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Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Palette + Cheek to Chic Blush Review

January 24, 2019

Charlotte Tilbury finally relaunched her Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Palette and Pillow Talk Cheek to Chic Blush at Nordstrom and online Charlotte Tilbury. If you’re like me you probably blinked and missed out a few times as it sold out very quickly. I finally hauled the eyeshadow quad, I’ve tested both the blush and shadow and have a review today with lots of swatches.

The Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Pencil has been a favorite since I first swatched it. She launched her Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick in 2017 and it’s been one of my daily go-to’s. Both are the perfect pink rose nude lip colors for me. The coordinating Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Quad and Blush go nicely with the lips but are significantly warmer on my skin tone.

Pillow Talk Luxury Eyeshadow Palette

The Pillow Talk Luxury Eyeshadow Palette has four shades, a soft shimmery rose pink champagne, a matte warm pink brown, a rose gold glitter and a warm matte brown. The quad gives a very nice pink brown eye look with a rose-gold kind of vibe. Alone it doesn’t have enough colors to complete a full eye look for me, the deepest shade isn’t dark enough to define the eyes. This isn’t a deal breaker – I just add a pencil liner. Pigment is smooth with medium coverage. They layer nicely without any fall out. I definitely need a creamy shadow base like her Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadows first to help the color pop a little more. They’re muted and I think it is intended to be muted, but for a little more pigment a cream base helps. It’s a nice palette but not life changing for me. To me this was a little over-hyped especially since it sold out so quickly multiple times. I have no regrets purchasing it but it looks a lot warmer on my skintone than what I see in the palette/compact. For my complexion/skintone I prefer her Exagger-Eyes Palette because it’s not as pink.

Quality/lasting power is true to all her quads. I had no issues with application. It stayed put on eyes without migrating all day long. Glitter adheres best when used as a top coat applied with fingers in a pressing/dabbing motion.

Swatches:

Comparison to Exagger-Eyes (reviewed here):

Pillow Talk Cheek to Chic Blush

The Pillow Talk Cheek to Chic Blush is one of her more shimmery blushes. Most have a satiny glow, this one has a lot more visible shimmer but it’s not frosty. Swirled together you get a soft warm peach brown with a slight pink undertone. I really love this color and formula. Her Cheek to Chic Blushes are among my favorites (tied with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes) because they make the complexion glow without looking overdone. I own all of hers except one color (The Climax) and think they’re a must-have for those who want a pretty blush that always looks fresh, doesn’t oxidize or darken and isn’t too flat or too shimmery. Lasting power is excellent. I truly appreciate these don’t oxidize especially in humid weather conditions. Swatch comparisons below:

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush in Pillow Talk individual vs swirled
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Sex on Fire
MAC Satin Blush in Sur
Becca Luminous Blush in Blushed Copper

Pillow Talk Makeup look below wearing her Pillow Talk colors plus a few other things:

Foundation is Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation in Buff + Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in 4 + 5 mixed for a little more color/glow
Powder to set is the Armani Neo Nude Powder in 5.5
Brows are the Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil in Caramel
Eyeshadow Base is the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise in Jean as a base
Eyeshadow is the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Quad all colors
Mascara is L’Oreal Lash Paradise Waterproof
Blush is Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Pillow Talk
Lips are Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat + Matte Revolution in Pillow Talk with Pat McGrath Lust Gloss in Sunset Rose on top for more color (this is almost an exact match to the lipstick, just brightens the look)
Pink Clay cashmere sweater is the Madewell (also have and love this in other colors!)

Pillow Talk Swatches:

One last look:

Overall I think the Pillow Talk blush is a solid winner. I’m lukewarm about the Pillow Talk eyeshadow palette because the colors pull very warm/pink on me. The best wearable pinkish eyeshadow palette for me has been the Urban Decay Naked3. I still have yet to find one that tops either of those.

You can find the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Palette and Cheek to Chic Blush available now at Nordstrom and Charlotte Tilbury. If you’ve tried these let me know what you thought!

