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Burberry No. 05 Dark Spice Complete Eye Palette

December 2, 2012

Burberry No. 05 Dark Spice Complete Eye Palette ($59 for 5.4 g/0.19 oz, made in Italy) is one of my favorite Burberry quads for color selection and pigment, however I found the texture to be slightly inconsistent among all four shades. Initially I was worried this might be too warm, but it works well with my skintone and the colors in this palette create a perfect warm smokey eye. The colors include:
  • a warm yellow cream shimmer – smooth and buttery like most Burberry single shadows, great for a blending color
  • a warm shimmery sienna, soft texture, easy to apply but not so easy to blend (needs a more precise application)
  • a dark chocolate brown with gold flecks of shimmer, great pigment, but also harder texture like NARS Galapagos makes it not so easy to blend/smoke out
  • a satiny dark black, soft texture rich pigment, blends well
The yellow and black are amazing in terms of texture and pigment. They are like most Burberry singles – buttery smooth and easy to apply/blend. I found the performance of the two browns to be similar to NARS Galapagos and NARS Mekong. Both are gorgeous dark smokey eye colors but require a more precise application. Blending works as long as it’s minimal otherwise the result is slightly patchy and uneven-looking. (Examples of easy-to-blend dark shades for me include NARS Fez, Cordura and Burberry Midnight Brown.) Still – with a bit of work using multiple brushes and a layering approach this palette works well for me. It just takes more time and precision than your typical eyeshadow.

Swatches:

Overall I think it’s really lovely and unique. While the colors seem basic, the combination is very flattering on the skin for a sultry smokey eye. It works well with a variety of shades for lips and cheeks. It’s neutral enough to be easily be incorporated into any look/outfit, yet has the warm sienna shade and warm yellow satin that gives this a unique twist to the traditional smokey eye.
Have you tried Dark Spice yet? What were your thoughts?
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Burberry No. 02 Mocha Complete Eye Palette

November 23, 2012
Burberry No. 02 Mocha Complete Eye Palette contains four warm-toned neutrals. I’m one who always falls in love with shimmery neutrals, but this palette seemed a bit too similar to shades in Burberry’s existing line. I’m all for no-fail safe colors and I really loved the texture, pigment and convenience of all the shades in one palette. I just wish the colors were a bit different from what Burberry already released in singles. The colors included:
  • a soft matte ivory that matches my skintone when applied, very similar to Trench but a tad warmer
  • a warm golden beige-tan with subtle shimmer, nearly identical to Gold Trench
  • a warm matte chestnut brown, lighter than Chestnut
  • a warm bronze shimmer, unique compared to other browns from Burberry, but still very basic
The texture is just as smooth and soft as the singles. There is a bit of a powdery finish with debris from dipping a brush into the compact, but I experienced very little fall out when applied on the eyes. The colors layered beautifully to give a perfectly natural contoured eye. Lasting power was excellent and the colors did not budge at all during the entire day.

Comparisons below to Burberry Trench, Chestnut and Midnight Brown as well as Guerlain Les Cuirs which is very similar but not quite as warm:

Overall I’m very pleased with the performance of Mocha. The pigment and wear is excellent. However, if you own Trench, Gold Trench or Chestnut, I don’t think you need this quad. I personally prefer the texture/color of Trench rather than the ivory matte in the quad, but they are still very close. It’s a lovely quad that has a nice earthy feel. It works amazingly well with pinks, peaches and bronzey colors for lips and cheeks and is perfect for everyday wear.

Did you try or buy Mocha? What were your thoughts?

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Burberry No. 01 Smokey Grey Complete Eye Palette

November 21, 2012

Burberry No. 01 Smokey Grey Complete Eye Palette ($59 for 5.4 g/.19 oz, made in Italy) is a beautiful classic palette for a sultry smokey eye. The Complete Eye Palettes by Burberry have four shades in an embossed diagonal-shaped pan. The compact size is the same as the light glow natural blush compacts. The eyeshadow quads come encased in a velvet pouch with three small applicators (sponge, angled and eyeshadow).

