If you have never heard of Charlotte Tilbury (makeup artist to the stars; now front woman of her eponymous line, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Ltd) where have you BEEN?!
If this is you, I forgive you. I need to remember that not everyone lives and breaths makeup as much as I do 😉
What you do need to know, however, is that this woman produces some of the best eye shadow palettes and the one I have picked for my advent calendar has been my go-to for both day and night for, ooh, 18 months? I always get compliments whenever I wear it and the quality of the shadows make them a cinch to apply.
Here is what you need to know about Charlotte Tilbury:
- Charlotte was the makeup artist behind many of Tom Ford’s advertising campaigns.
- When he decided to launch his own cosmetics label he asked Charlotte to be his Creative Director. It is no coincidence that the TF eye shadows – particularly renowned for their highly pigmented texture – are not dissimilar in quality to Charlotte’s own label.
- She is the queen of red carpet makeup, focusing on products which give the skin/eyes/lips an other-worldly, Hollywood sheen.
There are eight luxury eye shadow quads currently in the range. Each quad bears the name of a ‘look’ – The Golden Goddess, The Vintage Vamp, The Rebel, The Dolce Vita…which is hugely clever because the idea taps directly into a woman’s desire to sometimes want to completely change her look or, in effect, to become someone else for a night.
For me, my love of this product in particular is less about the name (or the idea) and more about two things:
- the quality and blend-ability of the eye shadows
- the way the shades combine to create multiple looks (e.g. as Charlotte says ‘from desk to disco’)
Charlotte’s was one of the first makeup brands to embrace the rose gold trend when it launched back in 2013 and it still looks chic four years on.
I tend to only wear a pressed eye shadow when I have an important work day ahead (e..g meeting with a client or prospective client). On regular work days I will either wear nothing on my eye lids (perhaps a bit of liner) or I might wear a wash of cream eye shadow but it will be low maintenance. For day looks using this palette I will use the top two shades (the lighter shade all over or just in the inner corner and the plummy shade blended lightly into the socket) and all four shades for an evening look.
At close to £40.00 this is a special person gift but a present they should be able to keep for several years, if not forever. I reach for mine probably once a week and after 18 months have not yet ‘hit the pan’.
You will notice from the palette that unlike most eye shadow quads it does not come with its own applicator. This is a good thing as the applicators included with eye shadow palettes are always cheap and useless. If buying for a makeup lover they will no doubt already have a good eye blending brush but if in doubt the MAC 217 (linking to Debenhams here as they seem to be one of the few still selling this possibly soon to be discontinued, CULT must-have brush?! *wails*) or this one by Real Techniques or this one by Sigma.
The Dolce Vita Luxury Eyeshadow Palette
THE FACTS
How much is it:
£39.00
Where can I buy it:
Charlotte Tilbury, Feel Unique, Cultbeauty, Selfridges etc.
Who is it for:
The tones will suit any eye colour but particularly those with green, hazel or brown eyes. If you have blue or grey eyes take a look at The Golden Goddess palette which has slightly cooler, bronze-y tones.
How to use it:
The label at the back of the palette rather cleverly indicates which shade should be used where. Shade 1 (top left) can be applied all over the lid to prime the eye (although I tend to only apply it only to the inner corner and prime with a more neutral, less shimmery shade). Shade 2 (top right) is designed to enhance the socket and outer corners (I grab my trusty MAC 217 brush and apply the colour to the socket using a wind screen wiper motion). Shade 3 (bottom right…we are moving in a clockwise direction people 🙂 ) has two roles: it can be used either to intensify the socket (i.e. blend over the ‘Enhance’ shade to make the eye more smokey or it can be used to add definition to the lash line (or both!). The final shade, shade 4, is the best bit as this is provides a glittery ‘pop’ over the top of the other shades. Simply rub your ring finger into the ‘Pop’ shade and press the shadow over the moveable part of the eye. I have been known in the past when I have been in a rush, to simply apply shade 4 (‘Pop’) all over my eye lid for a quick, fuss free evening eye. A slick of mascara and you’re done. Works a treat!
Coming up tomorrow…
A body lotion which to my mind is like cocooning myself in clean, cotton wool…
A bit more about my Advent Cal:
My advent-themed calendar is designed to give you, lovely reader, some ideas for presents this gifting season. The list is based on my Top 25 Beauty Buys of recent years. Of the 25 products which made the cut, some I have used for the first time this year and others I have been using for several years. The selection criteria for each product was as follows:
1. It is a product I have repurchased or know I will definitely repurchase at some point
2. It is an item I believe will genuinely make an awesome gift for someone this Christmas
This series is not sponsored and you should know that, like many makeup artists, I am one of the fussiest people I know when it comes to selecting and using beauty products. They have to blow me away. Hope you enjoy!