I've used the Nudes and Blushed Nudes palettes from Maybelline before, and liked them, so was pleased to get this to trial.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of negatives, which I'll present first up:
- palette arrived broken. Two of the 12 shadow blocks had entirely escaped their pans, and one was snapped in half. Given that the package was bubble wrapped, this points towards a manufacturing flaw with the palette itself as one probable reason. - title is misleading. Of the 12 shades, ONE is any form of colour that could be called burgundy. It's more a copper/gold/brown shimmer palette with a couple of statement shades in burgundy, brick red and darker brown.
All that said, the colours are gorgeous. They have a good amount of pigment without being too much, and the shimmer is great - again, just enough for a shimmer effect without looking like a disco ball. There's a time and place for disco ball eyes, but not 'every day in a professional workplace', so this palette is a great every day one.
The pans are big but very shallow, which may have been a reason for them to not hold the shadows in transit. There are some really similar shades in the 12; personally I feel this could be kept to 6-8 shades without compromising anything.
I've been using 3-4 shades per day, and using darker ones as liner, accent and crease, with softer shades on the lid and the shimmerier ones on a damp brush as a pop of xmas sparkle. Every day I have tried a different combo but they've all come out looking similar. The shadows blend out well and wear beautifully - I do always add an 'insurance layer' of setting spray, but at the end of the day they are still intact and looking good.
The packaging is terrible imo - cheap looking, and the burgundy coloured plastic just highlights the lack of burgundy shades. The accompanying brush is the usual waste of time as a freebie - a sponge applicator that picks up too much product but is hard to use for application, and a brush that's too soft and lacking in shape or purpose.
All that said, I wondered when I received this palette if I'd use it much after trial, and can safely say that it's so easy to use to get a really nice look for a work, shopping etc day that I'll keep using it - with my own brushes - but that I can't take it away for fear that it will break.
I have mixed feelings about this palette. There is some good and some bad. I'll start with the bad, though it's not really that bad but it's the main reason why I wouldn't buy this for myself. There are too many similar shades! You could have this same palette with 4-6 pans and still have a great palette. I hate having palettes that aren't used much! And because the shades are all so related, even if you followed the instructions for a multi-shadow look , by the time you get half way through the day, any variation of this palette will look very similar to another. I was disappointed with the purple/copper pan 2nd from far right on the bottom. It looked like it would be a purple with copper reflect, similar to a popular Wet n Wild shade I loved once upon a time, but on my eye it looked like a copper. A very pretty copper, but not purple. The red one on far left is pretty true to how it looks. The others are basic golds and browns, all warm shades. One red shade isn't a reason to call it Burgundy Bar, maybe the author had drunk too much Burgundy when they named it haha!
Does anyone use the supplied brush anymore? I don't think they are necessary and the space could be better used to make a more compact palette or add a little mirror.
The good - it applies really well, a pleasure to use. I didn't notice any fallout to my cheekbones, though with my oily eyelids there was a slight fading around the crease. I always use MAC paint pot as a primer, and this stuck to it nicely, and let me blend it pretty well. The copper shades look lovely in person and as I have blue eyes, it looked really nice. On the back there are some tips about which shades were designed to be worn together, so you can use this if having a brain freeze when putting on your makeup.
Tips: A winner for people who like warm shades or who have blue eyes.