Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight Collection for Fall 2012: Bronzer Blush Duo

Bobbi Brown's new Desert Twilight Collection for Fall 2012 combines soft hues with bright colors to create a late-summer glow. It stopped me in my tracks at Bloomingdale's last weekend. Offering a pop of Southwestern-inspired turquoise against a backdrop of sun-swept rose, plum, and bronze shades, the collection is playful and, as you'd expect from Bobbi Brown, wearable.

I did a quick "shop and run" in the store, amazing the rep, no doubt, with my quick selection of half the collection. I've got a lot to show you, but I thought the limited-edition Blush Bronze Duo ($36), given its perfection for wearing here and now, is perfect for an opening feature.

This duo will create bronzed skin with a bit of shimmer. It’s naturally gorgeous and super-colorful (in a good way). The ultra-convenient compact houses both bronzer and blush to create a stunning, sun-kissed look with Bahama Brown Illuminating Bronzer and Pink Peony Shimmer Blush. See note below, please.

The strangest thing is that they are labeled in the opposite way on the compact. There, it says the brown shade is the blush, and the pink shade is the bronzer. That's a big oops. Even the Nordstrom Web site has the names switched. How could the pink shade be the bronzer? No matter, we all know how to use luscious colors.

Here are swatches of the shades, applied very heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator, hardly the way we apply our bronzers or blushes. I wanted you to see the saturated colors so that you could imagine them as sheer veils on your skin.

Bahama Brown Illuminating Bronzer could not be more beautiful. It is a clear brown with just a hint of pink (look carefully). The hue will keep it from being muddy on any skin tone, providing a natural bronze shade that will serve to bronze, contour, or even blush the skin, depending on your skin tone.

Pink Peony Blush is a pink designed to work for almost all. It's just this side of cool in tone, but warm enough that it can work on warm-toned complexions, and it's a perfect complement to the bronzer. Don't the pink and brown shades look fabulous side by side? I needed more blush - and another bronzer - like I needed a third leg. Still, there was no way I was going to leave this duo at the store.

I've got much more to show you. Bobbi Brown cooked up exquisite colors for early fall. From the Desert Twilight Eye Palette to the Creamy Colors for Lips and Cheeks (in cute little tubes), the colors in this collection are stunning. Wait 'till you see the Nail Polish shades! I haven't purchased them yet, but I'll be ordering more when Bobbi Brown puts the collection up on her Web site next week. I'll show you everything I purchased before that.

Note: I checked with Bobbi Brown and was told that the compact is correct. They consider the brown shade the blush and the pink peony shade the bronzer. That makes my feature even more confusing, but I still contend you know where to use the shades - anywhere they look good on you!

Update 6/21: Read the comments. Bless her heart, Gina has pulled out her BB shades and put the name confusion to rest!

Photos at top courtesy of Bobbi Brown; other photos by Best Things in Beauty