BUY OR PASS | CHARLOTTE TILBURY BRAND OVERVIEW

I get a lot of questions about specific brands and my thoughts on popular products. In a few posts I have mentioned my thoughts on the Charlotte Tilbury range and how quite a few of their products I don't get on with. I got a bit of backlash for it as I understand CT is such a popular brand and a fantastic makeup artist with equally fantastic hair. I wanted to make it clear that I am not a brand-basher and just because a few of their products aren't my cup of tea or I consider overpriced it does not mean that I dislike the brand as a whole. So to answer some of your questions and requests I thought I would walk through the whole brand and explain what products I would purchase or pass on. This post does contain affiliate links, but this does not affect the price of the product. I hope you enjoy this different post, let me know in the comments if there are  other brands you would enjoy a similar post on. We have a lot to cover so let's jump straight in with the most popular products first. 

MAGIC CREAMS

This includes not only the Original Magic Cream (£70), which has 50ml of product, but also the Deluxe Sized Giant Magic Cream (£180), which has 150ml of product, the Magic Night Cream (£100) and even the Magic Eye Rescue (£40). I would happily buy them all just to see what all the fuss is about, but if I did that I would have blown almost £400 and that is when it is time to be selective. The Magic Cream was the first product Charlotte launched so I would never say never to that. I would buy the original Magic Cream and pass on the rest, no matter how tempting. I would have to see if the Magic Cream lived up to its hype before splurging on the rest of this luxury range. 

MASKS

Charlotte Tilbury actually has an impressive array of masks on offer. The one that has caught my eye the most is the Instant Magical Facial Dry Sheet Mask (£18) which can be bought in a Pack of Four (£60) as well. I heard about this mask on Fat Mascara (the podcast) and Jen and Jess both convinced me that this was a must-try. It can be used up to three times and is said to transform your skin. Other masks available are the Goddess Skin Clay Mask (£38) Amelia Liana actually mentioned this in a disappointing products video so I am not too keen on this; the Multi Miracle Glow Mask (£45) sounds great for anyone with dry skin which is not me, another pass and finally the Overnight Bronze and Glow Mask (£38) doesn't appeal to me on any level.  The Dry Sheet Mask is a buy, rest are a pass.

WONDER GLOW AND LIGHT WONDER

I am a fan of both Wonder Glow Primer (£38.50) and Light Wonder Foundation (£32). This is surprising because, if you know me you know, I like a semi-matte medium coverage foundation but I actually like the Light Wonder Foundation more than the Magic Foundation (£30). It is a sheer, light coverage formula but gives the most gorgeous radiant, skin-like finish especially used in conjunction with the Wonder Glow primer which is the primer I recommend for all brides. Buy for both.

MAGIC FOUNDATION

Tried and tested, for some reason the Magic Foundation (£30) is not compatible with my skin. I don't care for the finish or the wear time that it offers. It looks a little greasy on my skin and doesn't last long at all. There are much better foundations out there in my opinion, but that is just my opinion. Pass.

CONCEALERS

The Retoucher (£25) sounds a lot like the YSL product that everyone loves, but is more expensive, which I never got on with so it is a pass from me, but the Mini Miracle Eye Wand (£29) sounds like it was made for me as I am constantly "burning the candle at both ends" so my eyes could do with this 2-in-1 product that has a cream on one end and a concealer on the other. I saw Charlotte demonstrate this in a video and it seems like the kind of cool, innovative product that could really make a difference in my makeup routine. Buy.

AIRBRUSH FLAWLESS FINISH POWDER

This is something that has been on my to-buy list for a very long time. The Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder (£33) is very popular and comes highly recommended. If you guys know any comparable powders at a lower price point I would love to do a comparison test. Buy.

CHEEKS

The Cheek to Chic Blushes (£30) are all gorgeous and the "swish and pop" method does work, I don't have a bad thing to say about them except I am not a blush person. The only blush I use is Amaretto from Becca so I have no need or desire to purchase any blushes. On the other hand, the Film Star Bronze and Glow (£49) duos, there is one in Light/Medium (£49) and one for Medium/Dark (£49) look stunning and I would happily buy it but I want a duo with the highlight from the Light/Medium palette and the contour shade from the Medium/Dark palette and as that is not yet available (please make it available) it is another pass from me. Finally, the Beach Sticks (£30) are excellent cream products but again I don't use them so that makes it a pass for all 3.

BROWS & LASHES 

First and foremost, I am very curious about the Legendary Brows (£18.50) and I do believe both the Full Fat Mascara (£23) and Legendary Lashes Mascara (£25) are both good mascaras. It is just a case of it not being worth it for me, I would buy the Legendary Brows (£18.50) because it is marketed as a do-it-all, one-and-done product. For the mascaras, my favourite mascara is the By Terry Terrybly Mascara(£33.50) so I would rather invest in more of those. Pass on the mascaras.

EYES

The Luxury Palettes (£39) are considered cult products and they look stunning. You can create gorgeous looks with them and they are of good quality, but in terms of pigmentation and value for money it is a straight pass for me on all of these. If I did buy one it would be the Dolce Vita Palette (£39) or Vintage Vamp (£39). The Feline Flick Liquid Eyeliner (£22) is really nice, bold and easy to use. The Colour Chameleons (£19) come in gorgeous colours but again is something that is easily duped. I really like the Kiko Cream Eyeshadow Sticks , for the same reason I would pass on the Eyes to Mesmerise (£22) range as well. Cream eyeshadows in a pot are available from most affordable brands, again rather than the formula it is the colours that steal the show. So if there is a particular colour I wanted I would be tempted to buy if I couldn't find anything similar, but basically pass.

INSTANT LOOK IN A PALETTE

The Beauty Glow Instant Look in a Palette (£49) is very pretty and if you are a Charlotte Tilbury fan this is definitely worth the money. It would also make a great gift but is not something that suits my tastes. I am either a full glam or no glam kind of girl, I like to play and this has a very muted colour palette. Perfect for if you need to do your makeup in your car before you leave for work but otherwise it's a little boring to me. Pass.

LIPS

A solid buy for all the lipsticks Charlotte has especially the Matte Revolution lipsticks (£24) and the K.I.S.S.I.N.G. lipsticks (£24). I would probably pass on the Hot Lips (£24) range. I also would buy the Lip Cheat pencils and the new Lip Lustre Lip Glosses (£16.50). Very few brands do lip products as well as Charlotte Tilbury and they come in a gorgeous shade range with something to suit everybody.

BRUSHES

I have felt the Charlotte Tilbury brushes and adore how soft and lovely they feel, not to mention the gorgeous burgundy and gold aesthetic is stunning. Out of all of them I would buy the Powder and Sculpt Brush (£35), I think it fits in the hollows of the cheeks perfectly. Buy.

FRAGRANCE

Phew, almost done. Last but not least Scent of a Dream (£68 for 50ml) is a fragrance I would pass on.  Even though you can get the 30ml for £49 option, I am just not a fan of the bottle and the scent didn't wow me when I smelt it in store. It sounds gorgeous but I prefer a slightly fresher, warmer scent. Pass.

Photo by Em Ford @mypaleskinblog

They have some great sets available so you can try more than one product at a time like this Gift of Goddess Skin Set (£39) where you get 15ml of a primer, the Magic cream and the Goddess mask. Thank you so much for reading this lengthy post. I am exhausted already. I would love to know if you would like a similar post on any other brands, I really want to try some stuff from The Ordinary, like their Caffeine Solution, and Iconic London like their Day to Slay Palette (£45) which most of my friends seem to love. I have also heard good things about the BECCA Multi-tasking Face Powder would love to see how it compared to CT's so please leave me a comment. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' and check out my other social media. Hope you are having a great week. Take care.

What is your favourite Charlotte Tilbury product?

Love ❤

Kiran

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*Affiliate links used. Photos taken from @ctilburymakeup Instagram account unless otherwise stated.