Charlotte Tilbury: First Impressions

'The Rock Chic' Colour-Coded Palette, 'Penelope' Pink K.i.s.s.i.n.g Lipstick & 'Bardot Beige' lip lustre luxe colour-lasting lip lacquer


I couldn't wait to get my mucky paws on these Charlotte Tilbury goodies, as you can see from my foundation- stained box!

I received these beautiful gifts for Christmas, packed away in their deep maroon and gold gift box under the tree. It is only now, in February that I feel it's time to take them out of the box and let them live amongst my other makeup... I am one of those people that has to keep new beauty products in their box, until I feel I have had them long enough to let go of the packaging. Sureley I'm not the one one that does this?

I have to say that sometimes in the blogosphere we can get sucked into thinking our whole makeup bag should be filled with expensive cosmetics, and it can be hard to keep up. I usually ask for luxury makeup and skincare items on special occasions, or buy them as a treat now and again, and have built up my collection that way.

These are my first Charlotte Tilbury products, so these are my first impressions after using them a handful of times. The packaging is really lovely and they certainly feel glamorous. There's something about the Charlotte Tilbury counter that just oozes glam, they really are a special treat for your makeup collection.

The Rock Chic Colour-Coded Palette £38

The eyeshadow quad certainly lives up to its name. It feels luxurious in it's mirrored gold packaging, with four beautiful colours inside. With a gorgeous all over lid colour, two deeper grey tones and a chunky shimmering deep silver, it is essentially all you need for a smokey eye. I was really impressed with how well the shadows applied and the shimmer colours are really soft and blend well together.

As a long standing Naked Palette super-fan it is hard for me to justify spending £38 on a quad. Urban Decay offer such amazing shadows, of high quality and such great value, that it's hard to stray away from this. However, I do think if this fits in your budget, and you are a looking for a glam quad that fits in your bag for the evening, then these are really perfect.

Penelope Pink K.i.s.s.i.n.g Lipstick £23

From the name, to the gorgeous packaging, this lipstick is a really good contender with other high end brands. I love the vintage look of the lipstick, I can imagine my Grandma carrying something similar in her handbag in the 1940's. It is a lovely nude-pink colour, with a creamy texture that glides on and doesn't feel drying. I would recommend, as with any lipstick, to scrub your lips first as it can highlight any dryness. Charlotte Tilbury actually offers a Lip Renewing Honey Bee Scrub at £20 and a Rejuvenating Smoothing Propolis Balm at £25.

If you are a fan of nude lipsticks then this is definitely one to add to your collection. It comes with a competitive price tag if you compare it to the likes of a YSL or Chanel lipstick.

Bardot Beige lip lacquer £16.50

Of the three products I have, I would say that this was my favourite one. I am trying to get into lip lacquer, as I was put off by the lipgloss school-day-stereotype of a sickly sweet, sticky mess. (I remember carrying a Lancome Juicy Tube in my denim jacket pocket and thinking I looked ultra glam!)

However, times have changed and lip glosses and lacquers have come a long way since then. This one in particular is a really lovely formulation. It is super creamy and glossy without being sticky. It is really opaque, so the colour you see is the colour provided on your lips. It also lasts quite a while before re-applying. It eliminates the need for a base colour as it's pay off it really strong. I would be interested to try another shade, as I really love this product.


I am impressed with the products that Charlotte Tilbury has to offer. They would make fabulous wedding day makeup purchases, as they would be great products to keep and look back on your special day with. I think their 'Get The Look' boxes are great gifts, as they are a way to try a range of their products.

jessica d x

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