If you’re like me and are obsessed with neutral lipsticks and glosses, you might be very curious about the Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipsticks and Lip Lustres. The line is currently available at select counters and stores right now so you may not have easy access to the line. Buying nudes lip colors sight unseen can be a bit risky – not all nudes are wearable and everyone has a different definition of what they consider nude or neutral. I ordered Bitch Perfect, Nude Kate, Blondie and Sweet Stiletto sight unseen last August. I was really pleased with these but wanted to wait to see the rest of the colors in person before ordering more. In October, I was thrilled to be able to attend the Charlotte Tilbury Nordstrom launch at The Grove last year and took that time to look at all the nudes in person. They all looked phenomenal and I made a wish list. Even after seeing them all in person it took me a few weeks to decide whether or not to jump and purchase more (after all I have enough nude lipsticks to last multiple lifetimes).
Today I have six of the K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipsticks and five of the Lip Lustres to share with you. All of them swatched side by side to show you the differences and similarities with comparisons and photos of how they look on my lips.
First up are the neutral K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipsticks ($32 each). Left to right is Nude Kate, Hepburn Honey, Penelope Pink, Bitch Perfect, Confession and Stoned Rose. All of these lean neutral or on the warm side which I think make them easier to wear and more naturally flattering on the skin. Some of them look remarkably similar in the tubes side by side. I’ll add my descriptions on the differences below. With the exception of Confession, all are permanent and have cream finishes (without shimmer). These are high in pigment and full coverage. Fragrance wise there is a very soft nice vanilla scent, it fades after a minute. They have a creamy finish with a slight sheen. Lasting power is quite good and the colors adhere really nicely to the lips. Due to the pigment, I do think you need to have a well-prepped lip before applying otherwise they will emphasize lip lines. While they aren’t really moisturizing, they do have a nice cushiony feel and I was happy to find that they did not dry out my lips. For recs on lip prep, check out this post Lip Primers and Lip Balms in Rotation.
Nude Kate is a flesh-toned beige nude cream, this for me is a true nude
Hepburn Honey is a honey-toned neutral nude beige
Penelope Pink is a pink-nude beige, leaning more pink than Nude Kate
Bitch Perfect is a pinky-peachy medium pink neutral
Confession is a medium rose-nude with golden shimmer
Stoned Rose is a warm almost terra-cotta nude rose cream
Swatch comparisons to other neutrals below:
Tom Ford Lip Color in Nude Vanille
Tom Ford Lip Color Sable Smoke (review)
Tom Ford Lip Color Pink Dusk (lip swatch)
Tom Ford Lip Color Indian Rose (lip swatch)
Lipstick Queen Silver Screen You Kid (review)
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Barbara and Brigette (review)
Tom Ford Lips & Boys in Flynn (review)
Lipstick Queen Sinner Lipstick in Pinky Nude (swatch)
The Lip Lustres Lip Lacquers ($22 each) range from creams to sheers to shimmers to sparkles. Out of all the neutrals, I don’t own Bardot Beige or Portobello Girl, but here are the ones I do own. The coverage is sheer to medium on these. I find them pigmented enough to wear alone, but for the shimmers I think they work best layered over other lipsticks to add dimension and shine. They are a bit sticky but not tacky. I really love these glosses.
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds is a sparkling light beige nude pink
Seduction is a creamy beige nude cream
Ibiza Nights is a super sparkly sheer golden champagne
Blondie is a pink base with cool-toned champagne frost
Sweet Stiletto is medium warm neutral rose
High Society is a medium plummy color, it’s not a neutral/nude but I added it for comparison purposes below:
Comparisons below:
Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bare Baby (swatch mislabled)
Dolce & Gabbana Lip Gloss in Seduction
MAC Lipglass in Bijou (discontinued, review here)
Tom Ford Tawny Pink (discontinued)
NARS Lipgloss in Belize
Fresh Sugar Shine Treatment Honey (review)
NARS Lipgloss in Dolce Vita (review)
I hope you found this roundup and swatch lineup helpful, especially if you can’t see the Charlotte Tilbury beauty line in person before purchasing. For the lipsticks, I hate to say this, but I think every single one is perfection for a neutral lip. I think Nude Kate is the truest nude in the sense that it is a flesh-toned nude. I was worried it would be too pale but it has enough color to not wash out the complexion. That being said, I think Hepburn Honey and Penelope Pink will be easier to wear for a nude color since there is more pigment and depth. If you want more color but still want something natural Bitch Perfect and Stoned Rose are good to look into.
For the Lip Lustres, your mileage may vary depending on what kind of gloss you are looking for. If you want a full coverage high pigment gloss, you might not like these. They have medium pigment and a natural shine which I find really flattering on the lips.
Have you tried Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty items yet? What are your
favorites? I’m still working my way through testing out items from the
line but so far I’ve really liked most of what I’ve tested. Would love
to hear about your favorites!
You can find Charlotte Tilbury online at Nordstrom, Beautylish, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-A-Porter, Selfridges and Charlotte Tilbury.
