Bobbi Brown Nude Glow Shimmer Brick for Holiday 2013

I am a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick addict. There isn't one I haven't loved, and I've purchased every one of them - ever. I have a little museum of Shimmer Bricks at my home.

As you might imagine, I was thrilled when I saw the advance publicity for Bobbi Brown's limited-edition Nude Glow Shimmer Brick ($45) for Holiday 2013. It offers four distinct colors and the lure of a mixture of all four shades. While it doesn't offer the traditional stripes, it does offer great choices for individual colors - unlike the Party Shimmer Brick for 2011. It was nice, but can't hold a candle to this beauty. I purchased mine at Neiman Marcus.

Give the gift of "glow" with this limited-edition Shimmer Brick - sure to make faces light up instantly. A shimmering quartet of pearlescent colors highlight the skin for lit-from-within luminescence (think of it as candlelight in a compact). Each shade also doubles up as an eye shadow.

I have to tell you upfront that this new Shimmer Brick is even more luscious than it looks in photos. I am smitten and fighting the urge to buy another, maybe two more. I want to break my "no back-up rule" so badly.

I took swatch photos of each shade, starting with the gold at the top left and moving clockwise. I swatched the individual shades with a sponge-tipped applicator. Then, using what was left of my arm below the elbow, I applied a large swatch of all four shades blended with a very dense blush brush. My photos were taken in very full sunlight.

I think every shade in Nude Glow is a shimmering treasure.  The burnished gold at the top of my arm is a perfect gold for the holiday season - or anytime you want to look like a golden goddess. What most surprised me was that the shade next to it in the top row, which appeared pink, is really rose gold. Holy moly, I hit the jackpot. I wasn't expecting rose gold, one of my very favorite shades, and I got it.

The next shade down on my arm is champagne in color. Perhaps a very light rose champagne. I mixed it with the rose gold shade and the result was magnificent. The hybrid brown-rose shade at the bottom of my arm is just as pretty as the other three. As I write, I'm "this close" to ordering my second Nude Glow. I'm on a slippery slope.

The photo above shows all four shades blended evenly together and applied heavily. The result is hard to describe. Is it a brown-toned rose gold? How would you describe it? Whatever words you use, it's really pretty.

Here are Bobbi Brown's tips for application...
Sweep the Face Blender Brush through all four shades of Shimmer Brick Compact and dust lightly on cheekbones after blush. Focus on applying shimmer on the top of cheekbones - where light naturally hits the face - for the most flattering look. To add a highlight to your eyes, use your fingertips to apply the lightest shade in the compact just under the brow bone.

Fingertips? Limited to the brow bone? How boring! Each of these shades looks fabulous on my lids below the crease.

I love the look of Bobbi Brown's compacts when this logo is used. It looks classy to me.

You can find the Bobbi Brown Nude Glow Shimmer Brick for Holiday 2013 on Bobbi's Web site and at all Bobbi Brown counters. I'm sure it's available online at all corresponding online retailers, such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

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