Bobbi Brown City Twilight Nordstrom Anniversary Set

I was prepared to have the following reaction, "Oh, just another Bobbi Brown limited-edition set. I don't need it." Even though I love Bobbi Brown - and have countless Bobbi Brown palettes - I really wish she would concentrate on single colors more than palettes. Often, I have to purchase a palette (or set), with one or two things I don't need or don't want in order to get the colors I do want.

When I saw City Twilight, Nordstrom's exclusive, limited-edition Bobbi Brown Anniversary Set ($80), I bought it immediately. Did I need a black eyeliner or mascara? No. I'm glad to have everything else, though, including the Hydrating Eye Cream. The colors in this palette are beautiful.

Inspired by the play of shadow and light at dusk, this collection has everything you need to transition your look through the seasons. The set includes Hydrating Eye Cream (0.23 oz.), a double-decker palette filled with sun-swept shadows, glosses, and a cream blush - plus Long-Wear Pencil in Jet (0.04 oz.), and an Intensifying Long-Wear Mascara in Black (0.23 oz.). The finishing touch is City Twilight Glitter Nail Polish (0.3 oz.), a stunning, shimmering shade. The palette includes a Dual Ended Eye Shadow/Eye Liner Brush, a nice touch for anyone who travels.

I was able to get swatch photos of the palette over the weekend. I didn't feel it necessary to show you a black eyeliner or black mascara. I'll show you the gorgeous Nail Polish later. It's a hybrid of sparkling beige, silver, and pink. I wanted you to have an opportunity to purchase a City Twilight set before they are sold out. The palette is gorgeous, and when they're gone, there's gone.

I took my photos in full sun. I swatched all shades, even the lip glosses, with a sponge-tipped applicator. Let's start with the eye shadows. There isn't a sparkly, colorless dud in the group. I swatched from left to right.

Ivory Eye Shadow is shown (you can't really see it) at the top of my arm. It's a great base shade on my fair skin - and an old standby. On darker skin, it should show more color. Smokey Haze Metallic Eye Shadow is a gorgeous shimmering taupe. I love it. Heather Dusk Metallic Eye Shadow is a shimmering mauve I can wear - yippee! The surprise in the shadows, Velvet Eye Shadow isn't as "purple" as it looks in the palette. It's more brown than lavender, making it a great color for me.

The bottom tier has two Lip Glosses and one Pot Rouge. I swatched from left to right. Pink Beige Lip Gloss at the top of my arm is a pretty, very sheer neutral pink. The Desert Rose Pot Rouge cream blush (which you can wear on your lips) is a warm pink - and a terrific color. I'm glad it's represented in a decent size.

The nude gloss, Blushed Heather Glitter Lip Gloss, shown at the bottom of my arm directly above, is a pretty, sparkling nude with just a hint of peach-pink. Both lip glosses are great toppers.

Three of the shades in this palette are limited-editions, but I was a ditz and forgot to write down which ones. I was like a kid in a candy store the day I shopped at Nordstrom last week. Makeup deals for the Anniversary Sale, plus my favorite shoes,  led to my delirium. This is, in my opinion, one of Bobbi Brown's prettiest, most useful palettes in recent times. It can still be yours - at Nordstrom in the United States.

Interestingly, this set is available from Bobbi Brown in the United Kingdom. Here in the United States, it's a Nordstrom exclusive. To further complicate things, I've read that it's exclusive to Selfridges. "Exclusive" doesn't always mean exclusive.

Photo at top courtesy of Nordstrom; other photos by Best Things in Beauty