Burgundy Beauty

As soon as we start to creep into the Autumn/Winter months, I always seem to go back to my burgundy shades. Whether in clothing, nails or makeup - there just seems to be something about the colour that I can't seem to get enough of wearing. It's a nice nod to the season, but is still very much wearable and not too 'out there', so today I thought I'd compile a brief summary of some items and products in the beauty category that I love cracking out this time of year...

MAKEUP - I love experimenting with my makeup this time of year, incorporating deeper, warmer, richer tones into my routine wherever I can and burgundy fits just right into that requirement. The reddy element just screams 'Autumn', while the brown undertone still manages to make it wearable at the same time. Perfect. I personally tend to stick to eyes and lips - one or the other (or both if I'm feeling particularly brave). Eyes-wise, I like to keep to my shadows and liners that fall into this colour category depending on how rusty I'm wanting to go. If cream shadows are your kinda thang, then I'd head right on over to the Maybelline counter and pick up one of their 24 Hr Colour Tattoos in 'Metallic Pomegranate'. Now, I only picked this up a week or so ago after hearing so many people rave on about it and with Autumn in full swing - it happened. To me, it seemed the perfect reddy/purple-y toned shadow that, being cream, can be used either alone as a one-wash-wonder or a base for some power shadow to go  on top (more on that later). And I have to say I'm in love. It really is just as I'd expected it to be - the perfect aubergine-like shade which despite being very red-based, doesn't manage to make you look like you've got pink eye. Always a bonus.  As always with the Colour Tattoos - a big thumbs up from moi. Now when it came to deciding what palettes to include in this edit, I initially found it quite tough as in pretty much every line-up I owned included a burgundy or two inside. However, when I actually thought about it, I realised that I actually own two which are entirely dedicated to the hue and they comes in quad-form, so super easy to use and travel with. They're both ones I've mentioned frequently before and they're actually pretty similar in terms of colour selection and the quality of the shadows themselves. The L'Oreal Colour Riche Smoky in 'Eau De Rose' is, as the name would suggest, a pink-toned quad, with the darkest shade a very beautiful burgundy that's perfect for going in the outer corner/crease for a hint of smokiness, or all over the lid and the lower lashline for full-on drama. Much like this, the Fleur De Force Eyeshadow Quad in 'Lunar Rose' also features four shades almost identical to the L'Oreal one, expect from the darkest hue which is a tad more purple in tone and has a subtle shimmer running through it. Burgundy liners don't often make an appearance in the beauty aisles, so for days when I want a little more of a super-subtle nod to the hue, I simply use an angled brush and take a shadow across my upper lashline and blend it out. Easy peasy.

In terms of lips, I have a few suggestions... if it's a liner you want, whether for outlining your pout or filling the whole thing in aswell - Id recommend the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Under My Spell'. A very deep, dark reddy purple that's almost a little vampy and very stunning indeed. These liners are also brilliantly formulated too. Really creamy and easy to apply (no dragging here), and a really intense colour payoff too. Moving onto lipsticks, and I'd say there are three in my collection that I really rate for this kind of look. If it's a traditional lipstick you're after, the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in '107' is a classic for this quota. I mean, is there anyone who hasn't tried this stuff? You gotta believe the hype with this one as it really is as good as it's made out to be. A dark red with the slightest hint of purple - I'd say this is the closest colour match I personally have and the formula is really creamy, yet rather long-lasting at the same time too. From the lip pencil arena, the Maybelline Colour Drama Velvet Lip Pencil in 'Keep It Classy' is the perfect burgundy tone if a crayon formation is more what you're looking for. This is actually very similar when swatched to the '107' - apart from perhaps being a tad lighter - and so they're probably my top picks from the three in regards to the closest qualification as a 'burgundy' lip colour.

NAILS - Finally, nails. I think my beds are infact the area I like to experiment most with the burgundy tones during this time of year. I'm not really sure why - maybe it's simply the easiest and most foolproof method to pull off? Whatever the reason, I just can't get enough of rocking deeper, aubergine-like shades as soon as the cooler weather hits. Now get ready as for this category, I have quite a few shout-outs to make... Starting off with the more 'purple' burgundy shades, the Maybelline Super Stay Nail Polish in 'Divine Wine' has just the right amount of red in it to classify it on the lower end of the burgundy spectrum. As you'd know if you've read this blog before, these polishes are some of my absolute faves from the drugstore - big, flat brush that makes application super-easy; plus a bang-on formula that glides on and lasts and lasts and lasts. Moving up the colour chart, the Rimmel Salon Pro Nail Polish in 'Urban Purple' has that little bit more red to it, making the colour a tad richer and berry-toned and more on the ;burgundy' sued of things. Again, like the Maybelline Super Stays, the Rimmel Salon Pro's are also one of my top polish formulations for pretty much the same reasons. They're pretty much identical, aside from the Salon Pro's perhaps not having as long lasting power. Finally, as my closest match to a burgundy tone is from Barry M (another of my favourite polish brands) and it is their Nail Paint in 'Raspberry'. This is much more reddy than purple-y this time and sits just right between neither being too dark not too bright. As always with Barry M, this polish fails to let me down and can be built up to an opaque colour in just two coats. A real people pleaser, I'd say...