Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Palette of Pops Eyeshadow Quad Review & Swatches

Pillow Talk Pop

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Pop Eyeshadow Quad is an all-shimmery set of shades that run from a soft, peachy to a coppery brown. If the shades applied like the Prime and Smoke shades, I could see it suiting its purpose well enough, even if the rating might make it seem “worse” than the target buyer might feel it was, but I think that the Enhance and Pop shades are let-downs in comparison.

The brand initially described the formula as having “pearl pigments [that] provide rich color and sparkle,” and then later under “how to apply,” say to “apply the shades wet” for the “ultimate sparkling finish.” Note, the emphasis on the finish, not the pigmentation specifically. When the Palette of Pops first came out, they actually said to use it dry for “intense color payoff” or wet to “unleash the intensity and vibrancy of the shades” (which sounds like the dry application).

Sephora actually described the quad as a “sheer-topper” palette. With this particular set of pops, I actually didn’t find that a dampened brush significantly improved pigmentation–and two shades didn’t need the help–but where it came in handy was in the lay down of product, smoothing it out, and minimizing fallout during application and throughout wear. Fingertips worked well to minimize fallout during application but sometimes didn’t deposit as much sparkle as expected as the sparkles didn’t transfer off my fingertip that well!

Pillow Talk Pop (Prime)

Pillow Talk Pop (Prime) is a soft peach with warm, more orange undertones and flecks of gold and pink sparkle. It had opaque pigmentation applied dry as well with a dampened brush, and I actually felt like it was more sparkly with a dry application. The consistency felt soft, a little more powdery in the pan compared to other shades, though it didn’t have any excess product that kicked up during use.

The color applied evenly to bare skin with light fallout when I worked with it dry and very minimal fallout when applied, so using it with a dampened brush further minimized the fallout to nearly nothing. It lasted nicely for eight hours with slight fallout over time when applied dry and then had a bit less fallout when applied with a dampened brush.

Pillow Talk Pop (Enhance)

Pillow Talk Pop (Enhance) is a soft, rosy copper with warm undertones and flecks of pink and copper sparkle. It had sheer coverage applied dry, with a dampened brush, or with a fingertip… it was just sheer with no real workaround to make it better. The best I could do was apply one layer with a dampened brush and then go back over with my fingertip and then gently pat dry product on top (for more visible sparkle).

The texture was lightly emollient, more firmly-pressed into the pan, and worked best with a flat, synthetic brush gently pushing at the surface to dislodge product from the pan. It wore well for seven and a half hours (for the underlying color) but had moderate fallout over time.

Pillow Talk Pop (Pop)

Pillow Talk Pop (Pop) is a medium, orange-copper with warm undertones and flecks of gold and gold sparkle. It had semi-opaque pigmentation applied dry and slightly better payoff applied with a dampened brush, though I didn’t feel like it was fully opaque. The consistency felt emollient to the touch, but it didn’t slide around when applied, so I didn’t have any issues getting an even application of color.

I would recommend working with this on the center of the lid with a fingertip or using a dampened brush to avoid some fallout during application and blending. Applied dry (whether with a fingertip or a brush), there was light to moderate fallout during wear, but when I applied it with a dampened brush (with just water!), it had very minimal fallout over an eight-hour span.

Pillow Talk Pop (Smoke)

Pillow Talk Pop (Smoke) is a rich, reddish brown with warm undertones and a lightly sparkled finish. It was the least sparkly shade of the four, though it definitely had some sparkle to it. Unlike the other shades, the sparkle really came forward when applied with a dampened brush. The pigmentation was opaque regardless of application method, but the dampened application made the color appear slightly deeper and warmer overall. The texture was smooth to the touch, emollient without being too firmly-pressed in the pan, and it applied well to bare skin. This shade lasted well for eight hours with very minimal fallout over time (both wet and dry).