Sparkle and Shine: Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick in Nectar

When I’m jonesing to have a new product to play with, lately I’ve been trying to swap for it first, before buying it outright (if unsuccessful).  Particularly for products that aren’t LE and have been around for a while, it seems to be much more sensible to get it on the cheap via swapping – there isn’t the time-sensitivity that can cause impulse purchasing.

I had Bobbi Brown’s Nectar Shimmerbrick on my lemmings list for a while, having tried it on in-store once and liking the way it looked.  My desire was renewed when the Rose Gold collection came out; while I wasn’t a huge fan of the two Shimmerbricks offered (Rose Gold and Wild Rose), I remembered Nectar and envisioned it to look like how I wanted Rose Gold to look – sort of a warm golden pink.  I managed to get it in a swap, still in the box no less (score!), so I eagerly awaited it’s arrival. Nectar has five strips of varying pinky-golden shades (with one off-white strip), leaning coral but still overall more in the pink zone.  On my darker skin the difference is negligible – it just looks like a very sheer pink highlight.  Like any product with different colored strips,  you could apply each separately if you wanted to – but I don’t know why you would.  I swirl my brush around lightly and then apply the product concentrating on my cheekbones.  If you were fairer, you could get away with this as a blush I think – but still use a light hand as it’s shimmery (hello, stating the obvious here!). I find it sort of interesting that for a line that’s all about natural-looking makeup, that the Shimmerbricks are part of that as they are pretty darn obvious.  Not necessarily in a gaudy, glitter-particles kind of way, but in sunlight, you’re obviously wearing shimmer, and as I find it kicks up a bit on your brush, it tends to disperse somewhat outside the perimeter of where you apply it, which can be a touch annoying.  I don’t find it’s a product that you can buff into your face, like some other shimmery powders, so for me this will be more of an evening product (unless it’s a particularly dull day and I need a glowing boost!).  Nonetheless, it IS pretty and I’m sure I’ll get some use out of it.  The wear time was actually pretty decent, but more for the shimmer and less for the color – though again I think that would depend on your skin tone (being darker I find less pigmented colors fade on me quickly).

Shots taken in sunlight

As always, I was interested to know if this was similar to any other shades I own.  I thought perhaps Benefit’s Bella Bamba, which is a watermelon pink with a fair bit of shimmer too, so I swatched them side by side (both swatches taken in sunlight; Nectar on left, Bella Bamba on right).

Clearly, they’re not – though they are in the same color family.  These types of shades are some of my favorites, because I find they’re a warm pink that can suit a variety of looks – so I don’t mind having two that are similar!

Overall, Nectar is pretty, regardless of it being not entirely practical, and I’ll have fun playing with it throughout many seasons.  Even if it won’t get a lot of daytime wear, it’s a quick and easy way to pick up my look in the evenings and for special occasions.  And, it’s just so darn pretty to look at 🙂

Do you own any Shimmerbricks?  How do you wear them, as a highlight or as a cheek color?  Are you a fan of shimmer or shy away from it?

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