29 Comments

MAC

MAC in Monochrome Velvet Teddy Review + Swatches

January 22, 2019

MAC recently launched their MAC in Monochrome Collection featuring coordinating colors for eyes, lips and cheeks for some of their best selling lip colors. One of the best everyday neutrals for lips is their Velvet Teddy Matte Lipstick and I was beyond excited to see that they had a matching lipglass! I ran to my MAC store the week it launched and picked up one of everything except the glitter. I have swatches today, but I’ll say up front I think you should go buy the lipglass now. What I hauled, swatches + thoughts. For those wondering, my usual MAC Shade is NC35. Right now I’m in between colors, NC30 is too yellow, NC25 is too pale, NC37 is more on the neutral side but too dark.

Velvet Teddy Matte Lipstick and Best Teddy Lipglass

Velvet Teddy Matte Lipstick $19.50 is the same as their classic Velvet Teddy in the black tubes, this one has special limited-edition packaging in a pretty peachy nude to match the lipstick. If you already own this you don’t need the new one unless you’re like me and love the packaging! On me it pulls more pink on the lips than what I see in the tube. It’s a versatile neutral.

Best Teddy Lipglass $17.50 is a creamy pink nude, has semi-thick coverage, high shine and looks like my perfect everyday neutral, not too warm, not too cool – just right in between! I really love this color. It’s not as warm as Lust and Spice.

Swatches, I do think the lipstick is a little weird on me. Sometimes it looks more neutral, other times it pulls more cool-pink-brown. It shifts on me depending on the seasons when my skintone changes.

Swatch comparisons below. I just realized that I don’t have as many of the classic neutrals from MAC anymore. I purged a bunch of older tubes and gave the empties to my niece so she could use them for Back2MAC and pick out her own colors. Swatched left to right:

MAC Liptensity Lipsticks in Clouds in my Coffee and Well Bred Brown
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Very Victoria
MAC Liptensity in Smoked Almond and Doe
Charlotte Tilbury KISSING Lipstick in Stoned Rose
MAC Matte Lipstick in Velvet Teddy
MAC Lipglass in Best Teddy
MAC Lipglass in Soar
Lawless Soft Matte Liquid Lipstick in George
MAC Lipglass in Lust and Spice

Sur Satin Blush

Sur Satin Blush $24 is a semi-sheer brown mauve, this pulls a little too brown on my skin right now, I’ve lost my tan and feel a little on the sallow side, coverage is buildable, but I prefer other brand formulas of blush these days. I find that Charlotte Tilbury Sex on Fire is the color that works best for me for mauve-brown shades. MAC Plum Foolery is shimmery, more pigmented and has no brown. A few other neutrals swatched below:

MAC Blush in Tenderling (discontinued)
MAC Satin Blush in Sur
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Sex on Fire
MAC Blush in Plum Foolery
Marc Jacobs Air Blush in Flesh and Fantasy
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in First Love

Eyeshadows Soft Teddy and Dear Teddy

Soft Teddy Matte Eyeshadow is a warm neutral brown and Dear Teddy Frost Eyeshadow is a warm reddish brown shimmer. Both are sheer to medium in coverage. These days I’m more used to higher impact shadows with rich pigment. These will layer for more color if you apply over a creamy base. They’re on the sheer side for me, which isn’t necessarily bad. I think Soft Teddy is a nice all over lid shade for a contour or depth. Swatches below next to a few other shades:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow in Birkin is almost identical on my skin
MAC Soft Brown is warmer in tone
MAC Sable is almost plum looking, I always considered this warmer but swatched next to Dear Teddy it looks neutral-cool
NARS Faster Pussycat is from the Skin Deep Palette

Makeup look below wearing:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC30
MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC35 to set
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Medium Brown
Eyeshadows used are MAC Naked Lunch, MAC Soft Teddy and MAC Dear Teddy
Blush is MAC Sur
Lipstick in Velvet Teddy with layered Lipgloss in MAC Best Teddy
Top from Madewell (also available here)
Large black makeup bag from The Daily Edited

Overall nice everyday neutral colors you can wear for any occasion. I really love the Velvet Teddy lipstick color and am glad they made a coordinating lipglass. The blush and eyeshadows are wearable, but these days I think there are better formulas out there. Again I don’t want to say that sheer is necessarily bad, sometimes it’s nice to have something softer that you can use as a blending shade or more subtle. I do think the eyeshadow colors are really nice and easy to wear although I would have preferred more color payoff for the shimmer.

