UPDATE: Before we jump into our Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk mascara review, we wanted to flag up that the mascara is now available in a new berry-brown version, alongside the original black version.
The release forms part of the ever-growing, and ever-excellent Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk range and is a member of the wider Pillow Talk Party Collection.
This collection includes:
You can buy all of these new products from Charlotte Tilbury, alongside the existing pillow talk range. We’ve ordered the new Pillow Talk mascara and will update this review once we’ve put it to the test.
Shop the new range nowOriginal Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk mascara review verdict continues below
Whereas Charlotte’s previous Five Star Lashes and Legendary Lashes were focused more on volume, the Push Up mascara has been designed for length.
That’s not to say it doesn’t deliver volume, it’s just not on the same level as Too Faced’s Better than Sex or Dior’s version (you can read more about this in our best mascara guide).
The Pillow Talk Push Up mascara features an “injection-moulded, micro pro-precision paddle brush” said to offer “load, comb and lift” technology. What this means is that the brush is flat in the middle, resembling an oar or paddle.
The flexible, diamond-shaped bristles line the edges of this paddle. These bristles have been developed in this way to follow the shape and spread of your lashes to give a magnifying and amplifying effect.
Inside the actual formula are lash-lifting polymers and natural waxes. These push up (as the name suggests) the lashes while conditioning them and adding body and texture. Our main criticism of this mascara is that this waxy formula can feel a little gummy.
The benefit of this is that it does as promised – it grabs and lengthens lashes. The downside is that it takes a while to dry in comparison to its rivals, and it can be difficult to remove at the end of the day.
| Cult Beauty | From £12 |
| Charlotte Tilbury | £23 |
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UPDATE: Before we jump into our Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk mascara review, we wanted to flag up that the mascara is now available in a new berry-brown version, alongside the original black version.
The release forms part of the ever-growing, and ever-excellent Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk range and is a member of the wider Pillow Talk Party Collection.
This collection includes:
You can buy all of these new products from Charlotte Tilbury, alongside the existing pillow talk range. We’ve ordered the new Pillow Talk mascara and will update this review once we’ve put it to the test.
Shop the new range now
Original Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk mascara review continues below
We’re huge fans of Charlotte Tilbury at mamabella. Yes, her makeup is on the pricey side but her formulas are fantastic, the range of products and shades offer something for everyone, and the rose gold packaging is gorgeous. One of her bestselling, and versatile, collections is the Pillow Talk range and she recently released her first mascara in this collection – the subject of this Pillow Talk mascara review.
Pillow Talk has become a staple among makeup fans because of its versatility. Its rosy pink pigments in its current eyeshadow palettes and the creamy texture and tone of its nude lipstick suit almost every skin tones, and works for any occasion.
We love the Pillow Talk collection so much that the four-way Pillow Talk palette is our Luxury Buy in our round-up of the best eyeshadow palettes, but does the Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes mascara live up to the rest of the fantastic collection, or leave us feeling disappointed?
FURTHER READING: Best mascara for short lashes
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Before we dive into the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk mascara review, let’s explain a bit more about the Pillow Talk range generally.
The Pillow Talk collection began with a four-pan Luxury Palette (you can read more in our Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow guide) and nude Pillow Talk lipstick (see our best lipstick guide) and has since expanded to a huge range for your lips, eyes and cheeks.
Most recently, the brand launched the Pillow Talk Jewel Pots and Jewel Lips as well as the subject of this Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk review, the Push Up Lashes mascara. Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes joins Legendary Lashes and Full-Fat Lashes in the Charlotte Tilbury mascara range.
These additions followed a Pillow Talk expansion earlier in 2020 which added new lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes and blusher to the collection. The lip products in the extended range included a Lip Cheat lip liner and a Matte Revolution lipstick in a darker version of the original Pillow Talk, called Pillow Talk Medium.
The Pillow Talk Instant Eye Palette then added 12 shades to the existing four available.
FURTHER READING: How to choose a Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palette for your eye colour and budget
According to Charlotte Tilbury, the Pillow Talk Push Up lashes features an “injection moulded, micro pro precision paddle brush” said to offer “load, comb and lift” technology.
The brand, with a somewhat high level of hyperbole, describes the mascara as lifting like air and “vertically painting” every individual lash.
The mascara wand’s bristles are diamond-shaped and have been designed to follow the lash architecture, reading the fan of the lashes for a magnifying and amplifying effect.
