Their love was forbidden, but they could no longer deny their passion.
By day, they sat across counters from one another, so close but yet so far, sneaking glances here and there whenever no one was looking. But at night, after the store lights dimmed and while the other eyeshadows slept peacefully in their pans, MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Sweet Satisfaction would sneak over to the NARS counter to meet Cyprus Eyeshadow, her one true love.
It was a clandestine affair, and it continued until Sweet Satisfaction started showing signs of a telltale bump…
Knowing that their families would never accept their cross-counter love, they boldly left the worlds they knew and sought refuge in a place called Burberry Beauty.
Burberry Beauty’s family had only settled the region in July of 2010. They did not yet have a competitive wall like the older, more established lines, but they greeted Sweet Satisfaction and Cyprus with open arms, making them feel at home.
Several months passed, and then, in the spring of 2012, Sweet Satisfaction gave birth.
She and Cyprus decided to raise the lovechild as a member of the Burberry Beauty clan, dressing the little one in Burberry Beauty’s distinctive family garb — a gunmetal case with a check pattern — and when they asked the Burberry elders to christen her, they agreed.
They named her Sheer Eye Shadow in Pale Barley No. 22 ($29) and added her to the spring/summer 2012 collection.
Burberry Beauty Sheer Eye Shadow in Barley No. 22, a new shade from the spring/summer 2012 collection
From the left: MAC Sweet Satisfaction, Burberry Beauty Pale Barley and NARS Cyprus
Swatches from the left: MAC Sweet Satisfaction, Burberry Beauty Pale Barley and NARS Cyprus
Wearing Pale Barley on my eyes
Wherever Barley went, other shadows marveled at her beauty and often asked about her parents. Her color perfectly combined MAC Sweet Satisfaction’s bronzed beige shimmer with NARS Cyprus’s shimmery bronzed taupe.
She was the offspring of two great shades, and in many ways, Barley received the best of both worlds. She displayed the soft, almost creamy texture of both the MAC Prolongwear and NARS eyeshadows, and, like her parents, refused to fall out. She also clung to lids all day long without creasing or fading.
At times, though, the other shadows would grow confused, especially when she introduced herself as “Sheer,” since her pigment was quite intense. With one layer, she could easily cover lids that were MAC NC42.
Eventually, she found fame, gaining popularity among women seeking an easy-to-blend bronzed beige eyeshadow with a touch of taupe, and when she graduated from school, she was even nominated, “Most Likely to Be Worn By Angelina Jolie to a Fundraising Benefit.” 🙂
PRICE: $29
AVAILABILITY: Available now at select Nordstrom stores and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A
Mortal enemies!
This was the first day in two weeks that Tabs didn’t scratch at the mattress first thing in the morning, huzzah!
I picked up a water bottle from Target last weekend ($2 from the section with all of the travel-sized thingies like toothpaste, etc.), filled it with water before bed, and set it on the floor next to me. Then, yesterday, when Tabs started clawing at 5, I grabbed it with a quickness and fired off a few quick rounds.
I’m not sure if it was the water that spooked him or just the shock of me moving as quickly as I did, but either way, it seems to have worked, at least for one day. No more tabby claws ruining the bed.
Thanks for the idea! I just hope he remembers the lesson… Tabs is cute and all, but he’s not exactly gonna make it to the end of Cat Jeopardy, if you catch my drift.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Muahaahaahahhahaha! A great love story! 😉
I have Burberry Almond no.6, but I find it to be a bit on the darker side….. This is perfect!
Thanks, Vonvon!
Such a pretty shade for a one shadow look 🙂
Don’t you just love those one-shadow eye looks? 🙂
The way you write your posts are just awesome – so creative and new and I love it. You just make it so much more fun to read, what with posts like this – also the “neutral eyeshadow club” one and the jeopardy one! I love your creativity, Karen.
Thanks, Blue. 🙂 I try!
This is a really great shade! Such a nuanced neutral!
Oh yeah, I forgot about the squirting trick! Glad it worked for you! No more clawing tabby at 5AM!
Watch out, kitties! 😉
One thing I LOVE about Burberry’s shadows is, they’re almost twice the size of a regular eyeshadow! Most eyeshadows are .05 oz, but Burberry’s are .08 oz. It makes the $29 price tag seem a lot more reasonable, especially when you know you’re going to use it often 😀
Right? I was trying to decide between a Burberry eyeshadow and a NARS one once, then I saw that the Burberry was only $3 more but you get a lot more! I knew what I had to do, and I’ve been hooked since then haha.
