You guys already know that for the past several months I’ve been on a crusade of sorts to toss all expired makeup and skincare and give away products I never use that are still in good condition to friends and family. That includes makeup palettes, which can be pretty bulky sometimes. Once I streamlined my collection I also realized that it’s hard for me to get excited about makeup releases anymore. That’s why I was surprised to feel my heart skip a beat when I saw the new limited edition Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Filters collection.
I found out about the release on Twitter, ahead of the worldwide launch. Looking at the beautiful new eyeshadow palettes – both of which are a mix of warm neutrals with a twist, – a new mascara, blush duos, an exclusive makeup brush, and even a lip plumper, I was imagining all of the looks I could create and how lovely it would be to use these beautiful pieces. My daydream came true! I recently had the opportunity to try two of the products from my Beauty Filters wishlist: Bigger Brighter Eyes Exaggereyes palette ($53) and Legendary Lashes Volume 2 Black Vinyl mascara ($32).
Bigger Brighter Eyes eyeshadow palettes were designed to make the eyes look brighter, wider, and more awake. They come in two variations: Exaggereyes that contains rosy-brown shades and Transformeyes that features warm earthy, golden and terracotta tones. I think Transformeyes would have been too warm for me, but Exaggereyes seemed perfect. Three of the four colors are very similar to the ones I already own and use often, but they all live in different palettes, so it’s a lot more convenient to have them all in one place.
I fell in love with Exaggereyes when I saw the pictures online, but it’s even prettier in person. Each of the four eye shadows in the palette is soft, buttery and a breeze to work with. Even the matte reddish brown was fully pigmented and easy to blend in the crease. I normally have a hard time blending out darker mattes because my skin is pretty fair and any mishaps are a lot more obvious. I was also pleasantly surprised with the glittery pan in the lower left – Charlotte says it will add a little sparkle to the look and make the eyes pop. Sure enough, it turned out to be quite tame and complemented the other three colors beautifully.
Full ingredient list can be found here.
Bigger Brighter Eyes Exaggereyes palette and Legendary Lashes Volume 2 mascara in Black Vinyl (daytime makeup look)
To show Exaggereyes in action, I created two makeup looks that I would realistically do with the palette – none of that elaborate nonsense created exclusively for blog photos and never worn again, haha! For my daytime look I used the ivory cream shimmer all over the lid, and sheered out the rose gold in the crease. I also smudged a bit of that rose gold along my bottom lash line to give the eyes some definition. I finished the look with two quick coats of the new Legendary Lashes Volume 2 mascara in Black Vinyl.
Bigger Brighter Eyes Exaggereyes palette and Legendary Lashes Volume 2 mascara in Black Vinyl (evening makeup look)
For my nighttime look, I started with the reddish brown matte in the crease and along the bottom lash line, then added rose gold shade all over the lid and topped it with a hint of taupe sparkle. It actually looks like transparent silvery glitter on the lids – way different from the actual pan. To make my eyes look bigger and more awake, I added ivory cream shimmer in the inner corners, a quick swipe of dark brown eyeliner, and topped the lashes with four coats of Legendary Lashes Volume 2 mascara in Black Vinyl. Look how thick, voluminous, and defined they are!
Bigger Brighter Eyes Exaggereyes dupes (top to bottom): ‘Taupe’ from Viseart Neutral Matte palette; ‘Honeymoon #1’ from Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 04 Honeymoon palette; ‘Ounce’ from Urban Decay Naked Heat palette.
Right now you’re probably thinking that Bigger Brighter Eyes Exaggereyes palette is full of neutrals that are easily dupeable, and you wouldn’t be wrong. If you own palettes or eyeshadow singles that are similar in quality and feature the same shades, then you probably don’t need it. I skimmed through my stash and found three of the closest dupes that are also comparable in overall product quality. And yes, they are all from high end palettes, which doesn’t surprise me, because Charlotte Tilbury products also have premium formulas. As you can see, I don’t have any dupes to show for the last pan, because I don’t own anything to compare it with. I don’t wear glittery eyeshadow anymore, but I will make an exception for this one because I love how it brings it all together in my evening look.
Bottom line: if you like these colors, and you want to have them all in one compact palette, then by all means treat yourself to Bigger Brighter Eyes as you probably won’t regret it. The overall quality is top notch and well on par with the high end dupes I found for three our of four shades. You will be limited to 1-2 looks, but if that’s what you do every day then you’ll get a lot of use out of this quad.
A couple quick notes on the mascara. First of all, I love the brush – it’s one of those ‘do it all’ brushes that lengthens, defines, curls, and volumizes in one go, and it pretty much does all that. I have oily eyelids, so it’s not uncommon for mascaras so smudge slightly along the lower lash line. Legendary Lashes Volume 2 did not smudge, flake, or create any clumps on the lashes during the application. The formula is a little wet though, which is the case with new mascara tubes sometimes. I expect it to harden after a few uses, but if not I’ll let you know. And yes, it does hold the curl from the eyelash curler pretty well, despite the formula being on a runny side.
Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Synthetic Beeswax, Paraffin, Stearic Acid, Acacia Senegal Gum, Triethanolamine, Butylene Glycol, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cire De Carnauba, Polybutene, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Sorbate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Sodium Stearate, Iron Oxide (Ci 77499).
Part I of Beauty Filter Collection launches worldwide on May 3rd, with Part II to follow later in June. Part II will include lip and cheek products – and yes, I am super excited about the blush duos and the new brush!
Have you tried Charlotte Tilbury makeup before? What do you think about this eye shadow palette – yay or yawn? Let me know in the comments below!
