Burberry has released two new single eyeshadows in Storm Grey No. 27 and Graphite No. 28 ($29 each for 2.5g, made in Italy). These weren’t released as part of any full collection but add ons with a recent color feature at Nordstrom. I ordered one online at Nordstrom even though it was listed on backorder for several weeks. (It shipped the next day anyways.) The other shade I ordered from Nordstrom San Francisco. Many thanks to Café Makeup for taking the time out of her busy schedule to e-mail me with a heads up. Otherwise I might have completely missed these. You might find swatches on Gummy Vision and Chic Science helpful for additional reference.
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Storm Grey No. 27 is a shimmery grey. It has a beautiful pearly quality similar to that of Pale Barley. The color of Storm Grey is a cool grey but it has some warm tan and beige tones to the shimmer. If you look at other blogs you will notice it looks warm in some photos and cool in others. This is because of the multi-dimensional quality the shimmer has. It swatches like a neutral-cool toned grey on the lids but the warmth in the shimmer prevents this from looking drab on the skin. The pigment and blendability of Storm Grey is very good. It layers very nicely on the lids and the amount of color is easy to control.
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Graphite No. 28 is a darker cool charcoal color. There is a slight hint of shimmer in it but on my eyes it applies more like a satiny matte. I’m a fan of darker smokey greys for eyes however with my olive skin, grey colors can be hard for me to pull off. They often are too blue-based or too dusty looking giving me a punched-eye look. This one for me is best layered along the upper lash lines on top of a emollient eyeliner or used in combination with a warmer tan or taupe shimmer eyeshadow base. The texture of this one is slightly dry and sheer, but not quite as bad as I found Gold Pearl to be.
More photos and swatches:
Some comparisons swatches, two sets. First compared to a few palettes:
Edward Bess Soft Smoke Trio (this is one of the few smokey palettes I can actually pull off)
Second set compared to some singles:
Overall thoughts: I really like the look and texture of Storm Grey. It’s a good neutral-cool grey shimmer that isn’t too cool-toned. It layers beautifully on the eye for a good smokey eye look and blends really nicely. Graphite is a color I really want to love but just can’t. It’s a good color as a liner but the texture is on the dry side with a slightly sheer/chalky finish so it is a bit more difficult to work with alone.
Both shades are available now at Nordstrom.
