Fashion

Charlotte Tilbury's New Palette Put The Stars In *And* On My Eyes — But It's Almost Gone For Good

Charlotte Tilbury // Theresa Massony

As a beauty editor who owns exactly 38,452,934 eyeshadow palettes, 804,350,928,342 eyeshadow singles, and every variation of eyeshadow formula in between (OK, maybe those figures aren't exact), it's hard to impress me when it comes to eyeshadow. Shimmers, mattes, dark, light, glitter, cream, powder, cream-powder — I've seen it all, I have my favorites, and my shadow clique is exclusive. However, my review of Charlotte Tilbury's Stars In Your Eyes Palette, a surprise drop that sold out on the brand's website in just a couple days, proves that even I, someone who believes she's seen it all, can be surprised by a palette every once in a while.

Launched by renowned makeup artist to many a star, Charlotte Tilbury, the brand has crafted a lineup of products so coveted, they sell out almost instantly. This was, as mentioned, the case for the Stars In Your Eyes Palette, which is still sold out on the Charlotte Tilbury website. According to the brand, this surprise palette would only be available until sell-out — and as of now, there really is no news of a restock in sight. However, I'll let you in on a little secret: The palette is, luckily, still available for purchase on Nordstrom's website. Once you see how this palette worked IRL for me, I have a feeling you'll click that link so fast, you'll sprain your finger.

As you can see in the photo of the palette above, the shades are divided into four groups of three, each designed to give your eyes a specific "look" as coined by the Charlotte Tilbury team. The three shadows provide you with the easiest way to create a truly stunning eye look using the brand's notorious "prime, enhance, and smoke" routine. Essentially, this involves priming your eye area with the first shade, enhancing your eye by applying the second shade directly over your lid, and smoking out your eye look by packing the final shade along your lash line. Of course, these guidelines are suggestions, and you're free to mix and match shades and/or use them where/how you please.

Courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury

The first group, "Love Eyes," which includes a bone-colored base shadow, a shimmer peachy pink, and a slightly darker matte pink, is meant to give you a soft, sweet, romantic look. The second set, "Power Eyes," offers a subtle statement look designed to enhance your eyes, with light, medium, and dark gold shadows. The third group, "Happy Eyes," consists of a shimmery rosy pink, a a medium reddish brown hue, and a darker brownish mauve. And finally, dubbed "Confident Eyes," the fourth set of shadows includes the boldest colors of the bunch, with a bright pink shimmer, a deep magenta shimmer, and a dark purple-y pink rounding out the group.

Now that the logistics are out of the way, let's talk about how this palette worked IRL. Let me just start by gushing about how gloriously pigmented and creamy these shadows are. You know that satisfying sensation, when you rub your finger around on a shadow, and rub that finger down on your arm, only to reveal the most consistent, clean swatch you've ever seen — no excess powder drop-off to be found? That's what the Stars In Your Eyes Palette gave me, and — sorry to be crude — but it felt better than sex.

Before sitting down to try this palette on my eyes, I cleansed and prepped my skin with my usual routine — a cleanser, facial oil, serum, moisturizer, primer, foundation, and concealer. Because it felt nearly impossibly to choose which ~look~ I wanted to go for on my eyes that day, I made my girlfriend decide for me. She chose Confident Eyes, because she knows that the two mottos I live by are "go big or go home" and "more is more." This is why we're in a relationship.

Anyway, I digress. Now, when it comes to makeup and my life in general, I enjoy some structure, but I always put my own spin on everything. (It's called creative freedom — ever heard of it????) Needless to say, I created my "confident eyes" my own way.

For my look, I cheated a bit and started with the bone-colored shade in the first group of shadows, just to give me a solid base and prevent any creasing. Then, I took the second shade of Confident Eyes and swiped it along the natural shape of my crease, using a fluffy brush and making sure it was blended out. Next, I took the first shade of Confident Eyes and packed it along the top of my eyelid with a flat eyeshadow brush, again, making sure it blended will into my crease color. Finally, I took the third Confident Eyes shade, smudged it along my upper and lower lashline, and blended it ever-so-slightly into the outer third of my eye.

Following a quick final blend, as well as the rest of my makeup routine, my eyes had never been more confident. JUST LOOK AT THEM. THEY COULD WALK INTO A BAR AND HAVE AN EYE MAKE-OUT SESH WITH... MY GIRLFRIEND AND MY GIRLFRIEND ONLY:

Courtesy of Theresa Massony

All in all, the shadows blended so easily, more so than most of the palettes I've used in the past. The hues were pigmented without being overpowering, which, in my opinion, made me feel like I was wearing the shadow, rather than the shadow wearing me. Even more, while I am absolutely an advocate for going big or going home with your makeup in the daytime and the nighttime, I felt that the shimmer shades packed a noticeable shine, without being too much for everyday wear — even for more conservative makeup wearers.

One thing I did notice was that, while the Confident Eyes shades appeared slightly purple at first glance, they ended up looking a bit more pink on my own skin. Still, I loved the way the overall look turned out. I, personally, have very fair skin with pink undertones, so if you have similar skin, this may be the case for you as well.

Just peep this ~lewk~ one last time, because I high-key haven't stopped thinking about it since:

Courtesy of Theresa Massony

I'm itching to try out all the other eye looks, as well as every other combination under the sun, that this palette offers. If you're a fan of highly pigmented, blend-able, build-able shadows with serious staying power and a healthy dose of shine, then run — don't walk — over to Nordstrom.com and snag a palette for yourself. Like I mentioned before, once it's gone, it's gone for good. As the great philosopher Eminem once said, "You only get one shot. Do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime."