Burberry | Autumn/Winter 2015 Runway Palette

Taking inspiration from the military-chic designs seen on the fashion fall-winter 2015 runways, Burberry has released the Autumn/Winter 2015 Runway Palette (CAN $78.00, limited edition), an eyeshadow palette that’s a work of art unto itself. Displaying 3 shades in an eye-catching camouflage pattern, you’ll be hard-pressed to mar the surface with a brush (I think I spent an entire day just admiring all the pretty), but in the end, you’ll want to. Go ahead and give it some beauty battle-scars. I’m out of military metaphors, so I’ll just stop here.

Autumn/Winter 2015 Runway Palette | Housed in a beige box that comes with a removable outer plastic sleeve printed in a camouflage design, the luxurious pewter compact with its magnetic closure is also stamped with the brand’s signature plaid pattern. Adding further protection is an inner velveteen sleeve that has stitched outer pockets to hold the 3 mini makeup brushes included for on-the-go application. The three eyeshadow shades held within are:

vanilla shimmer
khaki green with a slight prismatic sheen
blackened pine green with light shimmer flecks

Normally I’m not a fan of multi-tonal palettes that don’t have individual shade partitions, as I find that they can get messy with use, but the organically shaped eyeshadows of the Runway Palette are spaced enough apart that you can easily grab the colour you wish without fear of accidentally picking up a neighbouring hue – there’s a more than decent amount of each colour presented in the pan to make the shades easy to work with.

Another plus in the Runway Palette‘s favour, is the fact that three hues are all you basically need for a variety of eye looks that can take you from day/work to night, offering layering options as well as the ability to apply any of them with a dampened brush for more depth and intensity. The two deepest tones register good pigmentation without being excessively harsh, with the lightest shade working great in a highlighter capacity – especially against my skin tone (those with either pale or dark complexions will probably benefit from a more defined colour payoff than I get), and all three hues display a silky texture, smooth application as well as an excellent blendability – with minimal powder kicked up in the pan when swirling brushes through the varying shades. Staying power is excellent applied over primer (I love layering Benefit’s BB Air Patrol over NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base to create that perfect ‘eye canvas’), staying true without any significant fading, until removed.

Burberry | Autumn/Winter 2015 Runway Palette swatches (in sunlight)

Burberry | Autumn/Winter 2015 Runway Palette swatches (alternate light)

I’m convinced that there’s a conspiracy going on with all luxury beauty brands this year (and several of the mass-market brands as well, I might add) because they all seem to be in a race to outdo each other with the mesmerizing beauty of their latest collections. Case in point, this Runway Palette from the brand that knows a thing or two about quality (can anyone top their classic trench?). Well worth looking into, especially if you’re looking for a travel-friendly eyeshadow palette that is a modern take on that classic black smokey eye (amongst other looks). Speaking as someone who is a total sucker for luxe packaging, I can guarantee you’ll be wanting to flaunt this compact out in public.

The Burberry Autumn/Winter 2015 Runway Palette (limited edition) is available now through The Bay and thebay.com and Sephora, sephora.com across Canada. Find more information on the brand via www.burberry.com