October 22, 2008

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Eye Palette Review and Swatches

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Eye Palettes started off as an exclusive item from our friends at Nordstrom however Bobbi was feeling generous so she’s included them in with her Winter and Holiday Collection which means you can get ’em from your local Bobbi Brown counter or directly from Bobbi Brown’s website now! No Nordstoms required!

I thought for sure that I’d want to indulge in both versions of this palette but turns out it has some minor flaws that made me feel a little less in love with it. Up till now I’ve been having awesome Bobbi Brown experiences but sadly I wasn’t feeling the love for the Long Wear Eye Palette.

The palette comes in two color variations, Moon Rock and Night Sky. I tested out Night Sky for myself and the palette overall is rather wonderful with a few minor rants here and there from your dear old Muse.

The palette contains two Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadows in Ocean Storm and Rockstar and two Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liners in Black Ink and Thunder Storm. Ocean Storm has an off cast of gray to it but it appears more like a shimmering white once applied and Rockstar is a deep navy blue that has a slightly shimmery finish. Black Ink is obviously a true black liner shade while Thunder Storm has an off cast of brown but appears very black once applied even though in the photo I took it looks like a true brown.

Ocean Storm and Rock Star

Black Ink and Thunder Storm

Rockstar, Ocean Storm, Blank Ink, and Thunder Storm

RockStar and Ocean Storm

Black Ink and Thunder Storm

You can probably get a total of four looks from the palette but I just choose to do one complete look by using the two cream shadows and one liner. To do my look I used Ocean Storm as an eye prep from lid to crease and followed up with Rockstar all over my lid. To complete my look I used the Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liner in Black in on my lower lash line and upper lash line. There is absolutely no denying that the completed look has a nice sophisticated edge. I thought it opened my eyes up and created a soft, pretty look however this does not change my mind about some of the problems that arose while using the palette.

One major problem with the palette is the packaging. Although the packaging looked ideal to me it needs a tiny bit of work to be perfect. The palette contains a lid for each of the liners and shadows. This is a wonderful idea as it protects the contents of the palette and keeps the liners and shadows from hardening. Each lid snaps open and closed to protect the content of each “well” however I find it very difficult unsnapping each lid. Each time I used the palette I had to get a nail file and wriggle it under the lid to get them to pop up and open. Maybe after a few uses the lids will loosen enough to open easy but at this point I struggle with them every time I use the palette. Although I completely appreciate the idea behind the lids I do get a major case of irritation that it takes so long to get each lid open prior to use.

Closed

Opened

Now the liners are pure perfection! You probably know what a joyous day it was the day I discovered how much I love Bobbi Brown Gel Liner! Angels sung in heaven, the sun shined bright, all was right with the world when I got my first pot of Bobbi Gel Liner however the long-wear cream eyeshadow left a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

As I mentioned I simply adored the finished look the palette gave my eyes however the cream shadows have a crummy formula in my humblest. They blend very streaky and even after a few layers color payoff isn’t too fabulous. I won’t rant too much on pigmentation considering I think the idea is to give a very light finish and not bold and loud however after five layers of Rockstar I finally decided that this was the best I was going to get in the color department and I wasn’t going to stretch it out any further. The shadows do have a great formula for the simple fact that they don’t dry right away so you have plenty of time to layer, blend, and just generally work with the shadow before it completely dries down. Cream shadow formulas that remain moist for a while are really user friendly in my opinion and Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Cream gets a rave in that department. However, this doesn’t take away from the fact that they seriously apply in a major streaky messy. As I move my finger across my eye to blend I end up completely removing the shadow so I take my brush add more color and reblend with my fingertip and again and again and over and over I proceed to repeat the process a million times. After a while, if I’m lucky, I’ll finally have a good layer of product and my bare lid won’t show through but this does take a good 20 minutes to perfect since for some odd reason the shadow just streaks every which way from Friday!

I almost failed to mention the palette also includes a dual sides brush which is very nice. One end has a shadow brush applicator and the other side has a thin liner brush with cap! I totally appreciated the fact that they included a cap for the liner brush as after using liner it’s always messy to put the brush back into the palette.

Overall, the palette is actually really nice with a few minor imperfections however it’s these imperfections that will probably prevent me from purchasing the second color available. I loved the look I created using the palette but I think the packaging needs a tiny bit of work and the formula on the cream shadows could be slightly better!

I do recommend heading to your counter and trying it out for yourself as you might very well fall into the love/hate relationship I’m currently having with it! Not all bad but not completely good either!

The Muse’s opinion remains open on this one and she hopes as time passes she’ll grow to love it!

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Palettes are available now at the Bobbi Brown Website or your local counter! They are limited edition and $55 USD each!



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20 Comments

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‘.

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Comments

  • Shefali

    I tried these at the counter and didn’t like them AT ALL. Packaging drove me crazy…and do you know that they had it out for a few days, with the lids closed, and the shadows had already started drying? When I tried them on they looked terrible. I passed!

  • Nell

    Thanks for that review.
    Do you line your waterline with gel eyeliner too? I�m a liner novice, didn�t ever use eyeliner until the MAC Khol Powers came out with Starflash recently ;), so I basically have no idea!
    Can I use gel eyeliner for tightlining?
    Please help me, Muse!

