Charlotte Tilbury has a new Beauty Filter Collection with her Bigger Brighter Eyes launch. In this collection she has two new limited-edition eyeshadow palettes called Exaggereyes and Transformeyes ($53 each for 5.2 g/0.18 oz) and a new mascara called Legendary Lashes Volume 2 in Black Vinyl ($32 for 8 ml/0.27 fl oz). The items launched early online at Charlotte Tilbury but are now available at Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman. I ordered everything sight unseen and when I opened the boxes my heart sank a little. Even though I’m a neutral shadow lover, the colors looked very boring and fairly basic to me, but I’m happy to report that upon swatching and testing – the palettes turned out to be a lot prettier on the eyes than I had anticipated!
The two eyeshadow quads are part of her Beauty Filters collection because the palettes have been designed to create the illusion of wider and brighter looking eyes. I was skeptical that the shades could be that good but they do just that. At first glance the colors look really dupeable. I think they can be, but the undertone, texture and pigment have the perfect amount of neutral + warmth to naturally enhance the eyes. It’s rare that a quad has all colors covered for me – I usually need to add at least one shade to warm up the look or add depth. These do everything I need for an eye look with the exception of liner + mascara.
Exaggereyes is the more neutral rose gold option. It swatched a lot warmer than I thought it would based on what I saw in the pan. It’s warm but not too warm. Colors include a pale warm champagne, shimmering tan rose, sheer sparkling silver mauve and warm tan rose brown.
Transformeyes has a warm gold shimmer, warm copper, matte warm red brown and matte deep brown. I thought this would be way too warm for my complexion but it’s a lot more wearable than it looks in the pan.
Swatches:
Eye look with the Exaggereyes Palette. Also wearing:
- NARS All Day Luminous Foundation in Stromboli + Barcelona mixed
- MAC Next to Nothing Pressed Powder in Medium Plus (review here)
- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra (review here)
- Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush in Tender Rose (all shades here)
A few sets of swatch comparisons, first to Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quads in Seductive Rose, Orchid Haze and Honeymoon:
I didn’t have time to photograph all the palettes below but did do some more swatching to compare. Transformeyes also next to Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat Eyeshadow Palette (review here), Pat McGrath Bronze Ambition (also reviewed here):
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Glow Palette (eyes, look on the face here) vs. Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita vs. a custom made Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow Quad with Sateen, Amber, Golden Copper and Chocolate:
The Legendary Lashes Volume 2 is the best mascara she has launched to date. I’ve liked both of her formulas for the color, but they didn’t hold the curl. This one thickens and volumizes and holds the curl a little bit better. It’s still not as good as some others like Stila Huge Lash, L’Oreal Lash Paradise, Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme or Chantecaille’s Faux Cils but I think it’s good because it didn’t smudge or flake on me.
Overall lots of love. Lasting power is excellent, pigment is smooth and easy to build, colors are perfect for everyday wear. They’re also versatile enough to wear with any lip/cheek combination! You may want to shop your stash if you already own a lot of neutrals. The colors are similar to other brands out there. Still I find them excellent just as they are. No tweaking required for me. I rarely do backups anymore, but both of these are so perfect for me I just ordered backups.
You can find the collection available now online at Charlotte Tilbury, Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman. Everything is limited-edition. There is also supposed to be a Part 2 of her Beauty Filters Collection focused on lips and cheeks coming out later in the spring. Will keep you posted as I find out more!
Are these on your radar? What’s your current go-to neutral everyday eyeshadow palette?