Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadow --- pictures and review (pic heavy)

 

Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadow

Our award-winning cream shadow - now infused with glistening sparkle. Lightweight formula goes on comfortably and leaves a soft, velvety finish. For sheer color, use your fingers. For a dramatic look, use the Cream Shadow Brush and apply two layers. Stays color-true and crease-free all day. Available in 8 glamorous new shades. Mercury featured in the Rich Color Gloss Look [shown below].

 

I was tipped off to these cream shadows by a buddy online, and just had to take a peek during a recent trip to the Bobbi Brown counter. I promised I'd swatch and review, and so I am!

Since I wasn't familiar with the product, and am also trying to learn "the Bobbi way to do things", I sat down and let the artist at the counter put some on me, just to see a) how she (and Bobbi) thought it should be applied and b) what color she'd pick.

The artist decided I needed to see Brown Metal, which is not at all what I would have chosen (hence the reason it's fun to let someone else pick sometimes!)

I was told exactly what Bobbi's website says: it can go on sheer or you can layer it to make it a bit more intense. I got the "intense" treatment.

Ahem.

Bobbi looks aren't terribly intense, are they!? Witness:

For the record, the only thing on my eye is the Long-Wear Cream Shadow. It was placed on the lid and into and a touch above the crease. I had no primer on, no mascara... just the Cream Shadow.

The Swatches

Before I get to the review part, let's take a look at the swatches*:

*Note: because I'm a moron I didn't swatch Brown Metal, the one I had on!

1-Starry Purple; 2-Mercury; 3-Starry Night; 4-Chrome Patina;
5-Antique Gold; 6-Black Pearl; 7- Goldstone

1-Starry Purple; 2-Mercury; 3-Starry Night; 4-Chrome Patina;
5-Antique Gold; 6-Black Pearl; 7- Goldstone

1-Starry Purple; 2-Mercury; 3-Starry Night; 4-Chrome Patina;
5-Antique Gold; 6-Black Pearl; 7- Goldstone


1-Starry Purple; 2-Mercury; 3-Starry Night; 4-Chrome Patina;
5-Antique Gold; 6-Black Pearl; 7- Goldstone

The Review

Application

The application on these was really nice. Very typically of a good cream shadow, they slid on well and spread fairly easily. They didn't feel chunky at all.

Shades

The swatches are sort of piled on, so you can get an idea of the color. When applying with the finger, they are terribly sheer, and layering for "intense look" makes them somewhat more opaque. If you really layer, you can get it to look like the swatches, which is awesome. My particular favorites, colorwise, were Chrome Patina and Antique Gold, with Goldstone coming in a close third. All of the shades are quite shimmery and also have some small glitter in them.

By the way, if the application of Brown Metal on my eye is any indication, it's not terribly brown. It looks more like a champagne frost with a lot of glitter.

Wear

Yes, they are smudge-proof and last quite awhile, but they also crease and the glitter flies off fairly easily. By "smudge-proof" I mean the base color doesn't seem to smudge... but the glitter will wipe off when touched, even lightly. Maybe not all of it, but enough to see it on your finger. Note in the picture below how the color has sorta glopped up a bit from me opening my eye? This picture was taken a mere 15 minutes after application! Not good. Not-so-creaseproof!

Here are some other pictures that attest to wear:

Those were taken about 1/2 an hour after applying the swatches. Again: the swatches were heavily placed, so not a completely accurate version of how most people would wear them. But makeup junkies like to make a statement, so if you were planning on trying to pile it on this is what's going to happen!

Final Thoughts

I adore the colors in these shadows! I think if you're looking for a sheer wash of pretty metallic color, these are a great purchase. Even just looking at the faded swatch marks on my hands 6 hours later attests to the pretty nature of these colors.

They are quite sparkly - not metallic. Unless "metallic" now means "glittery". If you have very creased eyes or are a glitterphobe, you won't love these.

If you're looking for high impact from your color and flawless long wear, you're going to want to keep looking.

I also would suggest that if you have deep-set eyes you may want to only place these on the lid, so you don't have to worry about the creasing issue. I would love to play with these on a flat, open eye! I bet you could create some great looks with that eye shape. As for me, with my deep-set eyes and love of high-impact, I think I'll pass on these. There are other metallic products out there I prefer, and if you use the right basecoat they're creaseproof and long-wearing.

Have you tried the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Metallic Shadows?
What did you think? What colors do you like?

Disclaimer: Not needed. By the nature of the fact that I don't own them, they were neither purchased nor given to me.

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Edited to add:

I thought it would be nice to show you what the hand swatches looked like now - 9 hours later! This is probably a good indication of a) what a sheer application would look like and b) the actual impact of the glitter and shimmer. So: