The verdict on the new Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation is in! Is it worth the hype? (The answer might surprise you.)

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With January deciding we’re wanting to cosplay like we’re living in a Dr. Zhivago snowscape – the new Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation couldn’t have landed at a better time.

Every night I pile on layers of hyaluronic acid to keep my skin afloat during this incredibly frigid month and Queen of the Darlings is here to help us out in the daytime as well.

The Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation is formulated with hyaluronic acid to protect your skin’s moisture barrier while evening out your complexion and providing medium coverage. This was music to my “already tired of winter” ears and so naturally there was no passing up giving this a try.

After two weeks of wearing the foundation religiously and testing it out in a multitude of ways, I’m ready to give you full report! And it’s one you’re going to want to look over before purchasing. But more on that, below!

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation

AVAILABLE IN 30 SHADES

Upon reading the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation is available in 30 shades I was impressed. Then I saw the shade range and my heart sunk.

Yes, it’s generous for those with light to medium complexions but darker skintones have little to work with. It boggles the mind to see one end of the color spectrum get preferential treatment but sadly that’s the way it is. Hopefully Charlotte Tilbury and her team will expand the color range to better represent everyone.

SKIN-LOVING INGREDIENTS

The Beautiful Skin foundation is formulated with three key skin-loving ingredients:

Bix-Active to reduce shine and blur the appearance of pores and fine lines
Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate and strengthen your skin’s moisture barrier
Rose Complex to brighten the skin and improve signs of fatigue

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation Review I Dreaminlace.com #makeupaddict #beautyblog — Before & After with Only the Foundation On

Natural Finish and Medium Coverage

Excuse me while I kind of *cringe* at the above photo with my freckles and sunspots on full display for all to see! But hopefully the Before/After helps showcase how much coverage you can expect from the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation.

The medium coverage nicely conceals problem areas and redness — but with a natural appearance. My freckles continue to shine through but the skin has a more even appearance. Simply put, the Beautiful Skin foundation really does beautiful your skin!

Gives Your Skin a Boost

Oh gosh am I impressed with the foundation‘s ability to make me look like I got a full night’s sleep — even when I definitely did not. Its radiance brings a healthy, refreshed glow to your complexion that’s super flattering.

Blurring Effect?

I was hopeful the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation would live up to its claims of blurring the appearance of pores and fine lines. Sadly she did not pull through!

Ultimately I found any blurring effect on the skin to be pretty minimal.

Not Lightweight

Another claim of the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation is that its lightweight on the skin and I again have to disagree.

Is it a super heavy foundation like Huda Beauty’s Faux Filter or Estee Lauder’s Doublewear? No. But it’s definitely a foundation that you will feel the weight of on your face throughout the day – especially compared to super light products like NARS’s Soft Matte.

Less is More

With its heaviness, be careful not to use too much of the foundation or you might walk away feeling quite cake-y.

Apply with a dime-sized amount or less to prevent the product from both feeling and looking heavy as the day goes on. I recommend starting with less product and building up coverage in certain areas where needed.

Inconsistent Wear Time

I have combination skin that’s dryer in the winter months and I was in love the first day I wore the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation. It provided such a beautiful finish that lasted ALL DAY LONG with zero touchups.

Then? The second day happened and my heart sunk when I looked in the mirror mid-afternoon only to find a messy situation. Staring at my reflection, I was confused as I recalled using the same setting powder and makeup routine. Thinking back further in my morning skincare routine is where I found the difference.

The Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation wore beautiful atop Bisossance’s Mineral SPF. But when wearing my favorite SPF 50 from Clinique I ran into issues. With this in mind I experimented a bit further with moisturizer and found that the foundation performs much better with a gel formula than a cream.

If you have the ability to get to a Charlotte Tilbury counter, I suggest picking a sample of the foundation up to test with your current skincare routine as that seems to really impact its performance.

Where to Shop

Currently the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation is available at:

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation Rundown

THE PROS

Medium coverage
Natural finish with subtle radiance
Contains skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid to nourish your complexion throughout the day
Nice packaging
Certified as cruelty-free

THE CONS:

Inconsistent wear dependent on morning skincare and SPF routine
Poor shade selection for darker skintones
Not blurring over fine lines and pores as claimed
Not lightweight on the skin and gets heavy easily when using more than just a little bit of product
Not suitable for oily skin in any season
Not a foundation for warm, humid weather
At $44, there are several more affordable foundation options that perform better

Grade: C

Over two weeks of wearing this foundation every single day — I found myself on the fence more than I ever have been on a product. When I used a gel moisturizer and Biossance sunscreen over Clinique’s I was overall pretty happy with the healthy appearance of my skin when wearing the foundation and how it performed throughout the day.

But when I ask myself if I’d ever repurchase the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation – the answer is overwhelmingly NO.

Yes, there are aspects I enjoy. I also do think it will work better for those with dry over my combo skin. That said, it’s such a temperamental foundation and not one I see myself buying again as there are more reliable options that I trust to work every time. I’m also now testing another new option I think you might like better so stay tuned for that!

I think overall it’s decent for keeping your skin in top shape during the winter months, but it’s not something I’d turn to throughout the year. It also is disappointing to see such a poor shade selection for darker skintones.