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Wednesday 24 May 2017

Tried and Tested: Tanya Burr Cosmetics - The 'Neutral Ambiance' Collection













It's probably been around 6 months since the last 'Tanya Burr Cosmetics' Collection. You can find all of the details of that here, but today - it's time to focus on the newest drop for the brand, the first of this year. A couple of weeks ago, Tanya announced the 'Neutral Ambiance' Collection and as expected, everyone - including myself - went cray cray for it. I have been a massive fan of Tanya Burr Cosmetics basically ever since the brand first began back in 2014 and to be honest, my love has only grown over that time period. Aside from the fact that I am a big fan of Tanya herself, this brand stands apart as one of the best you can pick up from the aisles of the drugstore. It's super-affordable, yet delivers the standard of quality you'd typically expect from a brand you would expect to pay at least double the price for. Amazing, right? Seeing as I'm yet to be let down by anything released from team #TBurrCosmetics, when Tanya announced this 'Neutral Ambiance' Collection, I just knew I had to pick up some of it up. In the end, the capsule size meant I may or may not have ended up purchasing every single item (oops - but also kinda not oops) and now I have given it all a go, I thought I'd carry on the tradition and share my thoughts with you lovely lot. You can find every other post I've done over the years of the various other launches Tanya has curated and released here, here and here but for now - let's get on with the 'Neutral Ambiance'... 

This is a collection that has been deemed by the creator herself, Tanya, as a 'capsule' selection of products - with it being a slightly more edited down selection of products compared to the vast selection that have been available in previous launches. This time, we have just four fresh additions - two new shades of eye palettes and two new shades of lipsticks. Both of these products are pre-existing items in the brand and if you've read round here before, you'll know that off the brand as a whole, the eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks are probably my top, top picks of everything. The eye palettes became permanent staples in Tanya's range way back when the brand was first refreshed a few years back and ever since, every single one I've tried has become a firm favourite of mine. The classic lipsticks were added in around this time last year - with a whole host of colours from nudes, to pinks to reds - and one shade in particular, 'Pink Cocoa' also been a go-to for me. The pinky-brown tone is super complementary and easy to wear and the formula is really creamy and moisturising on the lips too. So, when the 'Neutral Ambiance' range was announced and I saw it was entirely comprised of these two types of products - in brand new, exciting shades - I was pretty darn excited. As the whole title of the collection would imply, it is very neutral-based, but with a slight twist. There's some pretty touches of colour in there, but it's all still completely accessible and wearable and I love how it gives an opportunity to experiment with some different tones, but keeping it accessible at the same time. It's also very noticeably inspired by the upcoming warmer, Spring/Summer climate (or at least, as warm as we get here in the UK) too, in my opinion.

