Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color Review

My parents recently took a trip to Seattle, and I sent my mother on a quest to find the Cosmetics Company Outlet Store. It’s a makeup outlet store owned by Estee Lauder, which means MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique and more high quality brands are sold there. Since it’s an outlet, I had no way of knowing what products would be there, so I had to be very vague when giving my mom a list of what to look out for. I mostly just said lipsticks and blush, since it’s hard to go wrong with those. She ended up getting me 3 of the Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color SPF 12 Lipsticks, in the shades Bare Pink, Sweet Nectar and Plum Rose. I had never heard of these before, so I searched them up online to see if they were a discontinued or limited edition product. It turns out, they are part of Bobbi Brown’s permanent collection in Sephora, and they retail for $30CAD each. These were purchased in a 3-pack for $42USD. I’m actually surprised that they are so under-hyped – not only are Bobbi Brown products typically quite popular in the beauty community, but these lipsticks are AMAZING. According to the description on the Sephora website, these were formulated with a clear base to make the pigments show up true to the color in the tube.

Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color - (L-R) Sweet Nectar, Plum Rose, Bare Pink

Bare Pink

Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in Bare Pink

Bare Pink is a very light, beige-pink shade. This is unfortunately my least favorite shade out of the three. It is quite pale, and on any darker skin than mine this may show up as the dreaded “concealer lips” color. I think that I can barely pull it off, and I've been making it more wearable by topping it with brighter colored glosses. It still leaves me with a light lip, but not as dramatic as the lipstick alone. The lipstick quality is great, but I don’t think I will be getting much use out of this as it’s a little too light for daily wear. It would probably look beautiful with a dramatic smokey eye though, and I’m planning on testing that out very soon.

Plum Rose

Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in Plum Rose

Plum Rose is exactly as the name suggests – a plummy rose shade (or is it a rosey plum? Is there even a difference?) It’s my favorite of the three, as it is a perfect color for fall. I think it’s definitely a work-appropriate shade while still being slightly more dramatic. It would look gorgeous with a bronze smokey eye and I know I’ll be getting a ton of use out of this in the fall!

Sweet Nectar

Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in Sweet Nectar

Sweet Nectar is a bright, reddish coral color. It is definitely a summer shade! I don’t typically go for reds or corals as I like pinks and berries more, but I will be trying to step out of my comfort zone to wear this more often since it is such a pretty color.

All three of these lipsticks are SO pigmented – even Bare Pink, which I expected to be chalky or sheer. These are very smooth and creamy, yet they feel light on the lips, which was surprising. I tend to stick to tinted lip balms, stains or gloss because I've never liked the feeling of thick, heavy lipstick. Most lipsticks tend to be quite drying, and I have chronically chapped lips, so I need to reapply lip balm constantly. These don’t leave me with that dry feeling – they are moisturizing and smooth, and very comfortable to wear. The lasting power of Plum Rose and Sweet Nectar is significantly better than that of Bare Pink, which is to be expected. Pale lipsticks never tend to last as long as darker colors, but Bare Pink wasn't too bad compared to other light lipsticks I've tried, such as Crème Cup from MAC. These are also formulated with an SPF of 12. 

Overall I would highly recommend these lipsticks to anyone who is willing to splurge! I've never had lipsticks that are so light and comfortable while still being opaque. If my budget allowed, I would definitely pick up a couple more shades!

Have you ever tried the Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Colors? Let me know in the comments below!

Top 5 Favorite MAC Products

Top 5 MAC Products

MAC never fails to make me feel nostalgic. It was the first “high end” makeup brand that I used, and it was the spark that ignited my love of makeup. I remember when I was a younger teen, maybe 14 or 15, I would always get so excited to unwrap a MAC gift card for my birthday or Christmas. I felt so grown up and fancy buying it! The sleek black packaging and minimalist designs still have a sense of luxury about them, even though I have since began experimenting with even more expensive makeup.

Through my long-time obsession with MAC, I have tried a LOT of their products, and there a quite a few that have become staples in my makeup routine. It took some effort, but I think I have managed to pick out my top 5 favorite MAC products. Some of these are relatively new, and some are tried-and-true favorites that I have repurchased multiple times.

