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
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:
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!
Charlotte Tilbury’s holiday collection consists of a mix of new and previously released products for The Supermodel Look. She has a couple pre-made sets where you can purchase all the items in one kit for the entire look but you can also buy the items individually. I decided to purchase most of the items separately and have swatches and thoughts to share with you today.
Charlotte Tilbury’s collection is my favorite out of all the holiday releases. The colors and combination is quite stunning with the mix of a bronze-smokey eye and nude pink lips. Here are the items I ordered:
Fallen Angel Luxury Palette ($65, limited-edition) is a really pretty eyeshadow quad with a soft champagne, cool silvery mauve taupe, warm shimmery bronze and a satiny black. I previously compared this to Chanel’s Rêve D’Orient. I have a slight preference for the Chanel, but the Charlotte Tilbury is just as stunning and more cool-toned. I’ve been wearing this a lot and I like how easy it is to use. The four colors combined are pure genius and I like that you can wear this everyday but dress it up for evening. The texture is soft with a slightly creamy texture. The colors adhere well to the lids, blend nicely, layer really well and last long. I give it a huge thumbs up. I think it is different enough from the Chanel to justify both.
Sex on Fire Cheek to Chic Swish and Pop Blush ($40, permanent) is a luminous blush with a mix of beige and rose and tan. It has a lighter beige-pink on the outer rim with a darker tan-rose in the middle. I’ve accumulated several of Charlotte Tilbury’s blushes and have been really impressed. The texture is super soft with really good pigment. It glides on the skin nicely and layers well if you want more color. The way you are supposed to apply these is to take a brush and swish the outside lighter color and apply to the cheeks. Then take the inner darker color and pop some more color for added depth and pigment. I can’t always get my brush to just get the outside or inside color, so I like to swirl my brush in the entire compact before applying.
Confession K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick ($32, limited-edition) is the perfect color to get Kylie Jenner lips. It’s a good medium-toned nude pink with color. There is a slight hint of shimmer which prevents it from looking flat, but on my lips it’s primarily a cream. The coverage is full and the texture is very creamy. It is medium-to-thick which makes it adhere really well to the lips and I found it lasted quite long without any lipliner. I hope she considers making this permanent.
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Lip Lustre ($22, limited-edition) is a light neutral pink beige with silvery champagne shimmer. I really love this lip gloss. The color is the prettiest light pearly beige. It works well alone for me, although I think most people will prefer this one layered over a lipstick. It has a sheer to medium coverage that adds the prettiest shimmery nude sheen to the lips.
Pillowtalk Lip Cheat Lip Pencil ($22, permanent) is a rosy neutral lipliner that matches Confession lipstick. I’m not a lipliner wearer much these days but so many have raved about it I had to check it out. It’s a good long-lasting creamy shade that you can use to line and fill the lips for added volume.
More photos and swatches:
A few quick comparison swatches to some other Charlotte Tilbury nude lipsticks (a more detailed feature on all these shades to follow soon):
If you’re looking for one brand that will give you a complete look for the holiday or new year (or year round) the items in Charlotte Tilbury’s The Supermodel Look is a good one to check out. I researched reviews on a number of blogs before purchasing the items sight unseen and the shades look great on all different skin tones.
I like every single item in the collection and I think they are worth every penny. I could have skipped the lipliner since I rarely wear liners these days, but Pillowtalk is a good nude pink.
Do note the best items in the look are limited-edition. I would recommend ordering soon if you’re interested. The Confession Lipstick and Fallen Angel Quad have sold out numerous times on multiple sites but the good news is that many have restocked over the past week. You can find Charlotte Tilbury Beauty online at Nordstrom, Net-A-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman, Beautylish, Selfridges and Charlotte Tilbury.
Did you buy any of the holiday items from Charlotte Tilbury?
What was your favorite holiday collection this year?
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre Luxe Color-Lasting Lip Lacquers ($22 each) are high shine lip glosses that have a nice smooth finish with medium-pigment. I reviewed Blondie and Sweet Stiletto back in September and they’ve been regular go-to’s for natural color and shine. I’ve since picked up more colors. I went to the Charlotte Tilbury x Nordstrom Launch at The Grove in Los Angeles where I was able to play with the whole line in person.
The Lip Lustres I have accumulated include:
Blondie which is a shimmering champagne pink
Sweet Stiletto which is a warm medium pink
Seduction is a perfect nude beige cream
High Society is a pink rose with a hint of mauve
Ibiza Nights is a sparkling gold beige with tiny flecks of glitter
They are all really lovely colors. The ones I opted for were of course the natural shades. I find they have enough pigment to show up on the lips alone, but I really like these layered over her lip liner or lipsticks. Blondie is my personal favorite, followed by Ibiza Nights which has the prettiest sparkle. It has a tiny bit of glitter but it’s not in-your-face glitzy and has a really smooth texture. Seduction is nude perfection and Sweet Stiletto is a nice warmer pink. High Society is sheerer than I had hoped it would be, but it is layerable. It’s a nice warmer mauve but I prefer this one over a lipliner.
Lip swatches of the three newer shades I have (see Blondie and Sweet Stiletto here):
I’m overall really pleased with the glosses. I think the neutrals are well executed and have enough pigment to show up on the lips. The texture is nice and slightly sticky to adhere well to the lips, but they aren’t tacky and feel smooth. In terms of fragrance, there is a very subtle hint of vanilla but it fades after a few minutes.
Huge thumbs up and I highly recommend checking out Blondie. Do note that these seem to have been extremely popular, I’ve seen websites list some shades on back order multiple times, you may have to shop around if you want more than one color.
I’ve been playing with Charlotte Tilbury Beauty over the past month and have some items to share with you today. Included in today’s feature is a review on two of her eyeshadow quads, two shadow pencils, mascara and eyelash curler.
Colour Chameleon Color Morphing Eyeshadow Pencils in Champagne Diamonds and Amber Haze
I purchased two of the Eyeshadow Pencils in Amber Haze and Champagne Diamonds. These are creamy shadow pencils that set very quickly. I ordered mine sight unseen based on swatches I had seen on other blogs. They looked stunning online but I really should have read the reviews more closely. Amber Haze is a gorgeous warm shimmery copper brown. It applies very nicely on the eyes with super rich pigment. You do need to work with this one quickly because it sets (dries) very fast. When you apply these I recommend having all your brushes ready to blend right after you apply to smooth out harsh edges. Champagne Diamonds glitters like diamonds. This one didn’t work well for me, I found it too glittery and sparkly which made it extremely chunky/gritty feeling on my eyes. The base is pigmented if you pack the pencil on, but once blended it’s pretty sheer on me and all I saw was glitter.
________________________
Eyeshadow Quads in The Rock Chick and Uptown Girl
I ordered my quads from pre-made look sets. The Rock Chick is a smokey eye palette with a soft shimmery pale grey, a satiny medium grey, a deep matte charcoal and a glittery silvery shade. When I first saw these online I thought the glitter might be problematic for me and for all of those who prefer more conservative shadows. I was really surprised to find the glittery shade in The Rock Chick subtle enough to wear layered over the darkest shade for a pop of sparkle. The pigment of all the shadows is incredible, I was able to apply on the eyes and blend easily without any eye base required. The darkest matte charcoal color has a really good texture and allows you to get a good smokey eye. I did get some fall out when I applied the glitter on the face, but after it was applied to the eyes it stayed put.
For reference, the Rock Chick swatched next to Tom Ford’s discontinued She Wolf:
Uptown Girl is a cool-toned palette with a soft champagne shimmer, a lavender blue shimmer, a medium plum and a sparkling glittery pale pink. When I saw this one I suspected it might be too lavender/purple for me, but still wanted to give it a try. It’s a lovely palette but way out of my comfort zone with the purple tones. I definitely recommend you research swatches online on other blogs, purples tend to pull really purple on my skin while on others it might not look quite as blueish. The glitter in this one was a bit too much for me to wear comfortably but I suspect it was just the overall undertone of this palette I found too cool in general.
________________________
Full Fat Lashes Mascara and her Life Changing Lashes Eyelash Curler
Charlotte Tilbury’s Mascara currently comes in one shade. It’s called Full Fat Lashes Mascara. On my super straight short lashes this one defined nicely but unfortunately didn’t give much volume or hold curl. If you have thick lashes that only need a little bit of definition I think this will be a good one, but if you’re like me and need serious help with lashes, you might find this one too subtle. (My favorite mascaras here.)
Her eyelash curler comes in a rose gold color. I found it took a few uses to loosen the hinges (the first few times it seemed to stick when I pressed it together). It fits the curve of my eyes nicely so it doesn’t pinch the sides or edges. Her eyelash curler does indeed curl the lashes very nicely. I’m not sure I would call it life changing for me, I prefer Chanel’s and Le Metier de Beaute’s eyelash curlers for my eye shape and for better curling (see my reviews here). Still this is a very good lash curler. I took it with me on a recent weekend getaway and was really pleased with the way it worked.
________________________
Overall thoughts: I’m overall pleased with what I’ve tested from Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty line. I ordered all of my items sight unseen which many of you know can be hit or miss. Her quads are definitely worth a look even if you’re not a fan of glitter shadows. Had I been able to look at her line in person I probably would have skipped Uptown Girl and opted for one of the matte quads or something with warm tones. I really like The Rock Chick for a classic smokey eyeshadow palette. You can layer the colors for more intensity or blend them for something more subtle.
For her shadow pencils, Amber Haze is absolutely gorgeous although you do need to work very quickly with it. Once it sets it stays put like nothing else I’ve tried. Champagne Diamonds was a complete miss for me, but this is because I’m super picky when it comes to glitter in eyeshadows.
I can’t call her mascara a must-have for me – it came in two of the sets I bought otherwise I wouldn’t have purchased it (I gifted my second one to someone else to try).
Her eyelash curler is a nice to have but not must-have for me. I do believe finding the right lash curler depends on the shape of your eye and how deep-set they are. This one has a nice curve and is wide enough so it doesn’t pinch the corners of your eyes. For me, I do have others that I prefer but the Charlotte Tilbury version is still good.
Have you checked out Charlotte Tilbury’s line? What are your favorites? Or any other thoughts on anything you’ve tried and tested? I don’t have easy access to see the items in person so I’m living vicariously through those who have tested and swatched it.
Today I’m sharing the lip items I ordered from Charlotte Tilbury. The items I have were from a few of her curated look sets The Rock Chick and Uptown Girl. All of her products are available individually as well so I’ve separated my reviews by catetory. First up is the lips which are all neutrals:
K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Bitch Perfect ($32) is a medium warm rose pink, this is a medium to full coverage lipstick without any shimmer. I found the texture to be on the semi-thick side, similar to that of Tom Ford Lipsticks, but slightly drier in finish. Bitch Perfect is a lovely flattering warm nude pink shade, I think it will look nice on a number of skin tones. This one seems to be Charlotte’s most popular shade. It sold out quickly with the initial launch and is on back order at several places.
K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Nude Kate ($32) is a flesh cream nude. I didn’t know what to expect with this shade since nudes can be hard for me to pull off. This one covers the lip almost entirely and has enough color so it doesn’t wash me out. The thick creamy texture + combination of my pigmented lips isn’t so great on its own and it tends to emphasize my lip lines. I need a balm underneath or a gloss on top to make this one look best on me. Still it’s a really easy to wear nude I think will work on most with light to medium skin (my lips are just weirdly pigmented).
Lip Lustre in Sweet Stiletto ($22) is a glossy cream pink. I find it matches the Bitch Perfect lipstick exactly (at least on me). It has good coverage with a slightly tacky finish, similar to that of MAC Lipglasses. The tacky finish makes these last quite long. I’ve found a little goes a long way which is nice since the tubes seem to be on the small side.
Lip Lustre in Blondie ($22) is a pale pink beige with silver shimmer. It’s what I wanted MAC Prrr Lipglass to be (which almost always looks white on my lips). This is such a gorgeous beige pink nude shimmer gloss. It’s my favorite out of the lip items I’ve tried.
Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Iconic Nude ($22) is a brown nude. It has a super creamy texture with full coverage pigment. I haven’t used a lipliner in ages, but I really like the way these really hug the lips. Due to the rich pigment I like to feather this one on lightly before applying gloss or lipstick. Right now I’m not really into the full lip look with liner+lipstick+gloss simply because I find it too heavy for this hot weather. If you watch any of Charlotte Tilbury’s video tutorials, you will probably find it amazing what a difference layering can make to create different looks.
Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pink Venus ($22) is a rose pink lipliner. It’s a bit brighter than Sweet Stiletto and Bitch Perfect but pretty close in tone. This one is also rich in pigment. Unless you have soft well moisturized lips, I wouldn’t recommend applying this all over the lips since it will make them look overdone and dried out. This one is best when applied in a soft feathered motion to define the lips softly.
Swatches in full sunlight, no flash:
Another view:
Close ups and lip swatches of the lipstick/gloss:
(No lip swatches of the lipliners, but I hope the arm swatches above help)
Since all of these colors are classic neutrals, it’s likely these are very easily dupable. I do really like the color of Bitch Perfect and Blondie because the just work. There’s no fixing needed to make them work for me, meaning you don’t need to add any liner or gloss or color to make the color work for your skin tone (aside from prepping my lips with lip balm first).
I’m overall really happy with my lip picks. I could have skipped both of the lipliners, but have them because they were in the sets I bought. All the items have a soft vanilla scent similar in strength to MAC lipglasses and lipsticks. It’s a pleasant vanilla scent that isn’t too overpowering and isn’t too sweet. Lasting power on the lipstick and gloss are pretty good. As long as you don’t have dry flakey lips, these will look good as medium to full coverage lip items. Of course layering all three of the items together will give you a full coverage highly pigmented look. I didn’t find these drying or hydrating, they felt like normal lip products on my lips.
I bought mine sight unseen but based on online swatches it looks like Charlotte Tilbury has created a number of gorgeous nudes and pinks. I am waiting to see reviews and swatches before I purchase anything else. I would like to see everything in person, but the line isn’t scheduled to launch in stores until October.
Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow ($52 for 40 ml/1.4 fl oz, made in Switzerland) is a luminous liquid highlighter. It’s designed to have multiple uses. You can wear it under, over, mixed in with foundation or just by itself. It’s a golden beige illuminator with very fine micro-pearl reflecting particles that give the skin a spotlight glow. I am a huge fan of glowy face products, but rarely find illuminators I feel comfortable wearing all over the face under foundation (I won’t wear Armani Fluid Sheers or NARS Illuminators all over the face). With Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonderglow, I find it adds a really nice brightening effect to give my skin that glow from within look in a subtle way. I have olive medium skin and find it hard to find liquid highlighter that have a true beige, gold or yellow undertone. Most of them have some kind of champagne or pinkish pearl tint, which I like, but sometimes I need variation. Some sites describe this as a primer, I prefer to use it as an all over illuminating base to add a glow, but not necessarily prime the skin.
Wonderglow is a liquid highlighter with a medium texture. It’s easy to blend but not completely fluid which is nice because it’s very easy to control. You can apply without having to worry that it will run off the back of your hand, brush or face. I like to squeeze a little onto my hand and then apply all over with a foundation brush. Close up to try and show the multi-dimensional pearly quality.
Swatched straight from the tube and then blended:
Swatch comparisons to some other illuminating products:
Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust
Armani Fluid Sheer 10
Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Sunkissed
By Terry Cellularose Brightening CC Lumi Serum in Apricot Glow
I am really happy with the Wonderglow from what I’ve tested. I suspect it works well for me because I’m right at the medium skin tone where this is a really good match for me (I use Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Bisque 04 and am a Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet in Beige 30.
I’ve used this both as a base under foundation (applied over moisturizer) and as a highlight to add a dewy glow on top of foundation as well. Both work really well for a subtle effect that is still noticeable. I like to use it under blushes too. I like that it has a texture that stays dewy for a little bit so you can work it into the skin and blend. Some highlighters are either too dewy or dry too fast. This one dries nicely after a few minutes and doesn’t budge on my normal skin. There is a slight floral rose scent but it’s very subtle and fades after a few minutes.
I do think Wonderglow is pretty pricey a $52 but it’s a really nice product and I’m pleased. I haven’t tried her Magic Cream yet so I can’t compare this to it, although I am interested to find out how they both compare (or differ).
Beauty fans will be thrilled to know that Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty line has finally launched in the US. The range has launched online first at CharlotteTilbury.com, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-A-Porter and BeautyLish starting September 2nd. Later this fall, the line will launch in select stores starting October 7th at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC and October 10th at Nordstrom at The Grove in Los Angeles. Launch events will also be hosted with Nordstrom in other cities including Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Orange County, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas through Spring 2015.
I fell head over heels in love with the Filmstar Killer Cheekbones Set which was available at Nordstrom during the Anniversary Sale. I couldn’t wait for the line to launch in the US so I decided order a few of her look sets from the UK site along with some other items. I’ll have detailed reviews on all the items, but many of you have asked for a preview post wanting to know what I ordered and whether I thought the sets were worth it (versus buying items individually).
I did quite a bit of research when trying to decide what to buy. Some of the lipsticks and lip glosses looked extremely brown in stock photos so I relied heavily on blog swatches to help me pick out colors. I went with two of the sets simply because I found it easier to purchase an entire look rather than mix and match items. There are definitely duplicates in some of the sets with items such as mascara, makeup bag and some liners. (I gifted my extra makeup bag and mascara to another beauty friend.)
I ordered my items from the UK site and Paypal converted Pounds to Dollars. I think the prices I paid were slightly higher in the UK versus US prices, current US retail prices listed below. (Note all items are available individually as well).
There is a lot to digest with her line – it all looks so overwhelmingly good. I’ll have reviews posted in the next week by category: face, eyes and lips with thoughts and swatches. I’m still happy I ordered the sets although you don’t really save all that much buying a set versus individual items. I normally like to pick out items individually rather than stick to one preset look, but the color combinations are really good and easy to use for ideas. Even though I look nothing like the model used for each look, I found the looks helpful to see how soft or dramatic items would look on another face.
I’ve had really good experiences so far. I’m relieved since I spent a small fortune and bought everything sight unseen. More thoughts soon.