I made my first Charlotte Tilbury purchase last week and it was the super hyped up Filmstar Film Bronze & Glow! I was in such a 'TREAT YO SELF" mood after doing some overtime at work. Just my luck that I bought this before I found out that they were also going to come out with a darker version. There is 0.16 grams / 0.56 ounces of product and retails for $68.
My wallet is crying.
Since the left pan says "Sculpt" on it, I thought it would be a matte neutral or cool toned brown powder. It's actually shimmery and very slightly warm toned. It also reminds me of NARS Laguna, but the texture is softer and easier to blend.
For my skin tone, it teeters on being perfect to not dark enough. It's perfect for a subtle contour, but I can't get any darker. For reference, I'm about a MAC NC35 / MUFE HD Foundation 127 / Maybelline Foundations in Natural Beige / Bourjois Health Mix Foundation in No. 54 Beige. For me, it's on the sheerer side and so I do need to build it up. For those lighter than me, that won't be as big as a problem since I'm on border of the product being dark enough.
I mentioned in the intro of this post that I bought this before a darker version of this palette was going to be released. I was talking a person for Charlotte Tilbury while I was at The Grove in Los Angeles and she said that that palette was going to be too dramatic on my skin and that I should stick with this one. I've only seen pictures of it, but the highlighter looks too dark for me, but the contour side looks like it would work better if it was sheered out compared to built up like the one I have.
The right pan / "Highlight" is a golden peach/champagne color that is very shimmery. It might even been a bit glittery depending on what highlighter you've used before. If you see it swatched by itself, it does look more golden but it's not yellow.
Unlike the bronzer, I believe the highlighter side would work better for a larger group of people. It may look a bit stark on those with a deeper complexion though. Even though there's a slight golden sheen, it didn't find it too warm.
The arm swatch for the bronzer side is not 100% correct - it's a tiny bit more neutral in real life.
For highlighter comparisons - L to R -
NARS Devotee Highlighter / L'oreal Rose Highlighter/ theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer / Charlotte Tilbury Highlighter
I took pictures in different lighting and the above one was done with my Ottlight lamp. You can definitely see the glow from the highlighter a lot more in its true color. My yellow toned skin does make the highlighter look more yellow. The sheen is more intense with the direct light from my lamp, but it gives another perspective on how it looks since lighting always changes.
The above picture was done in natural lighting and it shows the Sculpt side / bronzer. It's definitely not as shimmery as the highlighter but the sheen there is like Laguna in that it doesn't leave your skin looking too flat.
The tone is also odd because it looks warmer in pictures, but when I asked for people's opinion of the shade in person, they said it didn't look too warm. For me, I can probably get away with using this as a contour but it may pull a lot warmer for other people. If you're worried about how warm it could seem, I would see if there's anywhere you can swatch it in person. The picture of the powders near the beginning of this post does show an accurate depiction of the colors though.
The texture of both powders are soft and finely milled. The highlighter isn't as finely milled though because of the slight glitters or er, bigger shimmer particles in it.
As for longevity, the highlighter lasts longer than the contour. I do touch the area where the contour is a lot though because I like to lean the side of my face onto the back of my hand. When I do control my hands more, the contour lasts just as long as the highlighter. The shimmer from the highlighter also didn't travel around my face to create a "I'M A FAIRY!!! LOOK AT MEE!!!" effect either.
Final thoughts: As a "TREAT YO SELF" product, I would definitely get it. The packaging is exquisite and makes me feel so fabulous. Even my boyfriend was in awe of how nice the palette itself and cardboard packaging was. The powders are soft and blend and build up perfectly on your skin. For a non - "TREAT YO SELF" purchase, I probably wouldn't do it again. Since it says sculpt, I would've liked it to be more neutral and matte. The highlighter is not an everyday highlighter (also not an everyday purchase), but it's gorgeous. I've even used it to highlight my inner corner and it works perfectly as that. I would definitely make sure you would love both pans because even though one side looks perfect for you, there are equivalent or better products sold as singles so that you don't have to spend $68 in one go.
What is your favorite contouring palette? Do you prefer a strong or subtle contour/highlight?
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