MAC Studio Finish Concealer ($22CAD)

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC15

Pictured is at least my 3^rd pot of this concealer. It was probably one of the first products I bought at MAC, and I have never found anything that works as well as it. The main thing that keeps me coming back is that it is SO insanely pigmented. I started getting acne in the 6^th grade, and it continued to get worse as I got older. I’m still struggling with it today, but I’m slowly getting it somewhat under control with prescription medications and hours of browsing r/SkinCareAddiction. This concealer is the only thing I have found that can cover it, as it is completely full coverage and VERY thick. I would not recommend using it under your eyes, as it can get cakey when used over large areas. It is, however, perfect for spot concealing as it really sticks to the skin. Other concealers I’ve tried tended to make my foundation wear off of my blemishes, and then the concealer wouldn’t even stick, leaving me with zits that are even less covered than with just foundation. So when I don’t have this, I’m honestly better off just wearing a second layer of foundation than even concealing! At $22CAD, this is much cheaper than most of the concealers at Sephora. And one jar lasts well over a year of  daily use – and I have a lot of blemishes to cover. This product is a 10/10 and I will always come back to it.

MAC Powerpoint Eyeliner in Stubborn Brown ($19CAD)

MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Stubborn Brown

I’ve had this pencil for ages, and it’s not my first one either. This is the best everyday brown eyeliner and it’s a staple in my makeup routine. It’s much darker and less brown than most brown eyeliners I’ve found, so it looks more natural in my opinion. I love smudging this along my top lashes to add a bit of subtle definition without being obvious that I’m wearing eyeliner. It’s incredibly long wearing and it’s probably one of the only pencils I’ve found that doesn’t smudge under my eyes by the middle of the day. It’s a little on the pricey side for an eyeliner, but the pencil lasts forever and the quality is equivalent to much more expensive products so I think it’s a great deal. Pictured is at least my second pencil, might even be my third to be honest. I love splurging on great quality basics so I will definitely be repurchasing soon, as it’s clearly almost at the end of its life!

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly ($24CAD)

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly

I need to start this by saying that this isn’t a perfect shade for me. It’s a little too dark, and a little too pink, so it doesn’t match my skin too well, but the texture and wear of this product are so incredible that I definitely ignore the color most of the time. This is relatively new to my collection - I only bought it a couple of months ago. To be honest, I had never touched a paint pot before. I assumed they were exactly like the Maybelline Color Tattoos so I figured, why pay $24 for a cream shadow when I can get something the exact same for under $10? Then I touched one. The texture is so smooth, so creamy, so blendable. It’s a completely different texture than that of the Color Tattoos! Now I do love the Color Tattoos. They are a great budget cream shadow/eyeshadow base but they can be a little difficult to work with at times. I only ended up looking at the paint pots because I wanted a matte eyeshadow base and I was blown away by the texture. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, my life was changed in that moment. I immediately purchased it and I have been in love with it ever since! All I need now is for MAC to release a matte white paint pot, or at least a paler matte shade. Then my life would be complete. I have a full comparison review of 6 different eyeshadows bases where I compare both the Paint Pots and Color Tattoos that you can check out here!

MAC Blush in Well Dressed ($25CAD)

MAC Blush in Well Dressed

Well Dressed is a cult favorite product that I waited way too long to pick up! I’ve had this for a few months now and it has become my go-to blush for everyday wear. It’s a beautiful pale baby pink, with a satin finish. I actually have to force myself to use other blushes on occasion because otherwise I’ll literally wear this every single day. It’s the perfect shade for brightening up the complexion and just giving a natural flush. I don’t necessarily find it to be the longest-wearing blush I own, but the finish and color is too pretty for md to not give it a spot in my MAC top five. I wear this more than any other blush I own and I can’t believe I didn’t buy this sooner! I finally understand the hype around it. Now that I have a couple of Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blushes though, I'll have to switch up my blush a bit more often. But I have a feeling that I won’t be able to give this up too easily!

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade ($37CAD)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

This is the most recent addition to my MAC collection, but I can’t leave this out of my top 5. I needed a better highlight, as my Soft and Gentle from MAC was just looking a little off on my face. I still do love Soft and Gentle, but it’s just too dark and gold for my super pale skin. After a particularly bad day at work, I stopped in at the MAC counter in The Bay and picked this up as a treat for myself and I am very happy that I did! I’ve been wearing this every day since and I am officially obsessed. It gives off a subtle, pearly white-beige sheen that looks much more natural on my skin than Soft and Gentle did. You can go very heavy-handed with this without looking crazy, which is great for me seeing as I apply my makeup half-asleep at 6:30am every day. It’s quite expensive at $37CAD, but I honestly can’t find any drugstore highlighters that I like so this was worth the splurge. Even though it’s pretty new, I would definitely consider this part of my top 5 from MAC!

