This Summer's Red Hot Palette

Maybelline New York’s “The Burgundy Bar” Palette was first mentioned on Instagram almost a year ago with limited availability. It was first marketed in select European areas and has just become a product that I could go to the local Wal-Mart and buy.

For reference, I was not able to find this product at Ulta or Target in my area. If you’ve had trouble finding this product, Maybelline has a tool on their website that will help with the search. Another great option, if you’re worried about limited supplies, is to utilize Wal-Mart’s Pick-Up option.

Of course, this product was available online weeks ago, but I am very hesitant about purchasing makeup online. I was looking at the palette on Amazon and the number of people that received a broken product was outrageous. I decided to wait until I could physically hold it!

I was very excited to buy this product due to the amount of promotion I’ve seen on social media. I’ve also completely fallen in love with the red look. It’s extremely flattering in my opinion and something that is easy to create.

I paid $9.98 USD plus tax for this product. This price is pretty standard for Maybelline palettes. I remember roughly paying the same amount for The Nudes, The Blushed Nudes, and The 24K Nudes. I think I paid a little bit more for the Lemonade Craze Palette, but it was no more than a dollar difference.

I will add that if you are in the habit of buying Maybelline products from Ulta Beauty, you are always going to be paying more. I typically buy from Wal-Mart because they have the best deals.

The Burgundy Bar has a few differences compared to former palettes. The first difference is its matte top. In my opinion, it makes it look cheap. That being said, it really doesn’t take away from the packaging. That’s just a matter of opinion. The Burgundy Bar also has a different pan size.

I’m not exactly sure if this means it has more product or not, but I did check the information on the back and found that unlike its sister palettes that had a “9.6 g/0.34 oz” weight, The Burgundy Bar is working with a “0.33 oz/9.6 g” weight. So, they’re pretty much the same as they’ve always been.

The biggest difference is the applicator. In the past, Maybelline’s applicators have been pretty standard: a long version of the foam piece you usually lose the second you open the palette.

I was looking forward to using the new and improved applicator.

Now, I wasn’t expecting a high-end brush. It’s a $10 palette. Although, I will say that initially, I was disappointed with how small it was. Still, I knew what I was paying for. Overall, it’s decent. It’s better than anything I’ve ever gotten before.

The brush is soft and definitely something that could be used for blending in a jam. That being said, I’m still going to use my own brushes.

The Burgundy Bar was advertised as 10 shimmery shadows and two matte shadows. If you love matte shadows, this might have been a disappointment. I know that I’m not really big on doing my crease with shimmery shadows, but that’s my preference. The matte colors that were included in this palette are pretty standard.

Light brown and dark brown.

Those are essentially the colors I use, anyway, so I’m not exactly devastated that there weren’t 4-6 matte colors. I would rather have shimmery shadows in this specific palette than a bunch of colors I will never use.

Maybelline did not disappoint with their exceptional gold pigments. I thought they were outstanding and something I will really use. I bought this palette with the idea that I would love the reds, but I walked away loving the neutral tones more.

Don't get me wrong, the reds are also very beautiful. They go on smoothly, and my brush picks them up so easily. I’m not having to constantly go back in to get more product, so that’s great!

I don’t think this is the best product I’ve bought all summer, although it does come pretty close. It’s not really a must-have, but if you’re looking to dabble in the red look that so many other people are, it’s a fantastic choice!

If I could change anything about it, I would say that it needs at least one additional matte shadow. I would recommend a white base color rather than the white shimmery shadow that is in the palette.