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.
I will dedicate this post to my sister. She is the main organizer, 'tidy-upper' in the family and today she would be proud because I finally decided to get my personal makeup stash in order. My pro kit is nicely streamlined and clean, yet I kept accumulating unnecessary makeup items in my everyday makeup box that I just didn't have the heart to get rid of. Things were getting out of hand so I decided to order nice makeup pouches and one of those see through Acrylic storage boxes. In this post I'm going to show you how I got from this:
to this:
I am quite obsessed with makeup storage so I was excited to pick a few for this private project of mine. I've had my eyes on these two companies for a while and I happily ordered this Muji box and the pouches from My Kit Co. They are both very practical, easy to clean.
Okay, so let's start with bases and concealers. Why would I keep the ones that are not the right colour or not for my skin type or the ones with old SPF?
After streamlining the pile looks much better, only keep the ones I will use every day. One full cover foundation, one light complexion enhancer with fresh SPF. One liquid, one cream concealer and a light colour corrector that doubles up as an eye brightener.
The next and the most crowded category is lips. How did I get to this? Goodness! The thing is, I'm wearing a different colour of lipstick, gloss or lip balm for every mood I have and then bought some for the blog too and they are all so pretty. But this has got to end here.
After streamlining it is still quite a lot for many people for sure, but this is a nice selection of nudes, pinks reds, and different formulations, so I am very pleased.
Next up: eyeshadows. this is the least crowded category of all, I still don't need as many. I will stick to neutrals, browns and bronzes so I will keep the two old Mac limited edition palettes (one matte, one shimmery)that are so handy and portable. I only need two bases: one natural, one bronze base. Done.
Moving on to mascara. Zoomlash in blue? Really? I'm wondering what made me think I'm going to wear that? I might do a fun Insta photo with that later on.
Let's be honest, do I really need anything else than a black and a brown mascara? No.
That looks much better!
What's next? Eyeliners. Realistically I will wear mostly a brown or maybe a dark purple, aubergine, do I need and eyeliner in all the colours of the rainbow? No.
That is a severe cut-down, but very fair, I can always put the rest back into my pro kit or do some fun blog photos with them later on. I kept my favorite pencil Teddy from Mac, a liquid eyelnier in purple and a cream in aubegine.
We have arrived to the brow category. I seriously don't need that many colours and formulations so I will keep my new favourite form Kiko that matches my brow colour and a darker one from Mac if I'm in the mood, keep that brilliant gel from Benefit and job done.
Last but not least, my favourie category: cheeks. This will be difficult.
There are too many products here that I don't use that often no matter how much I love them so I need to be strong and choose the best.
This is a good mix of colours and formulations, old and new, quite versatile too so I am very pleased with my choices.
That concludes this little streamlining challenge. My makeup kit is far from being a capsule collection, still, I feel it looks much better than it was. I am very pleased with my choices, the storages I've chosen are aesthetically pleasing yet practical. If you are a bit of a hoarder like I am I highly suggest doing a clear out sometimes, it does all kinds of nice to your mind and soul ;).
You can find the storage I used from Muji here here and from My Kit Co. here
Alex Box is a make-up artist whose work I've admired for a long time. She really does put the artist into 'make-up artist'. She is most known for her unconventional style that most people got to see during her time being the creative director of Illamasqua. She is an artist who never stops looking for challenges, creative renewal. She is an unstoppable force of energy that is nothing but inspiring to me.
I saw her performing at IMATS in London this year and it was so much fun to watch her work. 'I am you' said her oversized t-shirt, sending a message to artists out there that we are made of the same mould. She is a make-up artist's make-up artist. And the best thing about her, apart from being incredibly down to earth? She's not taking herself seriously and not afraid to have fun.
When she announced at IMATS that she will do a project called 'The Alex Box of Cards', I thought, this is just what I need: a bit of creative boost, a source of inspiration for my work. And what could be better than getting it from one of your favourite artists?
The Alex Box of Cards is a little black box, made by an artisan box maker, filled with 50 cards of handwritten notes, 'a collection of creative touchstones' as she calls them. That is 50 ways to get inspired, 50 times unlocking new ideas when you're stuck, 50 times approaching certain projects in a different way, 50 ways of seeing things from a new perspective,50 valuable fragments of ideas that you can start an artistic journey from, 50 breaths of fresh air when you need energy, 50 nudges out the door when you feel insecure, 50 encouragements when you feel you're just not good enough...or maybe just 50 ways to have fun with makeup...the possibilities are endless. All you need to do is pull one card out of the pack and off you go to uncharted territories of your creative mind. ‘I want to help people in those moments where they need inspiration or change of direction or even just encouragement from a friendly voice’ says Box and this is exactly what it does.
These cards are definitely an exciting addition to my life as a make-up artist.I have only seen one card, I want to keep the rest a surprise each time I pick one. My first one is:
Hm...where will this one take me I wonder?
If you are interested, you can pre-order the second edition of the Box here, but be prepared that it will take about 4-5 weeks for it to arrive because the box and cards are all handmade, so it takes a bit of time to create them.
Alex Box is a make-up artist whose work I've admired for a long time. She really does put the artist into 'make-up artist'. She is most known for her unconventional style that most people got to see during her time being the creative director of Illamasqua. She is an artist who never stops looking for challenges, creative renewal. She is an unstoppable force of energy that is nothing but inspiring to me.
I saw her performing at IMATS in London this year and it was so much fun to watch her work. 'I am you' said her oversized t-shirt, sending a message to artists out there that we are made of the same mould. She is a make-up artist's make-up artist. And the best thing about her, apart from being incredibly down to earth? She's not taking herself seriously and not afraid to have fun.
When she announced at IMATS that she will do a project called 'The Alex Box of Cards', I thought, this is just what I need: a bit of creative boost, a source of inspiration for my work. And what could be better than getting it from one of your favourite artists?
The Alex Box of Cards is a little black box, made by an artisan box maker, filled with 50 cards of handwritten notes, 'a collection of creative touchstones' as she calls them. That is 50 ways to get inspired, 50 times unlocking new ideas when you're stuck, 50 times approaching certain projects in a different way, 50 ways of seeing things from a new perspective,50 valuable fragments of ideas that you can start an artistic journey from, 50 breaths of fresh air when you need energy, 50 nudges out the door when you feel insecure, 50 encouragements when you feel you're just not good enough...or maybe just 50 ways to have fun with makeup...the possibilities are endless. All you need to do is pull one card out of the pack and off you go to uncharted territories of your creative mind. ‘I want to help people in those moments where they need inspiration or change of direction or even just encouragement from a friendly voice’ says Box and this is exactly what it does.
These cards are definitely an exciting addition to my life as a make-up artist.I have only seen one card, I want to keep the rest a surprise each time I pick one. My first one is:
Hm...where will this one take me I wonder?
If you are interested, you can pre-order the second edition of the Box here, but be prepared that it will take about 4-5 weeks for it to arrive because the box and cards are all handmade, so it takes a bit of time to create them.
