Novato never hustles and bustles like San Francisco does. It’s a sleepy village compared to the city.
In the city, everything moves so fast! Sometimes when I visit I feel like a fish fighting up stream, or like I’m a raft caught in a current, totally out of control.
And then, suddenly, something — sometimes it’s colorful crocheted animal hats — stops me in my tracks!
Other times, it’s a window display with sparkly butterflies that have glittery wings. 🙂
Today at Saks Fifth Avenue in the city, it was Bobbi Brown because — ohmigosh! — they have so many new things out for spring.
The Brighten, Sparkle & Glow Collection
Like the Brighten, Sparkle & Glow collection, with its mix of brand new and previously released products.
I’m particularly interested in these new Brightening Face Powders ($50 each), which come in all sorts of crazy colors! Like, one of them has pastels in it, with blue and yellow and green pans, and another one has purples and pinks and mauves.
My first thought? That these were eyeshadow palettes, but they’re actually products for your face.
Who knew?
Alexandra and Whittany (hi, gals!), two makeup artists I chatted with at the Bobbi Brown counter, broke it down for me. For a subtle glow, they suggested swirling the colors together with a brush, and then buffing the mixture all over your face.
Apparently, wearing highlighter all over the face is a big trend for spring, as a few different makeup artists mentioned it today at Saks.
Another spring trend? Bright under-eyes — a look you can get with Bobbi’s new $30 Tinted Eye Brighteners from the collection.
Oh, and I can’t forget about the Sparkle Eyeshadows, which for the most part are re-promotes here, with the exception of Gold Star, the one new spring shade.
Alexandra had a good Sparkle Eyeshadow tip. She said that when you’re applying them, use a stiff brush instead of your fingers, because the oils on your skin can make them harden.
The Cool Lilac Long-Wear Eye Collection
In other news, the Cool Lilac Long-Wear Eye Collection, a Saks Fifth Avenue spring exclusive, also looks pretty cool (pun intended)…
The $46 four-piece set comes with a full-sized Caviar Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, a Long Wear Cream Shadow in Cool Lilac, a deluxe-sized sample of Bobbi’s Cleansing Oil, and a dual-ended brush.
The Retouching Powders
Then there are the $36 Retouching Powders, and these look really neat. That’s four of the six shades pictured above.
In a nutshell, these look kinda like setting powders, but they’re not. They’re all-over face powders to correct and brighten the skin.
After applying your foundation and your regular powder (doing this first makes it easier to apply the Retouching Powders), dust a Retouching Power on top.
The white shade, the one designed for fair skin, brightens and cuts down on redness. The yellow shade, which should work with most skin tones, also helps eliminate redness. For darker skin tones, there’s the brown shade, with its hint of brightening rose. And then the pink shade can actually be used as a blush, although it’s intended to be worn all over the face, and should work well for guys/gals who don’t have a lot of yellow tones in their skin.
The Full-Coverage Face Brush and Sheer Powder Brush
If you’re thinking about picking up a Retouching Powder, consider also snagging one or two of Bobbi’s new brushes.
I’ve got my eye on the Full-Coverage Face Brush, which is the one with the shorter handle and fuller brush head.
It’s $42 and has some of the softest bristles (synthetic fibers) around! “Aww! Feels like my Tabby’s fur!”
Use it to apply loose powders, pressed powders, liquid products, and basically anything.
Hello, brush lust… 🙂
Now, if you’re just after a really light dusting of powder, there’s also Bobbi’s Sheer Powder Brush (also $42), which Whittany and Alexandra highly recommended for use with any of the Retouching Powders.
THe Long-Wear Cream Shadow Sticks
Doop-da-doo, moving right along — OH! So, I kinda freaked out when I saw the new Long-Wear Cream Shadow Sticks, which weren’t even out on display (they’re that new). Alexandra pulled them out of a secret squirrel drawer. 🙂
They’re $28 each, come in eight shades, have OFF-THE-CHAIN pigmentation and are more waterproof than a wetsuit. Use ’em as bases for powder eyeshadow, or by themselves.
