Errr…just in case you were questioning, Bobbi Brown the makeup artist NOT Bobby Brown the singer although I did love me some New Edition back in the day 😛
This is a guest post!!! I have NEVER tried any Bobbi Brown products – I know, I know not much of beauty blogger huh? Well the fact is I just can’t afford to try out everything which is why I like many people, rely on my friends and fellow bloggers for their opinions before trying things out for myself.
So, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Val of Love and Chopsticks!!! Val and I have never ACTUALLY met but I kind of feel like I’ve known her for years since we’ve been part of the same online community for a long time. She’s mentioned her love of Bobbi Brown products to me and since I have never tried them out for myself I asked her to do a little blog post about it for me. So, here she is!!
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In 2001, I met a makeup artist named Henry at the Bobbi Brown counter at Holt Renfrew. I was looking for foundation; as a woman of pseudo-Asian descent, I had a hard time finding foundation to match my complexion and the drugstore brands weren’t cutting it. I decided to go to the top of the makeup food chain, and having heard good things about Bobbi Brown, approached the counter for advice. Henry found my perfect match — and then proceeded to sell me powder, blush, eye shadows, lipstick, lip liner, and several essential brushes. Literally hundreds of dollars later, I was a Bobbi Brown convert and fanatic.
Over the next few years I continued to visit Henry and spend my money with him. He even did my makeup for my wedding, all Bobbi, of course. I remember walking down the aisle and hearing someone gasp, “she’s beautiful!” — as though surprised — and I credited Henry and Bobbi Brown, equally, for making me so.
Henry eventually left Holt Renfrew, without so much as a call, and I never found any other artists there equal to him. Then Sephora opened, and I gradually slid back into my makeup experimentation days, playing with frosted silver eye shadows and thinking that I could choose my own colours without help. I even bought eyeliner with glitter in it, though my clubbing days were long over. Once maternity leave arrived I became more concerned with saving money, and found myself back in front of the drugstore displays, reaching for the newest two-in-one fast–and-easy application products.
I was never happy with the eye shadows I bought, and I threw many, many of them away after only a few uses. They faded quickly, or were not pigmented enough. They creased on my oily eyelids, or the brush skipped along my skin, spilling dry powder onto my cheekbones, leaving an uneven wash of chalky colour in its wake. The colours I chose had weird undertones that made me look washed out and tired — even more tired than I was, with a young baby.
It was time to head back to the Mother Ship. Armed with my Optimum card, I went to Murale — like I said, maternity leave left me feeling skint and I had an abundance of points thanks to a fortune spent on baby wipes, shampoos, Tempra, Q-tips, and teething rings.
I started with my old standby pressed powder and bronzer, and found myself back at eyeshadow; the Bobbi Brown artist chased me away from boring taupe and gave me a personalized foursome of shimmer wash shadows: Rock Star, Eggplant, Gunmetal, and Champagne Quartz (retail $25 each). I can wear Champagne Quartz or Rock Star singly, for everyday, or in combination — champagne quartz from lashes to brow and Rock Star in the crease; Eggplant or Gunmetal can be added for a smoky look or as liner. All four look great together, and the shadows themselves are like velvet — they shimmer without sparkling, are pigmented enough with one application yet can be easily layered for a more intense look, and are altogether gorgeous.
I don’t always believe that more expensive products are better by default, but where eye shadow is concerned, it seems to me you get what you pay for. More expensive formulations don’t skip, crease or fade, have a nice feel to them during application, and still look good at the end of the day. It also doesn’t make sense to waste money $10 at a time on products that don’t work when you can buy one good shadow for $25 and have it last you six months to a year. And because I’ve got colours that can be worn singly, application is a breeze — which is great for keeping my morning routine simple and quick.
Bobbi, I’ll never leave you again. XOXOXOXO
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Val, you certainly have me convinced! I think I’m going to save up my optimum points and take a to Murale in your neck of the woods. Hey, maybe we can meet for real this time 😉
Please check out Val’s blog: Love and Chopsticks and chat with her on Twitter!
