Marcelle Velvet Gel Lip Liner in Rosy Nude – Still working on this one because I don’t wear lipstick that often.
FINISHED
Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in Bare Pink – This was a beautiful lipstick shade. I’ve been leaning more towards glosses and lip balms lately, so I probably wouldn’t repurchase this one.
Lancôme Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation in 01N Nude Vanilla (read my review) – Loved this foundation, but I wish it came in more shades. If they expand to a shade that matches me better, I would definitely repurchase!
DECLUTTERED
MAC Cremesheen Glass in It’s A Strike – I bought this at the MAC Warehouse Sale in 2017 and it started to smell different, so I decided to declutter it.
MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Kittenish – I also bought this at the MAC Warehouse Sale and I liked it, but again, I am leaning more towards glosses and balms.
TheBalm Batter Up Eyeshadow Sticks in Dugout and Shutout (read my review) – I decided to declutter these because I just didn’t reach for them when I would wear eyeshadows.
So, my 2019 Project Pan kind of failed since I ended up decluttering quite a few of the products. It did make me realize that I need to think twice before I go and buy something that I can’t return (from a warehouse sale or Winners – TheBalm Batter Up sticks were from Winners).
Before you read this post, please remember that we all have difference preferences and skin types. These are MY hits, misses and likes. You might love something I don’t like or dislike something I love.
I realized I have tried quite a lot of Bobbi Brown products and I thought I would share my hits and misses from the brand. Of course, I might not like something that someone else loves and vice versa, but keep reading to hear my thoughts on the products I’ve purchased over the past year. Surprisingly, I think Bobbi Brown is the brand that I have the most products from (I originally thought it was Tarte, but after doing this post, it’s Bobbi). All products were purchased by me (the majority were purchased at the MAC Warehouse Sale). Let’s start with my favourites!
HITS
Skin Foundation Stick in Ivory 0.75 – This shade is too light for me, but I really liked this stick foundation. I really want to try other sticks to compare (like the Hourglass and Lancome ones), but this has a very nice finish and I would sometimes use it as concealer and dab the areas that needed a bit of coverage. Update: They’ve changed the corresponding numbers of the shades. I don’t know if they’ve reformulated, but I’m assuming Ivory is still the same shade. The corresponding number has changed from 0.75 to C-024.
Smokey Eye Mascara – I loved this mascara. The wand was the perfect size and it separated my lashes nicely. It made my lashes look natural, yet added some oomph.
Luxe Lipstick in Brocade – My grandma uses this and it’s her favourite lipstick out of 4 lipsticks that we boughht for her (NARS, Sephora and Urban Decay). It’s a beautiful purple-y pink and it looks really good on her.
Instant Long-Wear Makeup Remover – I liked this, but it’s expensive and I’m sure I can get one that performs equally well for a cheaper price.
LIKES
There are a few products that I didn’t mind, but didn’t love either:
Blushes in French Pink and Nectar – They are pretty shades, just not for me.
Bronzing Powder in Medium – Too dark for me.
Rich Lip Color in Bare Pink – This is a really pretty nude-pink shade with a satin finish (it’s described on the website as a beige).
Lip Color in Sandwash Pink – I hear Princess Kate wears this shade. It was a beautiful shade, just not for me.
Tube Tint in Naked – My mom uses this and she really likes it. I think she also likes how it’s a squeeze tube, so it’s easier to keep clean and it’s more hygienic than lip glosses with wands.
Eyeshadows – The eyeshadows are good and blend well, but I think if you’re going to buy a high-end eyeshadow palette, you should get an Urban Decay or Anastasia Beverly Hills one (a brand that’s known for their eyeshadows).
The Bobbi On Trend: Eyes and Cheek Palette – This was an impulse buy. I saw it at the Nordstrom sale for $120 and I had to have it. I didn’t do my research and that was my downfall. Next time I buy a palette, I will be making sure I love it before taking the plunge.
Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink – I am terrible at doing winged liner and I prefer kohl liner, but I got this for free when bought the Bobbi On Trend palette at the Nordstrom sale. I gave it to my friend so she’d get better use out of it. So, this goes in the IN BETWEEN section because I just don’t do wings and if I put liner on my lid, then I usually smoke it out (that’s why pencil liners are better for me). Performance-wise, I think this was an okay liner? I’m not really sure.
Lip Gloss in Rose Sugar 3
MISSES
Long Wear Cream Eye Shadow in Galaxy – This was so patchy and had no pigment. I don’t know if it’s because I bought it at the MAC Warehouse Sale or it got hot and melted or something because it’s so soft. Maybe if you have a different shade, it would do better, but this looked terrible on me. It didn’t blend well and it set fairly quickly, so when you tried to blend, you’d create a bald spot. I tried using this as a base for dark powder shadow, but the powder was not layering over it well.