The colors in No. 01 Smokey Grey include a frosted cool white, a shimmery gunmetal, a matte smokey grey and a satiny soft black. The texture seems to be identical to the individual eyeshadows, perhaps not quite as buttery smooth, and slightly more powdery, but still very close. Pigment in this quad is excellent. The finish allows for either a sheer application of color. Each shade is easily layerable and after testing this for a few days I found the lasting power was quite good. What I love about this quad is that it works remarkably well with my olive skintone. Most classic smokey eye quads with white, greys and blacks look ashy on my skin. This one has a good balance of cool and warm (the matte grey goes on slightly warmish on my skin) to work for me.
A few more photos and swatches:


Update, here is another swatch set under artificial light, I don’t know why the matte grey goes on so warm on my skin. On the eyes it’s more true to what you see in the pan:

Several have asked how this compares to the new Armani Eyes to Kill quads, Chanel Smokey Eyes and the Burberry singles. My thoughts:
  • I didn’t test all the Armani quads, but based on the two that I have, I feel the Burberry has a softer more buttery/blendable texture but more pigmented payoff in color. The Armani Maestro 01 seems to be cooler-toned and more subtle judging from swatches on Fruity Lashes, Beautezine and Best Things in Beauty.
  • Chanel Smokey Eyes is a quad I used to have (but think I gifted it away). It’s a quad that was extremely high maintenance and often clashed with the yellow tones in my skin. I think the Burberry has more buildable pigment (from what I remember). The Chanel appears to be cooler-toned as well. Cafe Makeup has excellent photos and swatches.
  • Compared to the Burberry single shadows, I found the texture and pigment similar. This particular quad was slightly more powdery, but I didn’t experience any fallout when I applied it on the lids. For color similarities, the white is very similar to Pearl White, but not as blue as Porcelain White. The gunmetal metallic shimmer is more pigmented and deeper than Pearl Grey. The black shade has better pigment than Midnight Black. You can probably achieve the same effect and don’t need the quad if you have the singles.

Comparisons to Pearl White, Pearl Grey, Midnight Black and Edward Bess’s Soft Smoke Trio (which is my favorite smokey eye palette).

I most likely won’t use the applicators since the quality isn’t anywhere near regular brushes. The handles are longer than your average machine-made small sponge applicators which is nice. The pouch is handy, but I don’t see myself carrying the quads in my makeup bag at work, so I probably won’t use those either. For the actual product I give it a huge thumbs up. I like that the colors are separated by the compact dividers – this makes it so much easier to apply and dip different shaped brushes into each well without mixing the colors. (I prefer to mix and blend on the eye.)
The quad worked well with a soft pink cheek (Burberry Peony) contoured with a matte tan shade (MAC Strada). I used Edward Bess’s eye base to help it stay put all day and paired it with a glossy pink lip (NARS Frivolous with Burberry Nude Rose):

Have you checked this quad out? What’s your current favorite classic smokey eye palette? Do be sure to check out other swatches and reviews (ones I found helpful linked here) to see how it looks on other skintones.
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Loving Right Now

November 18, 2012
Right now I’m really loving the Burberry Beauty Complete Eye Palette Quads. I’ve tested three so far … eventually I think I will need one of each shade. (They are really that good.) What I’m loving even more is what beauty bloggers have done for those of us who don’t have easy access to those hard-to-find brands. Burberry Beauty still has limited availability in the US in terms of being at your nearest counter to try-before-you-buy. I love that so many dedicated bloggers have taken the time to photograph and swatch the palettes (in many cases all the palettes!). Detailed reviews to come soon on The Beauty Look Book, but for now a few blogs that helped me decide which ones to order below. Thank you ladies for saving me a long drive to the nearest counter:

Burberry Beauty Complete Eye Palettes retail for $59 and are available online at Nordstrom.com. The cosmetic line is available at the following Nordstrom counters (I heard South Coast Plaza and San Francisco have these in stock):
  • Bellevue, WA – 425-455-5800
  • Topanga, CA – 818-884-7900
  • San Francisco Center, CA – 415-243-8500
  • Walnut Creek, CA – 925-930-7959
  • South Coast Plaza, CA – 714-549-8300
  • Valley Fair, CA – 408-248-2180
  • Michigan Avenue, IL – 312-464-1515
  • Oakbrook, IL- 630-571-2121
  • Garden State Plaza, NJ – 201-843-1122
  • Standford Mall, CA – 650-323-5111
  • North Park, TX – 214-231-3900 
A quick sneak peek at the ones I bought:

Also loving right now:

