For spring-summer, Burberry Beauty has released 6 shades of Lip & Cheek Blooms ($28 each for 3.5 g / 0.12 oz, made in France). These are unique mousse-gel-cream products that have a super cushiony bouncy feel. They look like creams but feel more like a gel mousse in the pots. Each color has a soft but buildable formula that looks velvety on the skin. They swatch much better on the face compared to the way they swatch on the hands or arm. The colors are easy to blend and streak-free on the cheeks. They come in super sturdy glass pots with a nickel twist off cap. I really like the hefty feel of the pots. They feel like they are well made but aren’t too heavy. Burberry sent three shades for review:
Rose No. 01 is a soft pale pink
Orange Blossom No. 07 is a muted orange peach
Poppy No. 09 is a bright red
I stopped by the counter to see all the shades in person. I fell in love with Purple Tulip and Peony but limited myself to one I knew I would get frequent use out of, Peony No. 05 is a bright warm pink. Hydrangea No. 03 is a cooler-toned pink, Purple Tulip No. 11 is a deep vibrant purple. All the shades are swatched below on my arm. The colors are super vibrant in the pot, but they go on lighter and sheerer in color. My arm was quite dry so the Lip & Cheek Blooms didn’t adhere like they do on the face or lips. Here are the colors blended out. You can definitely layer them.
The four colors I have now and swatches:
Rose No. 01 is very light on me. All the colors are non-shimmers. The velvety texture blends beautifully on the cheeks for a stained look. Rose does not show up on my cheeks but it does give the lips a nude pink lip look. My lips have been particularly dry the past week, but I swatched them on bare lips anyways. I also tried mixing these with a bit of Chanel Hydra Beauty Lip Balm which seemed to give them a more creamy glossy look.
Peony No. 05 is my favorite. It has just enough brightness and warmth to make the complexion come alive. I like this on the cheeks because it gives just the right amount of color to give a barely-there flushed look without looking overdone. On the lips I blended it out so you can see how it gives a velvety stain.
Orange Blossom No. 07 is very light on me. It looks bright and juicy in the pot, but on my skin it seems to go more nude. My skin tone is right at the place where this color blended out seems to almost disappear on the lips and cheeks. It is buildable and if you’re fair and want a good peachy color that won’t be too dark or orange, this is something I think you’ll adore. It’s impossible to overdo.
Poppy No. 09 is the only color I didn’t like out of the bunch. It looks so beautiful in the pot but on my olive skin, it pulls warm and just clashes with my skin tone making my whole face look very sallow when I apply it on the lips. Even my husband commented that the color wasn’t working for me. On the cheeks it’s a different story. It gives a hint of flushed red but I rarely wear reds on the cheeks so I’m not sure how much use I will be getting out of this one.
I’ve been playing with these for a few days now. I am particularly impressed with the way you can build the color. They swatch super streaky on the arms but on the face and lips it interacts with the skin in a completely different way. The finish is a velvety blurred matte but still manages to have a brightening effect that isn’t flat like some mattes look. Lasting power is particularly good on the cheeks, Peony and Poppy lasted on me from morning until mid-afternoon without budging. Rose and Orange Blossom did have fading that happened earlier but I suspect it is because they are lighter in color and don’t leave a stain like the brighter colors do. The formula is unlike anything I’ve tried before. You can layer the colors together as well for more dimension or pop. I like Peony + Orange Blossom on the cheeks.
In summary, I like these. If I had to pick 2 I would go with Peony and Purple Tulip (which I don’t have but think is gorgeous). I would have skipped Rose and Orange Blossom because they are light for my skin tone, but I suspect those with fair skin will find them perfect.
You can find the Burberry Lip and Cheek Blooms at counters now. Online at Burberry, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Net-A-Porter.
