Review: Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Shadow

Hello, my loves! Today, I have another review of a Charlotte Tilbury product – I’m on a roll! I don’t own a lot of products from luxury brands, and as my mentioned, Charlotte Tilbury was a brand I have only admired from afar until recently. The Eyes to Mesmerize cream shadows were just one of the few products that I have been absolutely dying to try from the brand, so when Sephora had their 20% summer sale in August, I took it as an opportunity to finally own one of these.

THE BASICS

Charlotte Tilbury’s water-infused shadow is enriched with soothing vitamin E and has a liquid-cream texture that is effortless to apply. Soft-focus pigments blur lines and imperfections for a visibly youthful finish. It features an easy glide-on formula in a striking high-shine that won’t drag on your delicate eye area. As part of Charlotte Tilbury’s one-minute, no-mirror makeup products, this is perfect for makeup on the go. Plus, the formula has a cooling effect that is refreshing on overworked eyes.

Charlotte Tilbury has 6 shades in the Eyes to Mesmerize cream shadow formula. These are made in Italy, and retail at $39 CAD. They can be purchased on Sephora, Nordstrom, Beautylish, and the Charlotte Tilbury website. The shade I purchased, Marie Antoinette, is described as an antique oyster gold. I’m not even sure what antique oyster gold would look like, but I would say this shade is a warm-toned taupe.

THE PACKAGING

The Eyes to Mesmerize shadows come in a frosted glass pot with a glossy brown lid embossed with the Charlotte Tilbury logo. Not that the packaging is in any way a make or break quality, the pot feels heavy and substantial – it’s really beautiful, expensive packaging, nothing short of what you would expect from Charlotte Tilbury. The product inside looks whipped, and a fresh pot of this stuff forms a peak, like whipped cream!

THE FORMULA

The thing that stood out to me when I first read about these shadows is the texture. The Eyes to Mesmerize formula has the loveliest soft whipped texture that is butter smooth and glides very easily on the eyelids. I’ve heard that these are supposed to be a less expensive dupe for the Tom Ford cream eyeshadows – the term “less expensive” used very loosely here, since it’s still pretty darn expensive!

While the texture intrigued me before I bought the shadow, it’s so creamy that I was slightly concerned that it would crease on my lids (even though I have dry eyelids). I read a few reviews that the formula was troublesome for some people and creased on them. However, I personally didn’t have issues with creasing at all. It stays completely intact throughout a 12 hour day, and I’m seriously in LOVE this formula. With that being said, I did mention that I have dry eyelids, so maybe people with oily eyelids, or a different eye shape than me, may find that this moves around on them throughout the day.

My preferred way of applying this cream shadow is with my fingers. I find it’s the best way to achieve opaque coverage in the least amount of time. I always dip my finger in with the lightest touch to get a small amount at first in order to avoid product wastage; it is actually very pigmented and I find that one layer is sufficient. However, you can sheer it out for a wash of colour on the lids, or also layer it up for even more coverage. The great thing about the formula is that previously-applied layers don’t flake off when you try to apply more layers on top, like some cream products do.

I love wearing Marie Antoinette all over my eyelids as a single-shadow look. It’s just one of those shadows you swipe on in one minute flat, and you end up with this effortless glowy look on the lids. Yes, I said it, my eyelids look glowy. There’s no glitter in the formula, or even a foiled finish; it just gives you a subtle glossy finish. I feel like Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup style is very natural and glowy, like “I woke up like this” vibes, and this Eyes to Mesmerize shadow delivers exactly that.

I don’t really feel the “cooling effect” that Charlotte Tilbury mentions in the product description.

THE SUMMARY

Pros:

• Beautiful packaging
• Pigmented, buildable formula
• Stellar staying power

Cons:

• Expensive
• Jar packaging may cause product to dry out

Overall, these are absolutely beautiful., and I have nothing bad to say about this cream shadow, other than the fact that they’re pretty darn pricey. Do I think it’s worth the price? I didn’t think I’d say this, but honestly, yes. If you are looking for a beautiful luxury product to splurge on, I would recommend these Eyes to Mesmerize cream shadows. They give my lids this beautiful, subtle glow that I’ve never achieved with any other eye product.