A Charlotte Tilbury Face

So it's been a while... Over a year actually. But hey, ho. 

I have a new (very expensive) brand obsession, probably like most beauty lovers do at the moment. It is of course; Charlotte Tilbury. The woman can do nothing wrong! I have found myself continuously drawn to her website at least weekly for the last few months, adding things to my basket, and then balking at the price and losing my nerve. But then John Lewis did the 10% off thing for Black Friday... And I went a bit mental. 

I picked up several things to add to my collection (it is my unashamed goal to one day own everything), and now I have the makings of one of her 10 iconic looks: The Golden Goddess. 

Now, I am no Golden Goddess, that's for sure. But a girl can dream, and the look she created in her video was just so lovely, how could I resist? Maybe I really will look like that?! Alas, I have not become Adriana Lima, but the products are so beautiful anyway that I can forgive that. 

Wonderglow Primer

This is such a great primer! CT herself says that you could even wear it alone on bare skin. Pah, well we can dream, can't we? Its finish is golden but not glittery... It's hard to describe the effect really... It's just... Glowy. I really like it, I might even stretch to buying the full-size when my free travel version has run out.

Light Wonder Foundation - Shade 2

I've never bought a 'dewy' foundation before, and this is definitely dewy. When I first applied it I was practically luminous, but after a couple of minutes it settles down and starts to look more realistic. I really like the way it makes my skin look - mainly healthy. It doesn't give very much coverage but it blends well with my Estee Lauder DW concealer so I can get rid of my undesirables. I apply it with a damp makeup sponge, because it's easier to layer it this way. Most of my brushes eat the product and leave none left for my face. 

The Golden Goddess Palette

This is some kind of beautiful; the colours just blend together seamlessly, making an almost ombre effect without even trying. I found the Pop shade to be best applied with the fingers as it has some heavy duty glitter to it, but the rest are silky smooth and just glide onto the eyelid. 

What I especially loved about this palette is that the darker colours aren't so dark that it is easy to overdo it. They build beautifully to get a deeper colour payoff, but you don't immediately give yourself the panda eye trying to do your lower lid. 

The prime and enhance shades are especially beautiful to use during the day and are not so shimmery to look overdone. The prime shade it a bit yellow to wear on it's own, so I wouldn't without combining it with one of the other shades. But I found it to be very understatedly beautiful when applied with a light hand. 

I'm sorry, but can we just take a second to look at it! It's so pretty...

It should be noted that actual colour payoff looks far less yellow/orange than they do here, but getting that damn natural light in winter, ey? 

Lip Cheat Lipliner in Pillow Talk

I've had many compliments on this; applied gently it can really make your lips look extra special. Slightly fuller without looking fake. It makes a great combination with the Stoned Rose lipstick too. 

K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Stoned Rose

My God. I have barely taken this off, I literally carry it everywhere! I take it to the library for God's sake! I had some reservations about this shade, but once I put it on I was sold. It's not totally natural looking but it's not too much either, it's a lovely middle-ground, casual shade that I can wear with both heavy eye makeup and no eye makeup and it still looks great. 

Cheek to Chic Blusher in Ecstasy

You really need a light hand with this. When I first got it I applied it with the same liberal manner that I do my Benefit blushes, and I looked ridiculous. However with a lighter touch, this is a very flattering colour, with a subtle shimmer to give you a pretty glow. I think I still slightly prefer my Benefit Sugarbomb blush, but that's safely trapped within the Christmas palette, ergo, I think this is the blush I'll take travelling with me. 

So here is my whole face... I'm just about to head to the library.

 

I feel like CT products are investments, and they certainly feel like luxuries. But if you feel good taking them out of your makeup bag, and enjoy the end result, then I'd rather have that than 1000 cheaper products I'm not sure about. I know what I would buy again and what I wouldn't (Cheek to chic blusher) but that's all part of the makeup experience. ...But anyway, now I have to go and explain to my boyfriend why I can't afford to eat this month... 

...Winter Makeup Look... Super-Berry

Instagram has just been made available on Windows phones! I've been dying to try it out, so I thought I'd use it to take pictures of a makeup look I've been living in recently...

My orange towel looking casual there...

I think this look is not too much over the top but still quite glamorous. This is what I used for it...

My Benefit Sugarbomb blusher is really ready to die now, but I can still scrape the remnants from the bottom before I have to get a new one. The poor thing has worked hard for me these last two years, it's earn't it's retirement. 

Powder: Rimmel London Stay Matte - Translucent, cheap and cheerful powder. Great at keeping oily skin at bay.

Mascara: No.7 Intense Volume - A water-based mascara with a very thin formula, perfect for when you want to give your lashes a very natural boost. I never feel like I'm wearing heavy mascara with this and it doesn't make my eyes sore after a long day.

Primer: E.L.F. Mineral Infused Primer - Reviewed here.

Eyeshadow: Benefit World Famous Neutrals - Eyenessa's Most Glamorous Nudes Ever (colours used: It's Complicated all over lids and on inner corners, and Call my Buff on the brow bone.) Reviewed here.

Natural Collection Solo Eyeshadow in Crushed Walnut - A nice matte brown, great for contouring.

Eyebrows: Topshop Brows Pencil in Brown - A great brunette match, at least for me. This pencil is HUGE, I'd be sharpening this for days before it ran out.

Lips: Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 107 - A matte berry/purple... lovelovelove! 

I also forgot to put the foundation I used in the picture; it was Estee Lauder Double Wear.

Xxxx

P.S. For anyone interested... I GOT THE JOB!!! (See two posts below...)

Smashbox Vs E.l.f.

I have been using these two products for quite a few months now. They both claim to transform your face into a flawless canvas allowing makeup to glide on and stay in place for longer.

The Smashbox Photo Finish Primer already has an amazing reputation, winning all kinds of beauty awards, and I can see why. The formula is beautiful! It's very smooth and you need only the tiniest drop to cover your whole face, so a bottle this size can last a good while. You can even, apparently, use this primer in your hair to smooth flyaways! I can't say that I've tried this, but still, that's a nice little extra! However, when I bought the e.l.f. primer I really enjoyed using it. Having tried quite a few e.l.f. products before I've never been blown away by the quality, but I think this little bottle definitely holds it's own against Smashbox.

Formula
Both of these products are lightweight and sit wonderfully under foundation. I can definitely notice the better staying power of my foundation when I have taken the time to apply one of these in the morning. I think that the Smashbox primer is definitely smoother and you need a lot less of it to cover your whole face. It also makes a better eyeshadow primer, as the colours I put on my eyes appear a lot brighter than when I use the e.l.f.. I'd say the e.l.f. primer is also a bit more greasy, so if you already have quite oily skin this might not be quite right for you.

Packaging
The Smashbox primer definitely has the better packaging, by a mile. The e.l.f. packaging is badly designed in that the pump does not collect all the product, so you have to unscrew the lid and get it out that way, which is a bit annoying. The Smashbox packaging however, does have the irritating habit of becoming very easily clogged, even after a day. The product that sits in the end of the pump dries very quickly and has to be fired out with some force next time you come to use it, leaving lumpy bits all over your hand.

Price
Weighing in at £25 for 30ml, the Smashbox primer is definitely expensive, and although I really like the product, I wouldn't buy it again purely because of the price. Although the e.l.f. primer falls a little short against its more high-end sister, at £6 I don't think you can really go wrong.

Overall I do prefer the Smashbox primer as far as formula goes, but I think saving £19 on a product that does almost the same thing, far overcomes the e.l.f.'s shortcomings.