As promised, here are close-up pics of my haul from the Bobbi Brown Cabana Corals collection :-)
I got both the Shimmer Bricks in Nectar (left) and Pink Quartz (right) as I collect these like how I collect MSFs. In terms of similarity to other Shimmer Bricks, I would say that Nectar lies between Rose and Peony on the colour spectrum, while Pink Quartz lies between Platinum Pink and Brownie. The Shimmer Bricks are hand made in Italy. Strangely, they are marked with a shelf life of only 6 months but I've had other Shimmer Bricks for more than 2 years without any noticeable change in the quality.
Nectar is a limited edition shade that was just released as a mini size in the Holiday '09 collection and re-released in the regular size and black packaging for the Cabana Corals collection. The regular version costs only S$66 for 0.4oz of product, compared to S$99 for the mini version which has only 0.1oz of product.
Pink Quartz was first released as part of the Holiday 2007 collection. Like Platinum Pink Shimmer Brick, the mix of pale icy pinks, beige and tan works better as a highlighter than as a blush as the pink tones barely show up.
The Cabana Coral Lip & Eye Palette contains six eyeshadows and four lip colors. Some shades are from the permanent line while some are new and exclusive to this palette.
From left to right: Seashell Pink (Metallic), Bermuda Pink (Metallic) and Ivory
From left to right: Burnt Sugar (Metallic), Tan, Bonfire (Metallic)
The palette comes with a lip brush and eyeshadow brush. From left to right: Cabo Coral, Salmon, Shell and Coral Reef (Metallic).
My purchase also qualified me for the Bobbi Brown membership programme. You can qualify for membership with a S$150 purchase in a single receipt and redeem products by accumulating your purchases to $500, $1000 or $1500 within a 12-month period. Membership also comes with 6 makeup lessons (Beautiful Skin, Perfect Brow, Everything About Eyes, Natural Blush, Perfect Lip, Conceal and Cover Up).
I got both the Shimmer Bricks in Nectar (left) and Pink Quartz (right) as I collect these like how I collect MSFs. In terms of similarity to other Shimmer Bricks, I would say that Nectar lies between Rose and Peony on the colour spectrum, while Pink Quartz lies between Platinum Pink and Brownie. The Shimmer Bricks are hand made in Italy. Strangely, they are marked with a shelf life of only 6 months but I've had other Shimmer Bricks for more than 2 years without any noticeable change in the quality.
Nectar is a limited edition shade that was just released as a mini size in the Holiday '09 collection and re-released in the regular size and black packaging for the Cabana Corals collection. The regular version costs only S$66 for 0.4oz of product, compared to S$99 for the mini version which has only 0.1oz of product.
Pink Quartz was first released as part of the Holiday 2007 collection. Like Platinum Pink Shimmer Brick, the mix of pale icy pinks, beige and tan works better as a highlighter than as a blush as the pink tones barely show up.
The Cabana Coral Lip & Eye Palette contains six eyeshadows and four lip colors. Some shades are from the permanent line while some are new and exclusive to this palette.
From left to right: Seashell Pink (Metallic), Bermuda Pink (Metallic) and Ivory
From left to right: Burnt Sugar (Metallic), Tan, Bonfire (Metallic)
The palette comes with a lip brush and eyeshadow brush. From left to right: Cabo Coral, Salmon, Shell and Coral Reef (Metallic).
My purchase also qualified me for the Bobbi Brown membership programme. You can qualify for membership with a S$150 purchase in a single receipt and redeem products by accumulating your purchases to $500, $1000 or $1500 within a 12-month period. Membership also comes with 6 makeup lessons (Beautiful Skin, Perfect Brow, Everything About Eyes, Natural Blush, Perfect Lip, Conceal and Cover Up).
15 comments:
Haru, the shimmerbricks look gorgeous! Are they very frosty? I have had shimmerbricks before and they make me look like a glitter-bomb.
Hi Tracy,
I just tried Nectar and it's not frosty at all. The finish is a lovely smooth glimmer (no messy chunky glitter bits) and it gives my cheeks a nice healthy glow. I haven't tried Pink Quartz yet, will post my thoughts after I've done so.