  • Paris in Four Months is a must-read, beautiful photos that brighten up my day (everyday)
  • Makeup Magpie is the perfect hand model for Lancome’s Holiday Nail Polishes
  • Café Makeup team Amy and Liz shared their experience at a Christian Dior Event at Neiman Marcus San Francisco (beautiful!!!)
  • Temptalia features one of the prettiest natural looks with Giorgio Armani’s Moonlight Beige palette
  • Specktra Chanel Fans have scoured the web for previews of the Chanel Spring 2013 collection, see some photos here, here and here
  • Rouge Deluxe has the scoop on YSL Spring 2013
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Dark Vampy Lips – Fall/Winter 2012

October 9, 2012

I’ve always been one to wear neutrals, pinks or peaches on the lips. The darkest I tend to go is Clinique Black Honey, MAC “O, or MAC Desire Lipglass. I’m slowly but surely venturing into darker more dramatic colors for makeup. There have been a number of others who have inspired me to try new things 🙂 With a bit of nudging/encouragement from friends and after seeing some lovely swatches on other blogs – these are my new discoveries: perfect vampy lipsticks that are great for fall. I tried to get good lip swatches – unfortunately I failed miserably to get good lip photos. Most of these turned too red with a flash or purple without a flash. I will do my best to supplement with descriptions.
Burberry Lip Mist in Blueberry ($30, found at select Nordstrom and Saks counters) is a sheer glossy red-plum-brown. Out of all the darker colors in the feature this one is the easiest to wear for those scared of dark lips. As others have noted – it’s not really a true blueberry color on the lips. This one is the most forgiving when it comes to fading though. The glossy texture makes it look more natural on the lips and the fading is more subtle than with something that is sharply contrasted to the natural lip tone. I loved it at Cafe Makeup and The Non-Blonde.

Tom Ford Black Orchid ($48, found at select Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and Nordstrom counters) is pure luxury in a tube. This one is quite dramatic, but it has enough warmth and red/plum in it to not be too dark. I really love Tom Ford’s lipsticks (just not the price). This is a gorgeous dark burgandy wine plum. There is shimmer in the tube but it doesn’t really show up on the lips. I recommend a darker lipliner like Trish McEvoy Iced Nude or Chanel nude to help with the application. Since this one is so dramatic, it does require precise application – blending with a brush over a lipliner will help even out any areas that aren’t 100% accurate. I loved this on Lisa Eldridge (she has a brilliant video) and Buy Now, Blog Later. Also see it on KarlaSugar.

Chanel La Provocante ($32.50, I found mine at Nordstrom Seattle) was part of the twin sets for 2012’s Fashion’s Night Out and sold out almost immediately online. It’s a deep dark purple-red color. On my lips the texture was a bit blotchy and uneven, it took a few swipes back and forth to get even coverage. To me this was the least forgiving in terms of application/fading. It required precise application and it looked  Check with your local Chanel boutiques or studios to see if they still have this one. This one I still haven’t quite mastered yet. It’s the perfect dark vamp – a bit too dark for my taste, I would probably have to lighten it with a touch of gloss to warm it up. See it on Front Row Beauty, Christy-Tb and Indigo Kir Royale.

Dolce & Gabbana Dahlia ($30, at select Saks counters) is a classic cream formula and more pinkish/mauve out of all these. It’s borderline non-vamp because it’s not quite dark enough to be a true vamp, but still dark for me. I couldn’t find many reviews/photos of this one. I did like the feature on The Non-Blonde and comparisons on 3 19 29.

Le Métier de Beauté in Castelo ($32, available at Neiman Marcus) is a beautiful wine shimmer with brownish tones. It’s my perfect vamp without being too dark/goth. I fell in love with this after seeing it on Messy Wands (her post says it all). It’s also swatched on KarlaSugar.

I do apologize again for not having more useful lip swatches. Here are the ones I’ve done on the arm which I hope will compare the intensity of each shade.

To date I’ve worn Burberry Blueberry and Le Metier Castelo to work – the others not yet. I’ve matched these with a neutral eye and soft contoured cheek (Burberry Earthy, Dolce & Gabbana Tan or a soft bronzer like Edward Bess Daydream).

What’s your favorite vampy lipstick? Do you prefer the softer ones like I do or do you like to wear the dark/dramatic shades?

