Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude Eye Palette Swatches & Review

Helloooo~! Back with some more swatches and a review! This time featuring the Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude Eye Palette that I picked up from Hudson Bay during their beauty sale a couple weeks back . . . actually I think it’s been a month now ¯\_( – ﹏ – )_/¯.

I’m beginning to think that eyeshadows and eye products are my favourite to swatch and review. When I look through my blog I notice the large majority of the posts are dedicated to the eyes. I will definitely try to incorporate more face products and even nail swatches (if interested) in the future! 🙂 I just have to get better with lip swatches first.

Like the “majority” of my other eyeshadows, this palette is a 5-pan compact with neutral and everyday shades which are geared towards all skin tones. This is the first time I’m testing Bobbi Brown eye products so this is the palette that will determine whether I choose to purchase more from their brand or skip it for others.

Packaging/Details

This palette appears quite similar in size to the BECCA eyeshadow palettes (unfortunately I don’t have a comparison picture between the two). It measures 15 x 5 x 1.25 cm. The outer materials are made of black plastic with a glossy finish and white lettering: the signature BOBBI BROWN finish.

The BB Nude on Nude eye palette features an interlocking snap closure as opposed to the magnetic ones. There is a bit of resistance opening the lid so you can be assured it won’t open inadvertently in your makeup pouch.

There are 5 metal pans housed in a linear fashion with a mirror on the inner surface of the lid. It comes with a dual-ended brush which has a wooden handle and a metal ferrule. If you’re familiar with Bobbi Brown brushes, this is of the same material. The orange side is a flat eye liner brush with a rounded tip and the other is an angle eye shadow brush. Both of these brushes, if purchased individually, cost 33$ and 37$ (CAD) respectively. I do not own the original brushes so I can’t make a comparison as to the size, length and feel, etc.

PRICE BREAKDOWN

Individual Bobbi Brown Eyeshadows retail at 29$ CAD and have 0.08 oz / 2.5 g each (11.6$CAD per gram of product).

BB Nude on Nude Eye Palette retails at 58$ CAD +tax and has 0.24 oz / 7 g of total product or 0.048 oz / 1.4 g for each individual shade in the palette. So the cost is 8.3$CAD per gram.

This means you get a little more than half the original amount per shade, so if you purchased each shade individually (at half the amount), it would be $14.5 per shadow x 5 shadows = $72.5 CAD. If you add on the brush prices, ($33 + $37 = 70$), though more accurately by halving the price since you are getting a dual-ended brush instead of two individuals, that’s an extra 35$ bringing your total to $107.50 CAD + tax.

Note that these are estimates and the exact value comparison may not be 100% correct due to packaging differences, rounding of product weight, etc. Nevertheless, the palette is a good deal.

Compare to MAC

MAC has recently reduced the price of their Pro Eyeshadow Refill Pans which now retail at 8$ per piece. If you prefer the shadows with case included, they cost 19$ CAD each. Both contain 0.04 oz / 1.3 g per pan which means MAC shadows retail at 6.20$/g (refill) or 14.6$/g (original). If you purchase the PRO Eyeshadow Pans without the packaging then yes, MAC is about 2$ cheaper per gram of product.

Swatches

5 matte shades, all of which I believe you can purchase individually at the price listed above (I currently see Cement, Wheat and Espresso available online).

1. Nude – A warm toasted peach. Reminds me of the BB shade Toast.
2. Cement – A grey beige (cool-toned). Just a tad bit darker than Wheat.
3. Wheat – A medium ash beige (cool-toned).
4. Espresso – A dark chocolate brown.
5. Malted – A warm taupe.

For light-medium skin tones such as myself, many of these shades can be used to mimic and enhance shadows. As a result, you can use them to contour features of your face such as around the bridge of the nose, on your chin, etc. If you like, you can also use them to fill in your eyebrows.

Finish : Matte

PIGMENTATION / FALLOUT : Good pigmentation. I didn’t notice any fallout; however, there was quite a bit of powder kick up in the pan.

BLENDABILITY : Good, except espresso. It might have been that the layer of skin on my eyelids were extremely dry and so it interfered with the blendability but I think that a good eyeshadow should be creamy nonetheless so while I give all the other shadows a 9 (out of 10) for blendability, espresso gets a 5.

LONGEVITY : OK. My eyeshadow was still there at the end of a 10 hour day though you could tell it was not freshly applied (ie. not as pigmented as before). Note I have dry eyelids and I did not use an eye primer so I can safely say these will last 6 hours without obvious wear, even if you have oily lids.

Final Thoughts

As a complete newbie to BOBBI BROWN eyeshadows, I can say that I am pleasantly surprised. They feel really creamy in the pan and apply nicely to the eyes (in general). The powder kickup is similar to TARTE eyeshadows which just means you don’t have to really dig your brush in to get some product out. The shade range is nice with both warm and cool tones and are perfect for creating no-makeup makeup looks. I applaud Bobbi Brown for including a high quality brush with this set and although the case material could be improved, it is lightweight and perfect for travelling.

I recommend this palette to those who love neutral looks which can be smoked out later during the day for evening glam. This palette is entirely matte though so it lacks a pop highlighting shade. This palette is also nice if you have been wanting to experiment with bobbi brown shadows. If you already own a lot of matte neutrals, you can pass on this palette as the shades themselves aren’t too unique.

Overall a satisfying buy and I’ll definitely purchase other products from Bobbi Brown.

What are some of your favourite products from Bobbi Brown? GIVE ME SOME RECOMMENDATIONS! 🙂

Kelly (takaraboxx)