Review and Swatches: Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips 2

Disclaimer – there is a long rambly story coming. If you’re only interested in swatches, keep scrolling down.

Today I have 3 of the new Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips 2 lipsticks to talk about, and it wasn’t until this launch that I realized how essential Charlotte Tiilbury products have become in my daily routine.

When the Hot Lips 2 lipsticks were initially announced, I didn’t even bother to read what the launch was about. Yet less than a week after the release, I found myself with 3 of the new shades at my doorstep.

You see, I’ve been in denial about Charlotte Tilbury products for a long time. When the line was first launched, I wasn’t particularly excited. Even as media and influencers started raving about product after product, I was impervious to the marketing. Even as I slowly started acquiring more and more products from the line, I kept telling myself that I only owned “1 or 2 products.”

Like the best relationships, Charlotte Tilbury products have snuck into my life when I was least expecting, the products weaving seamlessly into my every day makeup routine without me noticing.

So back to Hot Lips 2. As reviews and swatches started coming out, I wasn’t even paying attention, until one day I happened to see swatches come through my Instagram feed. A couple of the shades caught my eye, and the more I researched, the more I was drawn into the collection.

First, a collection inspired by JK Rowling AND Jennifer Aniston? I’m sold. The nerd in me AND the Friends fanatic in me was singing.

Second, THE PACKAGING? Double sold. If I liked the traditional rose gold packaging, the embossed designs were practically saying my name.

• 

And thus came my frenzied order on Sephora, well timed with a $100 Rouge Reward so I could still stay on my relative low budget (hey, buying plane tickets for vacations isn’t cheap).

And as I stared in awe at my new lipsticks and compared them to the 5 other Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks I owned, I realized how deep I was in with Charlotte Tilbury.

Somehow, without gimmicky packaging or seemingly unique shades and formulas (although her ads can admittedly be a bit much for me), her products have a certain magic to them once applied to my skin. The pigment is there, the formulas play well with my skin, and they last. Even products I didn’t think I needed (hello, Flawless Filter) have become a staple in my daily routine for creating an effortless glow.

So here we are. I am no longer in denial and I am proud Charlotte Tilbury makeup devotee. And with that, let’s take a closer look at the Hot Lips 2 collection.

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips 2

The Hot Lips 2 collection includes 11 lipsticks, all named after celebrities. I ordered 3 of the ones that jumped out the most at me – Glowing Jen, Carina, and Susan. The range has lipsticks from the Matte Revolution, K.I.S.S.I.N.G, and YYY line.

What’s unique about these lipsticks is the refillable packaging with special cases. There are 5 different designs.

The price tag on these is also slightly higher than Charlotte Tilbury’s other lipsticks. They are $37 each, and available on the Charlotte Tilbury website, Sephora, Nordstrom, and select other department stores. A trick for my US shoppers is that they are a few dollars cheaper – $30 – on UK based sites, notably Net a Porter and Cult Beauty.

Now here’s the confusing part for me. And I know a few other people have expressed the same thoughts. (By the way, I try not to read or watch reviews of a product before I review it myself, but this one review by Michele Wang snuck into my YouTube auto-play while I was cooking and I was too lazy to exit out of it…so here we are).

Why the heck aren’t the tubes and cases sold separately? Why can’t you buy the refill tubes on their own and insert it into the case that you choose

Since you can’t customize the tube with the case you want, I could happen to order 3 lipsticks that all have the same case, when I really wanted one of every kind of case. And I can’t purchase any extra cases to mix them, so if I don’t want the shades that are enclosed in the case that I want, I’m out of luck. This seems like a huge missed opportunity for Charlotte Tilbury to be making some extra bucks off me so I can hoard own the cases that I want.

I’m aware that these are all very minor first world problem to have. But I’m still hoping that the cases will be released separately at some point, especially the one with the panther on it.

Rant aside, I do like the tubes that I did get. Two of my lipsticks came in the leopard print tube (my favorite), and one of them came in a black tube with gold constellation-esque designs. They feel slightly heavier than Charlotte Tilbury’s other lipsticks but not quite as heavy as Pat McGrath’s lipsticks. They certainly feel very luxe, and not cheap at all, which I was pleased to discover.

The shades that I have are:

• Glowing Jen – a cream pinky beige (K.I.S.S.I.N.G.)
• Carina’s Star – a matte peachy orange (matte revolution)
• Red Hot Susan – a matte rusty orangish red (matte revolution)

• 

• 

• 

Lipstick formulas are very subjective, of course, but the CT Matte Revolution formula is one of my favorite matte formulas. It’s a soft matte that feels very hydrating. These last probably 3-4 hours on me and the deeper shades leave a very slight stain behind.

The K.I.S.S.I.N.G formula is more a traditional creamy formula, that is lighter and has a shine to it. It doesn’t last as long – maybe 2 hours, but it also feels really moisturizing. I wouldn’t call it an outstanding formula that’s totally unique from other brands, but I still really enjoy it just the same.

Here are some swatches:

• 

• 

• 

I also have some comparison swatches with some lipsticks that I thought looked similar. I thought I would have more dupes, but it turns out I did a pretty good job with choosing shades that are somewhat unique to my collection. The exception is Glowing Jen, which is a very typical Stephanie MLBB shade, and I was able to find a couple similar shades, but still not as dupes that I thought I would have.

The closest shade I have to Glowing Jen is Undone from Kosas Comsetics. They have a similar finish and nearly the same shade, though I’d say Undone has just a bit more of a mauve tone while Glowing Jen is slightly more beige.

I thought I would definitely have a dupe for Carina’s Star, but it turns out I didn’t have anything that was remotely similar…so that’s a win for me!

And for Red Hot Susan, I already knew I didn’t really have anything similar, but I compared it to MAC Chili and Devoted to Chili lipstick. You can see that Red Hot Susan is lighter and more red-orange rather than a true chili shade.

I absolutely love all 3 shades and already have my eye on JK Magic and In Love with Olivia. As I build my collection of Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks I’m realizing how much I love the shades and formula of them, and these are no exception.

Minor packaging rant aside, I am completely enamoured with the special cases. They are right up my alley and maybe a bit gaudy, but I am so here for it. Once again, Charlotte Tilbury has released a perfectly edited selection of lipsticks that leaves me wanting pretty much every shade. It’s no surprise that I would recommend all the shades, although Carina’s Star was the most unique and hardest to dupe shade for me. Red Hot Susan is probably my next recommendation, although I have a weakness for orangey reds like it and I also don’t have many shades like that. And of course, Glowing Jen is much more like an every day neutral for me, so it could easily become a staple. But if you know you like the Matte Revolution and K.I.S.S.I.N.G. formula, I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the shades.

Have you tried any of the Hot Lips 2 shades? What are your favorite shades?