Lasting power and quality of everything is true to MAC. Lipsticks and lipglasses last for hours without budging. I can’t go long enough without drinking or snacking to put it to the all-day test, there will be transfer. Although it did stay put for around 5 hours without fading on me while we were out running errands the other day. Blush color fades within a few hours on my skin, but most of their satin formula blushes fade on me by the end of the day. Eyeshadows did stay put without budging though!

The entire collection is limited-edition. You can also find the MAC in Monochrome in other cult classic colors like Heroine, See Sheer, Diva, Candy Yum and Ruby Woo. The See Sheer colors looked really pretty for summer. I might order the lipglass soon. For now I’m really happy with the Velvet Teddy theme.

I bought mine from MAC. Also available at Macy’s, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

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Lips Pat McGrath Labs

Pat McGrath LUST Gloss New Shades Spring 2019

January 18, 2019

Pat McGrath Labs is making all my lip gloss dreams come true with 18 new shades of LUST Gloss for spring 2019. They retail for $28 each and come in three different finishes she calls High Shine, Shimmer and Glitter. I reviewed some shades when they initially launched last May. They’re among my favorite formula because they are smooth, have no scent, aren’t sticky and have a pretty shine to them. I’m thrilled to share swatches of all the new spring colors! As a neutral lip lover I feel like she made so many amazing colors that are wearable alone or mixed with a lipstick/liner. There are a lot of fresh glowing soft shades. Most of these have sheer to medium coverage. There are a couple that have higher medium pigment, but the vast majority of these will have a soft finish.

These come with a beveled sponge tip applicator. They’re easy to apply and glide on the lips nicely. A couple layers will add enough color to cover my lips.

Close ups and descriptions of each color. I tried grouping them by finish, but some of the shine shades seem to have a tiny bit of pearl in them.

Left to right:

Nude Negligee is a sheer cream light beige
Wicked Whisper is a medium nude peach
Prima Donna is a soft glowy pale petal pink
Heavy Petal is a pigmented bold bright warm pink
Flesh6 is a medium warm brown cream

Up next are the shimmers:

Love Potion is a sheer pale pink with a hint of shimmer, alone this settles into lip lines a little
Faux Real is beige nude tan with a pearly finish
Peach Perversion is a pale peach with a pearly glow
Belladonna is a medium warm pink with a sheen
Sunset Rose is a perfect medium neutral rose with soft gold shimmer
Secret Lover is a deeper rose with a hint of warm pearl

Last are the sparkles, all of these are smooth in finish. There’s no gritty feel. Even with the sparkles I cannot feel any texture. I highly recommend referring to the Pat McGrath website for more swatches. Some of the shimmers are hard for me to capture with my flash. All of these are wearable even for conservative makeup wearers.

Future Femme is a pale pastel sparkling pink with silver flecks
Earth Angel is a sparkling clear base loaded with champagne, pink and copper pearl
Bronze Divinity is a smooth shimmery bronze rose nude
Bronze Venus is a sparkling iridescent bronze sparkle
Carnal Desire is a sheer red pink with loads of sparkle
Astral Flash Dance is a sheer violet purple with blue and pink sparkles
Astral Moon Flower is a sheer duochrome blue iridescent sparkle

Side by sides, all of these lip swatches were done on my bare lips. For skintone reference on the face I’m wearing Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation in Buff.

I fit as many swatch comparisons as I could on my arm to the other LUST Glosses I own. I swatched the neutral lighter shades side by side:

Bottom line love! If you like smooth natural medium-sheer color you’ll love these. I just received these in the mail this week so I haven’t had a chance to extensively test all 18 new colors. First impressions on testing a few for extended periods is that they are all just as good as the initial launch. Some have more color payoff than others but in general it’s on the natural side. Even though they are sheer the color shows up well on my bare lips. Lasting power is average for a smooth sheer gloss. They’re not going to be budge proof or transfer proof. You’ll have to reapply but it’s something I really don’t mind.

You can find the Pat McGrath LUST Gloss online at Pat McGrath. There are also some bundles and sets available on her website as well. She’s offering a 10% off new gloss shades through end of the day 1/19 with code SHINE at checkout.

“10% discount on ONLY Lust Gloss new shades. Promo code is SHINE – update, extended through end of Sunday 1/19!”

Have you tried the LUST Gloss formula yet? What did you think? Are any of the new shades on your radar?

