Charlotte Tilbury

Easy Makeup Look Idea: Olive Eyeliner, Warm Brown Eyeshadow and Matte Fuchsia Lipstick

January 30th, 2020 by Karen 25 Comments

mac all fired up — Someone turns four this March! (No, not me.)

Some mornings are for blending six shadows on your lids, and other mornings are not.

Those are the mornings made for large quantities of coffee…and for cuddles…and for easy makeup.

Initially, when I set out to do this post, I planned to wear smokey, olive eye makeup on my lids to go with the bright fuchsia matte lipstick (All Fired Up — a MAC *must*), but Connor needed extra baby love in the morning, so that plan went out the window. *Poof!*

She’s just shy of four, and some days she’s big enough to handle ALL HER BUSINESS AND THEN SOME (“I’m a big girl, mama, and I can do it myself!”), but other days, like this one, she needs some extra hugs and songs, and I’m happy to oblige her. So, no blending of six shadows on this day for this mama, LOL!

Instead, I went with a hazy olive eyeliner (gotta love how forgiving blurred edges are), a wash o’ warm brown eyeshadow, and a matte fuchsia lipstick.

Yeah, it’s streamlined and totally unfussy, but I still like it a lot. The bold lip and the flash of shimmer in the liner give it some interesting elements.

mac all fired up swatch — My skin tone is MAC NC42.

[Continue reading…]

Layering Bronze Eyeshadow on Top of Black Liner To Correct Wonky Liner

January 13th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

Oh, my hooded lid ladies… I know you can feel me on this. There are days when my upper lash liner turns out perfectly…but then there are those other days when it does not. ?

And those days are baaaaad.

You know how it is. One minute, you’re applying your liner, oblivious to the disaster about to strike. Next thing you know, your liner has taken over half your lid. If you have hooded lids like I do, it also makes your eyes look smaller.

So, that’s what initially happened with this particular look here. Started out, I was in the mood for black cat eyeliner, but I was rushing, and things got out of hand quickly.

My liner was too thick, and the wings didn’t match. My eyes looked teeny, tiny.

Because I didn’t have enough time to remove everything and start again from scratch, I recalled the trick I’ve been using lately with light pencil liner to make my lids look less hooded, and I employed a similar technique to fix this mishap.

Here’s what I did.

I dipped a flat angled brush into a sparkly bronze eyeshadow, wet that brush head with a setting spray, and blended it directly on top of the black liner from the inner corner to about three fourths of the way out.

Why?

Well, just like how applying a light-colored liner on the upper lash line opens up the eye, layering a bronze on top of black also makes lids look more pronounced and larger than they really are.

Next, I cleaned the brush I used, dipped it into a dark brown, and blended that on the outer corner of the black liner to soften it and create the illusion of a little more lift.

I didn’t fully appreciate just how much larger it made my lids look until I got to Costco and started trying on prospective eyeglasses…

I took a pic of my face without frames so I could compare it to pics of myself wearing some of the new frames I was interested in (because I’m nerdy like that), and when I saw my makeup in the harsh overhead Costco lighting, I realized — OH, SNAP! — this eye makeup was actually working for me.

Yeah…I’m definitely gonna do this again, but, like, on purpose. LOL! 🙂

Key makeup worn in this look

Eyes: Pixi Endless Sikly Eye Pen in Black Noir, Pixi Eye Reflection Shadow Palette in Natural Beauty, MAC Omega and Brun (eyebrows), Chanel Dimensions de Chanel, MAC Brow Gel

Base: Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation in Honey Bronze, MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklight, Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Fair-Medium, MAC Sur Blush

Lips: MAC Boldly Bare lip pencil, MAC Candy Box Lipglass

This made me laugh so hard!

[Continue reading…]

Autumnal Dessert: 15-Minute Makeup With Chocolatey Reddish Brown Smoky Eyes and Matte Rosy Brown Lips

November 8th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

nars balboa — A classic fall combo: brown lids/brown lips

Luckily, I was wearing this chocolatey reddish brown smoky eye yesterday because I spent the majority of my shift at the bakery prepping dry chocolate cake mix from scratch…which may or may not have left me covered in a fine layer of cocoa powder.

(By the way, you haven’t lived until you’ve almost tipped an industrial-sized vat of cocoa powder on top of yourself. Yes…my life is a thrill a minute, I know. Side note: Holy crap, there’s SO MUCH SUGAR in chocolate cake mix!)

About the look

Apparently, the universe wanted me to be covered in chocolate in both the makeup and culinary sense, and these chocolate smoky eyes were super simple to do with a quick smudgy eye base from an opalescent bronze pencil eyeliner, which I topped with a matte reddish brown eyeshadow.

Matchy-matchy?

When I first started wearing eye makeup about one billion years ago, I believed that if you wore any matte finishes, then everything — your liner, your eyeshadow and your base — also had to be in a matching matte, but that’s so not the case. You can totally mix and match your finishes, which is what I did here with the pearly base and the matte eyeshadow to create a satin finish.

Feel free to play and layer different finishes if you don’t already, because you never know what you’ll cook up!

Playing with blending

Also, experiment with your blending. I’m normally inclined to “blow out” my eyeshadow, a.k.a. “blend out the edges so they fade out smoothly,” but I went for more definition at the edges in this look by choosing to not buff out the edges as much as usual… I kinda like it!

The more obvious edges of the eyeshadow are framed by a bolder brow, which I whipped up by mixing brow pencil with an eyeshadow.

[Continue reading…]

Feel the Ecstasy With Charlotte Tilbury: Cheek to Chic Swish & Pop Blusher in Ecstasy

October 24th, 2019 by Karen 16 Comments

I can’t wear Charlotte Tilbury Ecstasy blush without thinking of mid-90s club banger Set U Free.

The way the lead singer breathlessly enunciates the word, “ecstasy,” about a billion times…

Welcome to the decade of my formative years.

Anywho…while I like how long this satiny, peachy pink blush stays on my cheeks, the main thing I love about $40 Ecstasy blush is that I can get it on my cheeks in three minutes, which is about how much time I typically have while Coy-Coy uses the potty, so I can walk out the front door looking like I actually slept eight hours and stretched my hamstrings in the morning. (In other words, with a spring in my step!)

Charlotte recommends doing your blush last to best gauge how little or how much you need, and I agree.

So, here’s my Ecstasy three-minute makeup routine:

Dot Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter all over your face with the wand, and blend it in with fingers.
Curl lashes and coat them with a layer of Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara.
Draw a thin line of black liquid liner with Charlotte Tilbury Feline Flick on the upper lash line.
Dust Film Star Bronze & Glow Bronzer into the crease.
Coat lips with CT Pillow Talk Lipstick.
And finally, sweep Ecstasy on those cheekbones!

Don’t you love easy makeup? ? And don’t you also love it when Charlotte refers to blush as “blusher”?! (Or am I the only one?)

Charlotte designed Ecstasy (and this goes for all of her blushes) to be used as part of a two-step process. First, you swish the outer ring on your cheekbones to sculpt and shape, and then blend the brighter center shade on the apples of your cheeks for some color.

Of course…I usually end up swirling both colors together with a blush brush, and that works just fine for me.

[Continue reading…]

You’ll Wonder Where Your Experience Lines Go When You Wear Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow

October 22nd, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

charlotte tilbury filmstar bronze and glow fair medium — When Charlotte Tilbury makes you feel like a fancy lady…

OK, my fair friends, many of my makeup-loving pale pals say that it’s very challenging to find a bronzer that suits lighter skin tones. If this is the case for you, I believe I may have found a solution to your woes, and her name is Charlotte Tilbury. She’s got a bronzer/highlighter duo called Filmstar Bronze & Glow ($68, so start saving your lunch money), and there are two versions — Fair-Medium, pictured here, and Medium-Dark. Fair-Medium could be purrfect for lighter lasses.

If your makeup style is more “Sir John” than “Insta-glam”, I think you’ll love it.

The bronzer in Fair-Medium is a gorgeous peachy tan (no glitter in sight) without any weird or obnoxious orange undertones, so, what you get is a natural-looking, toasty almond tone when you sweep the finely-milled powder across your cheeks.

charlotte tilbury filmstar bronze and glow fair medium swatches — Livin’ that NC42 life

The highlighter is equally beautiful. It’s a peachy gold with dainty shimmer, and, like the bronzer, it’s more on the natural-looking side. If you prefer highlights with a delicate touch, you’ll love it.

Because the powder grains in both products in the duos are so incredibly fine, they soften the look of fine lines and pores impressively well. No tell-tale caked-on makeup here.

[Continue reading…]

Will Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream Cast a Spell on You?

October 21st, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

charlotte tilbury magic cream final — Nothing can stand in our way…

Brace yourself: if you happen to see this jar sitting atop your dressing table, it means that any second now, your lady’s maid will magically materialize to dress you, gently brush every lock of hair into place, and pin a diamond tiara on your head.

(Side note: I have watched an obscene amount of Downton Abbey over the past few days.)

Only Charlotte Tilbury could turn a standard-issue makeup artist’s trick — applying a layer of rich moisturizer on your face before putting on your face paint — and turn it into a bonafide F.L.L. (that’s “Fancy Lady Lifestyle,” dahhhling), with one of her line’s most renowned products: Magic Cream.

Lots of people swear by this rich, thick cream, which is made for all skin types and designed to be applied right before going in with your makeup.

Devotees of the Cult o’ Magic Cream claim that it potently plumps the skin, and it does contain heavy-hitting hydrators like hyaluronic acid, shea butter and aloe vera (to name a few), but I’d characterize the plumping effect as subtle.

The idea is that it’s supposed to smooth your canvas, so to speak, before you layer your foundation, concealer, powder, etc. on top. So, basically, it’s a rose-scented moisturizer/primer combo in a very pretty jar.

One thing about it? It smells fancy and expensive, and my skin absorbs the rich cream right away. Immediately after applying my base makeup on top of it — my foundation, powder, concealer, etc. — my base products look a little richer, more vibrant and slightly smoother. Everything looks a little more…natural and less like “makeup.”

If you’re a seasoned makeup person, you’ll see a subtle difference, but I dare say that most people won’t.

Here’s the thing: you can get a similar effect with any moisturizer, and doing a quick hit of moisturizer before base makeup is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Be that as it may, this cream’s ability to actually adhere to whatever you layer on top is its super power. In that way, it’s far better than a run-of-the-mill moisturizer. A lot of similarly rich creams will make your makeup slip right off, but this doesn’t. So, as a primer, it’s very effective.

I like it. A lot. But I don’t like the price. AT ALL.

INGREDIENTS

This product is gluten free.

AQUA/WATER/EAU, C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE SE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, OLUS OIL/VEGETABLE OIL/HUILE VÉGÉTALE, ISONONYL ISONONANOATE, CETYL ALCOHOL, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DIMETHICONE, POLYESTER-7, PHENOXYETHANOL, NEOPENTYL GLYCOL DIHEPTANOATE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, STEARETH-21, AVENA SATIVA (OAT) KERNEL EXTRACT, CARBOMER, DIMETHICONOL, POTASSIUM CETYL PHOSPHATE, CHLORPHENESIN, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, XANTHAN GUM, HYDROLYZED VIOLA TRICOLOR EXTRACT, ALLANTOIN, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, DISODIUM EDTA, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, CAMELLIA OLEIFERA SEED OIL, ROSA CANINA FRUIT OIL, ROSA DAMASCENA EXTRACT, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, MICHELIA ALBA LEAF OIL, SODIUM LACTATE, COCO-GLUCOSIDE, PEG-8, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TOCOPHEROL, PALMITOYL TETRAPEPTIDE-7, PALMITOYL TRIPEPTIDE-1, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, PLUMERIA RUBRA FLOWER EXTRACT, ASCORBIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, NICOTIANA SYLVESTRIS LEAF CELL CULTURE, LINALOOL, CITRONELLOL, GERANIOL.

The 30-ml. jar at top is $64, a 50-ml. jar is $100, and a 150-ml. jar is $225. (Wow!) Sephora also sells a tiny 0.5-ml. mini jar for $29. Every size it comes in is crazy pricey!

If you aren’t too keen on dropping your beauty budget on a product that’s basically invisible, not to worry; you have other options. Head over to MAC, and give Prep + Primer Natural Radiance a try (it’s an underrated rock star, IMHO).

While it isn’t anywhere near as luxurious as Charlotte’s Magic Cream, it does basically the same thing, and it’s about 50% less pricey at $42 for a 50-ml. size.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Cheat and Lipstick Is Smoother Than a Silk Pillowcase

October 18th, 2019 by Karen 29 Comments

Yo, if my pillow could talk, it would probably tell a sordid tale of insomnia and drool, ha ha ha! That’s not nearly as sexy as Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic Pillow Talk Lipstick ($34) and Lip Cheat Lip Liner ($22), I know, but such is the life of a sleep-challenged lady. ?‍♀️

Chances are you’ve heard about Pillow Talk, the nude-pink lipstick and lip liner famous for flattering so many different skin tones, and bumping and plumping lips to bodacious, billowing proportions.

It’s a pricey combo…but if two lip products can get me some juicy Angelina Jolie lips without any needles or pain, sign me up!

Just to be clear, neither the lipstick nor the lip liner are technically lip plumping products. When used alone or together, both are supposed to make your lips look bigger. How? By combining a smoother-than-smooth semi-matte finish and a universally flattering pinkish-brown nude color.

charlotte tilbury pillow talk swatches — So smooth

Whenever a brand calls something “universal flattering”, I think it’s always a good thing to temper your expectations, because let’s face it — one woman’s lip ecstasy is another’s agony.

I’m a MAC NC42, and my lips are fairly pigmented, and on me, both the Pillow Talk lipstick and liner are pinkish brown with a little bit of beige. It skews a little warm, but not so warm that it appears yellow-based. I definitely get a nude vibe, and I like the color, which is like a blend of MAC Velvet Teddy and MAC Half ‘N’ Half.

The lipstick also smells and tastes very similar to MAC’s signature vanilla (the liner has no flavor or scent), and now that I think about it…when I’m wearing both the lipstick and the liner, the combo feels and looks very much like a mashup between a MAC Cremesheen and a MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick. It has the same light and feathery texture, along with a similar hazy, semi-matte finish. Very, very pretty and very comfortable.

Charlotte does take it to the next level, though, because the way both products glide across my skin is absolutely superior. They’re so, so smooth. No skipping, no dragging, no sort of hesitation when you run the tube or the pencil across your lips. And my lips, after the first application, look extremely smooth.

Pillow-y and plump? Not so much, but definitely smoother. And this effect lasts a while. I’m talking four or five hours. But at the tail end of it, my vertical lip lines look more pronounced than I’d like… It’s not like my lips look like a sad prune waiting to be chucked into the garbage, but they do look a little dry.

I’ll finish both the liner and lippie eventually because the color is totally my thing, but I don’t know if I’d freak out like I do when I’m about to finish a MAC Velvet Teddy. While the Pillow Talk lipstick/liner combo is noticeably smoother, I think Velvet Teddy’s similar enough, and if I were chatting with a stranger on the street about lipstick (as one does, LOL!), I’d suggest that they try Pillow Talk once, but I’d also recommend that they give MAC Teddy a go, since it’s a little more affordable ($18.50).

For about the same price as the Pillow Talk lipstick/liner combo, you could also buy three tubes of Velvet Teddy — one to keep at home, one to keep in your purse, and one to perhaps keep as an extra in case one of the others falls in the toilet…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Sephora VIB Sale Strategy (and a Skin Care Haul)

November 13th, 2018 by Karen 27 Comments

kate somerville skin care — New from Kate Somerville

I have revised my plan of attack for the Sephora VIB sale, because, let’s get real…only a few of the items I want are things I can’t function without (I’m talking to you, Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion). Most of the things are things I only want because they’re on sale… I’m 100% my mother’s daughter that way (“It’s on sale? BUY IT. Don’t you ever pay full price, ever!”).

But really, how much do I actually need another bronzer, all-matte neutral palette or another coral lipstick?

Not much! LOL. But I still want them all, especially with new makeup coming out every five seconds, so I gotta check myself before I wreck myself…

How do I weed out unnecessary or spur-of-the moment purchases?

On the very first day of the sale, I put everything I want to buy into my cart, and then I wait… And wait. And wait. I let it all simmer there, brewing and stewing (and taunting me?). Then, juuuuust before the sale ends, I’ll see what’s left in my cart, and most of the time when I do this, there are things that have sold out, which whittles the list down, and from there I reevaluate what’s left and see what fits into my budget.

This tactic reduces the likelihood of me getting a whole bunch of things I mostly only want because they’re on sale.

sephora vib haul — ‘Twas a skin care haul (regular prices shown)

Um…but K-Dawg, does this actually work?

Dude, it totally does! Forcing myself to wait and really think about my cart and the grand total $ staring back at me helps…because I know who I am, and I’m a spur-of-the-moment shopper.

Waiting also forces me to look around at what I already have in my stash.

For this last sale, I knew I needed another bottle of Kate Somerville Anti-Bac, sunscreen/face moisturizer for winter (ugh, dry skin), an eye cream and some chemical exfoliators for mature skin, because every morning lately when I wake up and look in the mirror, instead of seeing my face, I see freakin’ Gollum’s!

What my heart was telling me I wanted, though, was a bunch of makeup — a Charlotte Tilbury palette, Shiseido eyeliners and eyeshadows (they recently revamped their entire makeup line, and it’s supposed to be REALLY good), some Charlotte Tilbury blushes and bronzers, and a Dior foundation.

OK, and maybe a few other things were in there too, ha ha ha. You know me too well!

Step 1: Shopping my own stash

The Charlotte Tilbury palette ended up being sold out, but everything worked out because I rediscovered my BECCA Chrissy Palette, which more or less serves the same purpose. I’m a little sad panda, 🙁 but if the CT palette is still around for the next VIB sale and I’m still lusting after it, I’ll get it then.

becca chrissy teigen swatches — Hello, old friend…

[Continue reading…]