I tried Charlotte Tilbury’s new Pillow Talk mascara and hot damn it’s good

Mascara was the first makeup product I ever tried and it’ll likely be my last. So whenever there’s a new hyped-up version hitting the shelves, I like to take it upon myself to road-test it ASAP. 

Yes, this is my job. Yes, I know it’s ridiculous.

The latest launch to capture my attention? Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Push Up! Lashes. I’ve tried other Charlotte Tilbury mascaras before and I have to say I wasn’t blown away. So I’d been wondering just what made this one so special as to deserve the coveted ‘Pillow Talk’ title, that only seems to accompany the sell-outs shades and products within the British brand’s extensive range.

First impressions? It looks like it's straight from the set of Grease and I love it. The matte, pale pink packaging adds a retro touch, but it still has the Tilbury luxe-factor of a gold-capped wand.

Upon opening I was shocked and also incredibly pleased to see the brush was a slim and firm one, rather than chunky and overly bristled. For me, a good mascara all about the brush and a comb-like design gives the separation and lengthening look that I love. Push up, indeed.

Secondly, it wasn’t completely coated in gloopy black gunk. Another big tick. Nothing worse than having to remove the excess before getting to your lashes. I’d rather take a few tries to build up than go too far with one swipe.

As I wriggled the wand through from root to tip, I got exactly what I was craving: even, coated coverage that lengthened and separated. But what took this mascara from good to bloody great was the height. I mean come on. I’ll admit I’m quite naturally blessed but this was ridiculous even for me.

If you have short or straight lashes, I’d go as far to say a quick curl followed by a slick of this and you’d probably have an entire eye transformation on your hands. It claims it can reach new heights even without pre-curling, but why wouldn’t you double down anyway and see if your lashes can touch the sky?

It also has to be said that despite reaching such great heights, this mascara didn’t end up all over my eyelids. A feat most formulas usually fail at. The control of this wand must be pretty amazing to lift off so cleanly as it reaches the tips. The formula also remains maneuverable for minutes, but then dries down quickly to a firm (but not rock hard) hold.

Now, my taste for mascaras is quite particular, so if you’re the opposite of me and like your mascara on the thicker and chunkier side of formulas and brushes, this one’s probably not going to float your boat. 

But for my fellow long and separated lash-loving people (most likely fans of Max Factor’s False Lash Effect and MAC’s Gigablack Lash), this one is out in Australia on August 27th, 2020 and it’s got one BIG tick of approval from me.

$48 at charlottetilbury.com/au

Eyes are having a moment. Check out the tie dye-shadow trend sweeping Instagram.