Many thanks to the Pat McGrath team for sending the new shades for review.

21 Comments

Lips Marc Jacobs Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty Sugar High Nude Lip Trio

January 16, 2019

Marc Jacobs Beauty launched a new mini set of lip colors with the Sugar High Nude Lip Trio ($25, limited-edition). This is the third variation of their cult classic lip gloss shade Sugar Sugar. Last year they launched a new color called Cream and Sugar in a mini trio which I really loved (and still do). They later launched all three in full-sizes. This year they have the perfect brightening peachy pink neutral called Sugar High. I have high hopes they will have these in full sizes because the colors are PERFECT! The colors give the lips the perfect brightening effect with a gorgeous pinky peachy mix.

Descriptions of all three Sugar High Lip formulas:

Sugar High Lip Creme (1.7 g/0.05 oz) is a cream full coverage peachy pink
Sugar High Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss (1.7 ml/0.05 fl oz) is a peachy pink with a hint of shimmer, on the lips it’s not frosty, it has medium coverage with a high shine, no sticky feel
Sugar High (P)outliner (0.3 g/0.01 oz) is a twist up pencil that’s also peachy pink, but more muted and matte in finish

Together the three layer nicely but the lipstick and liner are really opaque so for me having all three layered gives my already full lips an extra lush plump look. I tried these a few different ways since ordering the trio. I like the gloss alone or on top of the liner. Or the liner + lipstick. Below some close ups + swatches:

All on bare lips:

All three layered, pencil + lipstick + gloss:

Side by sides:

Comparison swatches:

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk
MAC Lip Pencil in Boldly Bare
Marc Jacobs Poutliner in Sugar High (new)
Marc Jacobs Lip Creme in Sugar High (new)
Marc Jacobs Lip Creme in Cream and Sugar (swatched on lips here)
Marc Jacobs Lip Creme in Sonic Truth
Marc Jacobs Nude Lip Gel in Dreamgirl (swatched on lips here)
Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss in Sugar Sugar (swatched on lips here)
Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss in Cream and Sugar (review on lips here)
Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss in Sugar High (new)
NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Roseland (swatched on lips here)

Full makeup look, easy to wear neutrals!

Full makeup breakdown, wearing:

Foundation is Tarte Shape Tape Hydrating Foundation in Medium Sand
Concealer is Tarte Shape Tape Concealer in Light Medium Sand
Powder is Laura Mercier Translucent Loose
Bronzer is Marc Jacobs O!Mega Bronzer in Tantric
Blush is Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush
Brows are Anastasia Powder Brow Duo in Taupe
Eyeshadow is Marc Jacobs Eyeshadow Palette in Glambition + See-Quins in Topaz Flash
Lip is the Sugar High Trio, all three shades layered
Sweater is from Madewell

Bottom line perfect. I’m obsessed with the gloss and lipstick for this color. I think the formula from Marc Jacobs for the lipgloss is one of my favorites because they have a cushiony feel without the tacky sticky finish. I keep forgetting about the lipstick creme formula because of all the other launches but they are among the best for full coverage creams. The only item in the trio I’m not that crazy about is the liner, but I still think it’s a good one. It stays put and is pretty much budge-proof once it sets so if you need something to help extend your lip color check out their other shades. These days I find that I don’t wear a lot of lip liner. The one I reach for the most is the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk because it layers well with everything (also worn with the Fenty Glosses in my holiday glow post).

You can find the Sugar High Lip Trio now at Sephora. It’s limited-edition. I’m hoping they’ll launch these in the full sizes eventually. For now I might get a backup of these because I think the gloss is perfect. Also with the size I know they’ll be easy to use up!

Shop the post:

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NARS

NARS Skin Deep Eye Palette + Super Radiant Booster Review

January 14, 2019

NARS recently launched a couple new things including their Skin Deep Eye Palette ($59 for 12 x 0.12 oz/ 3.5 g) + Super Radiant Booster ($30 for 30 ml/1 fl oz). I bought them the minute they launched and they are both really lovely. Thoughts, review + swatches on each one below. I think the products and formula are excellent with naturally flattering easy to wear colors.

