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We tried everything from Charlotte Tilbury's new pillow talk collection – here's what we thought
From lipsticks to highlighters, here's our verdict on every product from the extensive launch
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Your support makes all the difference.The Queen of the nude lip strikes again as Charlotte Tilbury has announced a new range of products inspired by her brand's coveted lipstick shade: pillow talk.
Well-versed in painting the faces of red carpet stars, it’s no surprise that the celebrity make-up artist teased the launch at the 2020 Golden Globes last week, where the likes of Michelle Williams, Salma Hayek and Busy Phillips wore products from the new collection.
So what’s with all the hype? Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ll know about the beauty world’s obsession with the lipstick that sells once every two minutes globally.
Inspired by Tilbury’s search for a universal nude-pink shade when working on the faces of supermodels in the Nineties, the holy-grail lipstick was created to suit a wide range of skin tones, making it a staple in every make-up artist’s kit since its launch in 2017.
Following its success, we’ve seen other pillow talk-inspired products from the brand, including eyeshadow palettes and shimmery lipsticks – but the latest collection is the biggest ode to the cult-favourite so far, with 10 new products inspired by everyone’s favourite nude.
Alongside the 12-pan eyeshadow palette, highlighters, eyeliners and blushes that are set to roll out in the next two months, the brand has created two new variations of the pillow talk lipstick itself: a duo of darker shades that will give the collection an even wider appeal, catering to all skin tones.
But does the new launch live up to expectations? We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on the whole collection ahead of its release to give you our verdict on everything, from lipsticks to liners.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn some commission, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Instant eye palette in pillow talk: £60, Charlotte Tilbury
This has the same pan layout of other instant eye palettes from Charlotte Tilbury, with four trios of eye shadows for different looks – from desk to date. You couldn’t ask for more from a nude palette – the way the shadows are assigned to different looks is helpful but you can mix and match across the whole compact, and the shades are even more pigmented than other similar eye palettes we’ve tried from the brand.
Featuring colours inspired by the pinky-brown hue of pillow talk, standout shades are the terracotta matte, salmon pink, champagne shimmer and the three reddy-pinks. The colours translate to the eye beautifully, they are ultra pigmented but blend easily without any fall-out. We love that the brand went for deep berry tones that feel more wearable than bright pinks, they blend just as easily as the neutral shades. All housed in a beautiful, Gatsby-esque gold casing, this is pricey at £60, but considering the brand's other four-shadow palettes cost £40, it's good value.
K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in pillow talk intense: £25, Charlotte Tilbury
We really love this deep berry chocolate shade. Made with a satin finish, we were initially surprised that the brand didn't opt for a matte formula, as glossier lipsticks in dark shades can be tough to wear (we’ve all been there when a red lip smudges) but the slight shine adds a gorgeous dimension to the finished look that were obsessed with, feeling comfortable and nourishing on the lips. While being a far darker shade, this lipstick has stayed true to the pink-nude essence of the original pillow talk and looks gorgeous on all skin tones. We’d suggest investing in the matching lip liner to ensure your lipstick stays put for longer.
Matte revolution lipstick in pillow talk medium: £25, Charlotte Tilbury
This is our favourite product from the new launch. A deeper brown-mauve with the same pink undertone as the original – it’s pillow talk taken a couple shades darker. Almost as good as the original, it’s perfect for both day and night and we love the formula – it still gives the your-lips-but-better effect but with a deeper hue; a just-kissed nude that will compliment everyone. Pair this with a smokey brown eye for a sultry evening look.
Cheek to chic in pillow talk intense: £30, Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury’s blush shade range is already quite extensive, but it’s great to see the brand create another product that looks gorgeous on dark skin tones. This deep berry shade translates beautifully on the skin; a little goes a long way to give a flush of colour. A lot of matte blushes can appear flat on the skin but the highlighter shade in the centre of this compact adds dimension with a wash of shimmer, leaving you with luminous, healthy-looking skin. A lighter version of this pillow talk blush is already part of the existing collection.
Beauty light wand in pillow talk and pillow talk medium: £29 each, Charlotte Tilbury
Launch: 26 February
As far as liquid highlight goes, this formula is impressive. The pillow talk shade is a champagne colour with pink undertones, it has a luminosity that reflects light beautifully. It’s quite hard work to apply on top of powder products as it dries quickly – but if you work fast enough it blends smoothly. It sits well on top of other liquids or bare skin and lives up to its skin brightening qualities, with a pearly, natural shimmer that isn’t too overbearing. The sponge applicator isn’t our favourite as it feels as though a lot of product gets wasted in the sponge, we found it applied best using our fingers. The intense shade is a deeper coppery bronze which applies just as nicely, this would look gorgeous on dark skin tones, but we’d love to see an even deeper shade to correspond with the new intense lipstick.
Pillow talk eyeliner: £19, Charlotte Tilbury
This is one of our favourites from the collection. The soft formula glides on effortlessly and is ultra pigmented. Our tester is quite sensitive to products applied to her water line but it didn’t irritate her at all. The dark brown-berry shade compliments every eye colour and works wonderfully to finish off any look created with the eyeshadow palette. It stays in the waterline all day too. We much prefer these types of liners that you sharpen rather than twist as they last longer.
Charlotte Tilbury lip cheat in pillow talk medium and pillow talk intense: £17 each, Charlotte Tilbury
These creamy lip liners dry down quickly and don't budge, so you’ll need to work with precision. But that's made easy with the soft formula that makes light work of mapping out the shape of your lips.The intense shade is a deep, cool brown colour that is significantly darker than the corresponding lipstick in the collection – they do blend nicely together but the liner is noticeable: think defined Nineties liner rather than a matching nude. The lighter pillow talk medium shade is a closer colour to the matching lipstick.
Buy medium shade now
Buy intense shade now
Charlotte Tilbury collagen lip bath in pillow talk: £25, Charlotte Tilbury
Launch: 30 January
We love the weighty packaging that this lipstick-gloss hybrid comes in and the product inside is just as impressive. Packed full of hydrating ingredients such as coconut oil, vitamin A and marine collagen, it feels nourishing on the lips without the annoying stickiness often found in glosses. The heart-shaped wand helps you catch the curves of your pout and the peppermint oil included is refreshingly tingly. A multitasking, must-have product in your pillow talk arsenal.