I'm pretty promiscuous when it comes to beauty trends - I've tried them all. Heavy highlighting, sharp contouring, big brows, you name it, I have the embarrassing pictures to prove it. While my OTT sculpting and baking days are most definitely behind me, one trend that has endured - and that I still can't get enough of - is a 90s supermodel lip look. Consider Cindy Crawford's cover girl looks my inspiration; I have sharpened my way through dozens of lip liners in a nude-to-brown shade in an attempt to find the kind that delivers adequate pigment, definition and staying power. Truth be told, there are few liners that score tens across each department, but my newest obsession is the exception. I have a few in my make-up arsenal at any given time and always count a Charlotte Tilbury one among them. The latest lip buy to make the grade is Charlotte Tilbury's newest innovation, the Lip Cheat Contour Duo, £22, a set that ticks every box when it comes to a 90s nude lip look.
The brand's new lip offering is part of the new Super Nudes Contour System range, which includes 90s-inspired sculpting solutions for your face, eyes and lips. The brainchild of Charlotte Tilbury MBE, the range is a reflection of the founder's illustrious over-30-year career spent sculpting the faces of longterm clients and friends including Kate Moss, Jourdan Dunn and Sienna Miller.
As a longtime 90s lip obsessive, I couldn't wait to get my hands on these new products. These new liners build on the legacy of the brand's Lip Cheat, £22, packing the same highly pigmented, blendable formula of the original with the bonus addition of an extra complementary nude shade on the other end. You have to use them in tandem, the deeper 'Sculpt' shade to contour and overlie and the lighter 'Fill' shade to fill the central area of both lips and blend your 'Sculpt' shade inwards. It takes a little practice and you have a round thirty seconds worth of blending time to play with, but once you master it you end up with an easy route to a full, Crawford-worthy lip look that lasts for hours. If you want to lend your lip look even more staying power, tap Charlotte Tilbury's Flawless Filter Powder over the top in a very light layer to set it.
Shade wise, there's one for everyone. Helpfully, the shade names refer to skin tone categories - unusual for a lip liner - so you'll find fleshy pinks and true browns signposted Fair, Medium, Tan or Deep. While four shade offerings seems limited, this is Tilbury's attempt at make-up simplification. The brand studied the natural tones visible in different complexions and lips to create neutral nudes (meaning not too cool, not too warm) that can mimic the look of natural shadows on the face.
My honest review of Charlotte Tilbury's Lip Cheat Contour Duo
I've been known to carry around three lip liners and three other lip products with me at any one time (yes, really), each of them a different shade of nude. Nowadays I've streamlined my handbag regulars and mostly only pack my Lip Cheat Contour Duo. Interestingly, when I first caught a glimpse of the collection, I was drawn to the Tan shade and it turns out that's the one I should be making a play for according to my skin tone - it was made with medium-toned complexions like mine in mind. As for usability, the pencils glide over my lips easily - zero uncomfortable drag - and each 'Sculpt' and 'Fill' shade blends seamlessly into each other to create that 3D, believable-looking fuller lip. While I did have to reapply here and there throughout the day to maintain that perfect sculpted look, I was still impressed by its staying power, which outclasses a lot of other liners I've tried (and remember, I have tried a lot). My only other gripe is that I love the shades on either end so much, it's a shame you only get half the amount you usually would in a normal pencil! Then again a super long lip liner is hardly clutch bag friendly.
Shop: The Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Contour Duo
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Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Contour Duo
What the brand says: 'My Lip Cheat Contour Duos are nude lip liners for instantly wider, fuller + defined looking lips, whatever your age or lip shape! These 2-in-1 lip pencils mimic the appearance of natural shadows to emphasise and sculpt the look of lip contours, giving you 90s-inspired, supermodel nude lips. If you love my legendary nude lip liners like Pillow Talk, Foxy Brown and Iconic Nude, you’re going to love these!
What we know: These dual-ended liners go big on pigment and staying power. They're perfect for creating a natural-looking, full sculpted lip look and have been expertly colour matched to help everyone build their own perfect nude lip. Powdery and creamy, the pencils blend easily so that you can customise your end result based on your own preference.
Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, says: 'I really do carry around three lip liners and three other lip products with me at any one given time, so having all my nude lip requirements met with one single product has been an absolute game-changer. Consider me a convert.'
Pros
- Creamy, blendable formula
- A nude for every skin tone
Cons
- Staying power could be a touch better
Sameeha Shaikhis Grazia's beauty writer, covering all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