Super Radiant Booster in Isola Rossa

The Super Radiant Booster in Isola Rossa is a fluid highlighter that is a soft gold shimmer. It’s described as “a universal rose gold” shade but to me it’s more golden on me, I barely see any rose. It has a very lightweight texture, it’s easy to blend and layer and dries fairly fast on my skin. Finish is luminous but dry down leaves little to no moisture which is a plus if you have oily skin. It almost has a powder dry down but it’s not dry or super matte.

I tried this as a highlighter. You can definitely mix it in with foundation but these days I wear medium to full coverage finishes. The added radiance will be more noticeable when mixing if you mix it with sheerer finish formulas. It was really easy to apply and blend with finger tips. I tried it over just foundation and on top of a foundation + powdered face. It applies nicely without disturbing or rubbing away your base which is a plus.

Swatched out of the tube vs blended:

There’s no detectable scent to me. It goes on smoothly, there’s no streaking, no emphasizing of pores, it’s a beautiful color and product. Lasting power is really good, it stays put all day. The only thing I wish is that it came in the same packaging as their regular Illuminators so you can see how much is left/gone. There is a small clear strip at the base which is nice so you can see the color of the actual product. I’m not entirely sure what the difference is between this new Super Radiant Booster versus their original Illuminators. I personally feel this new one has a little more pigment and more radiance, but they seem really similar.

Color swatch comparisons to:

Marc Jacobs Coconut Drops Highlighter in Dew You?
Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Face Primer
L’Oreal True Match Lumi Glotion 902 Light Glow
L’Oreal Visible Lift Serum Tint 803
Fresh Instant Glow Luminizer in Sunset (this looks the closest to the NARS straight out of the tube, but this is heavily scented and more dewy and sheers out on the skin more)
MAC Strobe Cream in Goldlite*

Look wearing just the Super Radiant Skin Booster on cheeks to show you how it looks alone. More color added in the look if you scroll down. Also wearing:

Foundation is Beautyblender Bounce Foundation in 3.60
Concealer is NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger
Powder is Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Pressed Powder in 2
Highlight is just the NARS Super Radiant Booster
Brows are Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Taupe
Mascara is NARS Climax Mascara *
Eyeshadow is the NARS Skin Deep Palette
Lip Color is NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Swing applied all over lip with a little bit of Unlaced mixed in
One-Shoulder Sweater is from Abercrombie
Nail Polish worn is OPI Samoan Sand

Skin Deep Eye Palette

Nail polish is Samoan Sand, Eyeshadow Brush is Chanel

Next is the Skin Deep Eye Palette. I ran to my local stores to try and buy this as soon as it launched but none of the counters or stores near me had it. I ordered sight unseen online and it’s swatches a little different than all the promotional photos I’ve seen but I still really love it. NARS launched a few videos showing how this looks on a few different skin tones which I think are great to give you ideas on how to use. I fall somewhere in the middle of skin tone range and this pulls warm but not too warm. If you’re fair this will pull significantly more warm on you. If you’re deeper in skin tone I think this will be a winner and still show up on your skin. A couple of the colors have a similar vibe to the Loaded Eyeshadow Palette from a while ago. This year’s Skin Deep Eye Palette is a more modern rosy version.

This new palette has a mix of new and existing colors. All the shades performed really well with smooth even coverage and good pigment. Blending is easy and even though this pulls warm I still find it very wearable. I’m normally a little irritated when brands repeat a lot of shades but I think these are nice options to own.

Colors:

Taunt is a medium matte cream beige
Sophia is a warm soft brown
Whipped is a reddish matte brown
Undressed is a soft cool matte light brown taupe
Bali is a matte neutral brown
Icon is a shimmering champagne
Basic Instinct is a shimmering soft rose
Coconut Grove is a deep matte brown
Centerfold is a shimmery metallic grey
Calender Girl is a shimmering bronze gold
Faster Pussycat is a warm copper red shimmer
Unbuttoned is a shimmery deep brown

I really love this one. I think I could probably find similar colors in the palette in my existing stash but I love the overall look and feel of this one, it’s easy to wear and I love the pigment. Since this runs on the dark side I would have loved it if they had other variations like a Light or Medium palette. This one will suit a wide range of skin tones and I think it will show up even on deeper skin tones. I do think if you’re fair you might find this too deep. My favorite neutral eye palettes are still Urban Decay Naked2 and Naked3 but I get a little bored with using the same colors over and over again so this is a nice variation.