Meanwhile, the formula is made from lash-lifting polymers and natural waxes, including Carnauba and Microcrystalline. These push up the lashes while conditioning them and adding body and texture.
This is also thanks to the inclusion of Kerestore 2.0 – a form of keratin – which makes your lashes feel thicker and look fuller.
The Pillow Talk Push Up mascara is available in black, and a new berry-brown but there isn’t a waterproof version on sale (yet). However, Charlotte Tilbury claims the Pillow Talk mascara is smudge and humidity proof.
READ NEXT: What is mascara made of and how does it actually work?
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The reason we’ve talked so much about the shape of the brush on Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Push Up mascara is because its this shape and design that both gives the mascara’s results, while also making it a little confusing.
As you can see in the image above, the flat side of the diamond-shaped brush is used to coat your eyelashes and lift them, while the bristles comb the formula to the ends of your lashes adding more lift and separation.
It helps to use the flat side at the base of your lashes and then twist the wand onto its side and brush the formula through the individual hairs, taking the formula with it.
This does take a little practice – we’re used to just whacking mascara on and not having to be all that precise – but the overall results are worth it.
The brush design certainly is unique and the only brush we’ve seen similar is the one on Fenty Beauty’s Full Frontal Volume, Lift and Curl mascara.
Rihanna’s brand’s mascara brush is a little thicker and softer though; it doesn’t flex and bend like Charlotte Tilbury’s version. The Huda Beauty Legit Lashes has a bendy brush but it doesn’t coat the lashes as well as Charlotte Tilbury’s.
FURTHER READING: How to apply mascara like a pro
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As you can see in the before and after images above, the Pillow Talk Push Up mascara does as promised. It adds length, and a small amount of volume, and helps make your eyes appear more open.
The formula is, as the brand attests, waxy, and gummy. This makes it quite heavy and a little wet, which can limit the overall lifting effect.
It’s also very messy. We’ve never got so much mascara accidentally on our eyelids as we do when we use the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk mascara and this is really annoying.
It’s a bit of a faff but if you have time to wait between each coat, we highly recommend taking things slow and applying a layer before letting it dry. This helps you get the maximum lift and volume without making a mess.
And don’t worry, because the formula is so waxy this mascara doesn’t flake or clump in the slightest so you can get away with leaving coats to dry between applications.
That said, even though it doesn’t flake, it does have a tendency to smudge. Despite the brand’s claims to the contrary. Especially on our lower lashes. This is despite the fact we wear glasses so touch our eyes very little throughout the day.
Removing this mascara is also a little tricky. Because the formula is so thick, waxy, and black, it takes cleansing balm, foaming face wash, and eye makeup remover to get it all off. Even then, we woke up with smudges below our eyes and little gloops of mascara in the corners. Gross.
FURTHER READING: We’ve reviewed and ranked the best Charlotte Tilbury foundations
Buy now from Charlotte Tilbury
Whereas Charlotte’s previous Five Star Lashes and Legendary Lashes were focused more on volume, the Pillow Talk Push Up mascara has been designed for length. That’s not to say it doesn’t deliver volume, it’s just not on the same level as Too Faced’s Better than Sex or Dior’s version (you can read more about these in our best mascara guide).
The brush largely lives up to its claims, as does the mascara formula, but it’s far from perfect.
The Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk mascara creates fantastic results if you take the time to apply it properly. Sadly, we have a toddler and we don’t have time to wait for coats of mascara to dry on a daily basis.
READ NEXT: Charlotte Tilbury sale
Due to the fact it’s so messy, we also only use this mascara when we’re wearing eyeliner. The eyeliner catches some of the formula and means any mess isn’t immediately noticeable.
As a result, this isn’t an everyday mascara for us.
At £23, we don’t think it’s hugely overpriced. Not when you compare it to the rest of the Charlotte Tilbury range (especially Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palettes), but it’s also not cheap.
If you’re undecided, you can buy a smaller tube for £12. This either allows you to give the Pillow Talk Push Up mascara a whirl for less or – if you don’t think you’ll use it everyday – means that you won’t end up throwing it away before you’ve used it all.
As a rule, mascaras should be replaced every three months. You can read more about this in our guide: Does makeup go off? How to tell when it’s time to throw your old beauty products away.
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Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget
