The British heritage brand has certainly gone up and down in the fashion books in the last few years. In the early 2000s Burberry’s distinctive tartan pattern was spotted on all sorts of decidedly unfashionable items, from baseball caps to doggie raincoats. You could find copies on market stalls and reality TV stars (and I’m not talking MIC) dressed in head to toe check. Desirable it was not. Then in came Christopher Bailey and Angela Ahrendts (now at Apple) who took back control of the brand. Out went the in-your-face checks to focus once again on what made Burberry famous all those years ago: the trench coat. Combine that with showcasing emerging British artists and a forward-thinking approach to digital and Burberry was once again a luxury stalwart. In 2010 I was working for the company that launched the brand’s makeup range in the UK, and I fell in love with the high performing textures and beautiful packaging. Here are some of the products I still use.

Eye Colour Silk – Pale Barley No.102

Eyeshadow can feel like a bit of a faff, ensuring the shade matches your skintone, eye colour, doesn’t look dated, doesn’t set into the eye crease, doesn’t slide off your lids, NO DON’T RUB YOUR EYES! In my twenties I had a lot of fun with eyeshadow, flirting with every colour from turquoise (so summery) and fuchsia (a conversation starter) to orange (made my blue eyes pop) and yellow (that was a mistake, I looked ill). But now with a toddler in tow I need a goes-with-everything option if I’m even going to attempt eyeshadow, and this Burberry gem hits the spot. Pale Barley is a soft beige with a hint of shimmer, it defines the eye area for a groomed finish. Made in Italy, this silky smooth blendable powder formula comes with a mirror and sponge applicator. And if you rub your eyes, as I do after spending hours in front of the laptop, at least it can end up anywhere on your face without looking too obvious.

Complete Eye Palette – Plum Pink No.06

The eye palette is my favourite Burberry makeup product. The metallic compact decorated with the brand’s classic tartan pattern is encased in a black velvet pouch and opens to reveal 4 shades which are perfect for creating a luxurious smokey eye with zero goth vibes:

• a light pinky shimmery nude to highlight

• a beigy mauve which can be used over the entire lid

• a dark purple (my favourite) to use in the crease, on the outer part of the lid and along the lower lash line

• a dark taupe which is supposed to be used as a liner, but I tend to finish off with a black pencil instead

The eye palette also includes 3 handy little brushes for different applications:

• a sponge applicator to press the colour into skin

• a slant tip brush which is great at picking up pigment and applying a precise line of the purple shade along the lashline

• a blending brush, probably my least favourite of the brushes as it takes a while to blend in the shades

When it comes to smokey eyes I’m not a pro but this Burberry eye palette is surprisingly easy to use, with a high quality formula and all the tools you need for a beautiful result.

Nail Polish – Stone No.104

This nail polish is the perfect nude if you prefer beige rather than pink tones. Inspired by the British weather (you don’t say) and the brand’s iconic trench coat, Stone (an elegant way to say beige) makes for great office wear. The application is super easy and a couple of coats will provide you with great colour saturation and coverage. The formula is 3 free (no Toluene, DBP or formaldehyde) which most brands achieve nowadays – you can find out more about this in my post on Organic Glam’s nail lacquers. Burberry’s nail polishes are made in Luxembourg – I didn’t even know Luxembourg had any manufacturing capabilities to speak of. Do they have the space? Such a small country… nail polishes are small too though. These retail at £15.00 for a 8ml bottle which I use up pretty fast, probably because all their shades are so wearable I reach for them every time I’m after a fail safe option.

Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base – Golden Radiance No.02

I’ll admit the Golden Radiance shade looks completely wrong for my skin tone. I had images of Christina Aguilera’s mahogany complexion from her Dirrty days. I’m not the most confident with a fake tan so it took seeing the result on a colleague to take the plunge and give it a go. I would stay clear from it in the winter when my skin is at its palest, but to warm a summer tan it’s perfect. Burberry recommend several uses for the Fresh Glow including wearing under foundation to illuminate, blending with eyeshadow for transparency and using as a highlighter. I like to mix it with a light liquid foundation and apply after moisturiser for a dewy light-reflecting result. It’ll need some diligent blending around the hair and jawline to avoid any streaks and you’ll need a heavier weight foundation to camouflage any serious blemishes, but as a light, skin-illuminating tinted moisturiser Fresh Glow is a great summer makeup tool. You can take a tour of Europe with Burberry’s makeup products – this one is made in France.

Brit Rhythm Eau de Toilette

OK so not a makeup product but if you fancy sharing the Burberry love with your partner, Brit Rhythm is a warm woody eau de toilette with notes of leather and cedar wood. Grown up, distinctive, subtle – exactly how I like them… but if you’d rather discover a scent for you then check out my fragrance review. For some reason Burberry Beauty and this fragrance seem to have disappeared from the high street, however you can still get the 90ml bottle directly from Burberry’s website at £63.00.

Have you tried any Burberry beauty products? Which are your favourites? Leave a comment below to let me know.