| Review | Burberry Essentials Glow Palette - 02 Medium to Dark

| Review | Burberry Essentials Glow Palette - 02 Medium to Dark

This striking cheek palette is bringing Burberry back on my radar! It seems Burberry has slipped out of popularity in the beauty industry in the past several years. It may be because they haven't been updating their brand with exciting new formulas and there's been a real lack of box about the brand in the community in general. Rumors are circulating about a rebranding effort and this palette may be the first step into their new rebranding strategy. 

The Burberry Essentials Glow Palette - 02 Medium to Dark retails for $90.00 USD and is available at Burberry. I believe this palette is limited edition and it doesn't seem to be in stock on the Buberry US website at the moment and I'm not sure if it will be returning. You may have to hunt it down at a local counter or store.

The palette is beautifully housed in a sleek and slim, metallic gold compact with the iconic Burberry check pattern subtle printed on the compact. The palette also contains a large mirror, which is great for makeup application. The highly reflective surface of the palette is prone to fingerprints and scratches but it does look very luxurious and elegant. The only issue I have with this packaging is that there is a cream product inside the palette and it isn't covered to protect it from powder particles contaminating the cream. I haven't had issues with excess powder falling into the cream, so this packaging isn't the worst. I just prefer a protective covering for my creams. 

SHADES

These palettes currently come in two colorways, Light to Medium and Medium to Dark skin tones. After viewing the light lilac and pink tones of the bushes in the Light to Medium palette, I felt that the Medium to Dark palette would suit me better. Since I often easily tan, I gravitated toward the darker of the two palettes. 

This palette contains the following products and shades: 

Cream Contour (top left) - This shade is a deep cool chocolate shade with no shimmer and a natural skin-like finish. This shade will look natural This shade is versatile enough to work for a wide range of skin tones. 

Coral Blush (top middle) - This peachy pink shade with gold shimmers is a universally flattering shade and looks very similar to the very popular NASR Orgasm Blush. 

Champagne Highlighter (top right) - This shade appears almost cool and taupe in the pan but when swatched, it is actually a golden shimmer with a sheer cool base. The base color doesn't really show up because the gold shimmer is so strong but the silvery taupe undertone balances out the golden shimmer, making it wearable for warm and cool skin tones. 

Powder Bronzer (bottom left) - This bronzer shade is a nice warm bronze with a yellow undertone and soft golden shimmer. The yellow undertone prevents your complexion from turning orange but still offers a touch of warmth to the skin. The shimmer is soft but still quite luminous. 

Pink Blush (bottom middle) - This soft rose petal pink is almost perfectly neutral with no cool or warm tones. The shimmer is a mixture of gold and silver shimmer. 

Pink Champagne Highlighter (bottom right) - This shade has a very sheer neutral pink base with a strong golden shimmer. On the skin, the base color doesn't really show up and it's mostly the golden shimmer. 

Swatches from left to right: Cream Contour, Coral Blush, Champagne Highlighter, Powder Bronzer, Pink Blush, Pink Champagne Highlighter

FORMULA

Cream Contour 

This cream contour product is quite emollient and creamy but doesn't feel or look greasy. It is incredibly pigmented and rich! I found myself applying too much my first time using this palette and when I applied it to my jawline, I looked like I had a beard. I highly recommend applying a very little bit and building the color as you need it. Since it is so pigmented, I recommend using your fingers to pick up the product and applying it to the cheek. Then, using a brush, blend out the cream. If you find yourself with too much on, using your foundation brush or sponge will help blend the product out. 

The formula and color of this cream contour is the same as the Burberry Face Contour Stick. When you see the two creams swatched next to each other, they are pretty much identical from the color to the finish. This contour shade is very popular for a good reason. It is just cool enough to look like natural shadowing but it has just enough warmth to blend into the skin naturally. Due to its buildable pigment, the cream contour will work for most skin tones, even very deep skin tones. 

Swatches left to right: Contour Cream (Essentials Glow Palette) and Burberry Face Contour Stick

Powder Cheek Products 

All the powder products in this palette are very shimmery. They are all the same texture and finish, which is a very fine shimmer finish that can look quite metallic on the skin. Since the powders are so shimmery, these will emphasize pores and texture. Even on my skin, which has minimal large pores, I noticed my pores were emphasized and magnified with these powders. This shimmering finish is also beautiful on the eyes, which makes this palette extremely versatile and great for traveling. 

The powders are very smooth and blendable. They have a very silky texture that is extremely blendable and applies evenly on the skin. The formula of these powders is truly exceptional and delightful to wear and work with. The pigment is very buildable, which makes these powders wffortless and allows you to play with the intensity. These powders wore beautifully all day long, beyond eight hours and remained as fresh as they appeared when first applied. 

I think this face palette is beautiful and has an incredible formula but the biggest issue is that all the finishes are the same and all quite shimmery. While this means you'll get some serious glow, it also means there is a lack of dimension and a high chance of emphasizing texture on the skin. Additionally, if you're an oily skin type, you may find the finish of the powders to be too glowy for your already glowy skin. If you have a mature skin type, you may have mixed feelings about these shimmery finishes. It may give you that youthful glow but it will also emphasize lines and wrinkles. 

I will say because the finish of these powders is so shimmery but the pigment is on the lighter side, this may look stark on very deep skin tones. The shimmery will show much stronger on a deeper skin tone and the pigment will not be as vibrant. You can buff the product on the skin and try to reduce the shimmer on the skin. I also highly recommend paring this palette with more matte textures, just to balance your look out. 

THE LOOK 

For this look, I applied the Cream Contour on a fresh layer of foundation and blended it with a brush and a makeup sponge. I then set the skin very lightly before applying the rest of the powders. I then applied the Bronzer across the cheek, temples, jawline, and sides of the nose. I used the Coral Blush on the apples of my cheeks and the Pink Champagne Highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones and down the center of my nose. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

I think this palette is exceptional and stunning but it will not work for everyone. With the heavy shimmer in the majority of the products, those with even the minor texture or pores will probably dislike so many shimmering textures on the skin. Despite the issue of emphasizing texture, these cheek products actually give the skin a beautiful and very intense glow! I think this palette will be great as a supplement to some matte bronzers or blushes because it really needs some other textures to balance out the look on the skin. Don't get me wrong, I love to glow but I also love a variation in finishes so I create more dimension to the face. This shimmering palette is just one shimmering texture, which can be so overwhelmingly shimmery. 

I'm actually a little surprised at how shimmery it is because Burberry is often a very subtle brand when it comes to their textures and finishes. I guess when they say glow, the mean GLOW! There's nothing wrong with that and I appreciate the exceptional creamy formula. Luckily, the formula is silky smooth and applies evenly on the skin. It also makes an excellent eyeshadow palette, so overall, it is very versatile!  I would recommend it with the warning that the palette is very shimmery. If you like that then you're going to love everything this palette has to offer! 

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