BURBERRY GOLD GLOW FRAGRANCED LUMINISING POWDER IN GOLD (NO. 01) FOR HOLIDAY 2014

As you can see below, the compact itself is in the limited edition, very festive, gold packaging - even the outer box packaging does too. :)  The compact lid is covered in the iconic Burberry check as usual and underneath the lid is a handy mirror.

Below: the product description label on the bottom of the compact.

The powder comes with a really good, flat brush with natural bristles.  It's very dense and soft.  While the thin shape would work great for precise application, I feel it's a bit too dense and picks up far too much product.  I will still however, keep this brush for contouring or blending out products on the face.

Below the brush tip.

Below: the luminising powder itself which is embossed with the My Burberry fragrance logo on it.

Despite the name, Gold is not entirely gold.  It's a unique greige (grey-beige) highlighter with gold iridescence.  When applied, it gives the skin a close to white illumination as if the light is being shone on your skin so it does look natural, but by no means is it a subtle highlighter due to the gold shimmers it also has.  The shimmers can only be seen up close and at certain angles.  So, this highlighter is not as refined as the Chanel highlighters or the Burberry Fresh Glow Powder in Nude Radiance (No. 01).  The latter for instance offers luminescence without shimmers so it can be used not just on the high points of the face, but with a big, fluffy (not so dense) brush and applied all over the face very lightly as a finishing glowing touch.  Gold, on the other hand, is best used on specific high points of the face only.  It is versatile such that you can apply it very light-handedly for day-wear or build it up for the evening or a special festive occasion.

The texture is fine and smooth, but I found it a bit dry and hard to be used with a clean finger which I often do with highlighters (and a lot of other products actually - cream or powder!).  It's best used with a highlighting brush, small tapered brush or a fluffy eye blending brush for precise application in the high points of the face.  I find the Rae Morris Deluxe Pro Blender (#6) brush is perfect for this highlighter.  As mentioned, I don't recommend you use the dense brush provided as it will apply too heavily.  With the right tools, the powder is very easy to apply and blend.

Below are swatches applied on my current medium to tanned, olive skin tone (photographed indoors under artificial lighting and using a strobe).

I'm not too fussed about the fragrance - it's nice, but not one I would personally buy a bottle of for myself.  It's a complete unnecessary indulgence for a highlighter.  After all, I can't really enjoy the scent at all if it's applied sparingly on my face.  I feel like it probably would have made more sense to integrate the scent with a face powder where you can experience the fragrance more.  A lot of luxury brands like Guerlain do tend to have fragrances in their makeup products so it's not new.  Still...while it's a way for Burberry to market their new fragrance, it does make the palette that extra bit special. ;)