There can be little doubt that the Burberry brand evokes the best of British style. Their classic trench coat is a fashion icon, a symbol of British fashion, it’s worn by the rich and famous such as the soon-to-be Princess Catherine Middleton.
For Malaysians who have been buying Burberry Beauty’s products overseas, it would have been good news when the counter was open at Isetan, KLCC at the end of January this year. For Malaysians who are new to this brand’s beauty products, it offers yet another choice for the unsatiated beauty addict.
You’ll see Burberry’s trademark checks embossed on their eyeshadows, lipsticks and blushers, on the products as well as their casings. The beautiful design makes you not want to use the products, it’s a delight to bring them out of the drawers every so often just to look and admire. The blushers and eyeshadows are encased in velvet pouches, it is elegance and sophistication personified.
The casing of the products is a joy to see and touch as they feel heavy duty and so luxurious. There’s a soft magnetic closure for the products so you just have to drop the lipstick cover or the blusher and eyeshadow lid back down and it closes instantly without you having to exert even the minutest of force.
Where the eyeshadow colours are concerned, my first impression was that they surely reflected the tempestuous British weather. I guess I wasn’t that far wrong because as Christopher Bailey put it, “We have been inspired by our beautiful stormy, cloudy, misty, hazy skies followed by the gentle glow of the British sun.”
As you can see, the selection of eyeshadows is certainly inspired by the British weather. These aren’t bright, shimmery or highly pigmented colours. They are safe and muted colours, there are smoky greys, earth toned browns and greens, blues, beiges and pinks.
There aren’t any additions to the current collection of eyeshadows for spring but there is a repromotion of 3 colours (which are worn by the model in the first photo above), i.e. tea rose, rosewood and pearl grey.
Some of the eyeshadow shades apply quite sheer, hence the name Sheer Eye Shadow, but can be built up for greater intensity. The texture is smooth and never chalky. Some of the colours are actually inspired by the Burberry trench coat. The eyeshadows contain lipids and silicones as well as spherical polymers for a smooth application.
According to one of their makeup artistes, their bestselling eyeshadows here are Chestnut & Antique Rose. Apparently, Chestnut (a very warm brown) is a always used on the models during theur runway shows. Antique Rose is a pale rose colour which is very natural.
My favourite product from Burberry Beauty has to be the Lip Cover (Soft Satin Lipstick) as it’s super moisturising and they have a superb selection of rose shades. The lipsticks contain a combination of oils and light waxes together with shiny polymers for luminosity. The Lip Covers worn under the Lip Glow (Natural Lip Gloss) are the perfect combination, they are absolutely lovely in colour and texture.
Their Sheer Foundation (Luminous Fluid Foundation) is a light reflecting/light diffusing fluid foundation which I found to be lightweight, comfortable to wear and didn’t look cakey. What I liked most of all about the foundation was that it gave my face a natural glow. It contains a high concentration of silicones and micronised pigments treated with crystalline powder.
There are no loose powders but there are Luminous Compact Foundations and Luminous Pressed Powders. The Luminous Compact Foundations can be used dry for a sheer finish or damp for a more intense coverage.
Both the Luminous Compact Foundation and Luminous Pressed Powder minimise/eradicate any unwanted shine and those with oily skins can probably benefit most from these products. You’d want to pull the compacts out of your bag as often as possible.
There are originally five blushers but for spring, there are three new additions, Earthy, Tangerine and Misty. The blushers contain micronised pigments, silicones and natural polymers. I liked the Natural Bronzers for their sculpting effect. The Natural Bronzers certainly gave me a slimmer profile.
The Eye Definers contain emollient, vegetal oils, natural waxes and a high concentration of mineral pigments. While they are water-resistant, they are not waterproof. The Burberry makeup artist advised applying a layer of eyeshadow in a complementing shade to ensure the eyeliner lasted longer without smudging.
Although I liked the effect of the Effortless Mascara for its volume enhancing properties, it gave me the panda eye look before the afternoon was over. It separates each lash well and doesn’t clump but this isn’t one of those mascaras that stay put on me.
Overall, I do like the collection even though I prefer brighter coloured eyeshadows. I have no issues with the texture and the colours stayed on my eyes for 8 hours after application without fading or creasing. Looking back at the eyeshadow swatches now, I can’t seem to stop looking at Pearl Grey which is like a gunmetal colour, great for a smoky look.
I am particularly impressed with the Lip Covers as the tones are just right for me. Of course, the fact that the packaging is gorgeous is a plus point and I do have a soft spot for British designed products even if they are made in Italy (the eyeshadows and lipsticks are but I haven’t checked the rest).
Retail prices of the products are listed below:-
(1) Sheer Foundation (Luminous Fluid Foundation) – 30ml RM165
(2) Sheer Foundation (Luminous Compact Foundation) – 8g RM180
(3) Sheer Powder (Luminous Pressed Powder) – 10g RM185
(4) Light Glow (Natural Blush) – 7g RM140
(5) Warm Glow (Natural Bronzer) – 10g RM158
(6) Lip Cover (Soft Satin Lipstick) – 3.8g RM96
(7) Lip Glow (Natural Lip Gloss) – 6ml RM89
(8) Lip Definer (Lip Shaping Pencil) – 1.36g RM75
(9) Effortless Mascara (Volumising Enhancer) – 4.5ml RM108
(10) Sheer Eye Shadow (Eye Enhancer) – 2.5g RM105
(11) Eye Definer (Eye Shaping Pencil) – 1.36g RM78
(12) Beauty Kabuki Brush (Face Brush) RM215
