Review: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No.22 Pale Barley

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No.22 Pale Barley ($30 for 0.088 oz) is one of the two new additions to the permanent line from the Spring 2012 collection. At the first glance, I thought I had something "similar" in the stash. Honestly, it looked rather boring in the pan. Pale Barley turns out to be an original and gorgeous shade. Beautiful. Truly versatile. Easy to wear.  

 

It's hard to describe Pale Barley (to me). It's a brown beige fused with delicate golden and champagne shimmer, creating a nuance and understated sheen on my lids. It might sound like "just another neutral" and you might picture a subtle beige on your lids. But Pale Barley delivers the unexpected. It blends in with my skintone (medium warm undertone) without looking plain. I imagine it would pop out more on lighter complexion and even work as a highligter on darker skintone. Interestingly, the more intense the layering, the more golden it becomes. You can use this to add more drama to the look or tone it down to just a wash of golden sheen on your lids. Burberry executes this shade beautifully! I can't say enough how impressed I am.

I wore this fresh and clean look, pairing Pale Barley with Midnight Brown. I also used Taupe Brown at the outer corner for some depth. Below are some comparision swatches with some of my favorite Dior quints that contain certain shades I thought would be similar to Pale Barley and Burberry Midnight Brown. 

Like other Burberry eyeshadows, Pale Barley glides on the skin smoothly. The texture is buttery soft without being powdery. No fall-outs was detected through the day. It stays fresh for at least 10 hours with a standard primer like Urban Decay Primer Potion. If you still hesitate to try Burberry eyeshadows, I urge you to visit a Burberry counter! Or take a chance to order online;) You won't be disappointed!

Bottom line. Love so much! Phenomenal color and quality. Extremely versatile. If I could only have one Burberry eyeshadow, I would pick Pale Barley. 

Review: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 09 Rosewood

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 09 Rosewood ($29 for 0.088 oz) was the first eyeshadow I wanted to try from the line. The reason: it seems like it suits both warm and cool tone; and the shimmer is subdued and soft. I had high expectation for Rosewood quality-wise and color-wise.

Rosewood crosses between a taupy brown and rosy mauve, i.e. really a soft rosy wooden color. I don't own any color like this. Dior 5-color quint Sunset Cafe has a silver mauve that is more mauvy; Urban Decay Toasted is more rosy; Urban Decay Sidecar is more taupy. Rosewood has subtle pearly finish that produces a sheen for your lids.

Burberry Rosewood would work great for a wash of color on light skin and cool undertone. For medium warm tone like mine, the wooden undertone matches my skin too close. It still looks good on me but not as great as it could. If used alone on me, it looks rather plain since it lacks of depth. That doesn't bother me but deflates my excitement a bit. So I layer either Burberry Taupe Brown (which by the way is a surprisingly interesting color!) or Burberry Midnight Brown at the outer corners for more definition. Urban Decay Hustle also compliments Burberry Rosewood beautifully.

The texture of Rosewood is buttery smooth without any fall-outs or over-powdery. It's very easy to blend and layer. It stays fresh 10 hours with a standard primer, looking exactly the same as when first applied. Now, among all the six Burberry eyeshadows I own, Rosewood lies on the sheer side but in a good way. No matter how sheer I apply Rosewood on top a primer, it stays put. 

Bottom line. Phenomenal quality. It's blendable, layerable and stays fresh for at least 10 hours. I highly recommend Rosewood for light complexion with cool or neutral undertone. 

Guest post on MSodapop

While my blog focuses on high-end cosmetics, I have recently discovered many drugstore products that are serious competitors to my favorite high-ends. When I find a great product I have the need to share (thinking of the hubby at the moment :D). So I'm thrilled that Christine of MSodapop is hosting a guest blog series on her blog. She has keen sense of style and writes objective reviews. Her blog has a relaxing, friendly air that I feel at eased immediately.

I'm so excited to present you my guest post for MSodapop. It features L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in Bronzed Taupe and Liquid Diamond. If you want to see my post, please click here.

Look: Peachy Pink with Burberry Beauty

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your weekend. Mine really just revolves around grocery shopping, cleaning up, gardening and finishing whatever left from work. Nothing exciting. My photos on the recent Burberry goodies still need editing and touch-ups. In the meantime, here is a look with Burberry eyeshadows in Pale Barley, Midnight Brown, Taupe Brown, and lip cover in Devon Sunset. 

Five hours later....

Clarins Ever Matte Foundation

YSL Touche Eclat

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Nectar

Dior Bronze Harmonie de Blush Rose Brazilia

The Body Shop Brow and Liner kit 

Burberry Sheer eyeshadows in Pale Barley, Midnight Brown, Taupe Brown

Bobbi Brown Long-wear gel liner in Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Stretch Mascara

Burberry Lip Cover in Devon Sunset 

I'm in love with Devon Sunset lipstick. It has Belle de Jour vibe of the 60s but not as pale and peachy. When first applied, it's more chalky and peachy. After about an hour, it becomes a natural medium pink on my lips. I never own any lipstick like this. Love!

Burberry Pale Barley, Midnight Brown and Taupe Brown are my current favorite eyeshadow combo. They're not at all sheer as the name suggests. Very chic, elegant and wearable! 

Review: Chanel Joues Contraste in Rose Initiale Fall 2012

Chanel Joues Contraste Rose Initiale ($43 for 0.21 oz) is the new blush of the Fall 2012. Good news is it's added to the permanent line. You might already seen the 987654321 reviews of Rose Initiale by now. It tells you how popular Rose Initiale has become. For very good reasons.

When I first saw the pictures of Rose Initiale, I thought it'd be just another peachy pink blush I already owned. But no, I don't have anything this sophisticated. And the baked formula is actually buttery smooth, not at all how I pictured it in my mind. 

Chanel Rose Initiale is a muted peachy pink, not really pink nor peach. I feel like it has the equal mix of both. When worn, Rose Initiale looks very natural, just like a pink rosy flush on the cheek. Very nuance, very muted yet pinky and peachy. It doesn't lean cool nor warm, which makes it universally flattering on all skintone. It's one of those classic blush that you don't have to think hard of what it will match. It goes with almost every look from natural to dramatic. It's sheer but buildable for intensity. I used two layers on the apple of my cheeks for the look below.

The subtle golden shimmer brightens up my cheeks with a very soft sheen. So don't let the shimmer worry you if you more prone to matte blushes.

Heavy swatch  (natural light)

 Heavy swatch (direct sunlight)

What sold me completely though is the staying powder. I was running errands and 5 hours later, Rose Initiale sill looked fresh. It only started fading after 8 hours. Love it so much! Blushes generally don't last over 4 hours on me so I was thrilled. 

Like other Joues Contraste, Rose Initiale is infused with light rose scent elegantly though. I prefer fragrance-free products but this is actually quite pleasant. It comes with a large mirror and a decent brush. 

Bottom line. Totally in love! Rose Initiale is a great natural blush that flatters all skintones. Easy to wear and easy to use. Thinning my wallet for a $43 blush definitely consumes lots of thoughts. For me, it's totally worth it.

Have you tried Rose Initiale? How do you like it? What do you pair with it?

Here's a look with Rose Initiale (photo taken at hour 5)

Makeup breakdown

Clarins Ever Matte Foundation in 108

YSL Touche Eclat in 08

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight

Chanel Joues Contrase in Rose Initiale

Dior 5-color eyeshadow Beige Massai (all 5 shades!)

Bobbi Brown Long-wear Gel Liner in Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Stretch Mascara 

The Body Shop Brow and Liner Kit (dark brown/black)

YSL Rouge Couture in  Fushia