| Review | Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette in Smokey Eye

Charlotte Tilbury really knows how to make luxurious makeup for the everyday woman. These Instant Look in a Palettes are meant for the girl-on-the go and are comprised of everything you need for all full face in one sleek compact. This version is the 3rd in this collection of quick and easy full-face palettes.

The Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette in Smokey Eye retails for $75.00 USD and is available on Beautylish, Charlotte Tilbury, and other retailers. I received mine in my Beautylish Luck Bag 2018 (read my full review here). This limited edition full-face palette is housed in a sleek rectangular maroon compact with Charlotte Tilbury's iconic rose gold logo. The compact has a full sized mirror, great for doing your makeup on-the-go. This is definitely a very travel-friendly product which I love.

This palette contains 3 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 bronzer, and 1 highlighter. This particular palette doesn't have the most exciting colors, It is actually a very basic palette with very universal shades. This palette is great for those who just need some basic shades in their collection or maybe need a good travel palette with all the basics included.

EYESHADOWS

Champagne - This shimmering champagne is perfectly neutral, not leaning too warm or too cool. It is a very universal shade for most skin types and is perfect for all-over the lid, as an inner corner highlight, or as a brow bone highlight. I even like this as a cheek bone highlighter!

Brown - This matte light cool-toned brown is perfect for the crease and blend beautifully. It has a medium buildable pigmentation, perfect for this kind of shade. This shadow is soft but doesn't cause any fallout. This kind of brown is an essential in my everyday makeup and in my collection, it is always welcome in my palettes because it helps blend and create a truly smooth transition.

Black - Another essential basic color for anyone's makeup collection. There aren't enough palettes out there that include a good matte black shade. A good black shadow can completely transform a makeup look and considering this is a smokey eye palette, you really need a black shade.

BLUSHES

If you aren't familiar with Charlottle Tilbury's blushes and makeup techniques, she has a "swish and pop" method for blush application. The "swish" shade is traditionally a lighter shade that goes all over the cheek from the apples to the hairline. This is a general wash of color and then she goes in with a "pop" shade, traditionally a complimenting brighter or darker blush shade. This is placed only on the apples for a "pop" of color. Like with her classic blush compacts, this palette comes with two shades, as "swish" and a "pop".

Swish - This shade is a light neutral pink shade that is very natural and quite light. I feel that if you have a tan to dark skin tone, this will definitely not show up on your skin. It is already quite light on me but I also prefer a more subtle flush. This color is perfect for a heavy smokey eye, which is why I think Charlotte Tilbury included this shade in this palette.

Pop - This shade is a warm pink shade that compliments the lighter shade very well. This shade can be worn alone but paired with the lighter shade, it really creates a natural fresh flush. It is just enough color without being too heavy for a smokey eye look. Plus it ass just a touch of warm that you need with a smokey eye because dark smokey looks often wash your complexion out.

BRONZER

This matte bronzer is very soft and pigmented. It is quite neutral but does have a pinch of warmth to brighten the complexion, especially when paired with a smokey eye. It is a very creamy formula and it builds to a beautiful natural tan.

HIGHLIGHTER

This gold highlighter looks VERY gold in the pan. I was honestly very put off by it's appearance because I thought it would look like gold eyeshadow on my cheekbones, which personally, is not a look I like. Actually, on the skin it is a very natural light gold shade and looks stunning! This gold highlighter has the perfect amount of gold, making it still soft and flattering on most skin tones. The shimmer is fine and it adds a glow without emphasizing texture or pores. The texture of this highlighter is significantly drier than all the other products in this palette, as you can probably tell from the swatches, it does not swatch well. However, when applied with a brush, it gives the most stunning glow that can be built to be much more intense!

Overall, I really like this palette but if I hadn't gotten it in my Beautylish Luck Bag, I probably wouldn't have purchased it. For someone who has a lot of makeup, a palette with some very basic shades is not something I would purchase however, I do love it for travel since it is so convenient! While the quality is excellent and the shades are very useful, it still seems very limited in it's versatility for multiple skin tones, which is often the case for these full-face palettes. Usually, not all the products in a full-face palette will suit all skin tones. As you can tell by the swatches, I am bordering on this palette being too light for me but luckily the shades are very buildable and when applied, do show up on my skin tone. I think this is a beautiful palette but if you are looking for something more unique, Charlotte Tilbury offers other color-ways in these Instant Look in a Palettes or you can check out the rest of her line.

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