I am really impressed with the content of your blog. It is easy to see that you are passionate about your writing. If I had your writing ability, I know I would be successful. I have bookmarked your site and look forward to more updates.
I have heard great things about Bobbing Brown since in college but never tried.
I agree with her to the point that if you find something that works, invest in it. There is no point in buying a bunch cheaper products that don’t work and you end up spending even more. The most expensive skincare I have invested so far is La Mer and it is the best moisturizer ever for me.
That eyeliner is perfection in that picture. I’ve never used BB! I think I need to try some out!
Great blog – following now 🙂
Sarah
http://fashionismyh2o.blogspot.com
xx
@CynthiaC Cynthia, that would be crazy if you and Val knew the same MUA!
@Really PetitePressure!! 😛 But I’ll do my best 🙂
@LouiseI always love hearing your feedback Louise! I can’t believe I haven’t tried these products out yet!
@Make Mommy ChicLOL that was a GREAT song!! 😛 Ummm you’re sooo not old! Glad you had a good experience too!
@SewPetiteGaloooh another BB lover, I should find out which products are everyone’s favorites and for those ones first!
@A Fine Balance Yay for the Tdot shout out LOL! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂 Hmmm interesting about the creasing! I have oily lids so that would be a definite concern for me!
@Justine (Productrater) Great to hear your thoughts Justine!
I’ve only used her concealers so far, but they are fabulous and worth the money. I am planning on getting the skin foundation for the summer soon.
PS TDOT REPRESENT! 🙂
I have been a bobbi brown girl for a looong time the corrector and concealers were fab friends. BUT i have ot say its no longer my favourite! 🙁 Sadly I found that it would crease in the middle of the day. buttt I have to say I do love maybelline eye shadows and the sephora line as well
now a follow looking forward to other make up tips and tricks you have xoxo
I have a couple of BB products – an eyeliner brush and a gel eyeliner – both are amazing workhorses and are my FAVE products!
Yes, i remember Bobby Brown (both the makeup brand and the singer- remember every little step? great song)> I used to love their foundation stick and their tinted moisturizer in the jar. They also had a lovely blush called tawny which they tried on me during a makeover in hong kong 10 years ago (yes i’m old) so this post reminds me to rekindle my love for her. And I also give a shout out to Stila as well, so sad when i found out that they left Holts. Had many a great makeover there!
Thanks for the guest post, Val, and thanks to Elaine for hosting! I am going to be saving up my Optimum points for a trip to Murale!
Bobbi Brown is also my go-to brand when I need colour cosmetics that have to perform well. One of the makeup artists at Holt Renfrew helped me put together a look for my wedding day, and she showed me how to do everything, so I did my own makeup for my wedding. The long last gel eyeliner has a permanent spot in my makeup kit.
I have never tried Bobbi Brown before….I know nothing about make up but hopefully w/your blog Elaine…you can teach me! LOL
Well, Asian skintones might not be able to use most drugstore brands, but Bobbi isn’t the only brand that has stuff that looks good on us – MAC does too, and it’s a bit more affordable (I’ve also had success with Stila). I came across Bobbi just a few years before you did – I was in OAC in 1997-1998 and her lipglosses were all the rage with the girls in my class. We weren’t allowed to wear visible make-up at our school, so the glosses and other lightweight products were PERFECT. I think I spent most of my allowance money on these glosses (I probably had three or four of them). University came along, and I then fell in love with another brand – STILA (I loved the Holts counter. Keven (Kevin? Kevyn?) was my favourite artist (guys tend to do it better. Many women seem to be biased towards looks that they’d do on themselves. In my experience, most Asian women can’t do Asian faces other than their own (they make everyone else look like cover girls for Teen Vogue Hong Kong. The only really good Asian make-up artist I had was the one I had at my wedding) Sadly, Stila left Holts and is now only available at Sephora and Murale. No more artists to help out.