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Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencils Reviews, Photos, Swatches

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil (£19.00 for 0.06 oz.) were definitely the one formula/product I was excited to test from the new range, as it was getting non-stop raves across the blogosphere. I think whether they work magic for you will depend on how you prefer to use jumbo eyeshadow pencils; if you use them as an all-over wash, you’ll probably like these. If you want to wear them together, not as much, and if you want to wear shadow on top, even less.

They worked best alone, slightly blended and sheered out. They feel amazing when swatched on the arm, but they weren’t as lovely on the eyes–and it did vary across the ultimate texture of the shade. I found that they looked dry on the lid, and instead of traditional creasing, it looked cracked instead in the crease area after seven hours of wear (which is short for me). When I tried to wear the three shades I purchased together, blending was a major challenge. I ended up stippling the lighter color where the two met straight from the pencil, which helped some. The least flattering (in terms of texture on the lid, nothing to do with the color or my skin tone) was Champagne Diamonds, as it made my lids look wrinkly and dried–like it was clinging to the skin–while the most flattering was Smoky Emerald, which was also the creamiest of the three I put my hopes into.  Applying powder eyeshadow on top only worked so-so if it was a sheer layer of the pencil, but it if was a more opaque layer, then eyeshadow seemed to go on unevenly and was difficult to blend.  Most appear to really love these pencils, so my experience seems to be in the minority, and they may be worth trying if they’re accessible.

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil (£19.00 for 0.06 oz.) is a warm, champagne-shimmered peachy beige with champagne sparkle. Too Faced Cheers! (LE) is lighter, powder. Maybelline Barely Brazen (P, $6.99) is more champagne-hued, less sparkly. MAC Rich Glance (LE, $21.00) is more beige. Urban Decay Sin (P, $20.00) is pink-tinged. Milani Champagne Toast (P, $6.99) is lighter, less sparkly. MAC Summer Haze (LE, $21.00) is less sparkly, powder. Make Up For Ever #30E (P, $20.00) is less sparkly, slightly pink-tinged. See comparison swatches.

It was mostly opaque on the lid, but it does need to be slightly layered or blended to be even and opaque. The consistency was slightly creamy, and it didn’t drag or pull at lids when applied, but when it is blended, the sparkles seem to move around and some fall out below the eye (and this did happen during wear, too). It dries down almost immediately, so there is little time to blend it out–I found I had to layer a little bit more on the edges to give some blendability to the color. As a wash of color, applied as a more sheer shade, it worked better as it didn’t leave the lid looking dry/wrinkled, and then opacity wasn’t an issue.

Golden Quartz Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil (£19.00 for 0.06 oz.) is a warm, golden, medium-dark brown with gold sparkle. Makeup Geek Utopia (P, $6.99) is more sparkly. Chanel Initiation (827) (LE, $36.00) is lighter. MAC Divine Decadence (LE, $15.00) is more red-toned. Urban Decay Deeper (LE, $18.00) is a powder. MAC Venetian Tarnish (LE) is similar. MAC Tempting (P, $15.00) is a powder. bareMinerals Ritzy (LE) is a powder, not as golden. See comparison swatches.

In a single pass, it had fairly good color payoff, and it was buildable to opaque color in two layers. The consistency was lightly creamy–slightly creamier than Champagne Diamonds–and applied more evenly on the lids. It did, though, dry down almost instantaneously, so blending it was somewhat troublesome. I didn’t have fall out with this shade when I was blending or later on while I wore it.

Smoky Emerald Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil (£19.00 for 0.06 oz.) is a deep, dark, warm-toned forest green with subtle micro-shimmer and a pearly sheen. Giorgio Armani #25 (LE, $33.00) is cooler-toned, powder. Urban Decay Bender (P, $18.00) is lighter, powder.MAC Vintage Coin (LE) is very similar, slightly lighter. See comparison swatches.

This shade was the most pigmented of the three, and it was also noticeably more emollient–creamier, easier to apply, and remained blendable for about fifteen seconds before drying down. It was also the most flattering, as it did not cling to lids and leave them looking wrinkled/dry.

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Golden Quartz Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Golden Quartz Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Golden Quartz Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Golden Quartz Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Golden Quartz Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Golden Quartz Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Smoky Emerald Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Smoky Emerald Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Smoky Emerald Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Smoky Emerald Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Smoky Emerald Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Charlotte Tilbury Smoky Emerald Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil

Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
Champagne Diamonds (inner lid), Golden Quartz (middle of lid),
Smoky Emerald (outer lid/crease)

23 Comments

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Sarah Avatar

I’ve been so tempted by the Bronzed Garnet shade of these pencils – just for the colour, it is so beautiful on green eyes! It’s a shame they haven’t performed very well, although I would only wear it as an all over colour so it’s still on the wish list…

smfrances Avatar

I really appreciate your unbiased reviews. In fact I count on them. Some of the other bloggers will promote a brand because they are friends with the creator or it was given to them and they want to continue to get products. I feel as though I can trust you. That is more important than anything to me when it comes to following bloggers.

Mariella Avatar

Love the look of Smokey Emerald but given the problems with getting CT products in the US (and I can’t imagine it would be any better in Canada), I am glad there are lots and lots of dupes of this one! (Tarte makes some jumbo pencils that are amazing and I can’t praise enough the ones from Sephora – I think “Kaki 09” is very close to Smokey Emerald.

Ms_f Avatar

The selling point of these pencils is how they enhance the natural colour of your eyes. Each one is designed for a different eye colour. Did you notice anything in terms of that?

I think the shades bronze garnet and dark pearl are to enhance brown eyes.

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