So, first up - we have two new Tanya Burr Cosmetics Eye Palettes - 'My Paradise' and 'My Escape'. With the warmer months coming up (hopefully) you can definitely see that is what was in mind when these palettes were designed and curated as they have definite Spring/Summer vibes going on. They both stick to the original set-up of Tanya's eyeshadow palettes - inside you get four different pans of colour with a pretty heart mirror on the other side to help you apply it all, but this time round, you've got a bit of a twist going on. Both of the palettes are themed both on the outer casing and inside on the shadows themselves - with 'My Paradise' being covered in pineapples and 'My Escape' being emblazoned in palm leaves. Pwetty. While the cardboard packaging may not feel the most luxe option, as I always say, it is by no means flimsy or unsturdy feeling and considering the cheaper price you pay, you can't really complain. It's the product inside that's the most important thing, after all. As always with the eye palettes, these are both £5.99 each - a pretty good price point considering the the easy availability and the extremely high quality I've experienced with them in the past. As always with Tanya's launches, I initially only wanted to pick up one of them to try but seeing as I'm usually such a big fan and I fell head over heels for both of them - I put both in my basket. I just couldn't help myself. 'My Paradise'packaged pretty pinky packaging that's kinda similar to the 'Birthday Suit Palette from last year's 'Soft Luxe' Collection, is supposedly 'inspired by rose gold sunsets, with soft matte and sparkling shades to help you create beautifully defined eyes'Being a lover of all things rose gold, I loved the concept of a palette entirely centered on those types of gorgeous, warm tones and so was super eager to give this one a go. Of the four shades, you get three shimmers and one matte (slightly different to the usual set-up of Tanya's palettes that typically contains two of each) - 'Champagne Cocktail' (a light rose gold), 'Tranquility' (a stunning red-toned copper), 'Miami Sunrise' (a slightly more bronzey rose gold) and 'Hammock' (a light, oaky brown). As I mentioned earlier, the outer packaging of this palette is definitely reminiscent of the 'Birthday Suit' palette from last year's range and upon opening it up and trying it out, I feel the shades themselves are very much so too. Paired together, you get a wide range of both shimmers and mattes that complement each other really nicely - the selection of warm, pinky, rose gold shimmers of 'My Paradise' combine perfectly with the classic, neutral mattes in the 'Birthday Suit'. But don't get me wrong though, as a stand-alone palette 'My Paradise' is just as amazing. I am a huge fan of the shades - especially for the Spring/Summer months - and I can foresee this being a firm favourite of mine over the next few months. I love taking some of 'Hammock' into my crease as a transition shade, before sweeping 'Miami Sunrise' all over my lid, packing on 'Tranquility' into my outer corner and finishing things up with a touch of 'Champagne Cocktail' in my inner corner to add some extra glow and glitz. I love the finished look and feel like the shades are very interchangeable and can be easily switched up on an everyday basis to create various looks that are all slightly different, but still in the same pretty, bronzey, rose gold-type family. If I had to make any small, tiny 'complaint' it would be that I would love if perhaps the shade 'Tranquility' was a matte, as I feel like the addition of another shimmer-free formula would be perfect to give even more versatility to the palette and I also think an almost brick-toned red would look stunning paired with the rosey shimmers. But nevertheless, I still give this palette a big thumbs up and would highly recommend if you're just as into your warm, coppery tones as I am - you check this beauty out. Then, moving onto the 'My Escape' Palette which, as the metallic green packaging suggests, contains more green-y, knaki, olive tones. This claims toNow, I was very excited for both of these palettes, but I was a little more so with this one as not only do I have nothing like it already in my collection, but you generally never tend to see green-y eyeshadows on the market - especially at a drugstore, affordable pricepoint. I have seen these kind of tones being used in the past and have always fancied giving it a go so I took this palette as my perfect opportunity. Inside here you get, again four shades - 'New Perspective' (an icy, champagne), 'Wild Jungle' (a stunning, olive green with fine gold flecks), 'Tree Tops' (a matte khaki-toned shade) and 'Master Plan' (another matte - this time, a slightly purple-toned brown). All in all, very different shades to what I already have and tend to use and you know what? They are bloomin' awesome. I really love the everyday-friendly tones of 'My Paradise', but I also really love how different and yet still very accessible this palette is too. I was a little apprehensive at first when trying it out, but it was actually very easy to create a slightly more 'out there' look that was still very wearable at the same time. It's definitely more cool-toned, the shades aren't at all grey or ashy. Personally, I love using the star of the show (in my opinion), 'Wild Jungle' packed all-over the lid, before taking some of  'Tree Tops' to deepen things up slightly in the crease and outer corner and then using 'Master Plan' on a slightly smaller fluffy brush to add even more depth and definition  and then finally finishing things off with 'New Perspective' in the inner corner. It's all very easy and simple - yes, really - and the finished look is a gorgeous twist on a classic smokey eye. It's not overly green, green (as is usually the case with more muted khaki/olive tones) but if you wanted you could easily combine them with a more intensely green cream shadow or glitter to add a proper pop of colour. I feel like this will now become my go-to palette for special occasions, nights out or simply when I want to go hella smokey and dramatic with my eye makeup. Oh yeahhhh. So, all in all, as always with every other eyeshadow palette from Tanya Burr Cosmetics that I've tried - both of these are very much firmly approved by me. What a surprise, eh? For such an affordable price, you get four, equally-stunning shades that work to create a variety of different looks and every single colour is soft, easy to apply and blend, really darn pigmented and has little to no fallout and lasts all day with no fading. I love how the quad really simplifies things down into the shades you actually need and makes them great for travel or popping in your makeup bag for on-the-go and I also love both of the colour themes that Tanya has chosen to add to her range. They both seem to fill a certain void that was present in her pre-existing collection and I really cannot wait to get using them even more. They will basically be all I want to wear on my eyes for a good while, I can already tell