I still love both. NARS has a lot of crazy colors you wouldn’t find at Burberry!
Yes! For neutrals that you can wear everyday it makes sense!
You are so talented! Your posts are the best!!
Thanks, Silka! 🙂
I love these neutral shades because they all seem to have a touch of taupe in them. Sooooo gorgeous. I need all 3 ASAP, but out of your swatches, Pale Barley is my favorite. <3
They’re all beautiful! You can’t go wrong with any of those colors.
I love this story! And you are making me want Sweet Satisfaction. If I get it, it’ll be my billionth neutral e/s….
Today was my first Writing Workshop class! It wasn’t so bad. I just might survive this semester. 🙂
Oh, cool! What is the writing workshop about?
another stellar entry, Karen! 🙂
i know it hurts to spritz our furkids, but its for their own good!
this eyeshadow is gorgeous!
Thanks, Nina!
Have your kitties been behaving? I hope they haven’t gotten into any three-way fights lately!
i think they have been ignoring each other lately … which is something i am very happy about! 🙂
I didn’t realize there was so much cat politics between them! Is LOL stirring up the pot?
Anja is very prickly and doesnt like being disturbed …. 😀 so its mostly her!
Ahh, she sounds like a diva. Gotta love ’em, even when they’re acting crazy. 🙂
Sometimes I think Tabs needs a kitty friend, but then I think about the fights… He’s very territorial, and I’m pretty sure it would take a long time to broker peace between him and a new cat.
I just got this and loooooove it. It is a bit too warm for me, but I don’t care. It is such a lovely, glowy neutral.
Glad you are enjoying it. Did you end up getting anything else from Burberry, Steph?
Nope. This was my first.
They’ve got some really beautiful blushes. The Lip Mists Lipsticks and Lip Glow Glosses are really nice too.
Love your writting style karen! Cant wait for your novel.
One of these days I’ll get around to writing one…
Happy Wednesday!
this post is amazing
Thanks, Julliah!
I had two cats who unfortunately passed away in the last 2 years with cancer. I ended up adopting another one that I was fostering. The water bottle worked with all 3 of them wonderfully.
Enter my new foster cat from hell. It worked for him for a week. Then it became a game! I would squirt him when I climbed on the dresser in the bedroom and for the first week, he would run away and let me get back to sleep. Then he started going back a second time and I would squirt him again. Then it got to the point where I was squirting him 5+ times.
Finally I gave up. No more squirting. How did he respond? He started going up on the dresser and MEOWING to let me know that he was up there!!!
Hopefully Tabs will learn from the lessons and not end up loving them. 🙂
I meant when he climbed into the dresser, not when I climbed on it. I guess I should have proofread it. Oops.
Oh, what a funny guy! I’ve heard that some cats really love water… your foster kitty sounds like he has a LOT of personality. 🙂
I have a feeling Tabs will respond well to the water bottle. He hates water!
I just purchased this little beauty too. I love it!! It’s my new favorite shadow. I found it similar to Benefit’s Fawn Over Me eyeshadow, except slightly more bronze. It’s also smaller and more expensive, but still totally worth it.
Hi Melissa,
Good to know this is similar to Fawn Over Me! I think I have that around here somewhere…
We trained our first ca so well with the water bottle that we were able to just say “pssht pssht pssht” (make a water-bottle-spraying-noise) to punish him.
I loved seeing the pictures of your kitties, Nekosan. 🙂 Your fur family is beautiful! I especially love the Finder’s expressions!
lol! I love this post…your writing is inspirational to me : )
Thanks, Kendra! What do you think of the eyeshadow?
Beautiful post! (and eyeshadow 🙂
I am going Burberry crazy lately. Just ordered a boatload of stuff online last night. And i received my haul i ordered a week ago. My other makeup brands are now giving me the side-eye because they think i am playing favorites…. lol
Love this line..
Great review Karen… 🙂
Ha! You said “side-eye”! I love that expression! Oh and to stay on topic I totally want this shadow! 😉
The burberry is pretty but you’ve just sold me that MAC shade. I love it!
Looking at the swatch I wouldn’t have thought it would show up on me but if it shows up on NC42, It’ll show up on my NC40 self too!
My three favorite things about this post are the beautiful shadow, the excellent origin story and the cat jeopardy comment. In reverse, of course. I laughed audibly, but quickly recovered with “aw, Tabs, but you’re still handsome”. 🙂
Pale Barley is a gorgeous neutral. There are never too many neturals for me. Interesting post:)