Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lipstick and Lip Liner review

I'll be perfectly honest with you, when I've first seen Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk lipstick in her store back in the winter when it was launched, my first reaction was: 'Is that it?'. There wasn't much that intrigued me about it and I thought the beauty of it in all the pictures celebs wearing it was just due to lighting. The buzz around it hasn't stopped all Spring, so I decided to order it anyway together with the already legendary Pillow Talk Lip Pencil. I love a nude lip, I thought it deserves another chance.  Gosh, I'm happy I've done that because I fell in love with it after the first use and I have to say no swatches online do it justice, you have to try it on to see how it looks on you.

Launching a limited edition corresponding lipstick to the already existing, hugely popular Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Liner was a stroke of genius, no wonder the beauty world and the public went wild about it.

The lipstick comes in a signature Tilbury vintage style gold bullet with a signature Tilbury squared off tip. It is part of the Matte Revolution line, though thanks to the soft, velvety texture, nourishing and soothing (it is enriched with Orchid extract and, funnily enough, Lipstick Tree extract) formula you wouldn't say it's a matte, it's so comfortable to wear. Long are the days gone when 'matte' was equivalent with 'drying', this is is such a luxurious texture.  It gives full coverage, excellent pigment,a soft matte finish which is by no means flat and a good long wear too. The squared off tip makes it really easy to apply I didn't even have to use a lip brush for precision.

I'm quite picky when it comes to lip pencils, I tend to gravitate towards traditional ones and avoid the really soft waxy formulas. This liner is not too soft but not too hard either, it is very easy to navigate the line with it and stays on amazingly well. It is perfect with other lip colours too just to give you a great natural, defined line.

Both the pencil and the lipstick are a nude-rose shade, they suit many skin tones. It is one of those colours that you can throw on with any look from natural, fresh to strong ones. It is not too light, not too dark, it gives a beautiful definition to the lips. It's one of those 'It's your lips only better' shades that enhances one's natural lips. I find it quite fascinating to see it in action and how much better it looks than any other nude shades I've tried.  The cherry on top? The added vanilla scent of the lipstick is gorgeous and lifts the whole experience. 

Swatch on the bottom: Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick, swatch on the top Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Pencil

As I said before swatches you see on other blogs and here don't do it justice, you have to see it on your lips because it looks slightly different on everyone.

Both the lipstick and the lip pencil is true Tilbury magic, a joy to own and a pleasure to wear...I wore it all day, I wore it while working out too, actually, as I am sitting here writing this in my pyjamas I'm still wearing it just because I can and I find it beautiful ...much to my boyfriend's amusement of course. Can I wear it to bed too? I guess...why not? I don't see any problems with that! Totally normal, right?

To wrap up this post, here is Pillow Talk three ways:

Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick lightly dabbed on the lips

Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick with Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Liner

Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick, Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Liner with a clear gloss on top

Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Liner is part of the permanent line and is available for £16.00 here. The Lipstick started out as limited edition lipstick, but as far as I know, it will become part of the permanent lip range from June. Yay! It's available here for £24.00.

New in! Smashbox Be Legendary Liquid Metal Lip Colour, Revlon Ultra HD Gel Lip Colour

I have two lovely new launches for you this week. They are both very different but fun in their own way.  

First up the Ultra HD Gel Lip Colour: 'Selfie-ready', hydrating 'hyaluronic acid' formulas and anything 'HD' is getting a buzz these days in the beauty industry suggesting a product with good pigment without looking and feeling heavy. There are many hits and misses but I think Revlon got it right with their new launch. The light-weight gel formula is highly pigmented, glides on the lips like a dream. The wear is not too great (it only lasted a few hours on me) but is very hydrating that makes it super-comfortable to wear. It smells lovely too (mango and vanilla) but if you're sensitive to fragrance this aspect might put you off of it.

It comes in a long sleek reddish-pink bullet and the lipstick itslef is nicely shaped that makes application easy. I wish the lid was the same colour as the bullet because the see-through plastic cheapens the look of it a little.  

Vineyard is my favourite, a dark reddish grape colour that is perfect if you want a bit of an intense lip without going for full-on red. This is a definite keeper and might buy some other shades too.

My second lip colour is a launch for the Instagram generation: the Be Legendary Liquid Lip from Smashbox. If you are on Instagram and love make-up, I'm pretty sure you know of Vlada Haggerty aka @vladamua. A Pat McGrath team member, Lip Editor-in-chief at Smashbox, the queen of jaw-dropping lip art has designed a beautiful lip colour range that has been proven highly coveted by customers eager to recreate her looks. It comes in 16 shades, 8 Liquid Metals with a high shine metal finish and 8 Liquid Pigments with a beautiful glossy finish.

I picked up one of the Liquid Metal colours in Mauve Squad which seemed one of the more wearable shades. I have to say I love the full coverage it gives and the high shine metal effect. The packaging looks sleek and simple, it lets beautiful the colour speak for itself. The applicator is a great shape and quite sturdy that makes application quite easy. It is formulated without Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Phthalates, Silicone, Oil & Talc which might be good news for many. 

While this lip product is most definitely fun I will keep this within the realm of Instagram and editorial work. It is a great addition to any pro kit but I have to say I feel it's a tad bit impractical for everyday use because it is too full-on and feels way too sticky for my liking.

I will do a few makeup looks on Instagram with these two in the next few days so you can see how it looks on.

Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Body Cream First Impressions

It's no secret that I love any facial skincare with glycolic acid.  This type of AHA is basically an exfoliant derived from sugar cane. It has small molecules that make it easier for it to penetrate the skin and that makes it a very effective anti-ageing ingredient. It has given me very quick, visible results, has greatly improved my skin texture, brightened my skin and improved the appearance of pores and fine lines.

However, I haven't ventured into the world of glycolic body care yet. I think it's high time to tackle the elasticity, texture, and tone, especially on my legs, so I went for the first available product in Boots from Nip+Fab (£7,99 normally but it was reduced to £4.90). The next step up I guess will be Paula's Choice Resist Skin Revealing Body Lotion with 10% AHA (but that's a bigger investment at £30).

The Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Body Cream is a lightweight refining body lotion to smooth the skin and make it brighter. It contains the blend of salicylic acid, lactic acid, and glycolic acid to help exfoliation, stimulate cell renewal, unclog pores and reduce the appearance of pigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles.

I've only been using it for a week, so I can't tell yet what results I get with continuous use. I can already say, however,  that it is pleasant to use, the texture is light and silky, absorbs quickly but leaves the skin moisturized and I love the fresh citrus fragrance too. It contains only low concentrations of acids so I guess it will take at least a month to see real results but I will get back to you on that!

If you start using it too, don't forget, no matter how low levels of acids you're using, if you expose the treated area to the sun, up your SPF to avoid further skin damage.

If I had a critique so early in the game is that I really don't like the packaging. The colour and design doesn't work for me at all and I prefer pump bottles over tubes.

It contains mineral oil and fragrance so proceed with caution if you're sensitive to those.

Kiko Skin Tone Foundation SPF 15

Okay, so this was supposed to be a Mac Next to Nothing Face Colour review, but they haven't had my colour in stock online and in store for a while so I had to adapt my plans for the week. I was watching one of Nadine Bagott's Youtube video and she was talking about a good dupe for the Mac foundation. Guess what: it's Kiko's Skin Tone Foundation. My friends are laughing at me, I'm talking about Kiko so much, it sounds like I am sponsored. I really am not, I just have a Kiko phase right now I guess, and they are fast becoming one of my favourite high street brands. 

The 'barely there' bases are very much in at the moment. Mac, Kiko, Chanel all came out with new ones recently and with Glossier (a brand all about natural, glowing skin) apparently coming to the UK at the end of the year too, it will be hard not to find one suitable for you.

The Kiko Skin Tone foundation is a super-light weight highlighting base with light to medium coverage, boosted with hyaluronic acid that is known for attracting moisture to the skin. It is great if you just want to even out the skin tone without looking made up but the coverage is buildable if needed. I applied it with a wet beauty sponge that worked really well. The wear is great and comfortable, though I still have to try it on warmer days to see if it lasts. I have to say though, I did an intense cardio session wearing it and apart from my red cheeks showing through it didn't really move which was quite impressive.  They claim that this works for all skin types, it's oil-free so it might work for oily skin too.

I like how the packaging looks, reminds me of high-end foundations yet it is light and easy to carry around. Pump bottles are always useful they make application easy so brownie points for that. The only tiny critique I would have is that the bottle is black all over, you can't really see how much you have left in the bottle. You'd have to judge by weight which may prove to be tricky.

I'm really impressed by the fact that it comes in 39 shades and 6 different undertones (mine is Neutral Gold 30)so even the lightest and darkest of skin tones can find a match.

Only a few occasions I've tried the Skin Tone foundation so far but I really like it already. The texture is great, it is comfortable, stays on well, so yeah, another success for Kiko!

Here are the before and afters by the window with natural light.

1.no foundation    2.with the foundation on    3.finished full look

     



The Kiko Skin Tone foundation is £15.90 in Kiko stores.