Finder Beauty Fave: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation
We put one of the Internet's favourite foundations to the test to see if it lives up to the hype.
Why we love this product
As someone who wears makeup almost every day, finding the perfect foundation is something of a life goal. I want something that provides a good amount of coverage without being too heavy and I want the formula to last throughout the day so that I don't have to worry about touching it up at work.
While some foundations, like Estée Lauder's Double Wear, have come close to being that holy grail product, I still find myself testing every highly coveted foundation that I can get my hands on. Which is why, after reading a ton of rave reviews online, I had to try Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless Foundation.
The quick verdict
Why is it good? The comfortable, lightweight formula minimises pores and reduces redness to give a flawless finish.
How much is it? $65 (30mL)
Where to buy it? Charlotte Tilbury
First impressions
Arriving in a luxe glass bottle, the foundation looks every bit as professional as you would expect from the Charlotte Tilbury brand. According to the product page, the formula is a "hybrid magic skincare foundation" that is weightless, stays all day and has a full coverage formula with a natural matte finish. Basically, everything that I've been looking for. So, how does it stack up?
To apply the foundation, Charlotte recommends using her Hollywood Complexion Brush for a truly poreless finish. As I didn't have the brush, I stuck to my trusty Beauty Blender, though I found that I got great results all the same. To start with, I dabbed several spots of the foundation on my cheeks, forehead and chin and then blended it outward from the centre of my face.
The first thing I noticed was that the foundation is quite fragranced, which is something that I usually really dislike in makeup products. The smell is quite appealing though and has begun to grow on me since I started using it daily. I also found that it didn't irritate my skin, which is an obvious bonus.
As a full coverage foundation, I expected the formula to be fairly thick and quite difficult to blend, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this isn't the case. A little of the product goes a long way and, as you can see in the photo below, it immediately works to cover up any redness and make skin look so much smoother.
Left side: Natural skin with just moisturiser, Right side: Moisturiser and one layer of foundation.
Although it definitely lives up to its full coverage claim, the foundation doesn't actually feel heavy on the skin. It also hasn't broken me out at all, even after I've worn it day after day in hot, humid weather, which is a huge plus.
While the foundation is supposed to have a matte finish, I didn't find that to be the case. Instead, it's actually quite dewy, giving a flawless, yet natural look. The downside to this is that, if you have combination skin like me, you do have to set it with a powder.
It also means that oil does come through by the end of the day, which causes the product to break up slightly on my nose and chin. Despite this, the overall coverage did last pretty well from morning to night.
Verdict
The product is definitely one of the best foundations I've tried, although the wear throughout the day is a little frustrating. It definitely isn't what I would consider a matte foundation, as it claims to be, though I do actually love the dewy glow that it gives instead.
The foundation does live up to its other claims that it's full coverage and lightweight, resulting in a foundation that is good enough to wear on special occasions, yet comfortable enough to wear every day.
Affordability
Given that Charlotte Tilbury is known for being a slightly more luxe brand, the $65 price tag of the foundation isn't too bad. While it definitely falls into the more expensive end of the price spectrum, it's fairly on par with other high-end foundations.
Given how comfortable the formula is and how well the foundation performs overall though, it's definitely a price that I'm comfortable paying.
Where to buy
You can shop the Airbrush Flawless Foundation from the Charlotte Tilbury site, as well as from stockists like Cult Beauty and Net-a-Porter.
Tune in every Friday for our Finder Beauty Fave. We go hands-on to find the best beauty buys, testing out new products and old favourites to see what's really worth your money.
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Main image: Instagram user ctilburymakeup