Bobbi Brown: Heather Pink and Lilac Rich Lip Color and Pale Peony Rich Color Gloss

I've been holding out on you! I assure you it wasn't intentional. I have had so much to tell you about lately, I totally forgot that I purchased some nice Bobbi Brown lip colors when I went to the blogger party at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie two weeks ago.

Bobbi Brown's limited-edition Peony & Python Collection, a collaboration with Tibi (cult label about which I know little), is exciting. The Peony & Python Beauty Case ($40) is Bobbi’s spring "must-have accessory." Designed exclusively for Bobbi Brown by Tibi’s Amy Smilovic, this take-anywhere zip-around case in a runway-inspired Peony & Python print will hold all your makeup essentials from brushes to palettes for travel or in your (large) handbag. I was given a case by the Bobbi Brown representatives at Neiman Marcus that night. I felt so special! Most makeup cases don't excite me. This one's so pretty, it did.The collection has its own limited-edition Rich Lip Color SPF 12 in Lilac. I featured Rich Lip Color here, where you can see swatches. At the time I wrote that feature, Lilac wasn't available. It was introduced with the Peony & Python collection, and it's gorgeous.

Rich Lip Color SPF 12 ($22) is lightweight, but intense. Hard to believe that those two contrasting adjectives apply, but they do. Bobbi's latest formula combines pigments with a clear base to deliver pure, crisp color with just one swipe. Plus, it's creamy and moisturizing, so lips feel as good as they look. Rich Lip Color is available in 13 beautiful shades. I now have five of them - Lilac from the new collection, those I wrote about in February, and Heather Pink. I finally got my hands on Heather Pink at Mazza.

I also purchased Rich Color Gloss in Pale Peony ($22), another limited edition, that night. A pink with medium pigmentation, it's a perfect complement to the rest of the collection.

Here are my swatches at left. My photo was taken in outdoor sunlight. Heather Pink is at the top. It's a rosy shade with a hint (just a hint) of brown that makes it "real." Lilac, in the center, is drop-dead gorgeous. I think I look really good in this color, and I am so pleased to have purchased it. The gloss, Pale Peony, will delight anyone who has been frustrated in the past with the brush applicators in Bobbi Brown's glosses. It's a doe-foot! Word has it there will be three shades (at first) with the new applicator. From my perspective, the faster the switch over, the better. I never liked those brushes, which always splayed, no matter how careful I was when placing them back in the tube. This is a very positive development. Oh, and the gloss is as gorgeous as Lilac - don't you think?

The night of the party, I received a lovely Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara ($24) in Plum. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon. Black would be a better shade for me. I didn't purchase the Peony & Python Palette ($50), even though it's a knockout. A couple of the shades aren't "me." That won't mean you won't love the palette. Check it out.

This collection was inspired by Bobbi's favorite flowers, peonies. Peonies are pretty close to the top of my list too. Anyone who sends me flowers with peonies in the mix wins my heart. I did receive some after my surgery. They were a tremendous pick-me-up.

You can purchase the collection at Bobbi Brown's Web site and Bobbi Brown counters. I'll bet there will be something in this collection you can't live without.

Product photos courtesy of Bobbi Brown