What are your favorite MAC products? Let me know in the comments!

Tarte Friends and Family Sale Haul!

When I heard about Tarte’s recent Friends and Family sale, I almost immediately placed an order. 30% off and free shipping? I am powerless to that kind of deal. I did manage to fight off the temptation to go full ham and buy everything, and for that, I am proud of myself. I purchased 4 things – 2 Amazonian Clay blushes, a mascara sample kit, and a set of mini maracuja lip glosses. I also received a free sample of the Amazonian Clay Double Detox Face Mask. This was my first time ordering off the Tarte website, and the shipping was pretty fast, and for orders over $75CAD it’s free, so no complaints there. I haven’t tried many Tarte products before this, which is why I ordered the sample sets. I also just love trying out sample sets in general – trying out new products is half the fun of makeup!

Tarte "Best for Lash" 4-Piece Deluxe Eye Set

Tarte 4-Piece Deluxe Eye Set

The first thing I knew I needed to get was the “Best for Lash 4-Piece Deluxe Eye Set” ($30/On sale for $20CAD/Discounted to $14CAD). I’ve heard great reviews for Tarte’s Mascaras, but I typically don’t like buying higher end mascaras in full size. They’re expensive, they dry out quickly, and you can’t try before you buy. Samples sizes of mascara are the way to go! They last such a long time anyway, that I almost never need to buy mascara anymore.

The set came with 4 products, all in a deluxe sample size:

-          MultiplEYE Lash enhancing primer

-          Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara

-          Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara

-          Lights, Camera, Lashes Waterproof 12-Hour Inner Rim Liner

I haven’t tried out any of these products yet as I already have a mascara open, but I will be doing a review once I get the chance to use them!

Tarte "Clutch the Spirit" 8-Piece Lip Gloss Set and Clutch

Tarte Maracuja Lip Glosses

 The other sample set that I picked up was the Clutch the Spirit 8-Piece Lip Gloss Set and Clutch ($36CAD/Discounted to $25.20CAD). I almost never buy lip glosses, and don’t use them every day, so I figured that having 8 minis in various shades would be perfect. The clutch is okay, it’s surprisingly nice for a “free gift with purchase” type of thing, but I probably won’t end up using it to much, mostly because I don’t like carrying around clutches. It was a nice touch, but I probably would have still purchased the set if it were not included.

The kit contained 8 glosses in varying shades, most of which were on the blue-based red and pink side of the color spectrum. I won’t go into a full review of the kit, as this post would be insanely long if I did, but I'm considering doing some lip swatches soon!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes in Dazzled and Flush

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Flush

The last two things I purchased were the ever-famous Amazonian Clay Blushes, in Dazzled and Flush ($31CAD/Discounted to $21.70CAD). Dazzled is a soft rose with golden sparkle to it, but the glitter does not translate to the face. Flush is a matte, pale berry color. Every YouTuber, Beauty Guru and Blogger has been raving about these blushes this year. I heard the hype, but actually didn’t have too much interest in picking any up before this. I figured I had enough blushes, and these cost a pretty penny at $31CAD each. But with 30% off, these become even cheaper than MAC blushes so I decided to take the plunge – and I do NOT regret it! These blushes are amazing. So pigmented, blendable, long-wearing and just gorgeous on the skin. I absolutely understand the hype now! I just want them all. My bank account says it does not want them all. My bank account doesn’t want me to buy anything though, and 9 times out of 10 I just don’t listen to it. Oops.

The last thing I got was a free sample of the Double Detox Amazonian Clay Exfoliating Facial Mask (not pictured). I haven’t used it yet, so I don’t have an opinion on it, but I think that the free sample was a nice touch. According to the Tarte website, you get a free sample with every order.

Overall I’m super happy with everything I bought, and now I want to try out more products from Tarte (especially some more shades of the Amazonian Clay Blushes)! Did you take advantage of the Friends and Family Sale? What’s your favorite product from Tarte? Let me know in the comments!