Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter | Review & Swatches
Within the last couple of years, every beauty brand has released a highlighter (or two). And for a minute, I thought I'd seen and tried them all - from powder, cream, jelly, liquid, with or without shimmer and even black highlighter. But then Charlotte Tilbury releases Hollywood Flawless Filter (£30.00)*. And despite its foundation like appearance, this isn't a foundation or coverage product. It is a cross between a primer and highlighter of the sparkle-free variety, and I can't get enough.
Available in seven shades (I wear the shade 1 Fair) the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter is a complexion booster that Charlotte describes as a 'the ultimate high gloss, high glow celebrity-skin-filter-in-a-bottle’ and once I'd seen Charlotte dousing varies celebs in the new beauty product on her Insta account I had major skin envy - this stuff has no chunky sparkles, or shimmer, it's just pure dew. And when I say dew, what I mean is glossy and natural.
The application and finish are completely customisable; you can either use the doe-foot applicator to dot it on underneath your foundation (as you would a primer) for a subtle glow, mix it with your foundation, or apply it to the high points of your face (the top of cheekbones, brow bone, cupid's bow, etc.) for a more intense finish. My preferred method is the latter. I transfer a little product onto the back of my hand and use my fingertips to tap it along the tops of my cheekbones and right above the lips at the cupid's bow.
L-R Swatched, Blended | Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
The finish is impressive. It's diffused and almost wet-faced without being sticky or too shiny - just how has she done it? I don’t think my skin has ever reached this level of glowy dewiness. And as much as I enjoy wearing Glossier Haloscope and Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Glow Shot, they've been trumped in that respect. The formulation is creamy, near clear enough, blendable (it practically melts into your skin) and considering it's textured, it's relatively long-lasting. But what I would say is the glass bottle while undeniably pretty, will certainly cause a little aggro, as I can imagine scraping the last out of the bottle will be pretty tricky.
In a nutshell, if you like glossy cheekbones, or you're after a more natural sort of sheen, you've got a winner right here.