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Burberry Mulberry No. 24 Sheer Eyeshadow Comparisons

August 18, 2012
By request, a few comparisons of various burgundy-plum-brown shimmer eyeshadows. Included shades: Le Métier de Beauté Silk Road Kalidescope (2 shades), Le Métier de Beauté Alexandrite (from Persephone Kit that was discontinued), Le Métier de Beauté Bordeaux, Guerlain Les Bois de Rose, MAC Trax and Chanel Magic Night.

Swatches, same set/order, just two different views:

I found Burberry Mulberry to be the most similar to Chanel Magic Night in color. There is only a slight difference: Chanel Magic Night has the slightest bit more plum while Burberry Mulberry has more wine/red. I hope this helps with your purchasing decisions!
On a side note, thank you everyone for your continued support and understanding with my recent blog slow down. I really appreciate your patience, comments, emails, tweets and links! To give you a brief update without going into too much detail, I’ve just been busy with projects from my regular full-time job. I’ve tried to snap a few pictures here and there when I can for the blog. Thank you again for your support. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!
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Burberry Autumn/Winter 2012 Sheer Eyeshadow: Dark Sable, Mulberry and Porcelain White

August 12, 2012

Burberry Beauty has released a beautiful well-edited collection for fall consisting of:

  • three new eyeshadows Dark Sable No. 23, Mulberry No. 24, Porcelain White No. 25 ($29 each for 2.5 g/ .088 oz, made in Italy)
  • two new lip cover lipsticks Sepia Pink No. 32 and Mocha Glow No. 37 ($30 each)
  • a new velvet-finish foundation plus a few repromoted items ($54 each, 8 shades available)
Adina from Nordstrom San Francisco at the Burberry Counter just received the fall items last week and kindly emailed me swatches of the new items. I was drawn to the three new eyeshadows and immediately ordered them. Burberry continues to release high-quality products with beautiful pigments, textures and colors. I am very impressed and pleased with these three new beauties.
  • Dark Sable No. 23 is a matte dark brown. It’s similar to Taupe Brown No. 07 but slightly warmer and deeper. It has a smooth finish that is easy to apply. It does require a bit of layering and smoothing out with a brush but stays put for a long time on the eyes without budging.
  • Mulberry No. 24 is a beautiful complex deep dark wine plum shimmer with a reddish base. I am still experimenting with this color but so far love it. I’ve found that my favorite way to wear this so far is to layer it over Dark Sable along the upper lash line blended slightly for an intense non-traditional smokey eye. This combination creates a well defined eye that stands out without looking too harsh. It’s has enough plum pearl to prevent it from being a too auburn or red.
  • Porcelain White No. 25 is a soft white shimmer with a blueish flash. It has the same intensity as Pearl White No. 01 however Porcelain White No. 25 has a slightly sheerer base with more shimmer and more blue. I find this color a bit too sharp for my skin to wear by itself (I’m darker now this summer) but mixing/layering it with a color like Trench or Gold Trench gives a nice glow.
Some more photos and swatches:

Under artificial light:

Comparisons to other Burberry Beauty Eyeshadows:

Thoughts on the other new items available for fall:

  • Sepia Pink lipstick looked absolutely gorgeous but similar to Rosewood, I decided to wait and try in person (the closest counter is over an hour away so this might not be for a while)
  • Mocha Glow lipstick was tempting but I know it will be too brown/nude for me
  • Velvet foundation is something I will probably not try since my skin did not work well with the other Burberry foundation or glow product (both caused a bad allergic reaction for me)

A few other lovely blogs to check out with Burberry Fall 2012 features: A Lipstick a Day, Indigo Kir Royal and Lina’s Beauty Diary.

These three eyeshadows are my favorites out of all that I’ve seen released for fall this year. Dark Sable is probably too close to Taupe Brown to justify owning both, but I like that it’s warmer. Mulberry is a beautiful color that requires layering to work for me, but I love it. Porcelain White is a different kind of white. I like that it’s not a pure white or cream. The blue flashes are subtle enough to not look too blue and the texture layers well with other shades to add a unique touch. Overall Burberry continues to impress me with the high quality and beautiful colors.

I found the fall collection at Nordstrom in San Francisco. You can call the counter (415) 243-8500 ext. 1421. Ask for Adina 🙂

Have you checked out Burberry’s fall offerings? Thoughts?

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