Welcome back! 🙂 I know it’s been a while, and I expect it to take some time to get back into the swing of things, but regardless, I’m back at it. So, let’s just jump back in with some new talc-free formulas from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.

I believe this new formula from Bobbi Brown was released at the beginning of 2024. I purchased mine in April 2024 and think they had already been out for a few months by then. The old formulation contained both talc and lanolin, and both have been removed, so this will be a welcome change for some people. On the other hand, the new talc-free formula now contains coconut oil, which will be an issue for those needing to avoid coconut products.

This is a solid formula, but it’s not very exciting. However, I think that sentiment sums up the Bobbi Brown Cosmetics brand. These talc-free blushes have a firmer press in the pan than the previous Bobbi Brown Blush formula. Luckily, they are easy to pick up with a brush, and I’ve had no issues with hard pan. It is just a different experience compared to the small amount of loose powder I see when using the old talc-based formula. The talc-free bronzer formula doesn’t seem as firmly pressed (as the blushes). The blush and bronzer are very pigmented when swatched but slow to build when used with a brush on the face. However, The bronzer builds quicker than the blushes, so keep that in mind if you try it. Since the bronzer is looser pressed, more pigment transfers to the brush than with the blushes. The benefit of a buildable formula is that it gives you control over the intensity of the color. The downside is that if you have a deeper skin tone, it can get annoying having to take so much time to build the color. I do think that the buildability of these varies from shade to shade. Bobbi Brown has a good selection of shades, and some deeper shades (like Gallery) don’t take as much building on my NARS Tahoe/medium-deep skin tone. Sometimes, I get annoyed with the building of Sand Pink, but I have to be careful with the Gallery shade. So, I think their buildability will depend on skin tone and the shade you get, as with most things.

I have dry skin, so I don’t always powder my face and haven’t had any trouble applying these powders that way. Over setting powder, I do get an easier blend. If you don’t use setting powder, I think you’ll be fine unless you use a very dewy base product. I’ve used these formulas with synthetic and natural hair brushes and had no trouble blending with either. I can’t help but think every time I use these products that, I miss the old formula. It was easier to blend, built more quickly, and still looked smooth and healthy on the skin. The new formula also looks smooth and healthy, so it’s not necessarily a downgrade. It just stands out in my mind as not quite as good as before. That could also be nostalgia since I’ve used the old formula since at least 2016.

Speaking of smooth, the shimmer finish of Gallery doesn’t accentuate texture in a bad way. Anything with a sheen will draw more attention, but I think it still looks fairly smooth for being a shimmer blush. Sand Pink blush and the Golden Natural bronzer are not flat or dry but have a matte finish and don’t accentuate texture. The bronzer isn’t as smooth as the other new talc-free formulas I’ve tried (MUFE and NARS).  I’ve done side-by-side tests, and there is just something about the other formulas that look smoother over my texture issues.

As usual, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is pricey. The Bronzer Powder retails for $47.00, and the Powder Blush retails for $36. At full price, I wouldn’t recommend this formula since I like others better. However, the bronzer and blush are featured in this year’s 21 Days of Beauty Sale at Ulta, which starts this Friday. On September 4, the Bobbi Brown Blushes will be $18.00; on September 7, the Bobbi Brown Bronzers will be $23.50. The Bobbi Brown website currently has a 25% off sitewide sale if you prefer to shop with the brand. However, that sale only brings the bronzer down to $35.25 and the blush down to $27.00. So, if you are interested in this formula, I would take advantage of the Ulta sale. The amount you get in the container is another aspect that makes these products pricey. The Bronzer contains 9g, and the blush has 3.5g. The Bobbi Brown formula is $11 more than the MUFE bronzer (swatched and reviewed here), and the MUFE has 1 more gram of product. It is also $7 more than the NARS Talc-Free Laguna bronzers, which have 11g of product. The blush is only 3.5g of product compared to 4.8g in the new Talc-Free NARS blush formula (swatched and reviewed here), which is $2 less. I do think this is an ok formula, but I’d recommend only buying if it’s at least 25% off the retail price. However, if you are someone who does need your blushes and bronzers to be talc-free, it may put these options from Bobbi Brown ahead of others on the market.

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Thanks for being here! Let me know if you have questions.

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