The Creme de la Creme of Make Up: Charlotte Tilbury

You  know how people talk about love at first sight? And how you're not supposed to judge the book by its cover? Kind of controversial, isn't it? Well I think there is such a thing as lust at first sight and then falling in love... which is exactly my story with Charlotte Tilbury's make up range.

The beautiful rosegold packaging instantly catches the eye, and the well thought-out, chic and luxurious design draws you closer and closer to the counter. When you finally try the products and see for yourself that the luxury doesn't end at the packaging, that's when you start to fall in love...

Is it expensive? Yes. But there is something unique about the products that I haven't seen with any other high end brand, that somehow makes spending your money worth your while. No regrets.

I personally own a few of her products, but what I don't have  (and even some of what I do, but I'm already scared of them running out) are definitely on the top of my wishlist.

Filmstar Bronze and Glow Sculpt and Highlight Palette
My number one favourite is something I can't imagine doing my make up without anymore. The famous Filmstar Bronze and Glow Sculpt and Highlight palette is the very product she claims that it had been the best kept secret of Hollywood stars for years. Having no cheekbones whatsoever, I thought this was the answer to my prayers! The sculpt shade is cool enough to create a more defined facial structure, but still has a warm glow to it, making it perfect for both every day and occasion make up. The lighter shade has the smallest shimmer in it, giving an amazing golden sheen to your cheeks without it being over the top. I have to admit, on a particularly dull skin day, I dust this all over my face to it a little life. The consistency of the products is heavenly; the powder is finely milled and feather light so it won't leave you looking a year older than you are. And even though the palette is £49, you need to remember that it includes a bronzer and a highlighter, so technically they are less than £25 each. Purchase justified!

Eyes to Mesmerise in Marie Antoinette and Verushka
A close second in the favourites contest has to be the Eyes to Mesmerise cream eyeshadow pot. Initially I purchased two shades, Verushka and Marie Antoinette, just to have a small variety of colours.  Marie Antoinette is a lovely oyster gold colour, so easily wearable in the daytime, but with a bit of dark brown in the crease, you're all set for a night out too. Verushka.... well... Verushka is something else. If I had to describe the colour it would go something like this: green-grey-smoky-glowy moss with a golden sheen to it. The fact that you can't decide what colour it is makes it mesmerising on its own, but the added extras are pretty brilliant too. The colour pay off is amazing, the oh-so-creamy texture is easily blendable, but once it dries it does not move for the rest of the day. And it gives you a smoky effect with a wet look, that makes it incredibly unique. My next shopping spree will definitely include buying a couple more of these tiny pots of magic.

Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pillowtalk
The Pillowtalk lip cheat lip liners have transformed my view of "browny pink" colour lips. I always thought I don't suit them and the whole concept was just too 90s for my taste. But actually, this colour provides such a perfect "your lips but better" look with a twist, that I couldn't resist purchasing it. You can either wear it as a traditional lip liner, but I personally prefer just using it as a lipstick. The only downside to this product is that it doesn't come in a chunkier lip crayon form and I feel like I am going to run out of it way too quickly!

An added bonus to the product range is the adorable naming. Pillowtalk perfectly describes the subtleness of this colour, but my other two favourites include Kiss'n'Tell and Berry Naughty... just so cute!

Magic Foundation
I have to admit, this was the only product I tried from Charlotte Tilbury's range that didn't hit the wow-factor to me. It's a really nice full coverage foundation that doesn't feel too heavy on the skin. It lasts a long time and doesn't crease too much, but I'm still not sure I would repurchase it. Maybe it's the fact that it's not dewy enough for my liking, maybe I haven't seen the skincare magic of it because I didn't use it for long enough. The packaging is painfully beautiful, and for what it's worth, it looked fabulous on my mum. I have to assume that it just wasn't exactly what I expected and it may be worth another try at some point in the future.

Even though I heard mixed reviews about the new Magic Foundation, the feedback on the Light Wonder foundation has been overwhelmingly positive. It does promise a glowy, dewy finish, so I think I might become better friends with this one.

On My Wishlist

...Pretty much everything she makes! I am determined to get a few of her Matte Revolution lipsticks, but I haven't decided which colour to go for. I desperately want to try her blushers and the famour Full Fat Lashes mascara and I am also intrigued by her eye shadow palettes and the Colour Chameleon eye shadow crayons. Oh no, I can already hear my purse screaming!

Let's Talk!

Have you tried any of Charlotte's products? What brands are you obsessed with?

My all time favourite beauty products

We all have those beauty product that have a special place in our collection. The ones that we just clicked with, ones that sneak into our lives time and time again, and when they do it just feels like greeting an old friend.

I have to admit I haven't been a beauty enthusiast for a long time, I spent most of my teen years and early twenties bare faced. When I look back at the pictures from those times I wonder how I never realised that the bags under my eyes were darker than the night sky and at the same time my eyebrows were pretty much non-existent. Not that I needed it in my life, but I never realised how much more confident you feel and how much fun you can have with it! So really, when I say "all time favourites" I mean "did not disappoint me in the last three years".

I should also mention that I have very dry and eczema prone skin. It is very difficult to work with, especially in the winter and that certain time of the month. The eczema mostly affects my jawline, my eyelids and under-eyes and sometimes the skin around my eyebrows. I can't use any heavily fragranced products as they often worsen my skin condition, and I tend to keep away from matte foundations or cakey powders.

