Do test them out if you can – I’m sure you’ll get them soon enough. Then tell me if you don’t just get glitter all over the place hehe…
if you call those party metallic pigmented, I’d skip the entire collection for sure. I don’t think they will show on me but camera may be wrong. I will still try them out in person. Thanks for the update.
Hi jojoba, I do not take more than 2 swipes per swatch because I believe that’s what most people use when they apply eyeshadow. Still, I thought the pigmentation was pretty decent for a shimmer eyeshadow.
I came across your website while searching for beauty tips, enjoy reading your fresh and witty product reviews. It is quite brilliant 🙂
BB, uhmm.. the colour doesn’t really interest me though I am a huge Metallic eyeshadow fan and everything shimmer. Looks kind of dull even on your fair skin. I prefer the ME range from Shu, MAC, Make Up Store and Stilla ( did I say MAC and Make up Store.. ? lol )
Hi 1066,
Thanks for being so nice. The colours aren’t super metallic and shimmery except maybe the lighter shades. The darker shades tend to be less so. Still I found them pigmented and infinitely more interesting than the Sparkle collection!
Meh, unfortunately. I loved the Stone nude eyeshadow set that I got, though. It’s the set I reach for on days that I have to dash and run (Sometimes I just chuck this into my bag and apply it at work.)
On the sparkly shades, really, if they get hardened so easily, the formula ought to be changed. I agree that the oils from fingers would hasten the process, but using a brush does not guarantee it from happening; especially if a user “double-dips”. I usually do to achieve the intensity I want and I’m pretty sure the brush picks up the oil from my eye too and would inadvertently deposit the oil back onto the shadows.
Colour aside, this fact alone is a huge deterrent. Their shadows aren’t cheap and “disposable”; for the amount we’re paying, they can at least improve on the formula.
Hi Geekchic,
*applauds* I fully agree with you about the fact that BB eyeshadows aren’t cheap and disposable. If they want to charge us that sort of prices they better jolly well have quality that matches up yes? and 4 pans of glitter is just so wrong.
Hi,
I have 2 shimmer palettes from BB: Surf & Sand and Sandwash. They look very pretty in the pan. I love the bright blue in the S&S palette. However I did not see any color at all once I applied them on my lid. I could not see the difference between blue, cream/brown, mauve/pink or orange. Just like you said, they just gave shimmer/sparkle. I did not have access to BB counter then (BB has one in Amsterdam now), so I could not swatch it and judged it. Based on the pics online, I decided to by Sandwash via ebay and S&S while I was on a plane. I was dissapointed, of course, since they were not cheap.
Hi Evy
Glad to hear your feedback. It seems like Bobbi Brown doesn’t do shimmer or sparkle very well huh? The 2 palettes you have look so pretty in pictures but sigh… pure shimmer on the skin – pity pity.
I’d have to agree with you – after seeing the swatches, they’re just simply nothing but glitter…sigh…they looked so pretty too!
Hi Beetrice
Horrible right? I was so gobsmacked.
I also happened to toddle by a BB counter and I did swatch a Sparkle shadow. Like you, all I could see was GLITTER. Meh. I wouldn’t even bother.
I also own a Metallic e/s called Velvet Plum. Thing is, when swatched it was love at first swatch. But now I find it’s actually quite hard to pick the colour up with brushes for say a wash. It only works when I use a smaller brush, such as the one I use for the outer-V. Slightly disappointed, but the colour IS gorgeous. Sigh.
Hiya Syen,
Didn’t we all manage to “toddle” by a BB counter some time eh? haha… The metallic eyeshadows harden even with a brush? That’s not good. I hate shadows that do that.
hi there!
your swatches are great – I own Glitz and it looks very much like you swatched it. Very realistic! has convinced me to go get bonfire and pink chandelier at ebay, too! they are VERY sheer (so beware for disappointment if oyu want STRIKING metallic – stick with UD) metallics.
I love that as a borderline wearable glamour shadow in someprofessional environments. Its being very sheer allows me to break away from the BB neutrals from time to time even for work 🙂