Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Luxury Palette Review + Swatches

In my eyes, the goddess that is Charlotte Tilbury can do no wrong. Her entire makeup range is not only aesthetically perfect and decadently packaged, but the quality of her products is on another level.  By far, my most-loved product of hers, is the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Eyeshadow Palette. All year round, come rain or shine, this is the quad I reach for most often.

When Charlotte Tilbury's makeup line was first launched, it focused on ten signature looks which all revolved around an assortment of luxury eyeshadow palettes. Ranging from pretty, more natural looks, to bolder and vampier styles, Charlotte has catered for all tastes and has made it easy to achieve any of the looks with her Look In A Box Kits and Get The Look Videos. My favourite of them all, The Dolce Vita look, is all about a smoldering, sultry vibe that encapsulates the world of glamorous Italian actresses, both past and present. A classic, sexy look, but with a modern twist.

The Colour Coded Luxury Eyeshadow Quads from Charlotte Tilbury are totally fool-proof. Featuring four complementing shades, you're able to simply use one shadow alone, or combine the whole set to create differing looks. Of, course, depending on your skin-tone, the shadows will look different, but Tilbury has ensured that all of her shades suit every skin colour. Not only are the shade selections swoon-worthy, but the formula is just second to none. Every shadow is buttery smooth and velvety soft, and they all blend like a dream. Despite the silky texture and cashmere feel, there's very little fall-down when you sweep them on and the pigmentation levels are really strong in just one stroke.

I know that Charlotte Tilbury used to claim that the Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quads, Cognac Sable in particular, were her favourite before she released her own line. It's obvious Tilbury has taken a lot of inspiration from the ultra premium palettes, but she's totally topped them in terms of formula. I love Tom Ford's palettes, but Tilbury's eyeshadows have a much better consistency and are more consistent in quality across the whole range.

On the back of each palette, you're provided with an application ritual to follow (prime, enhance, pop and smoke) to make everything easy for those who aren't confident with applying eyeshadow. The Dolce Vita palette has a definitely warm, copper theme to it, with the rich burgundy tone and glimmering gold glitter shades taking the limelight. The shades that make up the Dolce Vita Palette are:

Prime - A pearlescent oyster shade, with peachy-pink undertones to it. This is my ideal base shade, as it adds a subtle shimmer to the skin, evens-out any discoloration and instantly brightens. It creates an almost wet-look sheen to the lid when worn alone, which I love for effortless days.

Enhance - A deep reddened brown tone spattered with ultra-fine golden shimmers. For me, this shade is the real stand-out of the palette. Instead of having an overly shimmery or metallic finish, it has more of a satin finish. I love using this shade as a transition in the crease, at the outer corner, or even all over the lid and under the eyes for a quick and simple evening look.

Pop - A bright, dazzling gold shade, achieved with chunky golden glitters suspended in a clear emollient base. This one feels more like a pressed pigment, rather than a smooth powder like the other three. Thanks to the creamy consistency, the glitters smooth on to the skin with ease, to create an opaque finish if you pack it on to the lid with your finger, rather than a brush.

Smoke - A muted, olive-toned bronze that has an antiqued feel to it and more of a satin finish. I've seen a lot of people describe this as a medium brown tone, but I definitely notice a slightly green tinge when it's on my skin. It makes the shade a bit more interesting than a standard bronze and is a flattering green hint, though, so I love it!

As with all Charlotte Tilbury products, the gold and burgundy packaging is beautiful and the quads feel super luxurious. At £38, they're pretty pricey for only four shadows, especially as larger palettes from Urban Decay and Too Faced are only marginally more expensive. But, they work out as cheaper than the cost of four MAC eyeshadows, even without a palette to hold them in. Personally, I think Charlotte Tilbury's eyeshadows trump any others on the market, making them worth the extra cost. If you're a beauty lover, but don't want to splurge so much on one quad, then they're the perfect product to pop on a gift wishlist!

What's your favourite product from Charlotte Tilbury?

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