In the Kit - Bobbi Brown Palettes

Most make-up artists will tell you that the weight of their kit is a big problem for them in terms of travel and physical health and this does affect their decision on what products they carry with them. Some slavishly decant as much as possible into palettes (more on that another time), some prefer to use products in their original format, some of us hop about somewhere in between but really, the Bobbi Brown palettes are a really great addition to any kit.

I'm not a Bobbi Brown devotee though the more of her products I use the more of a fan I am, it's just one of those brands I was late getting too, but what is so nice the knowledge that I have every eventuality covered with good quality make-up and that is the beauty of having these palettes in your kit.

So lets start with the BBU palette, it was the first of the two to be on the market and used to only be available to pro's. I sort of wish it still was, it is an expensive purchase for any of us and if you are not a pro make-up artist you really don't need this. Especially when there are so many customisable palettes nowadays you can make your own base, contour, highlight and concealer palette so easily for a fraction of the price. Making non-pro artists spend money on products they don't need is something that makes me so angry.

Bobbi Brown was one of the first brands to do foundation shades suitable for women of colour, and is sadly still one of the few to get it right. Having reliable, mixable products in your kit to create a great base for everyone is absolutely essential and that's what you have here. One side is the full range of correctors (you get 13) and creamy concealers (14), the other side is the signature Bobbi Brown stick foundations in 20 shades. No more worrying about covering awkward coloured scarring and dark circles. Even though I don't use the foundation side of this palette very often the comfort of knowing it's there is priceless.

The BBU palette is £200 (£140 if you use your discount card) which is incredible value considering the amount of product you get and the toughness of these palettes. I'd leave a lot of things out of my kit before I left this behind.

The Bobbi Artist Palette for Lips is a newer addition but I wanted it for exactly the same reason - to have every corner covered - I just didn't know I wanted it. I went into the Bobbi Brown store in Westfield White City to look for some new bridal lip colours, my kit was lacking in Bobbi Brown lipsticks, and left with this new palette. Totally worth it if you have the pro discount and I love a lip palette which makes mixing the perfect colour so much easier. You get 54 lip colours with all finishes including matte.

Like the BBU palette the middle is divided by a sturdy plastic divider telling you what every colour is (my least favorite bit of decanting make-up is labeling it) and it's especially helpful here because if you have a favourite lip colour that you use up first you can buy it as a bullet and put it in the palette yourself.

If you are a make-up artist who does a little bit of everything then this is also great to have as you have bridal and more creative shoots covered which is really nice. For those who don't know Bobbi Brown started her make-up line with lipsticks so these are incredible colours with a lovely creamy, long-lasting texture - these are genuinely great lipsticks that work in every situation, they don't just look great for five mins before they disappear. The Artist Lip Palette is £190 (or £133 if you have the Bobbi Brown pro discount) so if you bought 9 or 10 lipsticks for your kit you may as well buy the palette. It's a massive saving.


My only worry is that when they get hot will they all melt into each other? I've yet to have to worry about this situation and I'm sure if I was going to work in extreme heat I would take precautions to keep everything at the right temperature but it is an argument for one sided palettes though of course you wouldn't get as many products.They are chunky (as in sturdy) easy to keep clean and once again shows that Bobbi Brown is a make-up brand for make-up artists as well as consumers - and I love it.

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