Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017 Beauty Exclusives: Bobbi Brown

Today we have the product, aside from the face palette, that required the most testing. But there are only three items, QBB, you may remark. Oh, just wait. I was doing battle with one of them. And was determined to slay it.

Is that a call out of a brand we all know and love, Bobbi?

We're going to discuss the Bobbi Brown Bobbi on Trend Lips Collection- Nude ($50). This set comes with three full-sized products and is listed with an overall value of $83.

I'll readily admit that I don't review Bobbi Brown products that often- but like Laura Mercier, I find the brand to be packed with everyday go-tos and something I can usually trust. I liked both the Nude and Pop kits, but decided to go with Nude for a few reasons. I was afraid that the Pop color would pull too dark on my pigmented lips, and I was on the hunt for a new nude (clearly).

Each kit comes with three full-sized products. Per the Bobbi Brown MUA I was chatting with, only the lipstick is exclusive to the set. So for your $50, you get a lip liner, a Liquid Artistic, and a lipstick. It was really the lipstick that sold me because of a recent experience.

I received a deluxe mini in other neutral from Sephora a couple of months ago and love the formula. That's why initially I went for this kit over the Laura Mercier or the MAC (I hadn't shopped clothes/shoes yet, so my budget for beauty went up as a result later).

I mentioned that I was fighting with one of the products in the kit- don't worry, we'll get to that in detail later. I like that we have 3 different undertones for nudes in this kit.

Let's start with the item that pulled me into the kit- the lipstick.

The Bobbi Brown Lip Color contains 0.12oz of product and usually retails for $28.

This kit's exclusive shade is #52, Uber Beige. It's described as "a sandy-toned neutral".

Let's talk formula.It's balmy, hydrating, and fades beautifully. It's not long-wearing, but that's not a claim of the product. This is a perfect type of item to keep around for either an effortless look- or with me on the go. 

I get Chanel Rouge Coco vibes (the latest relaunch, with the names) in terms of packaging, size, and formula. But this is more hydrating than the Chanel.

Now, I'm probably the harshest critic when it comes to finding a nude lipstick because I have pigmented lips.

It's very nice. I usually have several concerns when evaluating shades like this, and this passes all tests.

1. Is it overly sheer? Nope, it is just right. With my levels of pigmentation, these are tricky. I don't like investing in I something that does nothing.

2. Is it overly opaque, leading to a concealer look? Again, not a worry

3. Is it overly brown? With my complexion, this is a concern. It's flattering on me despite a lack of rose undertones.

I think this is a lovely color that's easy to wear and flatters any number of people. It truly is a shade that I don't have to worry about and it works with warm, cool, and neutral options.

As an aside, I'd like to think that this week has been a personal challenge in making time. I've really been limited to doing 95% of work on the weekends; purchasing everything on Friday didn't allow me to do so. So I spent my commutes- 15-20 min on the bus, time on the train, etc- typing out the body of reviews. I can photograph and do my minimal watermarking, cropping, etc quickly. It's just doing both parts that takes awhile.

Now, onto the product that delayed this post because I was determined to figure it out (I was already familiar with the lipstick formula, so I really just wanted to test it for a couple hours Saturday. Yes, I've been playing with this kit since Saturday.). The Art Stick Liquid Lip is not a new product, but it's new to me. It's a liquid lip in a squeeze tube.

Each Artstick Liquid Lip contains 0.17oz of product and normally retails for $28. This shade, Honey Bare, is in the permanent lineup. It's described as "a soft beige."

Let me say this before I continue: great product, flawed packaging. Like anyone else with no prior experience with it, i applied straight from the tube on try #1. And I found it to be gloopy, thick, and looking like crap. After that, I blotted and smoothed- which gave me an idea.

Try #2 yielded the answer for me. I applied from a lip brush. I got a smooth, even coat. It lasted through a meal and lots of drinking ( it's summer and hot!). So this seems like the way to do it- but I'll be honest, carrying around a brush is a PITA.

Let's also talk the good/bad about the formula. It is one of the most comfortable that I've tried- and that's due to its dry down time. This is super slow to dry- think 5 min or so. That's somewhat annoying when you're in a rush, but also gives ample clean-up time and makes me think this might be ideal for an ombré look. I'm intrigued enough  that I'm considering additional purchases in the line.

It's quite lovely but high-maintenance on the front end. Look at that pigmentation- and the fact that it's non-drying is awesome.


I'll wrap up by briefly discussing the liner. It's a nice, basic nude liner. I'll use it up. I don't have a plethora of superlatives to offer about this- but I do like a good nude liner.

This shade, Beige, is in the permanent lineup and normally retails for $24. It contains 0.04oz of product, and is described as "a light warm beige."

Let's look at it on my lips:

Yes, it's very pigmented and creates a canvas for a neutral lip.


I didn't see a huge difference compared with just the lipstick, but here's the lipliner and lipstick together:

Now that I showed these on the lips, let's look at a hand swatch. L-R: Lipliner in Beige, Lip Color in Uber Beige, and Artstick Liquid Lip in Honey Beige:

What a beautifully curated set.

Bottom Line: This was a total surprise and impulse buy for me- I wasn't even planning to purchase when I walked into the tent. I haven't heard a lot about this kit, either. I think it's a great value, and a sleeper score from the sale. I'm glad I went with my gut and purchased it. The Artstick Liquid Lip takes a bit of finesse, but it's worth it and I look forward to playing with other shades in the future. The lipstick is a huge favorite of mine- I've worn it twice already! If nudes aren't your thing, there's a brighter/deeper set. I highly recommend checking this out.