Beauty Review: Revlon Berry in Love Palette

Recently my mother and I had quite a stash of CVS ExtraBucks, so I asked her to pick me up a makeup palette to try on her next shopping trip. Since I tend to get rid of old makeup in January and have been interested in experimenting a little, I thought a palette would be an easy, compact way of trying new colors and combinations. Also, all of my makeup is currently in little individual pots and pans, so it's a lot easier just to grab one palette when going out than a bunch of separate items!

The Revlon "Berry in Love" palette my mother picked is especially convenient, since it contains eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick all in one. It even comes with a double-sided sponge applicator, a blush brush, and a teensy-tiny lip brush, so theoretically you have everything you need to apply the products at hand--I say theoretically because I damaged the lip brush trying to get the plastic cover back on it! I'd probably opt to use my own brushes anyway, since I prefer applying eyeshadow with a bristle brush instead of a sponge applicator.

The palette has one blush, six eyeshadows, and four lip colors, two of which are lipsticks and two of which are glosses. I absolutely love the colors, which are surprisingly varied for a palette dubbed "Berry": the blush is a perfect peachy-pink, the eyeshadows come in a range of pinks, browns, and greys, and the lip colors are classic shades of pink, rose, red, and berry. All of the shadows are shimmery without being overwhelmingly glittery, and have pretty pink and purple undertones. The blush has a natural hue and a very subtle sheen, and works well for both day and night. Both the lip glosses are sheer, with the light pink adding just a hint of shimmer and the rose adding a soft flush of color. The lipsticks have a creamy, moisturizing feel and buildable coverage, so you can apply them lightly or more intensely depending on your taste. The whole palette has a mild vanilla scent, which is most noticeable in the lip colors.

I really like this palette and think it will be especially great for creating winter and evening looks, with its combination of frosty eyeshadows and berry-pink lip shades. All of the colors complement each other beautifully, which makes mixing and matching shades foolproof. And since I'm interested in creating dressier looks but am a little shy of intense colors, I appreciate the fact that even the darker eyeshadows and lip colors can be applied softly. For those who would prefer different hues, the palette also comes in a warmer "Romantic Nudes" colorway and a dramatic "Seductive Smokies" set.