My New Year was brightened with the arrival of Bobbi Brown Illuminating Nudes, a collection described by Bobbi herself as ‘subtle, light-reflective nudes that instantly give you a lift and a healthy, natural glow.’ I’ll have some of that!
The collection features five ‘effortless’ products, four of which I have to share: moisture balm, eye shadow, brow gel and lip gloss, plus two new shades of CC Cream.
Sparkle Eye Shadow in New Golden Peach was the one that really grabbed my attention. It looks bronze in the pan, but transfers to lids as a beautiful warm peach with intense gold shimmer that really makes blue eyes pop. The texture is a creamy powder with great colour pay off… swipe it all over the lid or add a pop of highlight to a neutral or smokey eye. Lasting power is good on me (I’ve been wearing it over NARS eye primer) with a few specks of glitter on cheekbones by the end of the day but the lid look remaining intact. I get the most impact with finger application, though you can get a finer, more subtle finish with a flat brush.
This is a single swipe of the eye shadow swatched on my arm, next to Lip Gloss in Almost Peach, a milky nude that tones down the pigmentation of lips with a semi sheer finish. Two new shades have been released in the Natural Brow Shaper & Hair Touch Up: Slate and Brunette. I think Slate (or possibly Blonde) would be my shade of choice, though I was surprised to find that I could totally get away with this shade for a slightly bolder brow look that still looks quite natural. Application with this is a total breeze and the spacing of bristles on the teeny applicator wand mimics the effect of fine brow hairs, as I’ve attempted to demo in my swatch. By far the quickest brow fixer I’ve tried to date, this applies as smoothly and easily as my usual Eyeko Brow Gel, with a more pigmented punch that requires no additional filling in.
I’ve had a little tester pot of Illuminating Moisture Balm to play with and if you love a luminous base then this is a serious game changer. Bobbi Brown calls this her ‘Dream Cream’ for a lit-from-within-look and I can totally see why. Radiance in a bottle right there, best for normal to dry skin. This can also be used over your regular moisturiser for highlight only where needed (yes, it’s that luminous). Think pretty and glowy rather than sweaty betty. Hooked.
The collection is available now at johnlewis.com
Which products do you rely on for a brightening glow?
