Bobbi Brown Greige collection: Review & Swatches

 

Inspiration really can come from the simplest things in life - and I love that the colour palette for Bobbi Brown’s new Greige Collection was inspired while mixing paint to decorate her own home. On counters in September, Greige is all about creating chic, neutral looks with touches of intensity. I’ve already shared my personal highlight, the Intense Pigment Liners (review here), but expect that most will be drawn to the Greige Eye Palette encased in sleek, navy satin. The line also includes two new shades of Long-wear Cream Shadow Stick, four Rich Lip Colors and two nail polishes.

GREIGE EYE PALETTE

 

I was pleased to see so many cool, matte shades in the Greige Eye Palette, with subtle variations in tone meaning that it can be used to create a number of different looks. There are five mattes, one shimmer and two sparkles. At first swatch, I was unsure if it had enough pigment, but on my eyes, the mid tones are perfect for adding definition in a way that looks polished, yet not overdone. Possibly not one for show stopper looks, but if like me you’re into using eye shadow to contour and enhance the eye area, I think you’ll appreciate this. The most swoony shade is Brown Haze Shimmer Wash (the one the brush is resting on above), chocolate with a satin finish that catches the light without looking showy or full on metallic… I use this on my lids with Greystone (bottom left) in the crease.

I’ve been reaching for this palette most days lately and find it more versatile than Clarins new Pretty Day Palette, reviewed here. The Greige Eye Palette RRP is £52; if you don’t mind skipping the sparkle and glamour, Urban Decay’s Naked Basics 2 (£23) has similar cool toned mattes, which I like the look of, though haven’t personally tried.

SWATCHES

 

As it was a dull day when I took these pics, I’ve included swatches taken indoors by the window (above) and outdoors (below). These are quite heavy finger swatches… the colours are clearly buildable, but the matte tones look softer and almost skin-like when applied with a fluffy brush. I will be forever grateful to the Space NK MUA who taught me how flattering skin toned eye shadows can be for contouring the eyes in a very natural looking way.

 

LONG-WEAR CREAM SHADOW STICKS

If you fancy amping things up a bit - or doing your eyes in a hurry - it’s worth checking out two new shades of Long-Wear Cream Shadow Sticks, Greige and Midnight, both with impressive lasting power and colour intensity. 

Greige is taupe with silver shimmer and mauve undertones, more shimmery on my eyes than it looks here. Midnight is a very wearable blackened navy and great for a quick smokey eye. Slick these all over the lid and blend out the edges with a finger or fluffy brush. I really like Midnight as a smokey liner too... use the edge to draw along the lash line and smudge with a pencil brush or Q tip. I’ve included a fine line smudged out with my finger to show how the colour can be applied softly for a more subtle look.

I’m wearing the Greige Eye Palette and Intense Pigment Liners in this pic. Look out for the Greige Collection on counters from September 2015.

Bobbi Brown Intense Pigment Liner: Black Plum & Forest

Intense Pigment Liners are, for me, the stars of Bobbi Brown’s upcoming Greige Collection (more on that soon, sneak peak on my Instagram). They look like traditional cake eyeliners, but are actually highly intense powder liners that can be used to create soft, subtle definition, a smokey eye or an intense crisp line. If like me, you like to use eye shadow as liner for a softer look, I think you’ll love these.

I love the rich tones, stripes and dinky mirrored compacts, available in three shades including Midnight (deep blue), Black Plum and Forest. The three colours in each trio can be worn individually or together,  on the upper and lower lash line, in an ombre effect, or as an accent colour. I assumed that they should be used wet or mixed with some kind of liquid to create the intensity of a liner, so was shocked at the depth of pigment on my finger after one gentle sweep of the pan.

 

Here I’ve swatched Forest (left) and Black Plum using Bobbi Brown’s eye liner brush for the thicker lines. NB this brush is great for lining the lower lash line, though a new dual-ended one launches with this collection - similar to this with a smudger brush on one end.  (PS that’s a puppy scratch next to the swatches in my top pic! )

I used one or two passes of the brush for these swatches (two required mainly to address my wobbly lines). If you’ve ever used eye shadow to line your eyes, you’ll know that this is a whole lot more pigment than you’d normally get. They can of course be applied with a lighter hand and smudged for a more subtle effect, or smoked out with a fluffy brush. The colour is so intense that it can transfer a little on my hooded lids if I apply too much, which is why I prefer to use it on my lower lash line with the following method on my upper lash line.

While these do work smoked out - alone or over gel liner/cream shadow - my favourite way to wear them on the upper lash line is in a slick line of colour applied with a slanted brush, dampened with Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water for added longevity. This is how I did the thinner lines below each trio of swatches, using the central shade of each palette; colour can be applied in this way to create fine lines, or built up into a dramatic cat eye flick. I use a MAC 266 Small Angle Brush (mine is ancient and still going strong). While you can create a crisp line without the Primer Water, this method means that the product sets - and does not budge until I choose to remove it.

Bobbi Brown Intense Pigment Liners in Black Plum, Midnight and Forest, RRP £26.50 will be on counters as part of the Greige Collection in September 2015 or online at johnlewis.com and houseoffraser.co.uk