Smoke and Stars

The Dolce Vita palette by Charlotte Tilbury was the single most anticipated item in my Beautylish haul. I agonised over whether I wanted to fork out $70 for four pans of eyeshadow, but eventually decided there was no point in further resisting. We all have our vices, and mine just happens to be makeup. I actually managed to swatch some of the quads at Selfridges when the line first launched in September 2013 (coincidentally, I was on holidays in London at the time), but couldn't bring myself to pay the equivalent of a 12-pan Urban Decay Naked palette for something with two-thirds fewer options, no matter how gorgeously packaged. The quality (in terms of the pigmentation and texture) and the shade selection also didn't seem that unique. I'd never been particularly enticed by the world of high end makeup (I'm not one to stalk the Dior, Chanel, Tom Ford, etc. counters), and Charlotte Tilbury seemed very much in that bracket. Still, in the months that followed, I couldn't help but be persuaded by countless Tilbury raves. There was something about the brand that proved irresistible, and I wanted a piece of the action.

l-r: Prime, Enhance, Pop, Smoke

Like each of Charlotte Tilbury's Luxury Palettes, they're colour-coded with a Prime, Enhance, Smoke and Pop shade. The four shades are designed to complement each other and work harmoniously to create a total eye look that can be taken from day to night. Charlotte Tilbury herself demonstrates ways to wear the quad in this video, starting with the "Prime" and "Enhance" shades for a daytime look, while amping up the drama and sultriness for the evening by adding the "Smoke" shade to the outer-V, socket and underneath the eyes, and dabbing the "Pop" colour all over the lid with the fingers.

"Prime" is a peachy, slightly pink-toned shimmery highlight shade. "Enhance" is a very warm-toned, richly metallic reddish bronze. "Smoke" is a minky chocolate brown threaded with gold, with slight olive tones. "Pop" is a copper/gold sparkly top coat, not much different to a fine, pressed glitter.

A lot has delighted me with the Dolce Vita palette. There's minimal fallout, particularly commendable for the "Pop" and the darkest "Smoke" shade, which isn't something I can say for the majority of eyeshadows I have. The shadows are extremely easy to blend and the colours are expertly put together. The wear time is also one of the most impressive aspects. The glitter stayed PUT and was glimmering past midnight like it'd been freshly applied. Shadows retained their vibrancy and pigmentation without fading. Even the highlight shade in the inner corner, traditionally the first to go, still remained after 15 hours. Say what?

The Dolce Vita reminds me a lot of Tom Ford Eye Colour Quad in Cognac Sable, right down to the same coppery glitter top coat. I've always lusted after Cognac Sable (or Golden Mink), but it's an eye-popping $110 in Australia, so it ain't happening. The Charlotte Tilbury is equally luxurious, more compact and feminine in terms of packaging, and quite a bit cheaper (though both are crazily expensive). While I normally don't splurge on high end eyeshadow quads/quints, preferring instead to spend my money on palettes like the LORAC Pro Palette, Urban Decay Naked palettes or the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, the Dolce Vita has easily and quickly become a favourite.