Product Review -- Maybelline Lemonade Craze Eyeshadow Palette and Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette

A year or two ago, Maybelline revamped the formula that they use for their eyeshadow palettes.

The shadows became a whole lot softer and creamier, which certainly made them easier to work with, and while they aren't always the most pigmented, they're usually buildable so you can get a very pretty look with them.

So while I wasn't crazy about the Nudes or Blushed Nudes Palettes that I tried a few years back, the more recent City Mini Palettes were a big improvement.

Which is why I couldn't resist the new Lemonade Craze and Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palettes when they came out.

The color schemes positively screamed my name, and since I knew the formula to be better, they both seemed like a safe bet.

The Lemonade Craze Eyeshadow Palette is the perfect palette for summer -- there are shimmery bronze-y neutral, bright pops of color, and soft peach tones too.

The palette comes in a square plastic compact, and is sort of divided into four little trios, though you can obviously mix and match all the shades. If you need inspiration, though, Maybelline offers three look ideas on the back of the palette.

Maybelline Lemonade Craze Palette

The shades include: Sherbet, a matte pinky beige; Berry Ice, a matte soft pink; Strawberry Lemonade, a metallic pinky peach; Sunnies, a matte ivory; Lemonade Craze, a matte mid-tone yellow; Main Squeeze, a shimmery sheer gold; Citrus, a metallic coppery peach; Ice Pop, a matte hot pink; Old Fashioned, a matte deep brown; Coral Punch, a matte bright coral; Sugar Coated, a shimmery copper bronze; and Sweet Tea, a matte mid-tone brown.

From l. to r.: Sherbet, Berry Ice, Sunnies, Main Squeeze, Strawberry Lemonade, Lemonade Craze

From l. to r.: Citrus, Ice Pop, Coral Punch, Sweet Tea, Old Fashioned, Sugar Coated

The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette also comes in a plastic compact but it's rectangular in shape like the Nudes, Blushed Nudes, Rock Nudes, and 24k Nudes Palettes. It contains 12 shades, but they're not named, which is a bit annoying.

Maybelline Burgundy Bar

The range is heavy on the burgundy and berry tones, with some gold, bronze, and brown shades thrown in for good measure. Maybelline suggests three looks with the palette on the back just like with the Lemonade Craze Palette.

Maybelline Burgundy Bar Palette

Maybelline Burgundy Bar Palette

Maybelline Burgundy Bar Palette

The formula for both palettes seems to be the same as that found in the City Mini Palettes -- most of the shadows are nicely pigmented (though one or two are a little sheer), and they are extremely soft. They have a creamy texture, so they don't kick up a lot of product or produce much fallout.

I've created a bunch of looks that I've liked with each palette, but I ran into the same problem with them that I did with the City Mini Palettes -- the shadows are so soft that almost blend too readily, which can cause the shadows to look a little muddy.

The Burgundy Bar Palette seems to be particularly troublesome in this regard because the shades are all very similar in depth -- mid-tone to deep -- so there isn't enough contrast to really create a sharp shadow look.

I'm not saying these palettes are bad, though -- I think if you're willing to be a little bit patient and blend carefully, you can achieve some really nice looks.

The Lemonade Craze Palette retails for about $11 and the Burgundy Bar Palette for $12 anywhere that Maybelline products are sold. But the good news is that you may be able to get them BOGO-1/2 off when Maybelline is on sale.

Have you tried the Lemonade Craze Eyeshadow Palette and/or the Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette? Are you a fan?