Actually, they’re my ONLY Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palettes, I have four of them and I only semi regret buying The Legendary Muse, my first one. It was on offer as part of Charlotte’s Holiday Collection from 2016 and I bought it a year or so later at a reduced price.
It’s no longer available as it was a limited edition. It is my least used palette, that’s no reflection on the eyeshadows, The Legendary Muse is sheer glam. If you own a Charlotte Tilbury palette, you’ll understand how perfect the formulations are. Smooth, buttery, and easily buildable with minimal fallout. I love a little shimmer (lid only if you’re over 50), but these particular mixed soft gold bronze shades are just a beat too warm for my complexion.
Also, and this is the reason I didn’t buy another one for a few years, the palette feels really small in your hand. I remember being disappointed that it was so tiny, I actually thought it was a special ‘luxury sized’ edition and felt a bit cheated. Part of the reason is that there are no applicators included, which is fine because I’ve never found a decent one in any eyeshadow palette. But also, the eyeshadow fill really is smaller than other similarly priced ones.
The thing is, and feel free to shoot me down, but I think younger eyes can use any old cheap eyeshadow with a decent primer and still look good. Those of us with more mature eyes ie with wrinkly less than smooth eyelids, need a quality shadow you can rely on not to crease or create fallout. With the exception of the now discontinued but super cheap In the Buff palette from Barry M which is my most used eyeshadow palette, all my eyeshadows are from Laura Mercier, Chanel, Dior, Charlotte and Marc Jacobs.
I haven’t got the patience (or skill) to deal with cheaper eyeshadows and slowly build up layers and blend and blend and blend. Quality shadows are foolproof.
APPLICATION
All of Charlotte’s eyeshadows are based on the application theory of, 1. Prime, 2. Enhance, 3. Smoke, and 4. Pop and each of the eyeshadows is labelled accordingly and designed to work in harmony with one another.
The guide is useful, but you can of course, apply them in any combination. This is how I interpret the numbers.
- 1. Prime – The base shade for all over the upper and lower. If there is any hint of shimmer and The Uptown Girl prime shade has a slight satin finish to it, then I apply it with a very light hand.
- 2. Enhance – To define the crease.
- 3. Smoke – Outer corners, sideways ‘v’ shape, blending up and slightly into the socket.
- 4. Pop – Middle of the lower lid.
THE LEGENDARY MUSE
I’ll keep it brief because the palette is discontinued, though you could probably still find it on eBay or Depop.
It’s a very pretty palette with shades of shimmery rose, champagne, and soft gold.
The shades in the photo above are spot on apart from number 4, Pop, which has fine glitter particles running through it, easily the most beautiful shade from this quad.
Application is sheer but easy to build. All glitter shadows should be this delicate, you could never apply too much.
THE GOLDEN GODDESS
The palette is gorgeous but I think the official blurb is a bit off here.
The Golden Goddess features bronze and golden eyeshadows so you have everything you need to recreate that sun-kissed, beach beauty makeup.
These shades are cool-toned, not my idea of beachy at all.
Shade 1, Prime, is more golden yellow than in the photo above, otherwise, the photos are accurate.
This palette is idiot-proof. All the shades are highly pigmented and the buttery Prime shade has a satin finish so should be used sparingly. Shades 2 and 3 pack a punch so a light hand is needed.
Charlotte’s Pop shades are incredible. Number 4 looks dark in the pan, but once again, it’s the most subtle even glitter. Blendable without any effort. My eyes are a pale blue-grey with a hint of green and this palette is ultra-flattering.
Jennifer Aniston is often seen on magazines covers wearing these shades, so if you have the same colouring, chances are it will suit you too.
The Golden Goddess – WAS £40.00, now £34.00 John Lewis * 15% off (27/3/21)
THE UPTOWN GIRL
A quartet of champagne, oyster, smokey grey & blush pink shades for a gorgeous sophisticated sparkle.
I can’t believe how close the photo is to the actual colour of the eyeshadows. Again, I would call this a cool-toned palette.
I love it, but I find this palette a little tricky to use. The Prime shade has too much of a satin finish for me to ever apply it all over my lid. It’s very pigmented with a lovely soft velvety texture but packs too much of a punch for me. I use it more as a Pop shade.
Shade 2 and 3 are intensely pigmented and I can only use them as liners on my upper and lower eyelid. The shades are very similar, one is a dark slate tone and the other is a cool brown tone.
The number 4 Pop shade is my favourite eyeshadow of ALL TIME. It’s very similar to Missha, M Dewy Glossy Eyes (in Berry Smoothie). A flattering, shimmery pale pink that looks fresh and modern. A dot in the middle of the lower lid and in the inner corners brightens and lifts the eyes.
Unfortunately, I’ve ‘hit pan’ since the above photo was taken and unless Charlotte makes a Jewel Pot in a lighter pink shade than Pillow Talk, then I’m going to have to buy another palette for just this one shade, yes, it’s THAT good.
The Uptown Girl – WAS £40.00, now £34.00 John Lewis * 15% off (27/3/21)
THE SOPHISTICATE
The Sophisticate features a quartet of matte eyeshadows in chocolate, taupe, tan & cream shades for a gorgeous low-key look that transcends the seasons.
This is very different from the shimmery glamour of the other palettes and it’s reasonable to assume that this is the least exciting quad. Chances are you already own these shades in other palettes, but are they as pigmented as these? Are they so buttery soft that they effortlessly blend into one another? I doubt it.
This is one of three matte palettes from Charlotte, the others being the warm-toned Desert Haze – much too warm for me, and the Super Nudes Easy Eye Palette.
I judge how good an investment a palette is by how many shades are wearable shades, you’re lucky if you get three out of four, 4, but all four of The Sophisticate shades are in constant use.
The Prime shade 1, used as a base and brow bone highlighter looks light in the photo, but in reality, it’s a creamy, almond colour. Enhance, shade 2, is a rich fawn colour, perfect for the crease and if you only had time to apply one shade to make it look like you’ve at least made an effort, you could use this as a standalone shade.
Smoke, shade 3, is a versatile brown and emphasises the crease, it looks almost metallic even though there’s zero shimmer in it.
I use Pop, a cool satin-smooth charcoal brown shade as a top and sometimes bottom eyeliner, but never in the middle of the lid, on me that would look less ‘Pop’ eye and more black eye, so I use a soft shimmer instead, either Mac’s Gleam or the gorgeous shade 4 from The Uptown Girl palette.
The Sophisticate – WAS £40.00, now £34.00 John Lewis * 15% off (27/3/21)
