Even the most expensive product can't buy my satisfaction.
Written: Jun 28 '02 (Updated Jun 28 '02)
Product Rating:
Pros: Product created by trusted and respected make-up artist. Good color choices.
Cons: Didn't blend well. Streaky coverage. Sank into my pores. No SPF coverage.
The Bottom Line: I'm in the minority but the product isn't the best one. Too many negatives to enjoy this product. It didn't make me look any better - but perhaps worse!
LauraSunflower's Full Review: Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick
I so wanted to love this product. I'd visited my favorite online haunt for cosmetics (gloss.com) before finally deciding to splurge for this $35.00 foundation stick. With that price in mind, I expected nothing short of a stellar and cosmic cosmetic experience where the stars would align and my skin would shine in pure radiance.
Let's just say that didn't happen!
For those not in the know, Bobbi Brown is considered "the" natural-looking make-up artist. Ten years ago Brown began her make-up mission with a palette of brown-based lipsticks and tones that would compliment nearly any wearer. "Every product in Bobbi's collection is formulated to enhance a woman's unique beauty. Her foundations and powders are yellow-based so they look truly natural on all skins - from the lightest to the darkest tones. Her color products are all brown-based, making it possible to beautifully blend colors together - easily and effortlessly." (from http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com)
She became focused on highlighting special characteristics and features of women rather than focusing on "what's wrong" or needs to be perfected. Brown states at her Web site (http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com) that make-up should be quick and easy while only taking a few minutes, tops.
Her mission sounds quite like my own. I love natural looking make-up that looks good and is of good quality. I don't shudder at the thought of paying top dollar for certain products. Foundations are one of those staples. I consider it the canvas of your face. Ill-colored foundation that does not match skin tones, appears streaky or heavy throws off any other make-up touches to your face. It appears glaring and many times is what many will notice first, especially if it appears mask-like and not at all like your own skin.
I liked stick foundations in general. I found they fit my frantic morning and gym routine. I also felt a had a great deal of control over the coverage I liked. It allows you to downplay shiny areas, like an overactive t-zone, by quickly minimizing shine, hide and "reshape" angles of your face with a quick swipe of the wand. Stick foundations are also portable, less messy than liquid, and many times are more cost-efficient. I've found I used a whole foundation stick before it's expiration date than a bottle who tends to stick around longer than it should. (It is recommended that the acceptable shelf-life of a liquid foundation is about a year).
With all this noted, foundation sticks can be used by anyone. I decided to buy Bobbi Brown's foundation stick online at Gloss.com. This product can also be purchased at Neiman Marcus, Macy's as well as Brown's personal online shop at http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com. The price is $35.00. Brown's Web site states, "Easy to apply and blend all over the face or just where you need it. Yellow-based shades warm and flatter the complexion. An Instyle Magazine
Hall of Fame winner."
Twelve shades are available for nearly any skin tone. They include: Warm Natural, Warm Ivory, Sand, Beige, Natural, Honey, Almond, Chestnut, Espresso, Porcelain, Walnut, and Golden. I purchased Warm Ivory for myself. A menu on Brown's Web site offers help in deciding which skin tone is best for you. I chose mine based on the color swatches featured online as well as an in store visit to a Bobbi Brown counter. I was confident I'd picked the right shade.
The sleek black tube with Brown's signature logo twists up easily to apply the product. The product is a scant .33 oz helping of the foundation. There is virtually no smell to the product. It looks moist and creamy in the tube. The color was exactly what I'd expected. My only complaint about the tube is the top doesn't click or snap into place, it more or less just fits over the tube in a groove that is adequate to hold the top in place. Inside the top of the tube rests a small piece of foam to keep the product from sticking to the top of the lid if the product is raised too high before securing the lid on. This actually works! It keeps the product from sticking and losing a smooth top to the stick.
