Pillow Talk Smokey Eye Look

It’s no secret I have a bit of an obsession with red brown eyeshdows and there are certainly a few in my collection starting with Nars Dolomites, pretty much all the eyeshadow palettes and a few singles I own. Now I previously discussed the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Eye Palette here and featured more of the pinky beige look but seeing as the palette has now been restocked, I wanted to test if you could create a more smokey look. This whole idea perhaps came about because of the recent Julianne Moore cover for The Rake and while this isn’t a recreation, it’s pretty much reminded me to smoke out my lower lash line more often because she looked absolutely stunning.

FACE

My go-to medium coverage base has been Chanel Les Beiges Foundation in 10, MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15 and Chanel Poudre Universelle in Clair. I contoured my face with Nars Contouring Blush in Paloma, bronzed up the cheeks with Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Bronzing Veil in Tropical Nights and added Nars Highlighter in Capri on tops of my cheek bones and down the bridge of the nose. Both Paloma and Tropical Nights have slight pink tones which make them look less muddy on my complexion but actually create a very neutral cheek for this look.

EYES

I started off with the Nars Smudgeproof Eye Base as per usual and then dusted the light rose brown from the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Palette across my socket. I then sweeped the darker red brown all over the eyelid. I used the Rae Morris Creme Shadow brush and admittedly it created a lighter wash of colour. You could build it up with a stiffer brush but I decided to go in with the Anastasia Eyeshadow in Red Earth instead since I felt the CT shadow would be a bit too warm for my liking. I placed Red Earth in the outer v and across the lash line and added more darkness along the lash line with a smaller pencil brush and MAC Eyeshadow in Embark. I then smoked the lower lash line with the rose brown from the CT palette, lined the waterline with MAC Eye Kohl in Costa Riche and finished out with a coat of Kevyn Aucoin Expert Mascara in Bloodroses.

LIPS

I quite enjoyed how Red Earth and Embark cooled down this look and thought it would pair really well with a slightly greige toned nude. This one isn’t a combination I go for much but one I feel pretty sophisticated wearing. I lined the lips with Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Iconic Nude and topped it off with Laura Mercier Creme Lipstick in Milky Way.

All in all, I loved putting this look together and really enjoyed the tones of the products which actually have been going underused in my collection either because of my project pan or because I keep forgetting about them. The lip is definitely one I need to wear a bit more and the Kevyn Aucoin is one favourite I always skip but all in all, I reckon you could replace the CT quad quite easily. While you can darken the look for the daytime, it will hardly add dimension. Definitely not the case with Red Earth which currently reigns as my favourite red brown shade. Then there’s my little ode to red brown and hope you liked the look! And if you have an eyeshadow favourite within this colour family, definitely share the love!