The brand new Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation has to be one of the most anticipated launches this year-end because let's face it, who doesn't want to look airbrushed and flawless Charlotte was teasing us with the promise of a new foundation that would transform our skin. Hence she went in no holds barred on the publicity front with big press events, TV adverts, social media campaigns, Joan Collins and so on ..... so of course, I had to try it.
I purchased all products mentioned myself (non-gifted) a few months back after having many requests of people wanting to know my opinion but I did hold off purchasing straight away only for the fact that I had to order my shades blind online and with there being 44, it took me a while to research into what would suit me best! So, the Airbrush Flawless foundation and new Magic Vanish Undereye Corrector were ordered, received and out to the test by moi.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
Before I get into the products themselves, you should know by now that I love Charlotte Tilbury as a brand and use her products on my face daily though I never thought she had foundation quite covered. I always reach for other brands when it comes to my base but I do love Light Wonder foundation yet it is very lightweight so this won't be for everyone yet I wasn't so much of a fan of the Magic Foundation so if I wanted something more than Light Wonder, there was nothing. I do still think she needs to extend the foundation range so that it covers a lot more skin types, coverages, ages etc but this launch is a good start.So let's get into this new foundation because I have been wearing it non stop this past month and it really needs discussing!
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
"FLAWLESS IS A FEELING!" - Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
• CHARLOTTE TILBURY Airbrush Flawless Foundation, 40ml, €40/£34 (buy here) What this is; Charlotte’s NEW innovation foundation is the secret to a flawless, poreless-looking, confident complexion! A stay all day, weightless, full-coverage formula with a natural matte finish. Sweatproof, humidity-proof, waterproof and transfer-resistant.THE CLAIMS/SCIENCE• Charlotte Tilbury is the first colour cosmetics brand to use ground-breaking Magic Replexium®, which reduces the appearance of wrinkles by up to 22% after 8 weeks of use.• Moisturises for up to 24 hours! Skin moisture levels boosted by 216% in 1 hour.• AirCool™ for an instant fresh feel on the skin.• A unique C.T. Defence™ that is designed to limit exposure of the skin to everyday pollutants.• Gives a flawless, poreless looking finish - 95% agree pores look reduced.
THE SHADESThere are 44 shades to choose from broken down into warm, neutral and cool tones. Your overtone is what you see in the mirror and your undertone is determined by the color of the veins on the underside of your wrist and is the easiest way to gauge what tone you are. If they are a bluish-purple colour, it means you’re on the cool side, greenish means you are warm and if they look bluish-green, you are likely to be neutral.
Ok, so the shades are a tad tricky to choose from, especially if you are ordering blind online as I did. The shade you use in other CT products, may not correspond to this foundation but knowing your undertone helps. It is common knowledge that the shades tend to come up on the warm side because as the formula dries and acclimatises, it gets warmer/darker in color. My advice is to go color match in store if you can but if not then just bear that in mind.
MY CHOSEN SHADE, 4N
I have a neutral undertone and use shade 3 in Light Wonder and go between shade 3.5/4 in Magic foundation and shade 4 in this one was better suited. I wouldn't say this is a true neutral as it does have more of a yellow tone visible on my skin but having guessed this shade, it does actually work. I will have a play with other shades when I am at a counter at some point just to check! You may find you need to mix shades if this is a base you really like yet feel the color isn't spot on.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
APPLICATIONCharlotte does highly advise that before you start applying this product, you need to prep your skin well ... and you really do need to. Being such a high coverage foundation, it will cling to any uneven/dry patches and not give you the best result so you need to lay it down on to a smooth, well-moisturised base. If it is a really special occasion then go the whole nine yards and use the dry sheet mask first, but for day to day etc using Charlottes Magic Cream underneath or something similar gives this foundation the base it needs. You can use Wonder Glow, Youth Glow, Flawless Filter to even out or add glow. It is all down to your skin and personal preference.The first time I wore it, I was on the fence as it was way too full coverage for me as in one pump was so much foundation on my skin, to the point where I felt I needed to take some off and it's been only through trial and error that I have eventually found a way to make this work for my skin. The foundation does come up warm in tone and is full, full coverage so only 1 pump or even a half a pump will do the whole face. Make sure you blend it right away as it dries fast and best to use a brush or beauty blender to do so.My MAGIC FORMULA!For my perfect finish, I apply all of my skin prep as above with a primer then I mix half pump Wonder Glow into half a pump of the Flawless Foundation and mix together on the back of my hand and then apply to my skin with a brush. This seems to make the texture a little looser hence making it less thick yet gives me the same flawless full coverage and still keeps the base matte, yet adds a subtle natural glow. I then love to add my Flawless Filter over the top mainly on the highpoints of my skin to add a little more dewiness. Try it, it is skin changing!
It may sound like a lot of steps and definitely isn't my every day go to, but for times when I want to make the effort, this is my perfect formula to give my skin the exact look I want plus I feel glam/flawless each time I do.
(MY MAGIC BASE: CT Magic Cream - Youth Glow - Wonder Glow + Flawless Filter = One Flawless Face!)
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
WEARThe wear time is incredible. I would even say that it looks better on the skin after a few hours of wear when your skins natural oils come through and add some natural radiance. On my skin, it genuinely looks good from start to end with no patchiness, no fading, no creasing or dryness. I still can't get over the fact of how light and airy this feels for a foundation that really does make you look flawless. A big plus also is that I found I needed way less concealer on my face as this foundation just concealed all! This proves that flawless doesn't mean layers of heavy makeup and Team Tilbury have successfully created a base that should in theory suit everyone.VERDICT!Having not been 'love at first try' I am so glad that I left this a good few weeks before reviewing because now that I have had time to play with it to find a way to wear it that works for me ... I would go as far as saying that this is one of my favorite foundations. It is actually gorgeous and I find myself excited to use it because my skin looks perfect every time. This I really noticed the effect of this foundation when editing images (as below) as even I could not get over how flawless my skin looked in good lighting?! Even when shopping in the Mall trying on sunglasses ... I couldn't help but stare and see how flawless my skin looked. It really is magical and a testament to Charlottes catalog of products.
I can 100% endorse that this foundation stays all day, is totally weightless on the skin, a full-coverage formula with a natural matte finish. Plus it really is sweatproof, humidity-proof, waterproof and transfer-resistant! My experience goes to show that products can be tailored made to suit your skin so play around with them because the end result is so worth it.
*a full face of Charlotte Tilbury - NO filters, just good natural (south of France) sunlight and good makeup gives you this flawless complexion* (ps these are my real lashes having had so many comments about them on my IG!)
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
Not to forget the New Magic Vanish that also delivered brilliant results ...Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
CHARLOTTE TILBURY Magic Vanish Under-Eye Corrector, £24/€30, 4 shades (buy here)A brand New under-eye and face color corrector that neutralises and smooths to cheat and conceal pigmentation and brightens the appearance of your under-eye area, for a flawless-looking complexion.THE CLAIMS/SCIENCE• Flavonoids help to disguise the appearance of under-eye bags.• Carnauba Wax adds structure and body to the formula for silky-smooth application.• Mica has a magical luminous, brightening effect on the skin.
• Microspheres make the formula super blendable for a perfect, natural-looking skin finish.
The buttery, feather-light compact formula magically color corrects the appearance of various depths of pigmentation.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
WEAR/APPLICATIONThe mini compact is the cutest thing ever being very small in size which is perfect for on the go and this is a product you don't use much of so it should last well. My under-eye circles are not too bad and for me is more connected to my health so I do get darkness that is maybe more prominent at peak times so I find that a peach tone works well on my skin to neutralise the dark and make them less obvious. I chose the fair shade and this is the perfect tone for me. I personally prefer to use a fluffy brush rather than my fingers as I feel it applies better and applies the light, creamy corrector around my eye, including the lids, which gives me a blank canvas to work on. I also use it on any areas of my face that need toning down too, this is the beauty of this multi-tasking corrector. Colour correctors work very differently to concealer so once that has set I go over with my concealer and I find that this added step of using the Magic Vanish made a very noticeable difference.VERDICTI have been a die-hard fan of Tarte CC cream for years and still use it to this day but Charlotte has just gone and created a rival to it. I can't honestly say which one I prefer out of the two .. but I will say they are both amazing. The CT packaging whoops Tarte for sure but the contents none the less are magical. Magic Vanish is a lot lighter in coverage and texture than I imagined but somehow magically seems to make the darkness disappear?! All without making fine lines more obvious thanks to the lightweight, dewy texture. Charlotte Tilbury has serious wizardry going on in her labs that's for sure!
The texture is so light and creamy that is just melts into your skin and helps to plump out the lines too - an added bonus! I love how portable and workable this is and would highly recommend this Magic Gem to all as I think we all need help when it comes to hiding a late night or lack of sleep and this formula will suit all, even non make-up wearers!
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
As well as the new bases, I could not help but add two further shades into my HotLips2 Collection being Dancefloor Princess and JK Magic as I really am addicted to CT lipsticks! (more here!) These are such gorgeous shades that suit an everyday look and I am in love with them both.Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
If you are yet to try the new launches, especially the Airbrush Flawless foundation then definitely go get yourself a sample as it really is worth the try and could have you as much in love with it as I now am. Plus it looks stunning on the dresser, right?Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Magic Vanish
To shop, head on over to Charlotte Tilbury here ....Tell me, have you tried it? Let me know below!