Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick

As far as cult & coveted beauty products go, I think Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks are high on many make up lovers’ wishlists. They were on mine at least! I just never knew which shade to get as they are all so pretty but also so expensive. I didn’t want to just go out and buy one and then not like it. That’s why when a Bobbi Brown counter opened in my town, I went over and asked for some advice. I was matched to Pink Quartz and today it’s time to review this beauty.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Pink Quartz

Shimmer Bricks are powders that are filled to the brim with shimmer. They can be used as a blush, bronzer or highlighter depending on the shade you get and how it matches your skin tone. When you use the strips individually you can even use these as eye shadow as the colors are super pigmented. I bought this mostly to be used as a highlight, which is what most people will use these for.

Bobbi Brown is not a cheap brand, which is why I hadn’t really purchased anything from the line until it was easier to get my hands on. Shimmer bricks are a cult product and one of the main features of the line. But at €48 a pop, I just wanted to make a more educated and well thought through purchase. For that amount of money you get a beautifully, yet simply packaged product in the iconic black compact.

Ingredients wise, this powder doesn’t pack anything too special. It is a product that easily breaks though as the powder is very soft, so be careful not to drop this if you end up buying it.

But of course it is all about what is on the inside. Pink Quartz features a mix of bronze & pink shades making this a pink with a hint of warmness to it. I find this to be a very neutral toned product. It isn’t super cool toned despite the pink, neither is it too warm toned. The shades perfectly balance out the undertone, which makes this product all the more versatile. And for a product this expensive, it better be!

This picture nicely shows you how shimmery this product is. That is why I would categorize this as a highlighter. The shine is intense and even though everyone is raving about the Anastasia and Becca highlighters, I feel that this Shimmer Break is as intense. It is intense enough for lighting and brightening up the skin, yet you can tone it down if you want and go for a subtle glow. In the pictures below I went all out though.

To be honest, just looking at this product, I wouldn’t have picked this shade myself. I had been uhming and ahring about Nectar though. But the MUA applied both to different cheeks and this color was definitely more flattering against my skin tone.

I swatched each shade individually and then on the far left you can see the shade you get when you blend all the shades together. As you can see, the colors range from pink, peach and dusty rose to bronze. Combined, the color is more like a rose gold with a hint of copper to it. Stunning! However, when you look at the swatch you will notice that there seems to be more of a chunky shimmer to this. So texture wise this isn’t the smoothest.

Top: just blush
Bottom: Shimmer Brick in Pink Quartz

And the amount of shimmer is KAPOW in your face. That is if you want it though. You can use a lighter hand and tone it down a little bit. But for the purpose of this review I wanted to go all out. I do have some uneven bumps on my cheeks, but I didn’t find the Shimmer Brick emphasized them more, neither did they become less noticeable. The texture of the product is again fairly noticeable, but it luckily doesn’t look like a bunch of glitter that scatters across your cheeks.

When you blend it out a little bit more, you get a very natural glow on your cheek. You can see the color isn’t too cool, nor too warm. It is a perfect neutral and it just works. However, I have had this product for a few months and I find myself hardly reaching for this. And it’s not because I don’t love this product. I simply have other highlighters that have a nicer texture, that blend better and that suit me even better color wise (I’m talking to you Mary-Lou). I feel this shade would be super pretty come spring time, but since I bought this just before summer, I just haven’t felt it looked right.

Is the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Pink Quartz a good product? Hell yes! Should you buy this? Yes, if you like shimmery blush. No, if you intend to use it as a highlight. Take your money and invest in The Balm’s Mary-Loumanizer, or one of the Dior LE highlighters for spring. I have yet to try a Becca highlighter, but I have swatched them in store and those feel creamier than this does. The point I’m trying to make, is that there are so many other brands with better highlighters out there since these launched. But that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a lovely, beautiful make up product that is worth a splurge.

What is your favorite highlighter?