I tried Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin foundation and here’s my honest review

Charlotte Tilbury is a name that's practically synonymous with beauty, and at least one product from the makeup artist's award-winning range makes it onto a bestseller list across nearly every brand you know. From her renowned Pillow Talk lippies to her Pinkgasm liquid blush wands, there's one thing we haven't covered yet: foundation. And no, we're not just talking about Flawless Filter.

I tried out Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation, but, was it really worth the purchase? Here's what I have to say about it, for anyone wanting to give it a go...

Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation has been expertly formulated with skincare ingredients to create a brighter, smoother and plumper complexion. It's made up of hyaluronic acid to flood the skin with moisture, rose complex to target pigmentation and coconut extract to strengthen the skin barrier - so it's absolutely jam-packed full of skin-loving ingredients.

It's a medium-coverage foundation, recommended for dry-to-combination skin. This is because the foundation has a dewy finish, and is brimming with hydration to bring back that instant glow. It's a water based foundation, making it lightweight, effortlessly wearable and ideal for sensitive skin types.

Other ingredients include Charlotte Tilbury's C.T. Defence for protecting the skin against pollution, Hyalurosmooth™ to target uneven skin texture and BIX'ACTIV™ to visibly reduce the look of oiliness, shine and pores. Sound fancy? Well, it is. The foundation has been clinically tested by Charlotte Tilbury and her team, with results showing participants found their skin to be three times more radiant during wear.

What do reviewers have to say about the foundation? Well, from the thousands of reviews, the bottom line is that it's a blendable, breathable and buildable foundation. (Bloody hell, that's hard to say out loud). Countless customers have commented that it glides on effortlessly, covering imperfections and illuminating the skin.

SHOP: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation

But, what do I think of Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation? Read on for my honest thoughts...

My honest thoughts

Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation is the first foundation from the brand that I've owned. Yes, Flawless Filter gets all of the attention, but I believe this one deserves a bit of love too. But what actually made me want to try it out? Aside from the beauty brand's impressive reputation, of course...

Earlier this year, I attended a Charlotte Tilbury beauty event and was advised on what foundation to try from a professional make up artist. I was shade-matched as a 1 Neutral. She asked me whether I preferred a matte or dewy finish and what kind of coverage I liked in my foundation. Based on my answers, spoiler alert: it was 'dewy' and 'medium coverage', she recommended the Beautiful Skin Foundation.

And I have to say, she hit the nail on the head with this one.

This has to be, hands down, one of my favourite foundations that I've ever tried. The texture, finish and level of breathability are just right for me. It doesn't feel too heavy on my face, and it gives a natural yet radiant glow. I've tried other foundations that were far too matte and chalky against my skin, showing up every pore and line, but this one feels just right. Almost a 'your skin, but better' look.

As you can see, the colour blends quite well and it's totally buildable, with a medium coverage. Meaning, it's great when you want a daytime look that can transition to the evening. The consistency is silky and lightweight, which blends like an absolute dream - and it feels hydrating on your skin as you wear it.

It covers redness fairly well but may need a little more help with stubborn blemishes. You may need to build the formula up or double up with concealer, like what I did for my finished look. Having said this though, I noticed it doesn't break me out or aggravate my sensitive skin, even after over 12 hours of wear which is a major plus.

How the product was tested

We've tested the product over many, many months and can easily say it's one of our favourite foundations to date. You can see this just from how much product I have left! I've used this for both everyday wear and nights out, and here's how I tend to apply it:

To begin with, I apply the NYX High Glass Face Primer, a water based solution that gives a glassy, glowy base, the perfect compliment to Beautiful Skin. Then, I go in with Beautiful Skin in shade 1 Neutral using a standard, flat-head foundation brush from the Rio 24 Piece Professional Cosmetic Make Up Brush Set.

For context, here's the foundation applied purely as it is over the top of the NYX High Glass Face Primer. As you can see, it has a dewy, natural finish with medium coverage. It had separated a little bit on the lids, which was quickly remedied with a touch of concealer and some powder later on in my routine.

This time around, my skin has a lot of stubborn breakouts, so I also add the L'Oreal Paris 24H Infallible Concealer to problem areas. I tend to conceal under my eyes, on any redness and along my jawline for definition after contouring. For one particular breakout, I need NYX's Green Concealer Wand to colour-correct, and even after all of the above, it still showed slightly. But, what can you do ay?

Finally, I finish up with the Rimmel Match Perfection Transparent Loose Powder and spray the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray to allow my makeup to stay in place. Then, I went out for the evening and tried very hard to keep track of how my makeup was looking throughout the night...

What we loved

I've tried a fair share of foundations from various brands, but here are just a few reasons why I love the Beautiful Skin Foundation so much, and why I find myself stocking up on it again and again.

• Gives a gorgeous, natural, dewy finish: I love how natural this looks against your skin. When you apply it on its own, it has an effortless and radiant 'lit from within glow'. I most likely have combination skin, and much prefer dewy foundations to matte ones.

• Great for sensitive, acne-prone skin: I also have sensitive skin that can be prone to hormonal break outs, lucky me! Finding a foundation that I don't react to is important, and I've noticed that I don't react or break out at ALL with this one.

• Buildable, medium coverage for versatile wear: You can wear it totally natural, almost like a skin tint, or build it up for a glam look. We love that it can be worn for the daytime and the night-time too. Its medium coverage makes it really adaptable.

What could be better

Despite this foundation being one of my favourites of all time, here are some things to note when it comes to testing out Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation.

• Need a lot of product for fuller coverage: If I'm looking for fuller coverage, I do have to apply quite a lot of product to get the desired effect - which is fine, because it's advertised as a medium coverage foundation. However, I do find that this means you run out of product quickly.

• May not be as long-wearing as others: Despite being advertised as 16 hours of wear, I've found that you'd likely have to keep touching up the foundation as you go. It does last a lot longer than I initially thought, especially with it being on the dewier side, though.

Final verdict

After dancing the night away and after around 12 hours of wear without any touch-ups, Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation fared well. I noticed some slight separation around those pesky problem breakouts, but overall I was pleasantly surprised, especially with it being a lightweight foundation. More importantly, though, after wear, I noticed that it didn't give me any new breakouts or cause any reactions which is a massive bonus to someone with sensitive, acne-prone skin.

Samantha Price is a Senior Commercial Content Writer for heat. During her time at Bauer, she has worked on several projects, from championing the heat newsletters to writing expertly crafted buying guides on beauty, fashion and lifestyle.