I’ve got my eye on some of the jewel-toned colors… They’re so rich!
Extra Hand Cream
Which reminds me — did you know that Bobbi has a hand cream? I had no idea. Her Extra Hand Cream moisturizes and exfoliates dry paws to make them even softer. It absorbs quickly, too, and smells a little like oranges.
Yum!
A big 1.7-ounce tube costs $30.
Swatches on my NC42 skin
If you ever visit the Bobbi Brown counter at the Saks store in SF’s Union Square…
Stop by and say hi to Alexandra and Whittany. They’re sweethearts and know a lot about the brand…and if you ask nicely, they might hook you up with samples. 🙂
Just pop in, or schedule an appointment with either of them at (415) 438-5488. Tell them hi for me! — and have fun playing with the new spring products.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Heidi says
January 4th, 2013 at 9:55 pmWow! So many new things! Those cream shadow sticks look amazing.
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:22 amYeah! I think the green one needs to enter your life, ASAP.
Heidi says
January 5th, 2013 at 2:27 pmThe green, the purple, and the neutrals! Of course I just spent my Macy’s gift card that I got for Christmas! Dang!
Michelle Teixeira says
January 4th, 2013 at 10:35 pmHa Ha Ha! Your comparison that the shadow sticks are more water proof than a wetsuit makes me smile ear to ear. I am an avid scuba diver so I thought it was a fun comment. Just to tease you, wetsuits are not waterproof. They just keep you insulated from the temperature by allowing you to be wet and keeping your body temperature and the water temperature warmish. On another note, I am so relieved that I found you. We are both NC 42 ish. Which makes your makeup and swatches so much more applicable to me. Thank you and keep on trotting through this new year!
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:22 amHi Michelle,
That’s cool that you scuba dive. Where’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever dived?
Lulle says
January 4th, 2013 at 11:04 pmOMG the eyeshadow sticks look fabulous! The deep green one wants to be mine!
Lulle recently posted … The Best of French Beauty: La-Roche-Posay Ceralip
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:22 amHi Lulle,
It needs a nice lady to adopt it, LOL!
Meghan says
January 4th, 2013 at 11:13 pmThose shadow sticks look amazing! The dark green looks stunning and would make such a great standout liner color! I can’t wait to check this collection out. The correcting powders looks great too, the problem would be which color to choose from!
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:21 amHi Meghan,
Yeah, the Shadow Sticks look like winners. 🙂 Are you a Bobbi fan?
Romany Lowe says
January 5th, 2013 at 2:07 amWow, these all look absolutely amazing! Really need to try Bobbi Brown.
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:21 amHi Romany,
She has some GREAT products. 🙂 If you can try her Jet eyeliner (the pencil version). It’s amazing.
Sarah says
January 5th, 2013 at 3:04 amSparkle eye shadows look amazing!
Sarah
Sarah recently posted … Neutrogena – Visibly Clear ..!
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:20 amSuper sparkly!
Marla says
January 5th, 2013 at 3:32 amI’ve been using more and more of the Bobbi Brown line and really love everything I’ve tried so far. This looks exciting.
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:23 amYes! What are your Bobbi must-haves?
NinaE says
January 5th, 2013 at 3:36 amHow does these shadow sticks compared to the Laura Mercier ones ?
I’m hooked on the Mericer ones but want a basic color like the nude one from your swatches and Mercier does not have one.
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:20 amHi NinaE,
They’re pretty similar. Maybe slightly thicker, and more creamier.
Katrina says
January 5th, 2013 at 8:42 amThat is so funny that highlighter all over the face is on trend, I just picked up Chanel’s Poudre Douce in rose and I was a little worried it wouldn’t work as a face powder! Hope I don’t sparkle like a twilight vampire.
Karen says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:18 amLOL! Lucky Vampire Edward…he gets to skip highlighter.
Katherine G says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:58 amI haven’t tried Bobbi Brown yet (but I am reading her new book, Pretty Powerful), but her line looks great for neutrals and some new and different stuff. If her line is sold in Nordstrom then I could definitely find it. I was thinking about getting some things for my Mom’s birthday in May from her line, since Mom loves neutrals.
GKitty says
January 5th, 2013 at 12:33 pmOooh, FUN! Love the Bobbi Brown product line (although my at-counter experience with her makeup artists has been hit-or-miss)… May have to order the Cool Lilac set from Saks (which I don’t have here); the lilac looks gorgeous, and I’m running low on my caviar eye liner, anyway. 🙂
Chelsea says
January 5th, 2013 at 12:39 pmahh, I love that highlighter is going to be popular, I need to save up and get a good one.
Lydia L says
January 5th, 2013 at 1:46 pmLook Karen, I am LOYAL to Lancome’ s Artliner but when I saw that Lilac collection!!!…..OMG!!!…WOW, everything in this collection is awesome right down to the eyecream!!!
Lydia L says
January 5th, 2013 at 1:48 pmOoooops, I mean HAND CREAM!!!…Yikes!!!
Mara says
January 5th, 2013 at 4:14 pmWow! I was really looking forward to see some real swatches of the new tinted eye brightener! And I just could not believe it when I saw the new cream shadow sticks…especially the vanilla one which was unfortunately discontinued! Thank you so much! By the way, I am a Bobbi Brown fan and I also love your blog. I follow your updates from Spain. It takes quite long for new collections to reach us, we don’t always get all the products and they are much more expensive than in the US (sigh!).
Angel says
January 5th, 2013 at 4:26 pmThat pastel Brightening Face Powder really looks interesting to me. I’m pale, so usually those all over powders are way too sparkly on me. I’m hoping this is my dream product: a color correcting, luminous face powder. I just need a glow, so I don’t look ashy. I have the dirt cheap e.l.f. pastel powder corrector thingy, but it doesn’t do much for my skin. Like, it does nothing. Glad it was only $3. I can’t wait to hear more about the BB one, or better yet, see it in person. I’m malling it on Tuesday at South Coast Plaza so I’ll be on the look out for it.
Mimi says
January 5th, 2013 at 5:24 pmi love those hats! one of the ladies yelled at me when I tried to take a picture though…
Savannah says
January 5th, 2013 at 11:22 pmI’m in the market for a new concealer. I was using mac studio finish in nw20 and its good and all, but I want better more flawless coverage for facial marks and scars. Should I consider Bobbi brown? I always hear tons about them but I’m not sure if people are just referring to under eye concealment
elina says
January 6th, 2013 at 4:24 amHi karen,
i live in Israel and i encounterd upon your blog and fell inlove 🙂
first of all your love for cats and animals it shows in your picuters and your words.. that’s amaizing.
now i am following your blog and loving it (i’m a huge make uo fun as well).
thank you so mush for the great blog!!
from far far away in Israel
Iris says
January 6th, 2013 at 5:59 pmThose animal hats, especially the birds, are so cute.
Those butterflies are beautiful.
I’m always on the lookout for hand creams; I didn’t know Bobbi Brown made them. I’ll have to try it out. 🙂
Suzy says
January 6th, 2013 at 6:58 pmThat is an amazing Bobbi Brown makeup display
Adriana RP says
January 7th, 2013 at 4:12 amI’m very excited with this new BB products!
The Brightening Face Powders are very interesting and I love sparkle eyeshadows (to be “shining” on the streets like the butterflies! LOL).
Deidre says
January 7th, 2013 at 6:45 pmThat third shadow-stick from the left….needs to be mine. It’s amazing.
sop says
January 13th, 2013 at 9:58 amwow all that make up to play around with!! My absolute dream come true! X
Jane says
December 2nd, 2014 at 5:40 pmHi, I know this post is like ancient, but can you please list the colors (if you remember them) for the Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener? I’m having trouble making them out in pic number 7… Or do you have a bigger pic you can post? I’m trying to figure out what the last 3 colors are.
Thank you.