A Pink Mist

As mentioned in my post on Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Pale Barley, a Lip Mist in Camelia Pink (No.207) was included in the gift with purchase that I qualified for after spending over $79 on Burberry at David Jones. I don't have a lot of high end lipsticks because of the crazy number of lipsticks I have from more affordable brands that I find to be just as good in quality, so it was a genuine thrill to be able to welcome a Burberry lipstick to my collection. There's much to admire in the somewhat masculine, architectural packaging with the gunmetal exterior, signature check and nifty magnetic closure. I looked forward to seeing whether a pricier lipstick was really worth the extra dollars.

l-r: Revlon Sweet Tart, Burberry Camelia Pink, Revlon Lollipop, MAC Plumful

Camelia Pink is a sheer but buildable medium hot pink with a distinct fuchsia tone. The colour isn't exactly modern or revolutionary, but you can't go terribly wrong with it either. With 1-2 coats it's fresh and understated, your natural lip colour still visible underneath, but it can be intensified to more of a party/going out lip with several coats. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart is similar in texture but warmer and more neon. Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop is significantly darker and more opaque, much more of a true, bold fuchsia. MAC Plumful is darker, more rosy/plummy and overall subdued in colour, not as bright or pink.

What surprised me about the Lip Mist was just how glossy the formula is. It imparts an almost wet-look, lustrous shine to the lips, making them appear hydrated and plump, but not as if covered with a liquid product like a standard gloss. There's the same semi-translucent juiciness as a lollipop that's been sucked on or a slice of coloured jelly. The lipstick itself has a tacky, slightly thick consistency, and there's a bit of resistance as the lipstick bullet tugs against the lips when it's applied. While it doesn't settle into lip lines, it can be a little uneven in terms of pigmentation, particularly after the lips are pressed together to blend the lipstick.

Despite its relative sheerness, isn't what I'd describe as glide-on smooth, creamy and weightless like the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine or Maybelline Color Sensational Color Whisper lipsticks. I definitely get the sensation of something covering the lips, though it's not particularly drying or uncomfortable. One offputting aspect is the smell, which is your traditional 'grandma' lipstick scent, but fortunately it's not too strong.

If it hadn't been included in the gift with purchase, I probably wouldn't have selected Camelia Pink, mainly because I find myself tiring of these bright, blue-based pink/fuchsia shades (I have way too many and I don't particularly love any of them). At least Camelia Pink isn't too cool-toned or vivid, making it a safer pick for a casual wash of glossy colour during the day.

Burberry Does Brown

I was dead set on Pale Barley for my first Burberry eyeshadow, but a little more hesitant about Midnight Brown. It recently returned to my attention after this post by Shari of The Misty Mom who raved about how it was unparalleled among the brown eyeshadows she'd tried. I did my research beforehand (who wouldn't, at $45 a piece) and the consensus seemed to be that Midnight Brown had a complexity that made it special and worth the splurge. I wasn't entirely convinced when I swatched it at David Jones, but I still favoured it over Rosewood, so it came home with me.

l-r: Burberry Midnight Brown, L'Oréal Bronzed Taupe, NYX Iced Mocha, LORAC Pewter, L'Oréal Endless Chocolat

Bottom to top: Burberry Midnight Brown, L'Oréal Bronzed Taupe, NYX Iced Mocha, LORAC Pewter, L'Oréal Endless Chocolat

Burberry Midnight Brown (No.21) is a cool, dark, taupey brown that flashes mainly silver. Under certain light, it looks more bronze with an understated golden sheen. Overall, it can lean muddy, especially when built up in intensity — I find that's when it starts to look more ashy and grey. Underneath a warmer, reddish base (like Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk), it can look much more traditionally bronze.

L'Oréal Infallible eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe is lighter, frostier and more grey-leaning. It's similar texture-wise, highly pigmented and smooth. If anything, Midnight Brown is more powdery and prone to a bit of fallout.

NYX Iced Mocha is lighter still, not as silvery as Bronzed Taupe, a bit more beige. This one had major texture issues, being dry, crumbly and patchy.

LORAC Pewter (from the PRO Palette) is the closest, a tad warmer with a slight purple tinge, not as dark brown. You definitely don't need both.

L'Oréal Infallible eyeshadow in Endless Chocolat is clearly much deeper than the rest, more of a metallic bark brown, not very warm. It tends to look closer to black on the lids.

Midnight Brown is too dark as an all-over lid colour but it's a good option for a quick smokey eye. Its versatility lies with how it's able to be sheered out to a more warm, reddish bronze, but also intensified to a more cool, silvery taupe if built up in pigmentation. I can also see its potential to be subtly transformed with a cream eyeshadow as a base, depending on the colour. It's smooth, highly pigmented and a breeze to blend — I almost prefer applying it with my fingers over an eyeshadow brush, as I think it leads to a better result. The shimmer in this is very fine and isn't overly reflective or metallic.

Ultimately, much like how I felt about Pale Barley, despite being well-made and having chameleonic qualities, I still don't find the shade alone to be entirely remarkable. If anything, I think Midnight Brown is even less unique than Pale Barley. While there's more variation in my arm swatch comparing similar shades than with Pale Barley, I just don't see myself getting all that much wear out of Midnight Brown to justify having so many close alternatives that basically look the same once on the lid. I wouldn't normally opt for a darker colour to wear during the daytime (only using them in a relatively discreet fashion closer to the lash line for added depth and definition) and I rarely go for deeper, dramatic eye looks if going out.

Still, Midnight Brown is a classic Burberry shade. It feels very true to the brand's look and ethos. It's a little sludgy, smouldering and overcast, while still retaining a sense of sophistication and effortlessness. I probably would've liked it more if it didn't lean so cool on my lids, but it can be easily tweaked depending on the heaviness and technique of application, and in combination with different coloured cream bases (slightly altering its appearance to be more bronze, gold, purple, plummy).

Bound for Barley

I've been wanting to try Burberry cosmetics for the longest time, but could never justify the hefty prices. I finally had sufficient impetus to splurge after coming across an enticing gift with purchase from David Jones: purchases of $79 or more would result in a 7-piece gift set purportedly worth over $149. The gift included a Sheer Eyeshadow in Pearl Grey, Lip Mist in Camelia Pink, Eye Brush - Socket Line No.09, baby kabuki brush, something called the "Beauty Glow Multi-Usage Highlighter" and a 4.5ml Burberry Body miniature, all housed in a (cheap-looking) black makeup bag. While the eyeshadow and lipstick aren't shades I would've personally selected, considering they're proper full size products able to be purchased separately, I found them to be generous inclusions. I was most excited about the full size eye brush, worth $US38 or $55 alone. To qualify for the gift, I contemplated a blush or eyeshadow palette, but in the end, picked two of their most-hyped eyeshadows: Pale Barley and Midnight Brown (Rosewood was in the running, but I wasn't sure if it'd be too cool and grey for my skin tone). I'll talk more about Midnight Brown later, but focus on Pale Barley for now.

Pale Barley was an eyeshadow destined for my collection. It wasn't a matter of if, only when. I was prepared to hold out for quite some time given the 28471 similar shades already in my possession, but I figured there was no point in waiting any longer. It'd been a couple of years, it cost as much as my typical Friday dinner and dessert out, if not less, and it wasn't like I was easing off on the non-luxe makeup purchases anyway. Yes ... the workings of a cosmetics junkie's mind. Frightful, I know.

I remember reading a blog post a while ago that compared Maybelline Silken Taupe to Pale Barley. In fact, that was one of my primary motivations for buying Silken Taupe last year. Now that I have both, I really don't see how the two are similar. Silken Taupe is more of a pale, silver-purple. I found these particular reviews of Pale Barley helpful and definitely persuasive prior to purchasing: Kate at gh0stparties, Christine at Temptalia, Trang of Delicate Hummingbird (miss her blog), and Reika of Front Row Beauty.

l-r: Burberry Pale Barley, NARS Kalahari, Urban Decay YDK, Rimmel Smokey Quartz, bareMinerals A-Ha

Bottom to top: Burberry Pale Barley, NARS Kalahari, Urban Decay YDK, Rimmel Smokey Quartz, bareMinerals A-Ha

About the multitude of similar shades I mentioned. I picked out four of the closest I could find after briefly rummaging through my makeup drawers. I realise that to most sane and rational human beings, all the eyeshadows look the same. But they're not, I promise. There are differences, as minute as they may seem.

Burberry Pale Barley (No.22) is the most dirty yellow, with a slightly ashy appearance. I'd describe it as a darkened beige that can be built up to a medium brown base with a gold pearl overlay.

NARS Kalahari (from the And God Created the Woman eyeshadow palette, or the left side of the Kalahari duo) is more shimmery, with an almost flaky glitter. It's warmer, more golden and bronze than the cooler, tad more pewter Pale Barley. I think it's the more beautiful shade, but due to a somewhat crumbly yet dry texture, it's a lot more difficult to work with than the buttery smooth, superbly blendable Pale Barley.

Urban Decay YDK (from the Naked2 palette) is even more metallic than NARS Kahalari, but with more of a silvery thread running through it. It's also slightly more coppery than both Pale Barley and Kahalari.

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Smokey Quartz is warmer, more brown and a little darker than Pale Barley. It differentiates itself from the rest with a hint of mauve.

bareMinerals A-Ha (from The Epiphany duo) is warmest still, more coppery/bronze, more metallic and reflective than Pale Barley without being shimmery or glittery.

Did I need Pale Barley? Probably not. I'm at the stage of makeup accumulation where there is no "need". For someone that might just be starting out with makeup or who has relatively minimal products, I think it's well worth the splurge to buy something like Pale Barley than a multitude of cheaper eyeshadows that might be similar in shade, but incomparable in terms of quality.

Do I consider Pale Barley a worthy addition to my stash? Sure. But at the same time, I don't find the colour to be so beautiful and unique that I can't picture myself living without it. I think what makes it special is the subtle gold overlay and how it falls in a near-perfect place between warm and cool. On medium and darker skin tones, I can see how it could be too light. I was afraid that it'd blend into my skin tone and hardly be visible, but it's pleasingly dark enough to serve as an easy, fuss-free all-over lid colour. If I wanted to add more depth and definition, I'd have to place a much darker shade closer to the lash line and blend upwards.

Pale Barley is a very well-made, high quality eyeshadow. The solid-feeling, gunmetal Burberry check packaging is, of course, a major part of its appeal and reflective of an elevated price tag. I can't fault the pigmentation, texture or application. I experienced hardly any fallout. It's an ideal everyday shade that leans more on the subdued side both colour-wise and with its soft, sophisticated sheen.