Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blusher | Review

Being super pale I rely hugely on blusher to add a bit of life to my cheeks, I find its hard to find one which just adds a bit of glow rather than just adding a huge amount of colour. And then then Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic blusher came into my life. How could I say no to a product which promises to "Enliven dull skin with a swish and a pop"?  I chose the blush in the shade Ecstasy.  

The Packaging, like the rest of Charlotte's Products follows the gorgeous art deco style. Each blush comes in a lightweight mirrored compact and is made up of two complementary colours. An outer ring comprised of a lighter shade and in the middle a bolder centre colour. Charlotte advises to "Swirl" your brush into the outer shade and "swish" onto the cheekbones to add a delicate shimmer and subtle colour and the dab the brush into the stronger centre colour, applying to the apples of your cheeks to add a vibrant "pop" of colour to them. One can also 'wash' the two shades together for another blush effect. Gorgeous. 

Each of the six blushes in the collection has a very slight shimmer to it, perfect for adding another dimension to your makeup. However those who prefer a matte look to their skin may want to avoid this blush and just stick to their shimmery highlight instead. If Applied as directed, the product gives a healthy looking, radiant flush to the skin.

Ecstasy consists of an external "swish" shade which is a warm, orangey coral with an almost frosted finish, and the internal "pop" shade which is a pink-coral with faint gold shimmer. This shade is incredibly versatile in my view due to the pigmentation which is pretty impressive, one can create a sheer, delicate wash of colour when I'm my natural pale self or alternatively layer it up to give a more intense strong wash of colour when tanned in the summer. Perfect!

Moving onto the formulation of the product. The powder is so finely milled it is almost buttery and blends instantly into the skin, giving a deliciously even glow, if it didn't the two step application could be problematic. I think the texture of this product was my favourite thing about it, and other blushes I have used since have been too drying and patchy... This product is the one! The blushes are also fragrance free and therefore unlikely to cause reactions with sensitive skin. As I said previously there are only six shades in the range, which doesn't sound like much, surprisingly there is one to suit every skin tone, from pretty, pale peach shades to beautiful, bold, bronzy tones.

At £30 it is definitely at the more expensive end of the spectrum, but you get what you pay for with this product. Considering I purchased this product back in February and as it is now my go to blusher I use it most days it looks virtually untouched. I would without question recommend checking this out if you do find yourself at a Charlotte Tilbury counter. It is available online here.

I've got my eye on the shade First Love next! Have you tried any of Charlotte's products, if so did you think they lived up to the hype?

Lots of love,
Katie X

L'oreal Colour Riche | 'The Perfect Nudes' Review

I'm such a sucker for a nude lipstick, they're like a Little black dress- every girl should own one and I'm always trying to find the perfect your lips but better shade, as a result my collection is larger than I'd like to admit... 

Last week, popping into Superdrug for some toothpaste I got sidetracked (as usual) and ended up looking at the makeup stands. The L'Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Nude's caught my eye. They are a range of six sumptuous nude lippies inspired by L'Oreal's multi ethnic spokeswomen, aiming to give you the perfect nude, natural lip colour to complement any complexion.

They are also incredibly affordable, priced at £6.99 each and were on a 3 for 2 offer, I could hardly say no, could I? 

 My naughty purchase consisted of the shades: Eva, Julianne and J'Lo

The shade Eva 'barely golden' inspired by Actress Eva Longoria is a stunning peach toned nude. This was personally my favourite of the three that I'd chosen.

The shade Julianne 'barely peach' is a delicate rose petal pink colour.

The shade JLo 'barely greige' is a sheer light beige toned nude.

Each of them has the classic Colour Riche vanilla-esque scent which I adore so this is a plus for me, however this may not be a favourite for someone who prefers scentless products.

Before I get onto the lipstick itself let us lust at the luxurious casing. The matte black packaging is sleek, looking almost high end, (I find these are incredibly similar to the Nars Satin lipstick casing, but for only a fraction of the price?) I feel like L'Oreal have really outdone themselves with this. In comparison to other more garish drugstore lipsticks they are both understated and classy. (have no fear the lids are well fitted, no more annoying spillages in your makeup bag!)

Swatches (Top-Bottom) JLo, Eva, Julianne

In the bullet themselves the colours look far bolder and more vibrant than they do on the lip, this can be seen in the above swatches. Formulation wise, they are both fairly sheer, incredibly hydrating, and natural looking. Sadly, the wear time of these lipsticks aren't incredibly long, only maybe 2-3 hours, but as they are so lightweight they can be easily reapplied on the go without a mirror unlike some bolder colours which require mirror usage, so this isn't too much of an issue just a bit annoying if you plan on wearing them all day. My favourite thing about these lipsticks are how incredibly versatile and wearable they are. I feel these shades would work with most skin types and could easily be worn as part of a very natural looking, daytime look, or alternatively these lip colours would look gorgeous paired with a deep smokey eye.

To sum these products up, together they provide a lovely nude tone for every complexion and need, being fairly sheer they are not overly pigmented. So despite not making a bold statement, they are perfect for simply enhancing and adding a subtle flush of colour of your lips making them extremely wearable all year round. If you are someone who prefers a heavier, fuller lip colour, this might not be for you. I can't say these are the favourite lipstick I've ever tried before, however, in my opinion, as they only cost £6.99, for a good quality product, you cannot really go wrong, they are available online here.

Love Katie x

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation Review

Is this foundation really magic? - The answer is yes yes yes and yes!

For the past year since I discovered the wonders of Charlotte Tilbury I have been nothing but impressed with the quality of her products. I was already the proud owner of many of her products, however when an email came into my inbox this August announcing the release of her Magic Foundation I was super excited and could not wait to get my mitts on it!  

When I finally did I immediately fell in love. It promised "full coverage foundation that morphs to your face in a weightless texture, for a perfect looking second skin that lasts all day." And personally having owned and used this foundation for over a month now I have to say that I completely agree, it gives me the "flawless second skin" Charlotte herself promises on her website. It applies so easily, and almost melts into my skin. For me, half a pump goes a long way if you blend it out properly. I apply the foundation with either my Beauty Blender or if I'm in a rush my Real Techniques stippling brush. It works well with both methods. If I'm in a real rush I wont even bother to put on primer or a concealer, as I feel this product alone gives more than enough coverage for a relaxed day to day look. When dried, it gives a soft, glowy,velvety demi-matte finish, meaning if you don't want to you don't have to powder over the top. It covers up both my blemishes as well as my dark under-eye circles and large pores with ease, amazingly it does this without looking heavy or cakey at all. In addition despite containing SPF 15 it photographs well, not leaving you with the 'ghost' like effect some SPF products do when confronted with a flashing camera - MAGIC!

Unblended

Blended with hand

The packaging follows the gorgeous art deco theme all Charlotte's products are packaged in and it looks stunning on my dressing table. In addition the range of fifteen shades with this product means it is accessible to people of all races. I had myself colour matched in the London Selfridges branch, and was matched with shade Medium 4.5 which has a lovely yellow tone perfect for my skin. 

The Dream Team

At £29.50 a pop i'd have to say in my humble opinion, if you, like me like a medium to fuller coverage foundation yet want your skin to be able to breathe this is the one! I know everyone says there is no such thing as one product fits all - but honestly i think I've found it here, this one ticks all the boxes! Thank you Charlotte!

Love Katie x