Hello! This is Eleni, reporting from London! How are you all? Sorry I haven’t kept up with posting frequently this week, but I was travelling and just started a new project for a couple of months, so got very busy all of a sudden. Still, I’m here now and very happy to speak about a brand new launch from one of my favourite brands. The Bobbi Brown Havana Brights collection lauched last Monday, exclusively, at Fenwick department stores across the UK. It will launch everywhere else, including online, tomorrow, March 9th! So, I wanted this review to be out before then, in case you’re eyeing any items!

The Bobbi Brown Havana Brights Collection was inspired by the bold colours of the Cuban capital as well its beautiful summer sunsets. Let’s take a moment to appreciate Havana! Look at how beautifully colourful and bright it is. Living in a mostly grey, Northern European city, I appreciate the happiness colour can bring. Have you ever been to Cuba? I’d love to, one day, maybe when I overcome my fear of flying and planes..!

Back to the Bobbi Brown Havana Brights though. The collection consists of a few beautifully bright eye, lip and cheek products. Let’s start with the eyes, shall we?

HAVANA BRIGHTS – EYES

I’m assuming you might already be familiar with the Bobbi Brown Long-wear Cream Shadow sticks? They are basically her version of creamy, smudge-proof eyeshadow in a stick form. For the Havana Brights collection, Bobbi Brown released six limited edition dual-ended sticks. So, basically, you get two colours in one stick.

I thought that these would all be new colours, but, actually, that’s not the case. There is one re-promote from an older collection (who remembers the Griege collection from 2015?) and a couple of new shades, but the rest are part of the permanent collection. So maybe shop your stash first, before purchasing. You might well have a shade that’s been included in this collection.

I got hold of two dual-ended long-wear cream shadow sticks: Midnight – Greige and Bronze – Truffle. Midnight – Greige is the boldest of the six sticks. Greige is a re-promote, as mentioned before and the shade is exactly what its name suggests: a beige-brown grey. It’s intense but wearable. Also, fantastic for a more unusual smokey eye! You can use Midnight for a smokey eye too, though. It’s a super dark blue. The combination of the two is a real bomb! You can buy Midnight separately, if you don’t like Greige, as it is part of the permanent collection.

Truffle – Bronze is a softer duo. Truffle is a shimmery beige-champagne colour while bronze is a beautiful bronzy shade. They combine really nicely. Truffle is part of the permanent collection. However, its counterpart, Bronze isn’t. There is a shade called Golden Bronze, but that’s somewhat darker. Have a look at the comparison photo below:

Another beautiful duo is the Dusty Mauve – Malted Pink Dual-ended Long-wear Cream Stick. These shades are both part of the permanent line and I love them, as they make my brown eyes pop. I also have Taupe to show you from the Peach Mimosa – Taupe Dual-Ended Long-wear Cream Shadow Stick, as it’s part of the permanent collection too. I don’t have Peach Mimosa, unfortunately, but when I swatched it, I wasn’t too impressed. Thought it was a bit glittery and wouldn’t show up on my lids, so not the best option for me.

To sum up, we have spoken about 4 out of the six Dual-ended sticks: Greige – Midnight, Truffle – Bronze, Malted Pink- Dusty Mauve, Peach Mimosa – Taupe. There are two more, namely Pink Sparkle – Heather Steel (both of these colours are also sold individually, as they are part of the permanent collection) and Nude Beach – Coffee Bean (Nude Beach is also part of the permanent collection. Coffee Bean isn’t though).

I hope this was helpful for you. If you’re new to the Bobbi Brown Cream Shadow Sticks, then these Dual-ended ones are a good option. Otherwise, it’s still worth having a look, in case you can add to your collection. If you already own the individual sticks though, you don’t need to check these out. The Dual-ended Long-wear Cream Shadow Sticks cost £28 for 1.6 gr of product whereas the permanent Long-wear Cream Shadow Sticks cost £23 for the same amount of product! The brand was more generous with US consumers as the difference in $ is way smaller. Sigh…

HAVANA BRIGHTS – LIPS

Bright lips is what this collection is all about! Whether you choose a soft or more intense eye look, you cannot escape a bright lip. Bobbi Brown recently introduced the Art Stick Liquid Lip lipsticks, following the success of her original Art Sticks (super pigmented, chubby lipstick pens with a creamy, matte finish). The Bobbi Brown Havana Brights collection features three Art Sticks Liquid Lip:

-Havana Coral: an soft peach coral

-Pink Punch: a bright fuchsia pink

-Papaya: a bright orange/pink coral

These are also available permanently, although the MUA at Fenwick said that Havana Coral would be limited Edition. I can see it however listed in the permanent line.

Full review of the Art Sticks Liquid Lip will follow asap :). I’m testing them this week and will report back once I’ve made up my mind! Lovely colours but can’t see how they are semi-matte? I find them matte… but let me report back soon. Once thing is for sure, these are super pigmented and very long lasting. I’m not sure the most practical lipstick choice though, even if it is presented as such. It’s a fun choice, but I keep on wanting to reach out for a lip brush when I use these sticks. Also, if I squeeze more product than needed, it sets and then transfers on my teeth! Has never happened before to me. Let me play around a bit with these and I will come back to you. Here are the Art Sticks Liquid Lip included in Havana Brights:

Update: You can now find the full review and swatches of the Art Stick Liquid Lip here.

HAVANA BRIGHTS LOOK – MY CUBAN TAKE BEFORE AN EVENING OUT IN LONDON

Well, wish I was in Havana, but London it was! And such a cold night, Jesus, couldn’t escape the scarf..! All pictures below are taken indoors. On my eyes, I wore the Greige – Midnight Dual-ended Cream Stick. Greige on my top lid, Midnight on the lower lid and a bit on the outer corner too. I added a bit of Truffle, from the Truffle – Bronze Dual-ended Stick, to my inner corner for a bit of light.

On my lips, I simply used Havana Coral. I also tried it on my cheeks – just to check if it makes for a good blush. So, now I know it does! Here is the full look:

The Art Stick Liquid Lip retails for £21.50. The Bobbi Brown Havana Brights Collection also features two cheek palettes with a bronzer, highlighter and blush. These are very pretty, but not a must-have for me. I feel that I own similar shades from Bobbi or other brands from past years, just with a different name. For swatches, please visit Ree’s site here. How beautiful is the packaging? Bright coral with black – so trendy!

All in all, the Bobbi Brown Havana Brights collection features a lot of items that you can find in the permanent collection, all combined together in limited edition packaging (Shadow Sticks) or just as part of promoting new launches (Art Stick Liquid Lip). It’s a beautiful collection and all items I have, are very long – lasting. Are you eyeing any of these? Let me know what your picks would be!

Speak soon!

Hugs,

Eleni