Complexion

Nars Sheer Glow

I know, I know... it's almost boring to hear how many people like this, but if you prefer a dewy complexion and you had the chance to try it, you know it's a winner. It has a decent amount of coverage without looking cakey on the skin, it doesn't accentuate my dry patches and it looks fab in pictures. Another bonus is that they have quite a lot of colour choices! I use Mont Blanc in the winter because I'm quite pale and I really appreciate the "not too pinky, not too orangy" tone. It's also very easily blendable and stays in place for a decent amount of time.

One huge downside to it is that they couldn't include a pump for the fairly painful price, and if you decide to buy yourself one separately you can't use the lid anymore. Absolute nightmare to travel with!

Despite all of this, the product in the unfortunate packaging is a dream! Definitely one I keep coming back to.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow

Unfortunately I'm a major Charlotte Tilbury fan. Unfortunately, because her products are definitely not drugstore price. I did however justify buying the Filmstar Bronze & Glow sculpt and highlight palette. If you are a little bit like me and have your face is rounder like a football, you know the importance of contouring. I don't like to go overboard and I'm not a huge fan of the Kim Kardashian style contouring technique, but it is nice to put a subtle shadow on my face to pretend that I have cheekbones. And this palette is so easy to work with! The sculpt shade has an ashier, cooler tone to it than a normal bronzer, so it's perfect for contouring, it's very pigmented and it doesn't go patchy! I love that it looks quite natural on the cheeks and adds more of a barely there effect.

The highlighter in the palette is mostly shimmer-less and has a beautiful golden sheen to it. I like to use it on the top of my cheeks for an everyday highlight that gives a healthy, glowy appearance to my skin. When I have a particularly dull looking skin day, I use it as a illuminating powder all over my face, just to put some life back to the skin.

As mentioned, the price of this beauty is quite steep, but even the packaging is worth it. Of course this is one of Charlotte's trademark rosegold product that I would wear as jewellery if I could. As an added extra, it has quite a big mirror included so it comes very handy when travelling.

Eyes

Bobbi Brown eyeshadow

I got this handy little travel palette as a Christmas present in 2014 and unfortunately I don't think it's available in stores anymore. However they have small sized palettes with very similar (if not the same!) shades in new packaging. The lightest shade in the palette is a very creamy off-white colour, perfect for all over the lid. The medium one is a light, soft grey, I normally use this either in the crease of all over if I want to go for a heavier look. The last shade in the palette is a darker brown colour, perfec for a soft eyeliner look or a smokier crease.

This is an amazing palette if you travel a lot! You can use it for a very simple and classic day look with the lighter shades on the lid and the dark brown as eyeliner, or you could smoke it up for more of a dramatic look. As you can see, I use this a lot, it's the perfect natural combination and doesn't require too much time, which is a bonus in the morning. I also like the lip colours that are very handy if you forgot your lipstick at home. Definitely will be repurchasing something similar when this one is completely used up.

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise cream eyeshadow in 'Verushka'

This one is more of an occasion eye shadow. I adore all the shades from the Eyes to Mesmerise collection, the texture is heavenly, it blends easily but doesn't crease and lasts a very long time on the lids. The Verushka shade is something different though. I couldn't really describe the colour of it, it is something very special I haven't seen before. It's sort of a grey-green colour with golden-silver shimmer going through it, giving you a very smokey eye, without making the look harsh. The one word I would use to describe it is mesmerising. See what I did there?

This is definitely the shade I turn to when I want to look special, it could be a heavier smokey-sparkly look for Christmas, or a subtle, but mysterious look for a wedding. Definitely worth the splurge!

Lips

For lips, I really had to categorise my favourits... I decided to go with a nude matte, nude moisturising, wintery red and summery red. There is kind of a theme going on here though, I definitely prefer a matte lip, and on an everyday basis, I wear mostly nudes or subtle colours, or sometimes just throw on some lip balm when I don't have a lot of time (about 90% of my mornings...).

The lip colour that's always in my bag is definitely the Laura Mercie Creme Smooth Lip Colour in Spiced Rose. It's so easy to put on, even without a mirror and it gives you a very natural, "your lips but better" look. The formula is very moisturising too and very easy to wear.

My favourite nude matte look comes from another Charlotte Tilbury product ('m a bit obsessed, can you tell?). The Lip Cheat Lip Liner Pencil in Pillow Talk gives a very natural, browny-pinky nude finish, and because it's matte, it's very long-lasting. Definitely one I reach for a lot, and it actually works very well with Laura Mercier's Spiced Rose.

When it comes to bold lip colours I'm definitely a huge fan of classic reds. But for me, the orange-y tones only really come in, when the sun comes out! In the wintertime, especially during holiday season, I love to wear Mac's Ruby Woo. This is actually the perfect red in my opinion, it's not too cold, not too warm and very veeeery matte! I love pairing it with shimmery eyeshadows for Christmas.

In the summer, especially when I have a bit of a tan, I love a good orange-y red shade. My favourite has been the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious. This has a really easy to put on and easy to wear matte formula, a very bright, orange-y red colour and it smells like mint. Bonus! The very affordable price is an added extra!

You may have noticed that I haven't included any concealers, setting powders, blushes, mascaras or brow products. This is simply because I haven't found the one. So if you have any recommendations, anything you liked or you think I should try, please do write it in the comments, let's have a conversation started! What are your favourites?