Lip Gloss in Rose Sugar 3 -This lip gloss has shimmer in it. My mom used this one too and she didn’t like it at all. It was so sticky that her hair would get stuck on her lips. Also, you know when you talk and you get that trail of lip gloss between your lips? It did that.
Intensive Skin Serum Concealer in Warm Ivory – I think this was breaking me out. It’s really weird because when I swatched it, it looked beautiful and blended nicely on my hand, but when I put it under my eyes, it just wasn’t giving me that seamless application I wanted.
Nude Finish Illuminating Powder in Bare – This is a translucent powder with shimmer in it and I don’t like it. It just makes me look like I put highlighter ALL over my face. If this were just a translucent powder, I’d love it because it did look really beautiful without the shimmer.
Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Halo – I don’t like this highlighter. It’s chunky and has glitter in it which gets EVERYWHERE.
Out of all the products, I would consider purchasing the Skin Foundation Stick in my shade. I think that’s the only product I would consider repurchasing. I hope I haven’t offended anyone who is a Bobbi Brown lover and I hope I also didn’t put anyone off the brand. I love Bobbi Brown packaging and they have a lot of great products, but I just don’t think the products work for me.
Recently, I was watching a Kathleen Lights video and she said how good the Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Shadow was, so I thought I’d give it a try. Then, about a day later, I saw an IG pic by editionalbeauty (check out her blog) of her collection of Revlon ColorStay cream shadows. I thought, “I wonder how the two drugstore brands compare!” So, I grabbed the Revlon cream shadow in a shade as similar as the nude/gold one I picked up by Maybelline. The shades aren’t the same, but I am comparing the two shadows for their longevity and quality. Since I chose lighter shades, I can’t say if the pigmentation for the darker ones are different.
Maybelline Eyestudio Color Tattoo Metal 24hr Cream Gel Eye Shadow in Barely Branded
Dare to get inked! Our ink technology creates super-saturated colour. Cream gel smooths on for vibrant colour that lasts for 24-hours. Ophthalmologist tested. Dermatologist tested. Allergy tested. Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.
Step 1. Using fingertips, apply eye shadow from the inner corner and work outwards. Step 2. For added drama, reapply to darken.
Revlon ColorStay Crème Eye Shadow in Crème Brûlée 705 – It comes with a brush that slides into the cap. I thought the brush was useless, the pigmentation was better when I used my finger to apply the shadow.
Introducing 6 new highly-pigmented bold shades with finishes ranging from matte to shimmer. Luxurious, longwear crème eye shadow with a pro-inspired built-in-brush designed for easy, mess free application. Wears up to 24 hours & waterproof.
Maybelline (left), Revlon
When dipping your finger into the pot, don’t press too hard. I found the best way was to lightly swirl my finger in the pot so that I didn’t get clumps of the shadow on my finger.
I did a few different wear tests to see how they performed:
TEST #1- no eyeshadow primer, no shadow
I wanted to test the longevity of both products without any primer and no shadows on top. By the 2nd hour, both were starting to crease near the inner corner of my eye.
TEST #2- with eyeshadow primer, and eyeshadow on top (half of lid)
I used Etude House Proof 10 Eyeshadow Primer and then I used a light brown shade to smoke out the outer corner. Both shadows creased by the 5th or 6th hour, but they held up well until then.
TEST #3– using the cream shadow as a base
For the 3rd test, I basically did the same as test #2, but I also applied a shimmery rose gold shade on the lid.
Both shadows looked good as a shadow on their own and as a base for a shimmery powder shadow. I highly suggest eyeshadow primer when you use it though. It definitely extended the wear time and my lids don’t get super oily.
Maybelline (top), Revlon
The Revlon isn’t as pigmented after one swipe, but it is buildable. Both look good alone for a simple, shimmery lid. For me, I liked when I used the cream shadows all over the lid and then applied a brown shade on the outer corner and lower lashline to smoke it out.
Comparing the two shades I got, I think I like the Revlon one better because it’s more rose gold while the Maybelline is more yellow gold. Both are around the same price (around $10), but you get more in the Revlon pot (0.18oz/5.2g) than the Maybelline one (0.14oz/4g). Both come in shimmery and matte shades.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel like the Revlon shadow is a bit more creamy. When I dip my finger into it, it feels a bit softer.
Both came off easily with my Garnier Micellar Water. There may be residual sparkles left, but the colour removes easily.
Revlon ekes out a victory here. Both perform really well, but I think I prefer Revlon because it blends more nicely for my monolids. Because it’s less pigmented, it looks more seamless when you blend it on the lid. Since I don’t have a crease, I don’t like when shimmery eyeshadows go too high on my lids (that’s just me though).