Wearing same colors as listed in the above makeup look photo, only difference is this one has the Hourglass Incandescent Electra blush added on cheeks for more color. Top is the One-Shoulder Sweater from Abercrombie.

Closer detail photos of the eye makeup. I’m wearing the colors Taunt all over the eye as a base, Icon and Basic Instinct Mixed applied 1/2 way up the lid, Sophia + Faster Pussycat mixed and applied closer to lash blended up, Faster Pussycat + Coconut Grove applied along lower lash line, Coconut Grove used as a liner.

Bottom line is I love both. The formulas perform really well for me and I’m really liking the overall look and vibe of the palette. Colors for both the eye palette and highlighter aren’t super unique but they work as is without any added mixing required. I think it’s really challenging for brands to create color palettes that are truly “universally” flattering but based on the videos I’ve seen I was really impressed to see how these perform on a wide range of skin tones.

I don’t know that I’d call these must-haves. I own a lot of other palettes and neutrals and I suspect you do as well. If I did some digging I could most likely find dupes. I am really happy with these purchases and have no regrets. The palette applies better than I anticipated. Looking at the compact straight out of the box I thought it would be a little boring and too dark but it turned out to be very wearable for me! I also don’t think we need any more highlighters but I don’t think there’s going to be any slowing down with the new launches. The Super Radiant Booster is really lovely. I love that it adds glow in a visible way without being too frosty. I love the dry down and color. It won’t disrupt your base if you apply on top. It’s a flattering color on my skin tone. So even with the million options I own I think this is a good one, but at this point it’s very hard for me to call any a must given all the other options that have been previously launched.

You can find both the NARS Skin Deep Palette and Super Radiant Booster out now. Both are limited-edition. I bought mine from Nordstrom and Sephora. Also available at NARS Cosmetics, Ulta Beauty, Bloomingdale’s, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus and all other NARS retailers.

28 Comments

By Terry Holiday Gift Guide

By Terry Gem Glow Holiday Collection Review + Swatches

December 12, 2018

By Terry launched some beautiful pieces for the season with the Gem Glow Holiday Collection. There are a couple new individual products and a number of beauty sets to choose from. Today I have a look at their Gem Glow Trio Highlighter ($65 for 5.5 g/0.19 oz), Gem Glow Brightening CC Serum ($91 for 30 ml/1 fl oz), Mini Baume de Rose ($24 for 3 g). In addition I’ve added swatches of some eye makeup including the Eye Light Palette Terrybly Paris 2 ($49 for 9 g/0.31 oz) that launched earlier in the fall plus some swatches of the Ombre Blackstar Cream Shadows since they usually have a few shades in one of the holiday sets. My thoughts on each product below.

Up first is a look at the Gem Glow Trio Compact Highlighter. It’s a stunning mix of pink, pearl and soft peach shimmers. The little yellow spots are overspray but it’s very soft so what you see in the compact is pretty true to what you will find underneath. I swatched each portion individually and swirled.

By Terry makes some of the most beautiful complexion products but they’re all very expensive. I do really love their Compact Expert Dual Powders (I still do) even though they cost an arm and a leg. This holiday season I found myself truly overwhelmed with all the highlighter options and for the first time in many years I did not review or purchase the holiday ones from Chanel or Tom Ford. After trying the options from NARS, Hourglass and Marc Jacobs combined with the dozens launched this year alone I feel like they’re all starting to look the same. I probably would have not purchased this By Terry Gem Glow Highlighter as I’m really set for life with highlighters in general, but out of all the ones I’ve seen this year this one has the prettiest presentation. Like many of her other face products there is more than one color in the pan with a small divider in the compact. The small spacing makes it virtually impossible to get individual colors which I don’t mind. But you will most likely have to swirl or mix shades with a regular face brush.

The pigment and color payoff are excellent. On my skin this translates into a beautiful pearly glow. It performs well, applies smoothly, stays put and doesn’t emphasize my pores. I find it has enough sparkle to be perfect for holiday. The shimmer is truly stunning on the skin making this a beautiful option I think will suit a wide range of skin tones. I do really love this one but the color can probably be duped.

Next is a look at her Gem Glow Brightening CC Serum. It’s a pearly rose gold that is very sheer. I’ve purchased several of her CC Serums in the past and they are extremely expensive but beautiful. They are sheer enough to use all over the face for a very soft subtle glow. It’s rose scented and it does not irritate my skin.

