Charlotte Tilbury Foundation Review—Which of the 4 Formulas Is Best for You?

Coverage: A range from tinted to total coverage

Hollywood Flawless Filter falls into the primer or no-makeup makeup category: It gives a pretty glow to the skin or any product applied over it, but does not have much coverage on its own. 

Light Wonder is an ideal skin tint, IMO, the coverage is actually sheer with just enough color to cover redness, but not so much that it paints over your features. Anyone who has tried a tinted moisturizer or CC cream and been disappointed when it turns out to be a fuller coverage foundation, knows what I mean. 

Beautiful Skin is a medium coverage foundation that can be built to fairly full coverage with additional product. Whereas I reach for Airbrush Flawless Foundation when I want to look like a poreless cherub with not a pimple or dark spot in sight. There’s a little bit of magic in this bottle that wipes out texture and discoloration in a single swipe and gives you a super smooth, even canvas. To see the coverage range in action, the image below shows Airbrush Flawless on the left side and Flawless Filter on the right.

Finish: The full spectrum from gleaming to matte

Named appropriately, Hollywood Flawless Filter is truly the Instagram Paris filter come to life. It has no noticeable shimmer or glitter, just an outrageously pretty sheen that’s unlike many products on the market. Light Wonder is a notch down on the glow-o-meter—the finish is dewy, but not overly greasy on my combination-oily skin.

Beautiful Skin and Airbrush Flawless fall on the natural to matte end of the scale. Beautiful Skin, also aptly named, has a radiant, skin-like finish, while Airbrush Flawless is matte.

Skin Type: A formula for all—from dry to oily

Much about foundation comes down to preference—are you looking for a glow or a matte finish, a skin tint or more coverage? However, also keep skin type in mind when making your selection. Hollywood Flawless Filter may be too glowy on its own for oily skin and dry skin may have issues with the matte finish of Airbrush Flawless Foundation looking or feeling powdery. The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream may be a potential solution for this issue—the hyaluronic acid-infused formula casts a little spell over skin to give it a dewy appearance and deeply hydrates to prevent cakiness.

More sensitive skin types should also look at ingredient lists as some of these foundations contain common irritants, like fragrance.

Value: The special sauce justifies the cost

All four of the Charlotte Tilbury foundations are $46 for around one ounce of product. I find each of these formulas to be worth every penny. The skin-friendly ingredients infused in the makeup, such as hyaluronic acid, peptides, and oils, nourish your skin throughout the day.

Many drugstore products are still lacking in their shade ranges—missing undertones and colors from both the dark and fair ends of the spectrum. When I find a brand that has not just a good enough shade, but a perfect match, the higher cost is justified. Charlotte Tilbury foundations also stay the shade they appear with little to no oxidation over time. Aka I can avoid the Oompa Loompa orange foundation effect I unknowingly rocked through the early 2000’s. 

The fuller coverage products will last you longer as one pump is plenty to cover your face and neck. If you use Hollywood Flawless Filter or Light Wonder daily, you may go through the tubes much more quickly.

What You Can Expect to Pay

In the best liquids foundations test in our lab, the winners ranged in price from $13 to $70. Charlotte Tilbury foundations sit smack dab in the middle of that spread and the quality is in line with that price tag. When deciding on your budget, you should factor in the coverage, how often you will use the product, and the formula aspects that mean the most to you.

Why Trust Byrdie

Shannon Bauer is a beauty journalist with seven years of experience, as well as a certified makeup artist. She is a beauty tester extraordinaire and has (too) many thoughts about those products. Bauer tested all four of these foundations (and many other products from the Charlotte Tilbury brand) before writing this story, plus considered skin tones, skin types, and makeup preferences.