  • Laurie

    This is an amazing look on you – I love the red glossy lips too! I too love the gel liners and I do like her cream shadows – but I think the consistency is different in these palettes.

    P.S. I got my Tarte stuff in the mail yesterday! The purse your lips clutch is so adorable:) I may pick up some more as gifts – the discount runs for what seems like forever!

  • the Muse

    Morning Shefali!

    How are you?

    I thought it was me 🙁 I really wanted to love them and I truly can’t deny that it looks fab on but the packaging was a killer 🙁 It’s SO hard to get the little lids open!

    Wow seriously? that sucks 🙁 I don’t know why they streaked so much..it was difficult to blend ’em b/c of that sigh 🙁

    I really want Moon Rock but honestly I don’t see myself buying it now!

  • the Muse

    hi nell!

    you’re most welcome! Yup it’s safe for the waterline 🙂

    And yes I did use it on my waterline 🙂

    Honestly, after years of use, I still consider myself a liner novice! I can never get it right 🙂

    I really love the melty consistency of the kohl liners 🙂

    As for tightlining and waterlinging honestly it depends. BB gel liner is safe for both but if your eyes are sensitive it might not like having such a thick liner on those delicate areas 🙂 However, if you’re cool with putting anything on your eye and you don’t have a case of the itchies afterwards or watery eyes..you’ll be a ok 😉

    I hope this makes sense and helps!

    I use it to tightline and use it on my waterline however, for example, my sister would end up having itchy, watery eyes if she attempted it as her allergies make her sensitive!

    Try it out, see how your eye reacts 🙂 if it doesn’t work out, don’t use it. On to the next liner to see if that formula is better for your eye!

    😉

  • the Muse

    morning laurie!

    Thanks honey! *hugs* Thanks for telling me I was wondering if this is how the cream shadows are or maybe it was just the palette.

    Fantastic! I got mine too plus I got the vanity palette which I’ll be blogging later!

    I am LOVING the lippies in the purse 🙂 They are so cute! It’s really a fab discount at 30%%%%%!!!!!! I think I’ll be ordering a few other items too for gifts! It’s more than sephora gives during FF!

  • Laurie

    Yeah, the normal cream shadows are pretty great. I use black pearl a lot under dark looks – like Chanel Smokey Eyes:)You’d like Galaxy as well – it’s got some glitter to it and it’s just so pretty.

    Can’t wait to hear your Tarte review!

  • Vivian

    I saw those at Holt Renfrew, a place sells designer cosmetics in Canada. (armani, BB, prescriptives, YSL, La mer, etc) The BB testers look fresh, maybe they just put it out. The eye paletttes remained untouched.

    I love how you always include big photos to show how it looked on you. I think that really helps. On my next visit, I should include “makeover at BB” as a must to see if it works for me. 😉

  • the Muse

    hey laurie!

    Seriously, thanks for the heads up. There are a few shades of cream shadow I’ve been wanting to use so I’m relieved to know it’s just the ones in the palette that don’t have a fab texture 😛

    I had my eye on galaxy! Great minds think alike 🙂

    Tarte is up and live! Hope you like the review!

    Will do the other reviews soon for tarte
    🙂

  • the Muse

    hello Vivian!

    You’re lucky as a few people complained they had hardened already when they got a chance to head to the BB counter 🙁 sigh!

    Thanks so much! I really appreciate the fact that you’re enjoying the large photos. I started doing large photos since I always wanted to see items really close up when I was reading beauty bloggers, prior to starting my own, and not many people did that..so it’s nice to hear that you like it 🙂

    Def do that! Although I didn’t like the way the product blended I can’t deny that I liked the way it looked on 🙂

    Thanks for the great comments!
    Hugs!

  • Michelle

    Hi Muse,

    I just discovered your blog and I love it! You have reviewed all the products i'm thinking of getting – SO useful.

    I bought this palette (I live in London) after seeing it in a magazine, didn't try it out or read reviews – big mistake, especially as it's pricey. I was so disappointed! The eyeliner was fab as expected and I LOVE the colours of the cream shadow but it was so dry & difficult to apply!

    But THEN I discovered, to counteract the dryness, you can mix it with a teeny bit of vaseline on the brush and it makes a huge difference to the texture – it just melts and glides right on. Now I think I could start to love it…
    Just something you could maybe try also… 🙂
    xx

  • the Muse

    Hi Michelle!

    Welcome 🙂 Nice to meet you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying Musings and find it helpful!

    It’s very pricey when compared to what we pay on this side of the pond 🙁 So sad you got it and didn’t love it!

    I must say the liner is my favorite in it but the shadows were a bit meh 🙁

    sigh!

    Hey great idea! I’ll def give the Vaseline a try 🙂 I honestly can’t deny the look I created was quite nice but I just wasn’t loving the formula of the shadows 😛

    I’ll give your idea a shot and see if it’s a go for me too!

    Thanks for the comment and I hope we talk again soon!

    Hugs!

  • Mia

    Hi Muse!

    I am in love with the dual ended brushes in these sets but can’t find them anywhere. The liner side is the only product that allows me to get a perfect wing. They made them only for these palettes. I was wondering if you would consider selling me just the brush in this set? If you don’t find yourself reaching for it, you could really make someone’s day 🙂

    Please let me know!
    Mia