Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon

It’s been a long time coming that I’ve needed to purchase something from Charlotte Tilbury. I’ve read numerous reviews and spent plenty of time on the website swooning over various bits and pieces. So, I finally caved and bought a few bits. One of which being the Colour Chameleon in Champagne Diamonds.

I specifically took the trip to Selfridges in Oxford Street so I could get my swatch on. Unfortunately it was absolutely rammed at the CT stand and I had to fight my way through a hoard of people just to catch a glimpse at the brown and gold packaging. When I’d finally made my way through the tsunami of people (using mainly my elbows and a very loud ‘EXCUSE ME’) I grabbed the eye shadow pencils and swatched away. Once the back of my hand resembled that of a multi-colored zebra I pondered over which was my favourite colour. They all looked gorgeous and glided on so beautifully. I wanted them all. After some serious thinking I decided that the champagne colour was best as it would be brilliant for every day. Also, at further investigation the champagne colour is recommended for to those with blue eyes…it was clearly meant to be.

I’ve only tested this out once so far, and it looked amazing. There is a generous amount of sparkle and glitter in the product giving it a very glamorous effect. The glitter did travel slightly down my face, but not to the extent that I looked like I’d bumped uglies with Edward Cullen. The staying power seemed to be pretty damn good. No creases, no smudging and certainly no fading. I’ll be interested to see what the others shades look like and will be 100% buying some more.

MAC TOLEDO: KINDERGARTEN RED AND VICTORIANA

Suddenly living near a MAC Counter is taking its toll on my purse.

I mentioned in my last Toledo Haul I felt the need to also own the red blush. The third one, the peachy one, was completely disappointing in pigmentation and was not allowed to come home with me.

I’m sorry to blab about a MAC LE from last month when everyone is already three LEs farther. But I’m super not interested in all that super duper limited stuff and the Toledo LE was right there and I really like the packaging.

So what I got was the ombre blush in Kindergarten Red, the lipstick in Victoriana and the Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Trust in Red (regular lineup, not part of the LE). I guess you could say I’m having a red phase.

Here’s Kindergarten Red in all its glory! While the outer carton packaging had red going around, separating it from Azalea Blossom with its black packaging, the actual blush packagings are identical on the outside. On the inside Kindergarten Red goes from very pale pink to a mid tone red.

Swatches. First the pale pink, barely visible, but there. Then the red from the bottom. Last swatch is once swirled through. The combined color can be easily influenced lighter or darker depending on where you pick up the most powder. The whole blush is softer than the other two, making it easier to pick up color. Of course that means I have to be more careful in application. The top stripe also makes for a good non-shimmery highlighter.

Victoriana lipstick. The packaging feels satiny.

Swatch of Victoriana. The finish is matte. It’s not retro matte like Ruby Woo, but matte enough. The usual warnings about matte lipstick apply here: lips must be prepped, lipstick is drying etc etc. Wear time is good, but not perfect. (To be honest, the L’Oreal ones last a little bit better.) Application is very easy, it glides on nicely and takes a second to set, so I can correct mistakes. That makes it a lot easier to apply than Ruby Woo.

The color of Victoriana is a red with blue undertones.

Color comparison swatch left to right: L’Oreal Blake’s Red, Victoriana and the lip liner Trust in Red. Both Blake and Trust are more pinky than Victoriana. I don’t have Ruby Woo, but I swatched it in the store and Victoriana has more blue than Ruby Woo. (The reason I’m mentioning that one so often is that I meant to buy Ruby Woo, but changed my mind while swatching.)

The Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Trust in Red is pretty much the same color as the Kiko lip pencil in Fire Red. I got the MAC one in hopes of it bleeding less than the Kiko one. I’ll have to do some more testing but I do think it works. Trust in Red is a red pencil with strong blue undertones. That means I still need a true red one.

So I went on a berry spending ban only to end up with tons of reds. Oh dear.

Bargain Brands : Stargazer

A bargain brand I’ve wanted to try for a while is Stargazer. A few years ago it was mentioned in the blogging world and I didn’t really pay any attention so I thought now was as good a time as ever to have a bit of a splurge. Everything I bought was under £5 and there was a huge range of products on the website. I tried to get a bit of everything without going too crazy. I’ll certainly be ordering some more bits from the brand and experimenting with some more vibrant colours (something Stargazer really specialises in). Even if you don’t order anything it’s worth taking a look at their fantastic range of costume eyeslashes and theatrical make up looks.

Lipstick in 102 & 120 £3.50 // I chose only two lipsticks from the huge variety of colours ad I’m not sure I picked the best two. 102 is as neon as you can get and I am determined to wear it at least once this summer. 120 is a peachy shade with a silver sheen running through it. This shade is far more wearable but slightly too pale for me. I will certainly be buying a few more lipsticks as they are super creamy and moisturising on the lips.

Blusher in 12 & 5 £3.50 // As as self proclaimed blush hoarder I struggled massively to pick only two shades of blush when ordering this haul. Both shades are hands down the most pigmented blushes I’ve used. The pinky/purple shade is just a vibrant on the skin as it is in the pan and the peachy shade creates a super healthy glow.

Eye Shadow in Flat Purple £4 // This bluey purple toned shadow really isn’t as pigmented as I had anticipated. It’s a nice creamy shadow that blends well but isn’t the vibrant shade I was hoping for. It makes a great transition shade when I want to add an understated pop of colour to my look.

Star Pearl Eye Shadow in Groovy Gold & Peach Flush £3 // These shadows look just as pretty on the eyes as they do in the pan. Both are richly coloured and have an iridescent finish.

I didn’t swatch the next two products are they are semi-permanent and I didn’t fancy having make up down my arm for the next couple of days.

Semi-Permanent Eyeliner in 1 £4 // The longevity of this was the most impressive factor. I struggle with itchy eyes and often find my liner has completety worn off around my tear duct, this stayed put all day no matter how much I rubbed my eyes. It isn’t as black as I’d like it to be and I did find myself adding some of my favourite liquid liner over the top to really make it black.

Semi-Permanent Lip Stain Pen in 7 £4 // This pen truly does stain the lips, for days if it’s not scrubbed off well enough. It’s pretty much the same as a standard felt tip pen, making it really easy to draw onto the lips. I was concerned about it being drying but it isn’t at all. I’ve worn this alone and with lipstick and gloss over the top.