Browsing Tag

Eye Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury

A First Look at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty | Eyeshadow Palettes, Colour Chameleon Pencils, Mascara and Eyelash Curler

September 23, 2014

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.

What I ordered with swatches of the shadows:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

You can find the Charlotte Tilbury beauty line in the US online at Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman and Beautylish.

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NUDESTIX Eye Pencils and Lip & Cheek Pencils

July 8, 2014

NUDESTIX is a new line of simple easy-to-use multipurpose makeup crayons designed for a nude but better look. The line is exclusive to Space NK with four pencil products, a pencil cap sharpener and one mascara. The pencils come packaged in a cute black metal tin for storage. I have two of the Eye Pencils and Lip and Cheek Pencils to share with you today.

The NUDESTIX Eye Pencils ($24 each) are a multi-purpose eye liner, eye shadow and highlighter ‘all-in-one’ product. They come with a sponge tip on one end to smoke out or smudge the shadow. I was sent Smoke, a shimmery light grey taupe and Stardust, a neutral champagne shimmer for review. They are really creamy in texture and glide on the eyes easily. Given the pale neutral color I found I liked to swipe and blend with my fingers rather than use the sponge tip. Both blend well and are easy to layer. They both give a neutral wash of color on the lids. After you apply they set on the lids to a slightly drier finish (not as creamy as when you apply them). Once blended the color sheers out for a slight all over the lid glow. I like these as eye bases rather than a pigmented shadow. Used under powder shadow helps make the colors pop.

The NUDESTIX Lip & Cheek Pencils ($24) are also multi-purpose pencils. Soul is a neutral peachy pink and Whisper is a pale nude. These are super creamy pencils that hug the lips and blend easily on the cheeks. I prefer to use these on the lips. On the lips you get full coverage with a slightly glossy sheen.  I like how they act like a lipliner and give full coverage but are creamy like a lipstick. On the cheeks I found the color disappeared once blended (at least it did for my medium skin). 

Close ups and swatches. The pencils measure a little over 4 inches long making them compact in size so they will fit easily into a small clutch or makeup bag.

Lip and Cheek Pencil swatches, just on the lips (on the cheeks it’s barely visible).
Soul is the perfect creamy nude peach. It’s an easy swipe and go kind of lip pencil. It applies a bit more peachy on my lips compared to when you swatch it on the arm or hand.

Whisper is super-nude and super pigmented. Since the pigment is so rich it emphasizes my lip lines, adding a bit of gloss or dabbing it helps minimize the look of the lines but I wanted to show you how pigmented it was. You can’t see any of my natural lip underneath.

Overall I am really happy with the Lip & Cheek Pencils. The creamy texture makes them glide onto the lips and the texture hugs the lips making them last fairly long (no detectable scent either). I suspect any of the medium to dark shades will be easy to wear for most skin tones. Soul is peach perfection. Whisper is a bit light for me but those with fair skins will love it.
The Eye Pencils are stunning neutral shimmers but the colors are pretty easy to dupe with other brands. I do like the convenience of the eye pencils though – they are easy to swipe and blend with the fingers making them the perfect on-the-go kind of pencil (no brushes needed). Stardust is a good your-lids-but-better kind of shade. Smoke is a lovely taupe grey shimmer that is a great color for a base shadow.
The NUDESTIX Lip & Cheek Pencils and Eye Pencils retail for $24 each, exclusive to Space NK. There is a wide range of color options from neutral to dark. If you like that nude but better look the line is definitely worth looking into. I have a list going of what to check out the next time I can visit one of the stores.
P.S. Tomorrow (July 9) is the last day for the Space NK + Beauty Look Book Gift with Purchase offer. Check out the details here for the code and terms. A few readers mentioned their gifts were missing an item, I contacted Space NK and they told me due to an overwhelming response to this offer it appears Space NK ran out of the Hourglass mini sample and they apologize for any inconvenience.
This post contains press samples sent courtesy for review consideration. For more information refer to my disclosures.