I do like the way it gives the skin a lit from within glow without any greasy emollient finish. The dry down has a soft almost velvet feel which is nice because any added shine with a shimmer product can often translate into a greasy look. If you’re looking for a liquid highlighter this is not the product for you, it’s too sheer to be used as a highlight. If you want something more glowy or visible I’d recommend Armani Fluid Sheers or a stick cream highlighter like the Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighter sticks.

As beautiful as this product is I think you can get a nearly identical effect with the Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow or Brightening Youth Glow Primer for a fraction of the price. I know ingredients aren’t the same so it might not be fair to compare them, but effect is similar. I do think the By Terry Brightening CC Serum is a beautiful product. I love that it comes with a pump and the bottles I owned in past years lasted for a long long time.

Swatched on the hand straight from the pump and then blended out you can see how it just adds a luminous sheen to the skin with barely any color.

For holiday she usually launches a Mini Baume de Rose packaged in a cute ornament form. It took me many years to bring myself to splurge on the full size but it’s 100% worth it. The minis are $24 each which is easier to justify as a splurge even though it’s tiny. I think it’s one of the best treats you can gift yourself. A look at the mini vs full size:

Next are some swatches of her Eye Light Palette Terrybly Paris 2. I haven’t tried any of her shadow palettes before as they’re usually out of my price range. This one retails for $49 and I’ll say up front it doesn’t swatch well on the arm or hand but on the eyes it’s MUCH much better. For those who are tired of the red, orange, pink or glitter palettes that seem to have taken over the beauty world today, you’ll find this one different for the neutral lover. It is very natural but has a nice range of colors for a polished muted classic eye. The colors are soft but they do give a beautiful wash of color you can layer or mix. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I think it would look really nice especially on fair skin tones. They have varying degrees of sparkle but the overall feel is very soft, airy, lightweight and has a subtle sheen.

Last but not least she has some of her Ombre Blackstars in a Trio this year with Blond Opal (shimmery pale champagne gold), Misty Rock (metallic purple) and Bronze Moon (shimmering bronze taupe) for $95. They usually retail for $38 each so you do get a little price break. For some reason I remember these being more expensive individually, I’m not sure when the price changed. Most of her colors have an intense shimmer pearl. These are some of the prettiest cream shadows that stay put on my lids without any issue. I’ve included swatches of a few other colors that I still have.

An easy holiday look wearing:

Primer is the By Terry Brightening CC Serum in Gem Glow
Foundation is Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion in Buff
Powder is La Mer Pressed Powder in Light
Blush is By Terry Compact Expert in Sun Desire
Highlight is By Terry Gem Glow Trio Compact swirled
Eyeshadow is the Eye Light Palette in Terrby Paris
Brows are the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Caramel
Lip Color is Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Pillow Talk, Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk and Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow
Convertible Sweater from Nordstrom 1State

Overall I think these are beautiful quality pieces that are well made. If you splurge I think you’ll be happy with any of these items although I do think there are more affordable alternatives just as good to pick with other brands. The highlighter is such a beautiful piece to look at especially with the design and I think it’s a really pretty color with excellent pigment. Photos cannot do the swatches justice – the sparkle is so gorgeous and mix of colors a sight to behold. I do think you can get a similar effect with other shades though.

You can find the By Terry holiday pieces out now. Everything is limited-edition and you may have to shop around for some of the value sets. By Terry is available at Beautylish, Dermstore, Space NK, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York.

Have you checked out any of the By Terry holiday items? What has been your favorite holiday launch this year? For those curious additional items featured in the opening image: Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Pro 8 Inch in Rose Gold, simplehuman Compact Mirror and a Cuyana Vanity Case that I just ordered and will review in the near future.

By Terry Gem Glow Highlighter, CC Serum, Baume de Rose and Eye Palette provided for review. Ombre Blackstars are from my own collection.

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Christian Louboutin Eye Makeup

Christian Louboutin Tape a l’Oeil Metallic + Matte Nude Eye Colour

December 7, 2018

Christian Louboutin launched new eye shadows in two finishes called the Tape a l’Oeil Metallic Eye Colour and Matte Nude Eye Colour ($50 each for 7 ml/0.23 fl oz). These are eye colors with intense pigment color payoff. I received four colors to test and also purchased two additional shades to review.

Above from left to right: Lola, Zefira, Carnelian, Andalusite, Morganite and Pyrite

The Matte Nude Eye Colour shades come with an oil-based gel formula which goes on like a fluid, dries and sets quickly to a matte finish. I have Lola which is a pale pink peach nude and Zefira which is a deeper brown. These are intended to be skin-matching or contrasted for a brightening or contour effect. I will be frank to say I had low expectations for the matte shades as most fluid or cream mattes tend to look very flat on my skin, but Lola is the best all over base I’ve ever tried. It sets quickly but I only need to dab a little and blend all over the lid for a perfect canvas. Since it is matte I do need to make sure that whatever I layer on top isn’t too dry, slightly creamy powders or shimmers layer nicely on top. These are very opaque and since they dry quickly I recommend blending with a small brush quickly after you dab it on the eyes. Zefira is a deeper brown which I can use as a liner or a soft smokey eye. Since it’s really intense I can blend it out but I have to do so in sheer layers and move quickly. I would like to see if there is a shade one shade darker than Lola, it’s hard to tell online but I have these on my list to check out the next time I’m at a counter.

The Metallic Eye Colours are also excellent. These are intense pigments that have a mix of water and metallic color for a reflective finish. I tried four of the colors which vary slightly in finish. Three of them are more smoother metallics while one has more intense sparkle. Andalusite is a smokey metallic olive green, Carnelian is a beautiful metallic red, Pyrite is the most perfect medium tan gold. The sparkly one is Morganite which I love, it’s a warm pink sparkle. Like the mattes, the metallics also dry quickly so blending fast is key. I can dab and brush with the applicator for Pyrite and Morganite and since they’re lighter in color I can also blend with fingers. The deeper ones require a little more precision so I use the brush applicator and a separate detail brush to blend.

The deeper colors I tested are so beautiful but just not my vibe. I find anything olive or green challenging for me to wear, so Andalusite requires a smokey black or deep brown liner to make it work. Carnelian is one of those stunning reds I cannot pull off, but the color and pigment is really nice though.

A closer look and swatches:

Aside from the steep price the only other downside I see is that the packaging is not super convenient for putting in your everyday makeup bag or for travel. The long spikes are typical of the Louboutin design – ornate like a lavish piece of art or ornament. The long handle is nice to have with application and it felt comfortable in the hand in the width and length. The brush applicator is decent. I like it a lot more than I would have if it were a sponge applicator, but I have individual brushes that I prefer using instead. Still it is slim so it won’t take up too much room if you want to take it with you on a trip.

Out of the colors my favorites are the two I purchased, Morganite and Pyrite. Up first a look at Morganite worn below. Also wearing the Laura Mercier Flawless Foundation in Buff, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder, Lip Color is Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in First Time.

Pyrite with some added mascara and liner in the bottom photo:

Left side is blended, right side has more layered. You can layer more for more pigment and even combine the different colors together for a different (or more complete) look. I try to swatch colors alone so you can get a sense of what they look like by themselves.

Overall I think Louboutin has created some excellent formulas for eye color. They exceeded my expectations formula-wise. Based on the fact that I did not like their mascara that much I though I might have luke-warm feelings towards the eyeshadows as well, but I really like them. I do think that Pyrite has a vibe to other golden tan shades like Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize in Bette or Marie Antoinette and Morganite looks like Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear Cream Shadow in Golden Pink on me, but the Louboutin formula is different. Since it’s more of a fluid with metallic pigments it stays put on the skin significantly longer on me. Once it sets and dries I feel like it’s budge-proof on me. The shimmer is also a little more intense without being too glitzy. For the holiday season I think long-wear makeup you don’t have to worry about moving through long parties or events is a must which make both of them worth the splurge for me.

Performance and quality wise I give these a solid A+ but I do think you can get a similar effect with other cream shadows out there. Granted they might not be the same formula-wise as I do think the fluid texture is unique. I do think some of the colors can be duped – maybe not the red one, it does seem rather unique to me for a cream/fluid product.

You can find the Christian Louboutin Tape a l’Oeil Metallic + Matte Nude Eye Colour available now. There are six metallics and six mattes to choose from. Available at Christian Louboutin, Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue.