I’ve been doing a “bit” of shopping the past few weeks online and in stores and I thought I’d share a good ‘ol fashioned high-end haul. I had a couple of gift cards to use up and there were couple of launches that I couldn’t help but pick up. Then we we traveled to Scottsdale, AZ where there is actually a full Charlotte Tilbury counter at Nordstrom. It was rose gold, swatching heaven. I’m still playing around with a lot of these products, but I can share some initial thoughts with you.
Bronzers
There were two bronzers geared towards fair skin I’ve been wanting to pick up for quite a while.
- Laura Geller Bronze-n-Brighten in Fair $33.00: I picked this up at Ulta during a Beauty Break and landed a half dozen other products for free for that order. I posted more about this here with a few tips on when these deals occur and how to take advantage of them.
- Sephora Collection Matte Bronzer in 1 Anguilla $17.00: As with many Sephora Collection products, I think this bronzer is an overlooked gem. I’ve only swatched it at this point, but the texture is amazing and it blends out so smoothly.
I am still playing around with both bronzers, but so far, I like them both. The Sephora bronzer is definitely warmer than the Laura Geller one and a little stiffer in texture. But neither come off orange on my skin and neither is powdery or difficult to blend. I also appreciate that they are buildable and aren’t so pigmented that you end up with a stripe on your face.
Blush
I’ve been on a total blush kick for the past few months and this is one that I’ve swatched over and over at Ulta. This was also the other item I purchased during the Ulta Beauty Break.
- Laura Geller Baked Blush-n-Brighten in Pink Buttercream $28.00: I really do love this color, but I feel like I have to give a word of warning on how pigmented this blush is. The first time I tried this I looked like a clown and had to blend like a crazy person and put powder on top before I felt comfortable leaving the house. Now that I know to be careful, it went perfectly the second time applying it. It is very easy to blend even though it’s highly pigmented.
Eyeshadows
- Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre $22.00: I picked this up because everyone raves about it and I prefer primers that cancel out all the veining and discoloration on my eyelid. My go-to eye primer has been Urban Decay Primer in Eden for YEARS. Formula wise this Paint Pot is great and kept my eyeshadow in place all day without creasing. But the tone was a little to dark for my preference and made my lids look sallow until I covered it up with shadow. I think I still prefer my UD Primer because it is closer to my natural skin tone.
- Mac Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Smoky Mauve $20.00: I love the Mac Extra Dimension eyeshadow formula. They are incredibly metallic and pigmented and last on my eyes all day. I am slowly but surely collecting them all. At some point in the future I will probably post a blog about all the colors and own. I am loving this purple/mauve tone. I’ve only swatched it so far, but this weekend I will absolutely be rocking this shade. The only bummer is that this formula has to be sold in individual packaging and you can’t depot it into a Z Palette. So as with all single eyeshadows not in a Z Palette, I feel like it runs the risk of being forgotten about if I’m not careful. 🙂
- Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Indianwood $22.00: I love cream eyeshadows that are medium toned like this. They work great all over the lid and blended out around the crease for a super easy single shadow look. It always looks like I took much longer than I did to do my eye makeup with this technique. I’ve worn this shade twice now and I love it. It’s a gorgeous warm bronze color that really makes my blue eyes pop. And this sucker does not budge. I wore it for 14 hour straight with no creasing or fading.
Lip Liners
I’ve been very excited for the launch of Bite Beauty’s first lip pencils so I had to pick up two neutral shades. I also wanted to pick up a couple more of the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat pencils because I fell hard for the shade Pillow Talk.
- Bite Beauty The Lip Pencil in 10 and 14 $18.00: I really like this formula. It’s in a traditional wooden pencil and is just the right amount of creaminess and waxiness. According to the website, “The case is an artisanal wood barrel that encapsulates whipped shea butter and three times the amount of pigments for a perfectly defined line.” I’ve both shades to fill in my lips and just as a liner for a lipstick to keep it from bleeding. They function perfectly for both The neutral shade range of these pencils is what gets me. They really seemed to realized we all love a great nude lip and have put out a ton of neutral tones so there is something for everyone.
- Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pink Venus and Kiss ‘n Tell $22.00: At the risk of being a snob, these really are the best lip pencils I’ve used. Compared to the Bite pencils above, they are just a smidge waxier and I think that helps them that last just a bit longer. They are perfect for lining the lips and work great when you fill your lips in and add a gloss. I’m very happy I picked up both these colors. Honestly I just wish she had a pretty mauve tone and then I would be set.
I included the shade Pillow Talk in the swatches below because I know it’s probably the most popular lip pencil Charlotte Tilbury has ever done. And the Bite pencil in 010 is probably the closest match I’ve found. Pillow Talk is a little lighter a smudge less pink, but I would say they are 95% similar.
Lipsticks
I also had to pick up two new Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks. I think the shades are looking a bit dark in the picture above. The truer colors are definitely in the swatches below.
- Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Tell Laura $34.00: I’ve been looking for a good orange-based red lipstick and I found this while swatching myself happy at the Charlotte Tilbury counter in Scottsdale, AZ. I’m as sucker for this vintage lipstick packaging and I love how pigmented these lipsticks are. For a comfortable satin-matte lipstick, they really do last a long time, especially when paired with a liner.
- Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Pillow Talk $34.00: This lipstick is only available on the Charlotte Tilbury website right now, but it doesn’t appear to be limited edition.. Considering how much I adored the lip pencil in this color, when I saw on Instagram she had released a lipstick in the same shade, I had to snatch this up. I love that the shade is pretty much spot on to the liner and her matte formula is incredibly comfortable. I see myself wearing this nude all the time.
Lip Gloss
These were two glosses I picked up at Sephora while shopping with a friend at the Scottsdale Fahionplace Mall.
- NARS Limited Edition Lipgloss in Asphalt Jungle $26.00: This colors I just stumbled across and I had the most IMPOSSIBLE time photographing it to do the color any justice. It’s warm brown shade as a base, but it has a gold and pink micro-glitter in it so the tone is really unique. The NARS lipgloss formula isn’t sticky at all but still manages to last longer than many lip glosses. I feel like this shade is more for fall than spring, but it’s a really good color to go with my red hair and fair skin.
- Dior Addict Lip Maximizer High Volume Lip Plumper in Pink $33.00: This was a recommendation from the friend I was hopping with. I have yet to purchase any Dior lip products, but she pulled this one out of her handbag while we were having drinks and I pounced. The next day, I picked one up and I’m glad I did. It has a slight tingly feeling when you apply it and I do think it plumps your lips a bit. But it’s never uncomfortable and the pink shade is really faint. So it really ends up working like a clear plumping gloss over anything underneath. This formula also is very gel like and not sticky and has a very pleasant vanilla mint scent.
