I Tried £180 Worth Of Trinny London Makeup. Here Are My Honest Thoughts
Trinny Woodall is a household name. You most probably know the television presenter and host as one half of What Not To Wear‘s Trinny and Susannah, where it’s fair to say that fashion was her main forte. More recently, Trinny has branched out into beauty with her namesake makeup brand, Trinny London.
Trinny London is unique. Instead of bulky palettes and tubes, it consists of stackable, portable pots of cream lipstick, blush, eyeshadow and more. Personalisation is the name of the game, according to the brand, with countless shades and finishes to suit a “unique combination of skin, hair and eyes”.
Admittedly, I was sceptical at first. Like skincare, makeup is a minefield and getting the formulas, technology and shade ranges right is difficult. But Trinny’s segue into beauty is not to be sniffed at. Since launching in October 2017, Trinny London has gone on to become one of the most googled makeup brands this past year, as it seems we’re ditching the heavy makeup for sheer, glow-enhancing products which are quick and easy to apply and look great over Zoom.
So is Trinny London really worth the hype? I tried a handful of products to find out. Here are my unfiltered thoughts.
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The Sheer Shimmer Lip To Cheek does exactly what it says on the tin and can be used as a lip gloss, blush or highlighter. It does look quite sparkly in the pot but it melts into the skin and meshes well with foundation to impart a dewy, ultra glowy ray of light across cheekbones. It isn’t at all sticky and stays put for hours on end. There are six shades to choose from depending on your skin tone, with Bunny (a pink champagne tone) being the lightest and Emily (a rosy, russet hue) being the darkest.
I’m also wearing Trinny’s BFF Eye, a serum concealer, here. It’s much lighter than my trusty Tarte Shape Tape Concealer, so didn’t work as well to mask most of my red acne scars. But it did minimise dark circles without collecting in any fine lines. The dewy finish makes skin appear fresh.
Trinny London Sheer Shimmer, $, available at Trinny London
Trinny London BFF Eye Serum Concealer, $, available at Trinny London
Lip Love is too ’90s for me, thanks to the really obvious, metallic shimmer. My mum loved it, though, and stole it for her own makeup bag. While the colour grew on me throughout the morning, it didn’t last past lunchtime and multiple touch-ups were needed. I applied this with a lip brush for more of a precise finish but as it comes in a pot, it’s easy to apply on the go using your fingers, which is a plus.
Trinny London Lip Love Lip Colour, $, available at Trinny London
I love this lipstick shade but you do need a lip brush to apply, otherwise it could end up everywhere, as I found out. It may be slightly glossy but the colour payoff is excellent and it sticks around without bleeding. Like all lip products which aren’t matte, it will transfer, so I’d suggest blotting with a tissue first before reapplying to keep it in place for longer. I like the moisturising feel, too. This particular product is available in six colours, from nude to deep red. Use the Match2Me service on the website to find your perfect shade.
Trinny London Lip Luxe Lip Colour, $, available at Trinny London
Cream blush is a little more difficult to control than powder but this blended so easily. It breathed life into my peaky skin without making a hole in my base and didn’t slip or slide. I used shade Schmoogie, which appears to be the darkest. While the Trinny Lookbook shows that this colour also suits darker skin tones when layered, I expect many more deeper shades to suit a wider variety of skin colours. You might prefer to use Trinny’s Contour, £22, or Golden Glow Bronzer, £25, to accentuate your cheekbones instead.
I’m also wearing the BFF Skin Perfector, a tinted serum, which is a much lighter, more natural version of It Cosmetics’ CC Cream. It made me glow and blurred my pores and blemishes instantly but the range is limited to five shades, which is disappointing. If it were expanded, I think it could become a cult product.
Trinny London Flush Blush Blusher, $, available at Trinny London
Trinny London BFF Skin Perfector SPF 30, $, available at Trinny London
Eye2Eye is incredible. Available in 25 shades, from neutral to smoky, the creamy eyeshadow clings on to lids without creasing or sliding off. I used shade Courage, a golden terracotta with a hint of shimmer, and simply applied with my fingertips to achieve this subtle but seriously pretty wash of colour. Wear each shade on its own for a sheer finish or layer them up to create dimension.
Trinny London Eye2Eye Eyeshadow, $, available at Trinny London
Lip Glow is a gloss with a jelly-like texture. Thanks to vitamin E, it’s really moisturising and left my lips pillowy soft. I used Tallis, which appears really bright in the pot but is actually very subtle and left behind just a hint of colour. Like all lip gloss, it doesn’t stick around for long and needs reapplying, but it isn’t at all gloopy. There are nine shades to choose from, too.
Trinny London Lip Glow Lip Gloss, $, available at Trinny London
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