By Chrissy Iley
For some time I have fascinated by Charlotte Tilbury. Her look is synonymous with the cool and sophisticated. The rock chick. The Hollywood goddess. I have seen her reinvent Uma Thurman, update Jennifer Lopez and give edge to the already gorgeous Jennifer Aniston. Her talent and cleverness in the way she markets herself and her make up has never failed to impress me. I remember when she was My Face sold at Boots. I still treasure those lipsticks.
Which brings me to her current lip-ware.
I had seen Night Crimson all over Instagram. Very dark, very daring. I was in Fenwicks and thought I might try some but I was seduced by So Marilyn, which is the most perfect red that has ever crossed a pouting lip. Not too blue, not too orange, not too matte, not too glossy. This is the lipstick people have stopped me in the street and asked me what is that lipstick? It comes with a perfect non-smudging pencil and what might be the best lip-gloss. Glossy but not sticky and it stays put, does not smudge over teeth or fall onto food.
This is the only lipstick a friend has ever asked to borrow.
I expect no less from Charlotte – who I recently read said her husband has never seen her bare face. Love that.
I had also been keen to try the Magic Cream. A moisturiser that adds a glow and definition to cheekbones and effects an old Hollywood lens look on your face. I was momentarily distracted by the presentation in the shop where you could have several looks. I since concluded this is both a bad as well as a good thing.
It is good in that it is visually arresting and it tells you that you can be the Ingénue, the Golden Goddess, the Sophisticate or the Vintage Vamp.
Vintage Vamp has an ivory skin tone, a delicate pink blush and deep crimson lips. The Rebel told me with this look I would be confident and daring and express my artistry. This included a green eye pallet and a Bedroom Black eye pencil and Love Bite lipstick, which is very similar to Marilyn and just as impactful. Yes I wanted to be a chameleon with colour and not afraid to express myself and there I was….. drawn in.
The sales lady was very friendly and a little bit pushy. I paused to think actually I don’t need a look book to tell me I can express myself artistically, I don’t need to do make up by numbers, I could be more creative than that. But she told me it was such a bargain if I bought the whole set that I did.
Then she showed me the bronzer and highlighter. She told me about the specific way in which it catches the light. Filmstar Bronze and Glow in light to medium was kind of miraculous. I loved the way it sculpted, I loved the way the highlighter caught the light. A la movie siren. So in hindsight I should have bought the lipstick and the bronzer highlighter combo. I use this to great acclaim.
I have been doing some filming recently and doing my own make up. This stuff looks amazing for the camera. Maybe slightly overdone for real life in the daytime but it is still pretty special. The eye pencil is soft and dark and I like it. But I don’t like anything else that came with the set.
The eye make up is thin, lacking in depth and pigment and has no staying powder. The mascara, which I am told is a best seller, will never be bought again by me. It promised full fat lashes in glossy black. My lashes were neither fat nor glossy yet it was quite heavy, again with no staying power, it simply fell off my lashes within half an hour. The foundation I have used before is kind of watery. Falls off the face. The blusher is ok, good colours but nothing special.
The look and packaging is elegant. It proposes to be a high-end brand for up or mid market prices. Because it comes in such gorgeous packaging you feel everything should be of a high standard. So here is my essential guide:
Lip pencils and lipsticks – amazing colours, great staying powders. £16 / £23
Lip gloss – best I tried. £16.50
Filmstar Bronze & Glow – stunning. £55
Eye pencil – soft smudgy, easy to apply, medium staying power. £19
Mascara – dreadful. £22
Eye pallet – awful. £38
Magic Cream – magic. £70
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Charlotte Tilbury is introducing a new shade to her popular Bronze and Glow duo set..
*This is Chrissy’s personal review of the products – not on behalf of all of us at BATD. We have tried these products too and have had different results… See some of our reviews on Charlotte Tilbury’s products here.
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