Burberry Dark Spice Complete Eye Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:00:18 +0000

Burberry Dark Spice Complete Eye Palette

Burberry Dark Spice Complete Eye Palette ($59.00 for 0.19 oz.) contains four eyeshadows. The Complete Eye Palettes are supposed to contain “an illuminating base, two blendable shades, and a liner to define.” Each palette comes in a velvet pouch along with three sponge-tip applicators.

Dark Spice #1 is a warm-toned black with a satin finish–just a touch of sheen, so it’s not quite matte. It had good color payoff, but it’s not the most intense black I’ve come across, and the texture was slightly dry. It’s a basic kind of shade, so it’s likely that you have something similar in your stash already. Shades like Make Up For Ever #04 and MAC Carbon are similar in color but more matte. Le Metier de Beaute Fin is similar but more intense.

Dark Spice #2 is a warm-toned, bronze-shimmered brown with a pearly finish. It had excellent pigmentation, but the texture was slightly dry. Chanel Pearl River #5 is a bit darker. MAC Bronze is more golden. Laura Mercier Cedar is very similar, slightly more matte. Inglot #421 is warmer, not as brown.

Dark Spice #3 is a warm-toned, chestnut brown with strong red undertones and has a soft, satiny finish. It had great color payoff, but like the other shades, there was a very slight dryness to the texture. Clinique Fuller Fudge is more coppery. MAC Ever Elegant is more metallic, so it appears lighter. Tom Ford Illicit is a cream product but close in color. MAC Antiqued is similar in color but more metallic in finish.

Dark Spice #4 is a soft orange with a satin finish–it’s almost like goldenrod but more orange. It had good color payoff, and the texture was soft and buttery–it had the best feel of the four. Wet ‘n’ Wild Desert Festival #4 is darker, more orange. Chanel Pearl River #4 is brighter. Guerlain Calligraphy #2 is more frosted and orange. MAC Chessa is brighter and shimmery. Chanel Tigerlily is a touch lighter.

The major drawback of this palette is the texture, which is slightly dry, though the dryness doesn’t inhibit the color payoff by much (it only seemed to come into play with the black eyeshadow) or the wear, as when I wore the palette, I had no trouble with the colors lasting a full nine hours without any creasing or fading. Burberry’s single eyeshadows, though, have a very soft, buttery texture, and these all felt slightly less buttery, not quite as soft or as smooth. Good but not as fantastic as the singles tend to be, so from that perspective, I was disappointed. The colors go well together, and for those with warmer complexions, this could be an easy, everyday kind of palette. I just wish the feel was like the singles.