Bobbi Brown Tailored Collection - Neiman Marcus Exclusive

Like a perfectly tailored pinstripe suit, Bobbi Brown's Tailored Collection ($100), a Neiman Marcus exclusive, telegraphs "polished, office-appropriate chic." In addition to a sleek palette filled with Bobbi's flattering and versatile shades for your eyes and lips, it features Illuminating Bronzer Powder, Blush, and Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara to complete a chic look.



The collection also includes three mini-sized makeup brushes: a dual-ended Eye Shadow/Eye Liner Brush, a mini Lip Brush, and mini Face Blender Brush (one of my faves - one can never have too many of these). These brushes come with short handles making them perfect for travel and on-the-go makeup application.



Everything comes perfectly packed in a pinstriped makeup case with a divider to keep them separate.



The pinstriped Tailored Face Palette includes the following colors.

• Navajo Eye Shadow (creamy pinkish white)
• Petal Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow (light pink)
• Gray Pearl Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow (medium gray)
• Caviar Eye Shadow (blackest brown)
• Antigua Illuminating Bronzing Powder (light pink bronze)
• Peony Blush (bright pink)
• Soiree Pink Glitter Lip Gloss (pale pink)
• Nude Pink Lip Gloss (neutral pink)
• Pink Bouquet Glitter Lip Gloss (rosy pink)

Most of the colors are soft and subtle, as you will see from my swatch photos below. I took my photos in full sun, I applied all the shades heavily for these photos. The eye shades and cheek shades were applied with a sponge-tipped applicator. The lip shades were applied with the handy mini Lip Brush that comes in the set. I did not swatch the mascara, which is black.



You won't be able to see Navajo eye shadow at the top of my arm. I could barely see it, no matter how much I applied. It matches my skin perfectly, masking imperfections and redness, but without adding color. It's a perfect base shade. The shimmering pink Petal Shimmer Wash is a baby pink shadow - very pretty, although it may not be my best shade. The two greys in the group, Gray Pearl Shimmer Wash and Caviar, will give you options for accenting or lining your eyes. My personal favorite is Gray Pearl.



The three lip glosses are very light. Soiree Pink Glitter is shown at the top of my arm, Nude Pink in the middle, and Pink Bouquet Glitter at the bottom. Pink Bouquet Glitter is the only one of the three I could wear without lipstick underneath. I really like that lip brush, though!



The cheek shades are both very nice. My favorite is Antigua, which is a gorgeous warm pink bronze shade. It's perfect as a blush on me. I bought it the second Bobbi Brown introduced it. Peony Blush is a bit bright. I have to apply it with a very light hand.



I purchased this collection when it was still in pre-sale at Neiman Marcus at Mazza Galleria. I'm glad to have it. It's one of those handy palettes with brushes that you might want to keep in your desk drawer at the office (you never know when you'll have to freshen your makeup). It will come in handy. It's one of those classics you can always use.



There are instructions for application, should you need them, at neimanmarcus.com. You can purchase the Tailored Collection there or at your favorite Neiman Marcus store.



Photo at top courtesy of Neiman Marcus; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

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Le Métier de Beauté Makeup Brushes

Much has been written about Le Métier de Beauté's makeup brushes lately - and for good reason. They are fabulous brushes. I own the three shown above: Blush ($55), Eye Shadow Brush #1 ($40), and Large Concealer Brush ($50). I love their magnificent quality. I also love the fact that no animals suffered to make them. I will tell you that Charlie thinks it's the cat's meow to have his face stroked with my Blush Brush.

The brushes have short handles. With some brushes, I prefer short handles. With others, it's a toss-up to me; I can use them short or long. I know some makeup artists prefer long handles because they give them room to work at a reasonable distance from their clients. Personal space is not an issue to me when I'm applying my own makeup.

The Blush Brush is tapered for natural blush application. It's made with 100% natural goat hair. It's the one I bought most recently, and it was easy to clean up for this photo. It's nice and fluffy and allows me easy control to ensure I don't apply so much color I have to start wiping it off (or covering it with foundation), a casualty that's not uncommon with some other brushes. My skin is fair, so I need to use a brush that allows me to build color - not forces me to subtract it.

