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What if I told you that, before downloading TikTok in 2021, I had never tried a single Charlotte Tilbury makeup product? As a beauty writer, that sentence was embarrassing to write, but it had to be said. The app, connecting complete strangers together with trending songs, videos, and interests, really does have a tight grip on consumers — especially beauty lovers. So many viral videos and trends have had us filling our makeup bags (and emptying our bank accounts) with every Charlottle Tilbury makeup product we've been lucky enough to get our hands on. And I mean that quite literally: products like the Beauty Light Wand and Flawless Filter sell out faster than your local pharmacies' COVID tests.
Because I'm on a confession streak, it's also worth noting there have been some extremely admirable foundation launches over the past few months. That said, my expectations for the new Beautiful Skin Foundation, which launched on January 4 in 30 shades, were set to an all-time high. It promised hydrating, non-greasy wear with a dewy finish, so I couldn't contain my excitement after securing two different shades, which I quickly realized were a tad too dark for my pale, winter skin but continued to apply anyway. I wasn't leaving the apartment in 18-degree weather, so what the heck, right? Thankfully, the speedy Charlottle Tilbury team shipped me a new (and lighter) shade selection, giving the liquid foundation a second first impression with a full day's wear — in and out of the apartment.
Before getting into what is frankly a love letter for this formulation, I'll let cosmetic chemist Ginger King get into the nitty-gritty of this foundation's hydrating ingredients. Its coconut extract and cassia angustifolia seeds are both a "hydrating and a natural source of hyaluronic acid," King says. If you don't already know, hyaluronic acid "is great at holding water and giving skin resilience and firmness," New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Doris Day, M.D., previously told Allure. "This not only helps the skin look beautiful but also helps it function at its best." That makes it the perfect star ingredient for this hydrating foundation.
Two other noteworthy components make this foundation a great option for those with sensitive and irritable skin. Bixa orellana seeds, which are "antioxidant-rich and soothing for the skin," says King. While on the topic of soothing, King can't help but call out damask rose water, "a soothing, oil-toning ingredient" for the skin. Now that we're clear on the key ingredients, here are a few editors' honest reviews.
After a long internal debate about using my freshly cleaned Beautyblender versus my Nyx Cosmetics Multi-Purpose Buffing Brush, I decided to go with the latter and applied two pumps of Beautiful Skin directly onto my cheeks. Even for someone who is not a daily foundation wearer, this formula still felt extremely lightweight, blendable, and hydrating for my normal-to-dry skin.
What really had me grabbing this tube of magic was its ability to hide discoloration without feeling the least bit heavy or creasing up around my chin as the day goes on — my biggest makeup pet peeve. Even after a day full of running errands, my skin didn't look or feel greasy nor did it show any signs of irritation on my sensitive skin. I'll be sure to re-up my shade, 12 Neutral, before its last pump. But don't just take my word for it; three additional Allure editors relay their first impressions below.
During the cold winter season, Allure's beauty and wellness editor, Taylore Glynn, says her skin can get flaky and dry. "I tend to stick to satin-finish foundations that don't snag on my dry patches," she explains. After Glynn squeezed one pump of the shade 3 Cool onto her skin, using nothing but her fingers to blend in the foundation, she was delighted with the results.
"The creamy texture gave me the feeling I'd found a winner," Glynn notes. "A single pump was enough to achieve medium coverage all over my face and neck. Even in my less-than-stellar bathroom light, I noticed a glow that nearly convinced me to skip highlighter," she says. While the product didn't totally neutralize the redness she's prone to, Glynn did enjoy the radiant complexion. "This formula's got some dew to it — I didn't mind the healthy flush," she recalls.
For associate news editor Gabi Thorne, who prefers a medium-to-full coverage foundation, she loved Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Skin Foundation's buildable formula. "I could easily blend more of this foundation on my face without it looking like a cakey mess," she says. Using a brush, she switched off between a patting and rubbing motion to blend shades 13 Warm and 14 Cool into her skin, noting how hydrating the formula felt. As for the finish, Thorne says it's absolutely gorgeous. "It's dewy without looking excessively oily. My skin looked smooth, glowy, and flawless," she says. And I can agree.
"I never wear foundation, but ever since my rosacea started to flare up I've decided to start using complexion products with more coverage," says commerce writer Jennifer Hussein. As she applied the foundation with just her fingers, Hussein loved how natural-looking this formula is. "It really did look like my skin," she remarks. Shade 5 Neutral was her perfect match, and it successfully covered up her redness and blemishes "like a champ" she adds, "without making my face look like it's caked in foundation."
We editors have already gotten to try the Beautiful Skin Foundation, and now it's time for you to do the same. I don't want to say it's too late, but major retailers like Sephora, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales are already listing some shades as "out of stock" or "low stock" on their websites, and I'm not surprised. When I say run, don't walk, I mean it. Trust us, you will not be disappointed.
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Skin Foundation is available now for $44 at sephora.com.
Keep reading more on viral TikTok products:
- Bobbi Brown Is Going TikTok Viral for Being Staunchly Anti-Nose-Contouring
- TikTok's Latest Viral Beauty Hack: Creating a Smoky Eye With Lip Liner
- All the Foundations That Went Viral on TikTok This Year
Now, watch Camila Cabello's makeup artist break down her best looks:
