There are very few brands that can really do this to me, I am so fortunate to have more than enough makeup but there’s something about the Charlotte Tilbury range that really makes me happier than any other (along with Tom Ford and MAC). That said here’s my quick guide on what to buy and what you can possibly skip from the CT.

The first product I ever got from the range was a Colour-coded eyeshadow quad in Dolce Vita for Christmas2014 and this palette is now my absolute favourite quad! I can’t recommend the quads highly enough, they’re beautifully packaged with a useful mirror, the colours are perfectly selected, they’re creamy and blendable- just perfect! Dolce Vita is my absolute favourite but Golden Goddess is a close second and Vintage Vamp is stunning too.

I recently added her Colour Chameleon (Bronzed Garnet), Nocturnal Cat Eyeshadow (in The Huntress) and Rock ‘N’ Kohl (in Amber Moon) eyeliner to my collection. The Colour Chameleons are really lovely and creamy, with very wearable shades. I personally don’t love eyeshadow crayons but if you do these are a great option. I reach for mine on a regular basis as I use it to line my lower lash liner and it’s the perfect product to do this with. The Nocturnal Cat Eyeshadow came as a duo with the Rock ‘n’ Kohl and they’re probably one of the few CT products I would skip, don’t get me wrong, they’re nice but nothing overly special. The single eyeshadow isn’t as creamy as the quads and I find that the shimmer is also a little denser, the eyeliners are nice but I think you get get some which are just as nice from the drugstore.

Onto lips, I only have two lipstick and a lip liner. The Lip Cheat (lip liner) I have is in Pillow Talk which is probably her most famous, the colour is a perfect nude and I really do think it helps give a plump look to the lips. The lipsticks are also amazing, I love their rose gold packaging and the quality of the actual product is one of the best I own. I have Red Carpet Red which is a Matte Revolution (review here), very glam, true red and Hepburn Honey which is part of the Kissing range, warm toned peachy nude.

I had the Filmstar Bronze & Glow for a really long time but it is pretty pricey at £49. When I first got it I wasn’t wow’d but the more I use it the more I love it, it’s a really easy to use, natural but still beautiful contour and highlight palette. That said it’s still almost £50 which isn’t cheap, if I were to break it I probably wouldn’t run out to replace it, despite the fact I use it almost daily. I don’t have the Powder & Sculpt brush which I have heard makes this product particularly amazing.

I hadn’t heard much about the blushers before I got the Cheek to Chic in Sex On Fire, the quality is beautiful; finely milled, as pigmented as I’d like and buttery soft but this shade just isn’t quite right for me.

I also tried the Brow Lift a while back and really loved it, the Feline Flick is also really nice but just didn’t last long enough for me to justify a repurchase.

I’m hoping to add more incredible Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks to my collection over the next few months as well as try the Magic Foundation which has been top of my wishlist since it launched. Would love some CT recommendations in the comments and to hear your thoughts on the range.

 

Nothing excites me more than a brand new Makeup Revolution release.. what can I say? I’m an addict. When I saw that they’d launched a collection of matte blushes, I was extremely excited to try them, especially as I don’t like shimmery blushes. The Makeup Revolution Matte Blusher Collection consists of six shades, with each shade costing just £3 which is insane as each of these blushes contain a very generous 8.9 grams of product.

 

 I really love the packaging of these blushes.. slim, circular plastic compacts with clear lids so you can easily see which shade is which. The packaging feels very sturdy, and has a nice and secure closure so I’d be more than happy to carry one of these in my makeup bag without worrying about it getting broken or opening and getting damaged.

 

I really like the range of shades they’ve chosen for the collection, as they’ve not gone for the typical pinks and peaches.. there is genuinely a shade for all skintones, and as you can see from the photos above, there’s some seriously bright shades which you rarely see within the drugstore and certainly not at £3 a pop. I really hope they extend the shade range even more, and perhaps consider ‘duping’ some of the crazy shades within the new Urban Decay Afterglow Blush Collection.. I’d love to see Makeup Revolution create a purple blush like Urban Decay’s Bittersweet.

 

 

All six shades of the Makeup Revolution Matte Blusher Collection are incredibly pigmented and you only need to tap your brush into each blush very gently as the pigment is so strong. The blushes all feel really silky and smooth, with an almost velvety consistency which only kicks up a little bit of excess powder when using a fluffy brush which really surprised me, as cheaper blushes tend to be quite powdery. I find all six shades easy to apply, but the three bolder shades (New Rules, Dare and Divine) do need a little more extra work, but that’s the same for all brands with bright blush shades in my experience. The weartime is very impressive at a minimum of four hours across all shades, but I can clearly see them on my cheeks upto six hours later, albeit a little faded but for £3 you really can’t complain.

 

Until trying these blushes, Sleek were my favourite drugstore brand for blushes but these have definitely taken over.. they are incredible blushes, and the shades are all so pretty. My favourite shade from the collection is Beloved as I love a good peachy coral, but I really like how Divine looks against my pale skin. I have to admit I’m a little intimidated by New Rules as it’s almost red, and reminds me of a slightly pinkier version of MAC’s Frankly Scarlet Blush. I cannot recommend these blushes enough.. £3 is beyond amazing for blushes of this quality, and you can buy all six shades for £18 which is the price of just one MAC Blush, and the pigment and quality really does give highend blushes a run for their money. Even though I’m a real matte blush girl, I’d love to see Makeup Revolution release a collection of shimmery shades too, especially after being so wowed by their Matte Blusher Collection.

