My First Burberry Makeup Haul.... Worth the Money? Read On!

I've been wanting to try Burberry eyeshadow forever after hearing only great things about them. The collection is full of amazing neutrals and easy to wear shades but also includes some rich deep tones that are absolutely stunning. And what is not to love about the sleek and chic Burberry packaging? The only drawback is that the single shadows are $29 each. It's difficult to spend that when you can get a full palette of eyeshadow for around $50 or $60 bucks. But I gotta say.... these babies are worth every penny. I ordered directly from Burberry which I highly recommend doing because they package the products beautifully (pictures included below) and the shipping is free. Nordstrom didn't have one of the colors I wanted and that is why I ordered from Burberry in the first place. I chose Trench, a pale beige-y neutral with a sheen to it. Trench is what you would get if MAC Brule and Urban Decay Virgin had a baby. It's the color of Brule but with the finish of Virgin. I figured if I was going to spend $29 on one eyeshadow, I was going to be a color I would get a lot of use out of. And I use this for an all over base and highlight. The other shadow I purchased is Almond. This is a must-have for brown lovers. It is a cool-toned, kind of milk chocolate medium brown with a beautiful sheen to it much like Trench. It's similar to Bare Minerals Pebble as far as color goes. Absolutely perfect crease color and blends flawlessly over Trench. 

So let's dish about what is specifically so great about these shadows.Swatch pictures below!

What I Love:

-The soft beautiful color range
-Super duper soft and silky texture
-Very easy to blend 
-Pigmented without being so pigmented that you have to be really careful
-They have a subtle sheen/shimmer that is just the right amount but not really noticeable
-Beautiful sleek packaging that will make your makeup collection look prettier 

What I Don't Love:

-Price? Although I think they are worth it so it won't discourage me from buying more!
-The packaging does get finger prints but not a big deal to me and not near as bad as NARS packaging as far as attracting prints.

 

 

Burberry Eye Shadow in Trench. Photo Credit Belongs to Me.

Burberry Eyeshadow in Almond. Photo Credit Belongs to Me.

Burberry Trench and Burberry Almond. Photo Credit Belongs to Me.

List of Silicone-Free Skin Care, Foundation, Bronzers!

So I've been silicone-free with respect to my skin care and face makeup (aside from blush and highlight because silicone doesn't affect my cheeks thankfully!) for a long time now. I've done so much research, scoured every website, and followed up on any link with the words "silicone free" in the description. I've also tried a ton of products that are silicone free. I know that I find posts like this extremely helpful but unfortunately, there are not many of them. I thought I would share with other gals like myself who have an aversion to silicone and are forced into a life of jealousy watching and reading about others who get to use anything on their face that they want to. Sadly, I will never know what life is like while using the Dior Airflash foundation or Guerlain Four Seasons bronzer. Did I even spell Guerlain right? I would look it up but this post isn't about Guerlain so who cares. 

Below are products I have tried and that I recommend, unless I've noted otherwise. I'm sure there are more but I can't remember everything! And of course there are more than I haven't tried. I will update this list whenever I try a new product! *please note if there is an asterix, I've named an entire product line. By the way, if a product line says they are 100% organic, that also means they don't use silicone. Many products say organic or natural but that doesn't mean 100% organic. And "natural" doesn't mean "organic".

Silcone-Free Foundation/Makeup/Primers:

*Mineral Foundations usually do not contain silicone unless they are pressed powder form but they sometimes contain silica which my skin hates as well. There are many loose minerals brands that you can find on the internet that are all vegan and organic. I've tried to concentrate on liquid products that are silicone-free because they are much harder to find!

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder (my skin loves this)
Laura Mercier Oil-Free Supreme Liquid Foundation (reformulated, not as good as old formula)
Bare Minerals Original Foundation (the loose, not pressed, the pressed contains silica)
Korres Mineral Powder
BellaPierre (pressed mineral powder, hard to find but very nice)
RCMA Foundation (cream foundation)
*RCMA product line is silicone-free
Juice Beauty Foundation (made me break out but for reasons other than silicone content)
Eminence Antioxidant Mineral Foundation
Eminence Tinted Moisturizer SPF 25
*Eminence Entire Product Line is Organic, no silicone! 
OCC Airbrush Makeup (can be used without the machine)
OCC Concealer
*OCC products are silicone-free
Dinair Airbrush Makeup
Luminess Airbrush Makeup
Omorovicza BB Cream (probably the only BB Cream on the planet with no silicone, but very $$$)
Omorovicza Complexion Enhancer SPF
DeVita BB Cream (more like a tinted moisturizer)
*DeVita Products are Silicone Free, they make foundations too! 
*Juice Beauty foundations/tinted moisturizers do not include silicone
Jane Iredale Liquid Minerals Foundation (their pressed minerals are not silicone-free) 
Korres Silicone-Free Vitamin E Face Primer
Korres Quercetin & Oak Anti-Aging Face Primer 

Silicone-Free Moisturizers/Serums:

Korres 24 Hour Moisturizing Cream (highly recommended for normal/dry skin)
Korres Greek Yogurt Moisturizer
Korres Sleeping Facials (overnight facials, heard these are awesome!)
Eminence Acai Firm Moisturizer (just starting using this, it's LOVE!)
*All Eminence Skin Care is Organic, no silicone! Mentioned by Madonna, Jessica Beil, other celebs
Michael Todd Hydrating Serum
*Michael Todd skincare is 70-100% organic, no silicone! 
Kate Somerville Oil-Free Quench hydrating serum (make sure it says oil-free, they also make a non oil-free that includes silicone)
*DeVita Organic Skin Care Line/Makeup is Silicone-Free 
Devita SPF 30 Moisturizer/Sunscreen
Kate Somerville RetAsphere 2-in-1 Retinol (excellent product for nightime use!)
*Juice Beauty Skin Care is organic, no silicone!
Omorovicza Balancing Moisturizer 
Omorovicza Rose Lifting Serum 
*I am almost positive that Omorovicza product line is all silicone-free 
Ren Bio-Retinoid Anti-Aging Concentrate  

Best Volumizing Mascara Ever! Chanel Le Volume De Chanel

It isn't often that I find a new mascara that I am really blown away by. I'm faithful to my Benefit They're Real and I also love the Cover Girl Clump Crusher and Mally Volumizing mascara. I had never tried a Chanel mascara before but have heard really good things about the latest one, Le Volume de Chanel. Fancy name, fancy results. Chanel refers to the brush as the exclusive new "Snowflakes" brush which is a combination of long and short bristles. Whatever it is, it works. Really really well.

The volume that this mascara produces is outstanding and I also found it to be lengthening. I will say, this isn't a mascara that you just quickly apply and run out the door. It takes a little nurturing but the results are worth it. It is somewhat of a wet mascara and you need to let your top lashes dry before going on to the bottom because the product will transfer. That being said, you can get away with one coat easily. In fact, I did both eyes and bottom lashes without having to re-dip into the tube for second coat. Now that's impressive. Although, I did go back in for a second layer so what you see in pictures is two coats. More like one and a half. A third coat would produce some clumping so two is more than enough. 

And let's talk about the pigmentation, wow! This is a rich dark black, the blackest of blacks as far as I am concerned. But it also comes in blue, brown, and purple if you're feeling adventurous. It retails for $30 but you can find samples galore on Ebay if you want to try before you buy a full size. That's what I did and now I'm hooked. If you like the results of YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils, you may find the Volume de Chanel easier to work with.

* Please note, my lashes are quite average without mascara. They aren't short and they aren't long. And they are a very light brown.