June 1, 2010

Bobbi Brown Antigua Face Palette Review and Swatches

I dare do say that Bobbi Brown excels at the natural look doesn’t she?

Well, that’s what the Bobbi Brown Antigua Face Palette is all about!

Jump!

What Is It?

A Caribbean inspired palette to give you that well-rested, seaside glow.

The Good….

So you like really natural makeup looks? The Bobbi Brown Antigua Face Palette is for you! Don’t expect drama, don’t expect hooray…this is a very basic palette for creating a super natural look for the Summer. It’s kinda one of those palettes I’d see myself taking on a cruise or packing away for a holiday getaway as it contains the essentials, nothing more, nothing less.

The palette’s made up of three lip colors, three shadows, and one illuminating bronzer.

Now Bobbi’s version of a bronzer is very different from any other bronzer around. Many of her illuminating bronzers come in incredibly wearable shades of dusky pink and rose. Needless to say the star of this palette is the Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzer in Antigua which is a gorgeous shade of pinky peach that is very subtle yet manages to evoke a sun kissed splash of color that works beautifully on many skin tones.

Also included are three basic shadow shades which are the typical array of shades that Bobbi includes in many of her palettes. You get Navajo (matte white), Oat Eyeshadow (soft mocha beige matte), and Caviar Eyeshadow (black matte). I find the best way to use these would be to apply Navajo as an all over color wash, a bit of Oat in the crease, and a tiny bit (don’t over do it) of Caviar along the upper lash line used as a liner to open eyes up!

And finally you also get three Bobbi Brown Lip Colors in Kitten (Nude Pink), Pink Ballet (True Pink), and Azalea (Berry).

The overall look with the palette is simplicity at it’s best as it gives just the right amount of glow to your cheeks and just the right amount of elegance lent to your eyes. The palette works best at creating a minimal makeup look that says yes, I have makeup on but no, I did not over do my look. It’s casual chic that can work as a fun day look or an elegant evening look!

The Bad….

Bobbi tends to use Navajo and Caviar Eyeshadow in ALOT of her palettes so this could make the Antigua Face Palette an uneventful pick if you already own these shades.

Who Might Like It?

  • Natural makeup lovers will adore it!
  • Anyone who wants a travel friendly palette for simple yet elegant makeup!
  • Bobbi Brown lovers!
  • Anyone who hasn’t tried Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzers (I LOVE these and think they are absolutely essential if you’re a bronzer hater. They just WORK!).

Who Might Not Like It?

  • Anyone wanting the drama (this leans more towards simplicity at its best).
  • Anyone who already owns alot of Bobbi’s matte shadows.
  • Anyone who already owns Antigua.

(Cheeks: Antigua Illuminating Bronzer Eyes: Navajo: All Over the Eye, Oat: In the Crease Caviar: Used as a liner, upper lash line Lips: Azalea)

Final Thoughts….

The palette is an elegant piece and I can’t rightfully say there is a single thing wrong with it aside from the rehash of shades that Bobbi tends to favor in many of her face palettes. It’s a good starter palette for anyone just getting into Bobbi Brown, beginners to makeup, or mature women in favor of a more natural look. The palette is ideal for travel so that’s one reason I absolutely adore it as it packs a whole lot of pretty into one place.

Available exclusively online at www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com

What do you think?

Note: Apologies for the crummy swatch photos. My camera was being bishy!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  • Misa

    ya i have been reading some other reviews by you and notice Bobbi Brown constantly puts “Kitten” in. i think time to create some new shades?

    • the Muse

      hi misa yup 😀 I mentioned that in the review about the rehash of shades 🙂

  • makeup morsels

    hmm honestly when I read “Carribean inspired” I was thinking along the lines of blues and bronzes. However, now that I see it, it does make sense to put nice workable neutrals into a travel palette. I try to streamline my makeup when I travel, so this would be a good buy for that. I do think that a darker matte brown would be nice though

    • the Muse

      makeup morsels totally understandable I think their idea of island-y was to travel light 😀 not so much about the blues, sandy shades!

  • lilac cupcake

    I am in the camp that is bored by this palette, mainly because I feel like BB always has the same group of shadows. I would love to see something different … that’s why I loved the Chrome palette from Holiday 2009 so much: it was something that was totally in line with BB’s clean and simple philosophy but had never been done by them before. The Antigua palette to me is just more of the same. I’d rather pick up the Antigua bronzer by itself and skip the rest.

    • the Muse

      lilac I agree on Holiday 2009’s palette, VERY different and gorg 😀 But yes this does follow the BB standard when it comes to very subdued shades and many rehashes!