Soap and Glory is one of my favourite drugstore makeup brands, and I loved every single product I’ve ever tried from them so far. The Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer is a product I’ve loved after for quite some time, but was put off purchasing it incase it was too dark for my skin but I decided to bite the bullet and buy it as part of their 3 for 2 offer. The Solar Powder Bronzer is £11 and is described as being a multi-shade shimmering bronzer and highlighting brick and is available in just one shade. The packaging has just recently been changed in the last month to a plastic compact which is great news, but I have the original packaging which is made from cardboard which isn’t ideal as it gets very shabby, very quickly so the new plastic compact would be a lot better.

 

The Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer is divided into two sections, with one half of the powder being a dark shade of bronzer and the second half of the powder is a lighter shade. In the middle of the powder, there is a raise S&G which has a metallic pink overspray which makes the powder look stunning.. there’s no doubt about that, but I hate oversprays as they wear off so quickly so in my opinion, they’re completely pointless. The darker shade within the powder is completely matte, and is a warm orange toned bronze shade, whilst the paler shade is a light tan with golden shimmer. I was surprised by the shimmer in the lighter shade, as I’ve read so many reviews saying that it was a matte bronzer, but it definitely isn’t matte as you can see from the swatches so I’d perhaps skip this bronzer if you don’t like shimmery bronzers.

 

Both shades of the powder are very smooth and buttery soft, with the lighter shade being the softest.. they’re both so pigmented, and you only need to tap your brush into the powder lightly to pick up enough product for your whole face. Even though the darker shade is quite warm toned, I think it works well as an all over bronzer to warm up the complexion but I like to use a fluffy brush like the Real Techniques Blush Brush for a subtle bronzing. I personally don’t like shimmery bronzers as I don’t find them very flattering, so I use the shimmery pale shade as a blush rather than a bronzer, and it looks really pretty and reminds me of Benefit’s Rockateur. I think this is a lovely bronzer, and it’s such great quality for a drugstore product but I’d really like Soap and Glory to create a matte version, as it would then tick all of the boxes to be the perfect bronzer

Recently, I’ve read many blog posts from the ‘Starting Off Project’ designed for makeup beginners. I really wish that I’d heard about it earlier, because I love the idea. Because of this idea, I have decided to share a selection of makeup and beauty products that I would advise you to begin with!

By no means feel like you need to use every single one of these products, it’s just a brief idea of the sort of things I think are good from the drugstore!

 

 

♡ Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in the shade 201 'classic beige'
♡ Nivea Tinted Moisturiser in the shade 'Natural'
♡ Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear concealer in the shade 3 'medium'
♡ Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 'transparent'

 

 

 

♡ Maybelline Falsies Waterproof Mascara
♡ Ardell False Eyelashes 'Demi Wispies'
♡ Maybelline Color Tattoo in the shade 'On and On Bronze'
♡ Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24hr in the shade 01 'Black'

 

♡ All Real Techniques brushes. My favourites (if i had too choose) are probably Buffing brush, expert face brush, blush brush and the deluxe crease brush.

 ♡ Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss in the shade 'Candygloss'
♡ 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in the the shade 'Beehive'
♡ Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in the shade 'Kiss me Coral'

 

   

I don’t often buy makeup from Dior, but as soon as I saw the limited edition Nude Tan Tie Dye blushers from their new spring/summer collection I knew I had to have one.
 The limited edition Tie Dye blushers come in two colour options, with each one made up of four complementary powder shades.

 

At £40 each, these aren’t exactly cheap, but they do come with a cute little brush which actually seems reasonable quality, plus they’re Dior, so they were never going to be a bargain buy. The outside of the compact is almost as pretty as the inside and it’s surprisingly heavy, which adds to the luxury feel.

I have a feeling these are going to be a very quick sell out, so nab one quick if you like what you see.  I’ll be staring at mine lovingly while working up the nerve to actually swatch it...

 

The limited edition Tie Dye blushers come in two colour options, with each one made up of four complementary powder shades. (001 Pink Sunrise) and (002 Coral Sunset).

The stick design and cream formula makes these a great bet for people in a hurry or for those who aren't quite sure where to start with contouring. The Sculpting Contour is the perfect size for the under cheekbone area - suck those cheeks in and run the Chubby Stick down from the middle of your ear to about halfway down your cheek and blend upwards using your fingers. 

Inside the drum inspired packaging there is a mirror within the lid, but there isn’t an applicator as Benefit recommend applying the blush with your fingertips. The compact closes shut with a magnetic mechanism which is strong enough to not have to worry about it opening accidentally in your makeup bag. The blush itself is domed, with a pretty sunburst pattern embossed into the blush. One of Majorette’s endearing qualities is that it’s Peach and Pomegranate scented which smells amazing.. just like a tropical smoothie. If you have sensitive skin that reacts to scented skin or makeup products.. fear not, as the scent doesn’t transfer to the skin.

The cream to powder finish description is spot on, and you get the best of both worlds – the easy application of a cream blush, but the longevity of a powder blush. In terms of shade, Majorette looks like quite a bold orange in the pan, but on the skin it’s a much softer pinky coral that I imagine will flatter all skin tones. You can choose to wear Majorette as a subtle flush of colour, or you can easily build it up for a bolder effect. Application is so quick and easy, by dabbing my fingertips or my beauty blender into the blush and then onto the apples of my cheeks until I’ve got my chosen colour intensity.

Benefit have marketed Majorette as being a Blush Booster in that it can be used as a base for other blushes to ‘amplify your flush’. At first I did think that it was probably a gimmick but it really does add depth and dimension to other blushes by applying Majorette as a base with your chosen blush layered over the top.  By wearing Majorette layered under a powder blush, it helps to lock the blush in place all day long with absolutely no fading and when worn alone it lasts for around five hours.