The Eye Shadow Brush #1 is as close to perfect as it gets. Also made from 100% natural goat hair (my those goats are soft!), it's just the right size for my eyelids. I use it as intended to apply shadows to my lid, and sideways in the crease. I'd really like to have the Eye Crease Brush for that, but I spend too much money and have to make brushes work for me when my credit card bill gets painful or I start thinking about retirement. The Eye Shadow Brush picks up exactly the right amount of shadow for my tastes. I can always add more, but it gets tricky to remove shadows when you've already primed your eyelids or added a base shadow shade. Starting over is not a happy option on work mornings when I spend too much time on my computer and not enough applying my makeup. I love brushes that make it easy for me to swipe and go.

The Large Concealer Brush may be the superstar among celebrities. It's described as narrow, but that's a front-to-back measurement, not a description of side-to-side width. It's actually a wide brush. It is the most perfect brush I've ever used to apply and/or blend concealer under my eyes - or anywhere on my face anywhere except on my eyelids. I can quickly smear a stick concealer under my eyes and make the application perfect with only a few strokes of this brush.

The synthetic hairs on the Large Concealer Brush are easy to clean. I didn't clean them for this photo, so you can see my under-eye concealer on the tip. The hairs are coated with something to allow the brush keep the hairs from absorbing product - and, I suspect, to give this brush its amazing ability to blend concealer flawlessly.

Would I like to have more Le Métier de Beauté brushes? Absolutely! I reach for the three I own more frequently than other brushes in the same categories. That's high praise because I have a collection of fine brushes. Should you try at least one? Yes, but be prepared to want more (or all) of them. Next on my wish list are the Eye Crease Brush, the Flat Liner Brush, and the Powder Brush. I need a second job - err, make that a third, since writing this blog is my second job.

You can purchase Le Métier de Beauté makeup brushes at all Le Métier de Beauté counters. I bought mine at Neiman Marcus.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

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Smashbox Masquerade Creamy Cheek Color & Brush Giveaway Contest

Congratulations to Sarah!

I thought the Smashbox Masquerade Creamy Cheek Color & Brush ($29), introduced in the fall, was so cool, I bought one for a giveaway contest. Then, I put it away and forgot it for a few months! Such is the hectic life of a beauty blogger who works pretty hard at a "real job." I love Smashbox, a company that has been outdoing itself with each new season. I'm glad we have a Smashbox counter at Nordstrom!

Masquerade Creamy Cheek Color & Brush has a luscious, creamy cheek blush formula on one side and a built-in blending brush on the other. It's packaged in a sleek, dark blue case. This beauty allows you to apply a gorgeous rose glow to your cheeks - and blend it with the brush, which is perfectly designed for blending a creamy blush. The blush is ultra-luxurious and long-wearing, so you may not need it for a late-day touch-up, but its portability will allow you to take it along in case you do.

The Masquerade Creamy Cheek Color & Brush comes in a one-size-fits-all warm rose-pink shade that will suit just about any skin tone. It's called Intrigue on the box. Glide the creamy formula over the apples of your cheeks, then blend with the brush for a flawless pop of color. You can even use it on your lips! Although it was introduced in the fall, I think it's a perfect color for spring.

How can you enter to win? Just leave a comment here once. After you comment, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing your e-mail address on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment).

You can "earn" a second entry by tweeting this contest. Just make sure to include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) in your tweet. I will tweet the contest later today, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry. You can earn a third entry by following the blog - either here or on Twitter (any entrant who is already a follower will automatically earn the follower point, but you can save me time by telling me you're a follower in your comment). I can't track followers through a third-party service, so you need to be on Google's list for me to verify the entry.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, February 12, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner at that time. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open to U. S. and Canadian residents only. I still can't go to the Post Office, although I expect to get cleared to drive this week, I'm not banking on it until I hear the words from the surgeon. I can do Click-n-Ship!

Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Smashbox

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