I want the Nectar brick so badly, but it's too expensive *_*
Hi Heather,
I agree, the Shimmer Bricks are horribly expensive. Perhaps you can try looking for a cheaper dupe? NARS makes fantastic shimmery blushes that give you the same pretty glowy effect, and those are US$25 (versus US$38 for a BB Shimmer Brick). Milani also makes a cheap knock-off of the Shimmer Bricks, called Glimmer Stripes which cost US$7.50 each. The texture is not as fine as BB, of course.
http://www.milanicosmetics.com/p-49-glimmer-stripes-all-over-color.aspx
hi iris,
thanks for the pictures, the shimmerbricks look gorgeous. is nectar pigmented enough to be used as a blush for your skintone? thanks!
hi Eunice,
Yes, Nectar works very well as a blush and shows up easily on my skintone (MAC NC20). I'm working on a post showing Nectar and the Cabana Coral palette on my skin, hope to get it up soon!
Hi, hope that you're not offended...but I see that you purchase lots of high end makeup quite frequently. How do you ever finish them?
I am a makeup newbie and just starting to buy lots of makeup to try. But I get kind of frustrated with makeup that I bought but end up not liking and nobody to give to. Those items which I like also takes forver to finish! A 3 colour eyeshadow palette took me more than a year of use and not yet hit pan!
Hi,
I don't finish 95% of my makeup products, to be totally honest. It takes forever to use up an eyeshadow or a lipstick or lipgloss as I have so many. But for me, collecting new makeup products is my hobby so even though I don't finish up most of my stuff, I don't regret buying most of them 'cos I use makeup pretty much every day and I can afford it. I have finished products occasionally, such as foundations, powders and lipglosses. Powder makeup like eyeshadows also last quite a few years, if kept properly.
If you are a makeup newbie just starting to build your collection, then try to work out what works for you and buy only the items that work well on your skintone/skintype so that you avoid buying stuff that you end up not using. Do make use of the testers at the counters to try stuff out before purchasing. Even if you don't finish individual items, as long as you enjoy using them, that's not money wasted, in my opinion. Makeup is and should be fun!
Thanks Haru for your reply. :)
Now I'm more clear where I stand. Definately not a makeup collector. But I do enjoy experimenting with makeup.
As I don't have a large budget for makeup, I buy more of the mid range brands like Stila, Coffret D'or, etc. None of them are selected for just being pretty on their own. Haha....so I have more neutral palettes for daily office use. And just a couple of funky ones.
But keep posting your collection! I love to come to your blog as I love to read your view on the makeup items (esp. Japanese ones) and the items you feature are so pretty to look at.
Thanks!
hi iris,
i just got nectar today, it's my first shimmer brick and i think i'm hooked! how's your experience with rose shimmer brick? cos i tried it at the counter too and found it quite lovely. is it good for u as a blush? thanks in advance.. btw the rmk spring collection is out at isetan, the eyeshadow palettes look lovely
hi eunice,
Rose also works well for me as a blush. It shows up as a light rosy pink. Like Nectar, the shades are not crazily deep or intense so they are quite easy to work with for a soft pop of colour with some shine. Since Shimmer Bricks take just about forever to use up eve with daily use, if Rose looks very similar to Nectar on your skintone, then it's probably not worth getting Rose unless you like to collect these. Perhaps try Rose on one cheek and Nectar on the other at the counter and see if you can see the difference?
thanks for letting me know about the RMK collection! Will check it out soon :-)
Haru Haru need your recommendation!!
i couldn't decide on my 1st BB shimmer bricks attempt...and i only need one to satisfy my curiosity & cravings lol
battle between nectar, pink quartz, platinum pink, pink shimmer..
could you checkout my skintone photos at my humble blog and match a color for me please?..
am good with nars-orgasm (peachy), JillStuart- tulips (bright pop of pink), guerlain- fresh pink, shu uemura (catplanet & ribbon planet)
so i think i lack a shimmery glow blush~~ eh
guide me o mighty haru ;)
stellarvixen
xoxo
Hey Stellarvixen,
You can definitely strike Platinum Pink off your list because it applies as a silvery highlighter rather than as a pink blush. Pink Quartz also has barely any visible pink tones when applied. I don't have Pink Shimmer but judging from the Bobbi Brown website, it looks quite pale and similar to Pink Quartz. If you want a blush, for your skintone, I would recommend Nectar out of the four that you named. Rose Shimmer would probably work well on you too.
Hope that helps!
do you think the nectar BBSB will show up in an NC40 skin? i really want a highlight/ bronzer but i'm torn between this and MAC MSF warm blend.. thank you!
The shimmerbricks are gorgeous!! :)
My BLOG: Keep calm and carry on
xx
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