I consulted Bobbi Brown's Web site and found no information on ingredients. It does not suggest it is oil-free or elaborate on ingredients in Brown's cosmetics. Gloss.com did not offer ingredient listings as well. I could find no claims that the products are animal cruelty-free nor whether or not animal-based ingredients are used in the products on Brown's site. However, Bobbi Brown (as an Estee Lauder division) is listed in PETA's directory of "Consumer Products Companies That Don't Test on Animals" at http://www.peta.org/mall/cc/ccdonttest1.html. For more information on this agreement of trust on animal testing read PETA's statement regarding these companies that have agreed not to test on animals at http://www.peta.org/mall/cc/ccdonttest.html
I found the product glides on effortlessly. There's isn't any tugging or stretching of the skin as it's applied. There is just the right amount moisture in the product for easy application to clean skin. There are no suggested tips for application on Brown's site.
I have used the product on moisturized prepped skin as well as bare skin. My skin tends to be a bit on the shiny side in the t-zone area only. I also reapplied the foundation stick as a touch up on existing make-up during the day. No matter how I applied the product I was not delighted in how it looked. I found within an hour or two the product "sank" into my pores, making them appear quite obvious and not in the least bit attractive. This happened on my nose and cheeks. I also tried pairing this product with a 'matte lotion'. (Such as Origins Matte Scientist). This looked worse! The foundation appeared as though it was "sitting" on top of my skin and did not absorb enough to look natural. It is not a matte foundation and does not claim to be. It is not stated for which type of skin this product is best suited for.
The wear of this foundation stick is still shiny and very streaky. This is not a foundation and powder stick in one. I didn't expect it to be. Yet, there are many foundations that allow for wear and go without the application of a powder. I also found this foundation didn't work well with cream blushes (like my very favorites Tarte Flush and Paula Dorf Cream Blush in Candy Apple). The foundation didn't provide a flat base for easy application and blending of the cream blush. Instead the colors tended to clump together and did not blend in for a natural look. I found myself limited to a pressed powder blush for wearing this foundation. I so wanted this stick to work, I paired it with many types of loose powders and blushes as well as pressed compacts. It just wasn't complimentary to my other make-up staples.
The only area I found satisfactory wear for this stick was as an under-eye concealer. I believe this was due to the fact I this area does not mix with many other products when the stick was applied as a concealer. This however, is not the stated purpose of the stick. It sure makes for an expensive under eye concealer when there are less expensive options that are best suited and formulated for that sensitive area of your face.
I still find the color to be the best thing about this product. It was an even and natural match. Brown has done a great job in finding matching tones for colors. It also was easy to remove and did not appear to clog my pores even though the product consistently sank into them. I had no break outs or issues of sensitivity with extended wear of the product. I also found as I've used it for Winter, Spring and Summer it wasn't an issue of when was the best time to use the product. I also didn't care for the fact that there isn't any SPF coverage in the product at all.
My opinion of this product is very low. I did not find it to be as "all-purpose" as I'd hoped. I felt my options diminished as I had to consider what types of blush and powder worked best with it. I became too concerned with how it sank into my pores and looked terrible. I didn't feel that it gave my face a clean look to build on.
The product is terribly expensive and financially was a mistake. There are certainly better alternatives for the whopping $35.00 attached to the price. I've loved and still love L'Oreal Quickstick Long Wearing Foundation in Pale with an SPF 14 which I can snap up under $10.00 and still have cosmetic "allowance" money left over.
I can buy into big make-up names when the product actually works. This one didn't. Bobbi Brown has other products that I like, this just isn't one of them. For that realization, I'm $35.00 richer in this experience.
Visit Bobbi Brown online at http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com or buy online at Gloss.com
Bobbi's innovative stick, designed for portability and adjustable coverage. Easy to apply and blend all over the face or just where you need it. Color...More at Nordstrom
The secret to perfect skin.With the right foundation, it's easy for anyone to get a smooth complexion that looks naturally perfect-- never made up. - ...More at Neiman Marcus
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