      • jonnie

        I would probably be bored if I had any BB, but this is potentially my first foray into the BB world… and I’ve been looking for some neutral stuff for work (plus I like doing neutral makeup and throwing teal eyeliner or something in there to liven it up… or I was thinking this palette would rock with some UD Honey Deluxe Eyeshadow… 😉 ) I looked at the Too Faced palettes but they have shimmer, and I can do neutral shimmer with the UD stuff I have, but shimmer is a no go for work. I got called out last week… “Sergeant, is that glitter on your face?” (Ahh, the UD fallout…) I thought I had that fallout taken care of… anyway…

        • the Muse

          OMG Jonnie what did you say lol? I’d sob…Yes sir yes it’s glitter I’m SO SORRY! lol

          • jonnie

            LOL… I just laughed and said oops, I thought I took that off… I really did think I had taken it off, it was one in the morning, and I outranked the guy who said it. I’m just lucky it wasn’t my Command Sergeant Major! Oops wouldn’t have cut it with him!

  • Nia

    Wow, this illuminating bronzer does indeed look amazing on you, as does Azalea! Wants it, but I am not a huge friend of palettes (that’s why I love MAC) and the eyeshadows look so much like something I already have.

    Need to check if you can get the bronzers alone… Or Azalea for that matter.

    • the Muse

      thanks nia you’re too kind! 😀 azalea isn’t unfortunately 🙁 but I’m sure a good dupe is around 🙂 the bronzers are available alone 🙂

  • jonnie

    Hmm… this looks really nice. I’ve managed to avoid clicking through on the Bobbi Brown posts even when you reviewed lovely shimmer bricks, but this simple palette made me, and now I’m seriously lemming some BB. Darn it! Are there ever sales?

    • the Muse

      hey jonnie last year they had a ff 20 during xmas (2009) but not since…:( mostly free shipping deals and free full size product or deluxe samples

  • Jessie

    Antigua looks pretty. Might buy the singles for this, as the eyeshadows and lip stuff looks pretty ordinary

  • jonnie

    My promotion has definitely helped fuel the makeup fires… my closet is looking more full as well! 🙂

    I’m way excited to get these… I’ll let you know how they work for me!

  • Honor

    Dear muse, I need your lights..
    I am not totally fond of shimmers on my face and that is why I always loved Bobbi and her matte products. I just really tried a shimmerwash E/S and was quite impressed to see that the shimmewash give more of a sheen finish rather than a shimmery one, which can be very nice with some shades…

    I am quite interested by this palette but still concerned about the illuminating bronzer. how would you describe the finish? a sheen like a shimmerwash or something a bit heavier shimmerwise? can you actually see the shimmers on your cheeks? or odes it give just a subtle glowy, shiny look…

    as you see, it needs an expert like you to answer all my queries 🙂

    Thank you

    • the Muse

      hey honor try not to trust me too much on this b/c what I find subtle others consider OMG shimmery but I have to say the illuminating bronzers does contain a tad bit of golden shimmer but nothing dramatic imho. I don’t think you can see it but as I said take it with a grain of salt because I tend to think things are NOT shimmery and have reader’s proceed to tell me OMG it’s SO shimmery 😀

      It’s not shiny at all but just a glow from within look 😀

      hope this helps?

      and I’m def NOT an expert hehe but thanks!

      • Honor

        If you are not an expert, then who is …
        It i strue that I notice in certain of your pics that you may have a tendancy to overindulged in shimmers 🙂
        I asked the BB artist online and they confirmed to me that the finish of the Antigua could be a bit similar as the one of the shimmerwas E/S, so as a sad person that I am , I tried one of my shimmerwash E/S with my bronzer brush on my cheecks and forehead…and teh finish is quite nice indeed …..except for the browny purply shade, since the only shimmerwash E/S I have are fawn and stone ….LOL, how sad does that makes me …
        but I got my answer, and will but the palette….. think it could look specially nice in winter, and I am the kind of person who always regret two or threemonths afterward..
        Thank you Muse, and I will let you know how it works …

        • the Muse

          definitely not me Honor 😀 I just like playing with makeup hun, NOT an expert at all 😀 Yup love me some shimmer and def do over indulge in it 😀 I look forward to hearing what you think, I do think you’ll really like it and it does make a great palette for winter to warm your face up :-D!

          Enjoy hun!

          • Honor

            you do realize Muse that someone who has swatched, tried , tested and enjoied more than 1000 products and certainly half the lmineup of a small sephora, can be consider as an expert. ..so I maintain the expert …and you should not depreciate yourself;
            so expert Muse, enjoy your day, for me in Paris , it is already the week end , and it is sunny….

          • the Muse

            lol honor you’re too kind but really I’m a mere hobbyist that really loves makeup *hugs* god I wish I was in Paris it’s been many a year since I’ve been to France. I may airmail myself to you 😀

  • Chiara2311

    Muse,i abs love your blog and your reviews,they helped many times,in making informed choice :)so big thanks hun
    PS.Its freezing here in S.London,and so windy so i am off to cheer myself up and buy the B,Brown Antigua 🙂

    • the Muse

      girl we are getting there here too! cold as hells ;-D stay warm! My best friend Libby lives in London and was complaining about the weather to me ;-D Aw thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoy the reviews <3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BB Antigua is a perfect pick for the cold weather ;-D!