Charlotte Tilbury – my must have products

18th April 2020 | Lipstick and late nights

We all know that I’m the biggest fan of budget beauty and drugstore brands, because let’s face it, there’s nothing like the buzz of those rare occasions when you spend a fiver on a product and discover that it delivers every bit the same quality as it’s high-end alternative. I absolutely love a bargain and will go for the cheaper alternative nine times of of ten if there’s an option, but like most of you I’m sure, I have a weak spot…a crush if you will, and her name is Charlotte.

If the urge to splurge is upon me, Charlotte Tilbury has fast become my go to for true luxury. The high-end price tag is always completely justified, from the quality and powerful efficiency of the ingredients through to the insanely luxe and covetable packaging, in my books, anything CT is guaranteed to please. I am HOOKED.

For those of you (and I doubt there are many) still holding virgin status when it comes to Charlotte Tilbury, I’ve put together my top six must have, can’t live without products to get you started.

Now let’s get one thing straight – this was NOT an easy task because everything Charlotte touches is absolute gold (literally) and there are many other products that I also adore, but these picks have made the list because they’re universal, easy to use and can be incorporated in to anyone’s daily routine – no MUA experience necessary.

THE BASE…

Charlotte’s Magic Cream – 15mls, £25.

Bold statement time – this is probably the best moisturiser I’ve ever used – and believe me when I say that I have tried and tested a LOT of skin care in my time. Seriously though, whether it’s the combination of the eight ‘supercharged’ ingredients’ or some sort of witch-craft, this cream will instantly transform your skin and provide the best base imaginable for applying makeup. Skin feels plumper, smoother and immediately more nourished, plus it’s got SPF too! I can’t stress it enough when I say that I LOVE this product.

Flatlay photo of an open pot of the Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream

The fabulous thing about shopping at CT is that most products are available in travel sizes which is always a winner for me. With skin as temperamental as mine, there’s nothing worse than forking out a fortune on a product that doesn’t work for you, so this way you can try a smaller size before you buy.

Charlotte’s magic cream is also available in 30mls (£49) or 50mls (£75). I bought this cream as part of the super cute Bright Magic Skin Glow skincare duo set, which bags you the 15ml Magic Cream alongside a full size Brightening youth glow for just £40 – an absolute steal! Speaking of Brightening Youth Glow…

Brightening Youth Glow Primer – 40mls, £39.

While this priming product may seem to be aimed at more mature skin, I’d recommend it for anyone with tired, dull or uneven skin that craves a moisture boost. Packed with some of my favourite ingredients, including rosehip oil and niacinamide, Youth Glow contains a cocktail of skin clearing, radiance revealing beauty faves which will not only give you an immediate glow, but will work improve skin tone over time.

Apply liberally and allow to soak fully in for instantly luminous skin that blurs imperfections and pores, leaving skin ready for flawless foundation application.

Top Tip: The soaking in part is important as I find that applying foundation too soon afterwards can lead to a little separation when the two products mix.

THE FACE…

Airbrush Flawless Foundation – 30mls, £34.

If I had to choose one foundation to wear for the rest of my life, there’s a strong chance that it would be this (Fenty Pro Filt’r is hot on the chase with this one!).

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush flawless foundation in shade 3

Sweatproof, waterproof, basically lifeproof, and good for your skin too..?

Sounds to good to be true right? Well believe it, because this foundation really does have it all. The reason it’s so completely fabulous is that it’s a ‘hybrid’ product, made with both cosmetic finish and being awesome for your skin in mind in equal measures. Airbrush Flawless is infused with ‘Charlotte’s Magic ingredients’, (click the link for the technical jargon) all aimed at refining the skin, minimising pores and wrinkles and boosting hydration.

As for the finish, it’s soft focus, demi matte, weightless and really will last all day. While described as full coverage, personally I’d say it’s more medium – full, but it makes your skin look so good that the coverage is ideal anyway. Fabulously glowy when combined with either the Brightening Youth Glow or the classic Wonder Glow Primer.

Beauty Light Wand Spotlight – 12mls, £29.

It would be plain rude not to include a highlighter in this list and CT has got us covered with the Beauty Light Wand ‘Spotlight’. Super easy to apply thanks to the soft cushion applicator which evenly disperses the liquid product, it’s ideal for dabbing on to the high points of the face and then either simply patting in to the skin with finger tips or gently buffing in with a complexion brush.

The finish is dewy, light reflecting and just bloody gorgeous.

I have this in the shade ‘Candlelit’ which suits my pale skin perfectly. This came as part of the Hollywood Beauty Glow kit (£30) which also includes a 15ml Wonderglow primer, so this is a fab way of saving money and trying out a couple of new products at once, but the Beauty Light Wand is available to buy individually in all six shades (Pillow Talk I’m coming for you next!).

THE EYES…

Eyes To Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow – 7mls, £22.

Cream eyeshadows…always a bit of a risk, right? I’m always a little dubious of the staying power and resistance to creasing, but when I saw these little babies from CT, I knew it had to be worth a go.

The shade ‘Rose Gold’ instantly caught my eye as it’s been popping up on social media everywhere lately. Guaranteed to not only be awesome for making my dark blue eyes pop, this was sure to be an essential for my kit for use on clients if it delivered what it promised to when it came to wear.

IT DID NOT BUDGE ALL DAY LONG.

The product is a little more sheer than expected given that the promo videos make it look like one effortless swipe gives a full colour pay-off, (but then don’t they always?!) but a couple of layers later and it is simply gorgeous. Easy to blend with either finger tips of a soft crease brush, this product is definitely a winner for me.

THE LIPS…

Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick – £25.

Ok, it’s time to address the elephant in the room here. Yes I blogged about the Matte Revolution lipsticks before (read the full review HERE) and while I liked them a lot, I didn’t LOVE them, but I’m going to put my hands up and say that I am fully converted, and it’s all thanks to this shade.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in the shade Pillow Talk

The iconic Pillow Talk. It’s a worldwide bestseller for a reason.

I always adored this universally flattering shade – like no BS, it suits absolutely everyone, however the reason that it wasn’t a full on knock out for me was that i felt it needed a bit of layering and that it didn’t give me all day wear. HOWEVER… since switching up my lip prep routine and adding the right liner, it’s safe to say that I’m as obsessed with it as the rest of the nation. I mean if it’s good enough for the mighty Jamie Genevieve to wear on her wedding day, it’s good enough for me.

Top Tip: Yes the CT liner is fab and is the obvious choice to pair it up with, but if you’re looking to save a buck or two, the Barry M Lip Liner in shade ‘Russet’ will do the job just as well, and for only £2.99 😉

What are your favourite Charlotte Tilbury products? Leave a comment and let me know!

Until next time,

B x

Becca Cosmetics Ultimate Coverage 24 hour Foundation & Ever Matte Primer.

Becca Cosmetics Ultimate Coverage 24 hour foundation in shade shell

10th May 201911th May 2019 | Lipstick and late nights

Since Becca Cosmetics shot to internet fame riding high on the cheekbones of Insta-famous makeup gurus like the queen of glow herself, Jamie Genevieve, we’ve all wanted to get a piece of the shimmering, shining action.

We’ve all heard of, and most likely tried their best selling highlighter, the Shimmering Skin Perfector, with shades Opal and Champagne Pop taking pride of place in any self respecting glow-getter’s makeup bag. Personally I’m a Vanilla Quartz girl, however this shade only comes in travel size, for now; I’m hoping that if I continue spamming the Becca socials at an increasingly annoying rate, they’ll take note and add it to the full size range one day… A girl can dream!

Today I’m talking about some of their lesser know products from the foundation and primer ranges. It only makes sense that the brand at the top of the skin perfecting game would have some pretty phenomenal base products, right? Being a girl with more skin problems than I care to list, it’s full coverage all the way for me, so I picked up the Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation and the Ever Matte Poreless Priming perfector, both available from Cult Beauty and John Lewis.

Sure they’re totally Instagram worthy in terms of aesthetics and all that, but let’s get down to how they actually perform. We’ll start with the primer.

Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector – £28/40mls

First thing’s first, this product had extremely mixed reviews, some were less than encouraging. However some sung it’s praises so loudly that I figured it had to be worth a shot. Here’s what Cult Beauty have to say about this primer:

“a velvety-textured, oil-absorbent fluid, enriched with BECCA’s signature ‘Evermat’ complex – which soaks up excess sebum to leave skin looking velveteen and perfectly prepped for foundation.”

So here’s the thing, when they say oil free, they damn well mean it. This primer seems to somehow magically suck up every drop of oil from the face leaving it as matte as matte can be, with a super tacky finish (which I love) ready for your foundation to cling to and stay put all day.

Now if you’re an oily girl like me, you’ll love this, but be prepared for it NOT to work with a hydrating foundation on top, I guarantee you will struggle with separation. Also be prepared to work very quickly when applying this primer as it adheres to the skin with lightning speed. I recommend applying with your hands and letting the warmth from your fingertips help to spread the product and do the work for you. If you apply this with a brush or sponge, things will turn to shit. Fast.

Becca Cosmetics Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector

One thing that I do love about this primer is the pore blurring effect, which given the lack of silicones is mighty impressive stuff, even my craterous pores appeared diminished and smoothed over.

Overall I’d say that this heavy duty primer is fantastic for those who mean business when it comes to achieving a super matte and long lasting finish, but avoid like the plague if you have even a hint of dryness in your skin if you’re looking for a natural/glowy look.

Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation – £32/30mls

Wow. I was so not prepared for this. If I thought that the primer meant business, then this foundation is be the Wall Street of full coverage. The formula is thicker than my thighs will make you WORK for that blend. Here’s the scoop:

“Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation has got you covered all day, every day. Virtually weightless, the formula has been painstakingly developed to strike the perfect balance between coverage and breathability; with 21 percent pure pigment and 22 percent water, this melts into skin and blends seamlessly for a natural, airbrushed effect.”

Being far too impatient to wait for a day off to pop down to the recently opened counter at John Lewis, I ordered the shade ‘Shell’ online, and it turned out to be a pretty spot on match. I first gave this a try on top of the Ever Matte Primer, and not gonna lie, it felt a bit like I was trying to spread cement on to my face. The combination of the two is just too much. Don’t get me wrong, after working super speedily to blend the foundation out before it instantly set (or at least felt that way!), the results were insane. Complete coverage and a crazy matte, smooth finish, but unless you are prepared to blend all the way down your neck, this foundation will not look natural in any kind of way.

I gave the the foundation a second run a couple of days later minus the primer and with a freshly moisturised base, also applying half the amount, and the results honestly were fabulous. Maybe I had just been a little over-zealous in my first attempt? Here’s the difference between the full beat and the watered down every day look…

As you can see, the full face on the left gave a far more yellowy tone to the foundation which really didn’t suit my skin tone, but with a lighter application I absolutely loved the flawless result it gave.

Now Ultimate Coverage may take a bit of trial and error while getting used to the application, but get it right and it might just become your BFF. When they say long lasting and waterproof, they ain’t lying. It saw me through a 16 hour Mayday bender without budging in the slightest – now that’s staying power!

Top tips for getting the application right:

Use a hydrating primer before applying and give yourself a mist with a hydrating spray right before beginning to blend to help the product spread.
Do NOT set with a powder, I promise you won’t need it and if you do, you’ll end up looking cakey.
Try not to touch your face throughout the day, it never really ‘sets’, but leave it well alone and it’ll look amazing all day long.
Avoid if you have a particularly dry skin type, try something creamier like Revolution Pro’s full coverage camouflage foundation instead. You can read about this one here in my previous post 😉

So there you have it folks, there are definitely pro’s and cons to both of these products, but for me they’re winners overall and one’s I’ll definitely be using as part of my ‘night out on the sesh makeup’ routine from now on.

Have you tried these products? I’d love to know what you think so leave a comment and let me know!

Until next time,

B x

Charlotte Tilbury matte revolution lipstick, worth the hype?

Flatlay of Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks in shades Pillow Talk and Bond Girl

24th March 2019 | Lipstick and late nights

Ah Charlotte Tilbury, the queen of some of the most aesthetically pleasing, skin perfecting, no makeup-but-secretly-wearing-shitloads-of-makeup products out there. It’s no secret that her tonally perfect, copper-clad goodies are every Instagrammers dream, and products like Wonder Glow and the Hollywood Flawless Filter foundation have become the stuff of legend since her rise to cosmetic fame over the last few years, but the must have accessory of the moment is without a doubt a CT lippie. I mean is your makeup bag really complete if it doesn’t feature one of these metallic little beauties? They’re practically fashion.

Word on the street for some time now has been that the must-have item is a Matte Revolution lipstick, with the range having shot to social media fame and being featured in just about every editorial out there. In fact it’s been so in-your-face visible that I can’t quite believe it’s taken me this long to try them out.

The colour range is a dream with something to suit every skin tone, and many shades being inspired by fashion and beauty icons from across the decades, making them easily relatable when trying to envisage your perfect shade. There’s even a pretty sweet feature on the website where you can view the shade on a wide variety of skin tones for a realistic idea of how it will suit you.

I wanted to select a perfect nude for both day and night, so after much deliberating settled on the critically acclaimed (and consistently sold out) Pillow talk for day, and Bond Girl for night.

Pillow Talk
Bond Girl

Here’s what Charlotte has to say about these shades…

“Pillow Talk -The universally-loved, best-selling lipstick launched to give all women what Charlotte Tilbury calls ‘the most beautiful lips of your life’. The moisturising matte formula smooths and shapes the lips of your dreams to allure, tempt and perfect every pout. It’s formulated for every woman at every age and any skin tone. “

“Bond Girl – Darlings, mimic the sultry, alluring look of the Bond beauties. My Matte Revolution Lipstick in Bond Girl has all the ingredients for a lit-from-within pout. This gorgeously chic natural berry shade is inspired by the Bond girls from Halle Berry to Barbara Bach to Olga Kurylenko.”

Convinced that my life was about to be changed forever with a mere slick of lipstick, I just had to share the results with you guys, so here it is, what is possibly about to become one of the most unpopular opinions on the internet today… they’re OK.

I know, I know, we were all expecting proclamations of love right about now, but for £24 a lipstick, I just wanted a little…more. Here’s why:

The colours are a dream, they really are, but for a matte lipstick I find that they lack a little opacity. When I apply a matte lipstick, I expect full colour in a single swipe, but with this I found I needed a good few layers before the colour reached it’s full potential. To be fair, the website does label the lipsticks as ‘buildable’, but if I wanted to buy a sheer lipstick, I’d buy a sheer lipstick.

Pillow Talk
Bond Girl

To give you guys genuine view of how these apply, in the above pictures I’ve applied straight from the bullet as recommended on the website which states the following as a feature:

“Revolutionary, square, angled tip mimics the shape of a lip brush for precision application”

I also didn’t use a matching lip liner to test the true precision of the application. The lipstick boasts a cashmere finish thanks to lip nourishing ingredients such as orchid extract, and long lasting results. I’ll give them the cashmere finish, my lips really did feel smooth and soft, however due to having to layer it on to achieve the maximum colour payoff, I still felt that it was a little thick feeling. As for being long lasting, I’m afraid this was another downside for me. After only a couple of hours without eating or drinking anything there was a significant amount of fading and I had to reapply. Oh dear Charlotte…

Don’t get me wrong, there really are many positives too. Pillow Talk when paired with a liner (I used a Kiko Golden Waves liner) is truly stunning, and lasted much longer. For the shade alone I’ll go back to this one time and time again, it really is the perfect nude. You can also tell by the feel that they are made using quality ingredients which is great. Bond girl didn’t quite deliver the deep berry shade that I expected, however it is a fabulous universal tone that would suit almost any skin tone. I just can’t help but feel overall that the Matte Revolution lipsticks are just a little too style over substance for me, and as gorgeous and flashy as they may look in an Instagram post, I probably wouldn’t repurchase in the future.

Have you guys tried the Matte Revolution lipsticks? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time,

B x

Getting Christmas party ready with Kiko Milano.

18th December 201818th December 2018 | Lipstick and late nights

With less than a week to go until the big day, parties are in full swing, prosecco is popping all around us and there’s more glitter in the air than at a pride march, and I’m not sad about one little bit.

At Christmas and New year, we really do pull out all the stops when it comes to looking our most fabulous. We spend hours, waxing, preening, plucking, pampering, tonging and everything in between to make sure that we are the belles of the ball, so who has time at the end of all that to fit in a makeup appointment too?!

Thanks to Kiko, you don’t have to, as their holiday collections are packed full of gorgeous, glittering goodies to help you get party ready in a flash.

This isn’t an ad by the way, I’m just a huge fan of Kiko’s affordable yet super high quality products. They may be a nightmare to work for (seriously, talking from experience here… avoid like that creepy guy with the bad breath at the office party…) but I keep coming back time and time again to stock up on their fantastic cruelty free cosmetics all the same.

Insider tip: a fair amount of Kiko products are dupes of high end products at a fraction of the price! Love Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation? Try Kiko’s Liquid Skin at less than half the price!

I’ve hand picked a selection of products to help you sparkle your way in to the new year that’ll save you a fortune on salon visits leaving more money for Prosecco, right..?

1. Kiko Glitter Shower Eyesadow – £8.90.

These incredibly glitter packed shadows make creating a sparkling eye look an absolute breeze. It genuinely could not be easier, just pop on a base shadow across the whole lid and blend upwards and outwards over the crease, then pick a good amount of the shadow with your finger tip (that’s right, no brushes or sticky glitter glue necessary!) and swipe across the lid. Easy peasy!

This is a single swipe of the eyeshadow, just look at that base pigment!

I chose shades 02 – Golden Rose, and 03 – Grape Topaz, which are fab to mix and match or wear alone. Finish with some smudged liner to smoke it out and some nice big lashes if you’re feeling bold enough.

2. Kiko Dark Treasure matte liquid lip colour – £8.90.

For me, I go for a liquid lip when facing a big night out every time, a girl needs a certain amount of staying power to get her through that many G&T’s! Especially if your night out involves a meal, nobody wants to be sneaking off to top up in between every course.

It’s safe to say that I am OBSESSED with Kiko’s latest offering, so I picked up two shades that will get you through the holiday season with more pout for your pound.

The smooth and completely opaque formula is super easy to apply in a single layer, while skipping a liner at the same time. It dries to a lovely soft matte and stays put all day with very little transfer, which is an absolute winner for me.

The shades I bought are 06 – Catching Red, which by the way might just be the most perfect shade of red I’ve ever found! It’s giving me serious Gwen Stefani vibes. Despite a blue undertone, you could rock this shade with any skin tone. Also 07 – Opulent Wine, a lovely rosy, berry shade, ideal for when opting for a simple eye such as a winged liner. It’s deep enough to add a bit of drama to a black dress, but not quite as intimidating as a red for those not used to wearing a bold lip.

3. Kiko Sparkling Holiday Glitter Nail Lacquer – £4.90.

We all love a good Christmas manicure, but do you really want to be wearing it every day for three weeks? Give yourself a pamper at home for your night out with these FABULOUS glitter nail lacquers.

Seriously, they are the bomb! Just pop on a nude base, slap on two coats of glitter, and top with the Kiko gel top coat, and bam! A salon quality manicure that will last for days!

I chose 01 – Gold in my mind, and 02 – Twee Rose, which by the way, match both shades of eyeshadow perfectly! What a fab wee secret Santa gift that would be.

I used both shades to create an ombre, which FYI, is near impossible to pick up on camera…but looked great in real life, honest!

This shimmering collection of goodies is sure to see me through the festive season in typically over the top style.

Don’t forget that if you want to give any of these a try before you buy, just pop in to a Kiko and ask an assistant to apply some for you or show you how to use them.

I hope you are all having the most wonderful festive season so far. Time for me to get back to guzzling mulled wine and eating my body weight in cheese.

Happy Christmas everyone,

B x

Henna brows with Marcia at The Brow Houz.

21st November 20182nd December 2018 | Lipstick and late nights

It’s official, the nation has gone brow crazy. No longer is a good old wax and tint enough for the majority of us beauty obsessed lot, oh no, we’re now all about threading, HD brows, microblading, powder brows, ombre brows…the options are endless. News just in though, there’s a new kid on the brow obsessed block – henna brows are here, and they might just be a bit of a game changer.

Makeup artist and brow expert Marcia Wilkes kindly asked me along to the Brow Houz to give them a try, and as someone who spends a good ten minutes perfecting that sculpted brow look on a daily basis, I jumped at the chance to try out the treatment that promised to give me an extra ten minutes of snooze time in the mornings!

For the last two years, The Brow Houz has made a name for itself as the place to go for the best brows in Aberdeen, with beauty loving customers travelling from far and wide to up their brow game at this award winning salon.

Marcia has been based at the Brow houz for some time, offering up the most fabulous HD brows and gorgeous makeup looks to lots of loyal customers, and has recently added henna brows to her lineup.

My attention was well and truly grabbed and I was ‘dyeing’ (wayyyy! Geddit?!) to try them out… (I’ll see myself out).

I know what you’re thinking though – henna? Isn’t that just the stuff you get dodgy ‘tattoos’ with on holiday? Well absolutely not! Henna is a plant based dye that when made in to a paste, can be used to dye skin, hair, fabric and everything in between, and guess what, now brows too!

Here’s what Marcia had to say about what is set to be the latest brow trend:

‘Perfect for those who like to fill their brows in daily, but also want those extra ten minutes in bed. The henna tints the skin which lasts up to three weeks, as well as the hair which lasts up to six weeks. This treatment is suitable for vegans and vegetarians, and is made with 100% natural ingredients, the nutrients can help encourage hair growth for those who have sparse brows, or have ‘regrowth areas’.

Sounds pretty great, right? As a natural blonde with brows that grow in about three different directions, I struggle to get tint to stick to my brows for longer than a week, so this seemed like the ideal treatment for me.

For the record, Marcia is one of about two people in Aberdeen that I will trust to go anywhere near my brows due to still being traumatised by a waxing incident while modelling for a brows course at college (seriously, that shit sticks with you for life..). Marcia was fab from the start, first of all explaining how the treatment worked and what to expect, and then giving a detailed consultation to decide what colour and shape to go for – I went for dark brown to offset my freshly coppered hair, but if you aren’t feeling a bold as me, a variety of warmer and softer shades are available.

She was super thorough and paid the most amazing attention to detail making sure that they were just right, checking in with me several times and making minute changes before leaving the henna to work it’s magic. The treatment lasted about 45 minutes, with Marcia removing the henna from the inside of the brows a little earlier than the rest to achieve a fabulous ombre and very natural effect.

After removing the rest of the henna, Marcia waxed and shaped my brows to perfection and carved them out with a touch of concealer before checking that I was happy, and boy was I! Here are the before and afters, featuring close ups of my bonny spotty mug and 14 hour old eyeliner:

Would you believe that there is absolutely NO product in these brows?

I was actually pretty blown away by the results, my brows looked thicker, healthier, and absolutely bang-on in terms of colour and shape. Marcia gave me all of the aftercare information that I needed, including to avoid makeup and harsh makeup removers for the next 24 hours, and sent me on my way with a smile on my face a a bit of extra sass in my walk thanks to my sexy new brows. Thank you girl!

Two weeks later, still going strong, just like those pesky spots… No edits or makeup.

I know that you guys will want to know how it lasts, so here you are; two weeks later the tint has faded from the skin (but like I said, nothing ever sticks to my skin so that’s to be expected!) but the colour of the hair itself is still the same as it was directly after the treatment, and I’m still super happy with them!

I fully recommend giving this fab new treatment a go, and advise booking quickly as appointments with Marcia are sure to fill up in no time once the word gets out about how fab henna brows really are.

You can book your spot for henna brows (exclusive to Marcia) along with a host of other incredible treatments at The Brow Houz, or by getting in touch with Marcia directly. Find this gorgeous and talented girl on the links below!