Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette Natural Beauty review

Here we are, part 2 of my Charlotte Tilbury makeup series.
I've always been intrigued by the idea of having a compact set of makeup that you can carry around with you all the time, let it be a normal working day, holidays, mini-breaks, etc.  I think I am not the only one who finds the idea of a  set that makes your daily makeup application and touch-ups fuss free, speedy incredibly appealing. And if this all comes with the trademark Tilbury quality than I'm all up for it.
Charlotte is offering 3 variations of the Instant Look in a Pallette, the most recent launch being Beauty Glow. I went for Natural Beauty just because all the shades seemed darker, more bronze in the new palette which is not really my everyday style.

The selection of shades in this palette is perfect for a natural, fresh look that could be built up to do a stronger look if needed - there are 3 for the eyes, 2 blushers, a bronzer and a highlighter. I can see this palette working mostly on light to medium skin tones. They are all numbered for the beginners which is a great idea but obviously, you can use them separately or out of sequence too.

The Packaging: it is featuring the signature CT colours bronze and gold, very stylish, not too heavy, not too light,  a decent size mirror is included too that helps your application on the go. All shades are a decent size too, I suppose they will last a long time.
Texture: the texture of all the shades are soft, buttery, silky, easy to blend.
Pigment: apart from the eyeshadows that are not as pigmented as I thought, the pay-off of the shades is great, a little bit goes a long way but are buildable and long lasting.

Eyeshadows: there are 3 eyeshadows in the palette,  an Enhance (a satin finish soft beige-pink), a  Brighten (a sparkly golden-beige) and a Smoke (matte finish light, soft warm brown)shade. As I mentioned before if I had any critique about this palette is that the eyeshadows are not as pigmented as I expected though I've found that they are buildable and apply better pressed on the eyelids by fingers. I also wish if the Smoke shade was a tiny bit darker too. But all in all, they are very easy to wear, useful shades.

Blushers: both Swish and Pop are fabulous shades, you can use them separately or blended together as recommended by CT. A little goes a long way, so start applying very little and then add to it if needed.

Bronzer: it a great colour, very subtle but buildable, not too yellow too which I love.
Highlighter: apart from the blushers this is my favourite thing in the palette. It has a soft gold tone that has almost a blurring effect on the skin and it photographs beautifully. It has a great pay-off, so start with very little and build it up if needed.

I'm very pleased with this palette, it is practical, it is beautiful, it has a little bit of Tilbury magic in it. It certainly de-clutters your dressing table, it is easy to reach for every day and it speeds up your daily makeup routine. The Instant Look in a Pallette can easily become one's  go-to palette, just add an eye pencil, mascara, brow pencil and a lippie and that's it, you have a really nice complete routine that is quick and looks sophisticated.

Three looks using the palette:

The website says these palettes are limited edition, but Natural Beauty has been around for a while and keeps coming back (this makes me giggle all the time, many brands do it, it is great for business though) so hopefully, at one point they will become part of the permanent collection. It is £49.00 which sounds a lot but if you divide it, that's £7.00 per shade which is not bad at all for the sizes you get.

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.

My top 5 lipsticks

I've never really been a lipstick wearer, up until a few years ago when I got comfortable and confident enough with them. I usually stuck to my tinted lip balms, maybe subtle glosses safe in my comfort zone. Since then I've become a bit of a hoarder and revel in the fantastic ranges, colours and formulas coming out, highstreet, high-end alike. I am not ready to pick all-time favourites just yet, but I can certainly say wich shades I pick up most these days. Here is my top 5:

5. Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour - Incandescente #97 

Okay, I have to admit, Lisa Eldridge made me buy this. She used this lipstick for one of my favourite red carpet looks on Keria Knightley and I fell in love with it. 

Chanel has an undisputed dominance when it comes to quality, class and style in makeup, their lipsticks have always been one of the best on the market. Incandescente is a highly pigmented tomato red with beautiful soft texture, subtle glossy finish and good staying power without drying the lips. The colour provides an effortless class to any look and on top of that the packaging, of course, is luxurious.

Incandesente is high end through and through without a doubt. High end obviously comes at a price, it is £26.00 a pop, but it is a good investment if you are a makeup lover and willing to buy into the class that brand Chanel provides.

It is available here.

4. Rimmel The Only Matte Rouge - Salute

Being one of the highstreet's best, Rimmel has come out with impressive new material lately. I loved their anniversary rose gold collection and the contouring palette that is already a staple of my everyday makeup. Recently they've launched a matte range that stole my heart completely... well, maybe apart from the packaging that feels a bit too loud and on the cheap side. 

The rich, creamy, matte formula though IS worth a try. It is non-drying, easy to wear and comes in a good variety of colours. Salute has got to be my favourite of the range, a soft blue-pink that is great for a toned down, natural look. For £6.99 a pop? It's a steal! 

It is available here.


3. Mac Liptensity Lipstick - Smoked Almond

When it comes to nude colours it is sometimes hard to find a sophisticated one that matches your skin tone.  Mac has such an array of shades you will eventually find one that you love, no matter what skin tone you are.  Their Liptensity range is their most recent innovation in texture and it has proved to be a big hit with the public.

The dense creamy formula feels comfortable on the lips, the colour payoff is incredible and it provides a long wear. Smoked Almond is my chosen favourite at the moment. I normally wouldn't go for rose-brown nudes, but this one is somehow perfect. 

It is available here for £17.50.


2. Tom Ford #7 Pink Dusk

Pre-Charlotte Tilbury, there was Tom Ford (actually Tilbury was the creative driving force behind the Tom Ford makeup range). I've been a big fan of their lipsticks for years, not just because I'm a sucker for elegant packaging, but I find the quality exceptional too. They, are soft, creamy, delicious, glide on the lips like a dream and the shades are exquisite. 

Spanish Pink is what I tend to wear the most, it is ideal for everyday wear, but complements a stronger party look too. It is sophisticated, not too flashy, easy and comfortable to wear. There's only one downside for me and it's the price: £39.00. Ouch indeed!

It is available here.


And now for the No. 1 on the list:


1. Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips - Miranda May

There are only a few brands in the world that have become iconic as quickly as Charlotte Tilbury. This is hardly a surpise though. Her products ooze elegance, style with a whiff of Old Hollywood glamour not to talk about the incredible quality and very clever, fun social media campaigns that they do. There is real expertise, love and passion behind every single product they do. All the lipsticks within the brand are beautiful and delicious looking especially the most recent Hot Lips range, the colours of which were inspired by celebrity women Charlotte makes up on a daily basis. They are all gorgeous, sophisticated shades, it is hard to pick a favourite. If you twisted my arm though I would choose Miranda May.

Miranda May (inspired by the one and only Miranda Kerr) is a dreamy, highly pigmented pinky coral shade. It has the Matte Revolution formula, but I would call it more a satin finish. The super-creamy texture makes it really comfortable and wearing it you feel just a bit more special. The Charlotte Tilbury magic IS a thing! 
Just take the statement on the packaging "A cashmere cream texture with a soft-matte finish, enriched with papaya and orchid." - it exactly feels like that! It makes me smile, but no one can describe a product in such a mouthwatering way as Charlotte Tilbury does. Cashmere cream? Yes, please! Soft, matte? Sounds good to me! Papaya and orchid? I'm on board already! Take my money! Am I too easily persuaded? Maybe, but I dare say Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks are the Rolls Roys of lipsticks - they are top of the class and pure perfection! Top marks on the price too, it's £23. What is this compared to the Tom Ford ones, right? Okay, it's not cheap, but worth every single penny! 

It is available here.

What is your top five?