Then, the second and last product that completes this capsule collection is the addition of two new lipstick hues to the line of lipsticks that the brand launched towards the end of last year. I picked up a couple of the shades back then and was hugely impressed by them, so when I saw there was another couple of hues being added in to the range, I knew I had to pick them up. The Tanya Burr Cosmetics Lipsticks retail for £6.99 each and claim to be 'richly pigmented and deliver a silky smooth finish' while being 'enriched with Vitamin E and feeling beautifully soft and moisturising to wear' and I definitely agree with all of those points. They are very much a classic, 'traditional' lipstick - even down to the scent - and unlike most of the lip products coming out right now, go against the grain and instead offer a more creamy, sheeney finish that feels very comfortable and hydrating on the ol' lips. As I said earlier, the pinky, brown-toned nude 'Pink Cocoa' has fast become one of my favourite nude lipsticks and so when I spotted that those two new colours slotted in to that colour spectrum, I was even more eager to pick them up. They are 'Sunday Walk' (a rosey pink) and 'Bear Hug' (a warm, peach nude) and they are both stunning. I feel like this collection was very well thought-out as as soon as I tried these, after I'd already given the two new palettes a go, I instantly felt like I understood what the range was all about. The pinky tones of 'Sunday Walk' just scream out to be paired with the rose gold colouring of 'My Paradise', while the pretty peachy tones of 'Bear Hug' just looks perfect to be used alongside the green shades in 'My Escape'. It could easily be swapped around too, but personally I think those duos stand out as awesome combinations. You never know, that may not have been intentional, but I've got as sneaky feeling it probably was. Very clever indeed. As for the lipsticks themselves, I am in love with them. While they are part of the same line, I actually find these to be an even better formula. They're just as creamy, smooth and moisturising but I find them to be even more pigmented and the consistency to more creamy rather than glossy. I don;t know whether the formula has been changed.improved or whether it's just me going a little cray cray, but whatever way - these are great. The colours are stunning - I find them both to look great once applied and I can imagine them to be pretty universally appealing and flattering too. They're very wearable but actually stand out as unique to any other lipsticks (at least in bullet form) that I already own. I know, I know - nude lipsticks are generally identical to one another - but I really can't find exact dupes for these in my stash. The bright, yet still slightly muted pink tone of 'Sunday Walk' gives a pop of colour but with a nude effect at the same time and 'Bear Hug' is much more straight-up peachy than the other orangey nudes that I own that I find to be more brown-based. if you already have a lot of nudes (of the lipstick kind, obvs) in your stash, don't feel putt off to try these colours out as you may be surprised...

So, overall I think we can all conclude on my thought on the newest drop from Tanya Burr Cosmetics pretty darn easily. Once again, they've knocked it out of the park and delivered yet more products that are amazing quality, for an equally-amazing price. Like I said, I had a pretty good idea that I'd fall in love with them as I already own and love a fair few of the other eye palettes and lipsticks but if you are a #TBurrCosmetics newbie and are unsure of whether to make the jump - do it. You seriously won't regret it. 

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