Charlotte Tilbury | Magic Foundation Review

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation Review

I had heard rave reviews about this foundation for quite some time and I had to get my hands on it. I picked it up in Nordstrom in the Eaton Centre, Toronto and I’m pretty sure it cost $50 before tax, however, looking at the price online, it says $59 so perhaps the prices vary. I remember thinking $50 is a pretty good price! You get one fluid ounce of product which is standard for a bottle of foundation.

Wait, Who Is Charlotte Tilbury?

Okay, so for those of you who have never heard of the brand (I’ve met a few), Charlotte Tilbury is a British makeup artist. She has many high-profile celebrity name clients, and eventually she started to use her own products on their faces and they couldn’t get enough! Eventually, because everyone was asking Charlotte where can they buy her products (and they couldn’t), she created her own line in 2014. Now readily available online and department stores, everyone can get their hands on Charlotte’s magic products.

The exterior packaging is very cute and informative. I love the placement of cute stars in random places. The description of the foundation and recommended uses is listed on the back. For the purpose of this review, please bear in mind I did not follow recommended use guidelines as I do not own the other products mentioned on the bottle.

For flawless coverage, apply with my foundation brush, starting at the centre of the face and working outwards. Finish with Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder along the t-zone & chin to control shine .

My skin type is combination, oily t-zone and the perimeter is more dry.

The bottle is frosted glass and is quite sturdy. The lid of the bottle is a little frustrating as it doesn’t click down whatsoever making it come off very easily. It’s ok because there is a pump to protect the product inside the bottle but, I always picked up my bottle with the lid and dropped it a few times.

Not So Magic, Magic Foundation?

I got colour matched when I arrived home from Mexico in April so I was tanned (for me). I didn’t have any foundation that looked like it was matching my chest area so that’s why I decided to purchase a new foundation. I went into Nordstrom to get colour matched and leave with the correct shade. To be fair, the lighting in Nordstrom Eaton Centre is not the best. I was matched to shade Fair 4. This colour matches me better now as I have lost my tan, but it was a little light, and going into summer I would’ve been retaining my glow (or so I thought, Toronto Summer ’17 didn’t come through for that one!). So I was slightly annoyed about the colour match.

I was less than impressed on first impression. The packaging says it is full coverage. It’s not. Full coverage to me is Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation. I would say its medium-buildable. Lets have a look at the before and after pictures.

In the above (raw) photos, I have my eyebrows done and that is all. Before application you can see my freckles and redness, I didn’t have any blemishes at the time to show coverage. In the after photo you can tell that the Magic Foundation has evened out my skin tone by cancelling the redness. Can you see the colour difference from my face and neck? My face is much lighter than my neck without any makeup on, so the staff at CT Nordstrom much have colour matched to my face as opposed to my chest/neck area.. Charlotte who’s doing colour matching training in Nordstrom?! I looked myself at the colour match in the store and I honestly couldn’t tell if it was a good match or not so I trusted the artists opinion.

WHAT MAKES MAGIC FOUNDATION MAGIC:

• This hyper intelligent formula boosts collagen to reduce the appearance of age spots & acne.

• Over 88% of women agreed that it matched their skin tone, lasts all day & is comfortable on their skin.

• Supercharged Vitamin C fights damaging & ageing effects of free radicals whilst genius Hyaluronic Filling Spheres absorb & plump up your skin from within.

• Concentrated mushroom extract firms, tightens pores & floods your skin with moisture.

• Ideal if you want a full coverage SPF15 foundation that will treat & transform your skin, especially if you struggle with melasma, acne, or rosacea.

*544 women tested.

My freckles are still showing through which tells me this is not “full coverage”. I did notice how well it stayed put on the back of my hand, it was difficult to remove with soap and warm water! On my face it was a different story.

It is a very light-weight foundation and truly feels like you’re wearing nothing at all. It lasts for a approximately four hours before I see evident signs of wear. Smile lines showing through and the foundation disappearing around my nose. There is no strong fragrance to the foundation which I like.

I have used this foundation for a few months at this stage, with a combination of multitude primers and finishing powders. Overall, I feel less than impressed with this foundation but it is definitely not bad. It is a nice product which I will continue and aim to use entirely.

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You can purchase Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation online on her website, or also like I did in Nordstrom beauty counters.

Have you tried the Magic Foundation by Charlotte Tilbury? I have read only glowing reviews on this product, anyone have the same feeling as me about this product? I find it fascinating how all products work differently on different people.