Charlotte Tilbury introduced their own version of the stick foundation called Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews regarding this foundation so I decided to try it out myself and I can see why there are so many mixed reviews. This is pretty different to most other stick foundations in terms of coverage, and I think how it turns out greatly depends on what your skin is like at the time. Generally I found this skin foundation to be true to its name, pretty sheer to the point where it could come off patchy depending on your skin texture, adequately hydrating for a foundation and scentless (love this!). The Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Foundation is available at Charlotte Tilbury at $63AUD, or at Net a Porter, Sephora and Ulta for $46USD.
Application
Unlike a lot of other stick foundations, I think if you want to get any kind of coverage you’ll need to apply this foundation directly to the skin instead of transferring via a sponge or brush. I try to avoid direct application if I want a buildable smooth and light coverage, but I could hardly see any pigment when I first applied to my brush and then face. Once on the face, you’ll need to be careful with how to blend it out because if you go over too many times you might just blend it completely out and leave your foundation pretty patchy. I found that I needed to be pretty careful when I blended out, almost like I had to be extra careful to make sure I kept the pigment even across the face.
I don’t personally have an issue with having to work a little harder to get the sort of coverage I wanted, but I don’t think that’s something everyone is interested in doing so if you want something that’s just simple to throw out and walk out the door, you may not find what you’re looking for here.
Wearing only the foundation
Wear & Coverage
Sheer sheer sheer, as the name would suggested, the coverage is pretty sheer! And perhaps that’s also why it feels pretty hydrating on the skin? I feel like this sort of foundation works amazingly well on beautiful even skin that just needs a touch of coverage here and there to smooth things out. If you’re on the drier side, you’ll really appreciate how this sits on the skin, over time stick foundations can feel heavy, cakey and dry. This isn’t the case at all with the Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint, lightweight, sheer and hydrating. But if you have a lot of discolouration or texture on your face, this foundation will not help counter any of that. If anything the sheerness may highlight the discolouration more due to the contrast.
Also one thing to note is how much “glow” you can get from this foundation. It suggests it in the name, but if you’re someone who enjoys that ultra dewy “I’m clearly wearing lots of sunscreen / skincare” look which is a thing, then this slots in perfectly with that look. But if you prefer something matte or more satin then you’ll need to powder this down significantly.
In terms of wear, I can’t say it lasted as long as some of my other stick foundations like say the Dior Forever Skin Perfect Foundation which has some really beautiful coverage that lasted all day long for me. By the end of the day, I could tell the pigmentation has softened but was still visible and obvious I was wearing very sheer foundation. I think it wore down pretty well, and didn’t come off looking patchy or flakey by the end of the day.
Wearing it withthe rest of my makeup
Overall
If I had to really think about who this foundation was aimed at, I picture someone who already has really amazing skin, who is pretty obsessed with their skincare and just wants something that sits well on top of their extensive skincare routine and just adds a bit of extra coverage where needed. But if you want something that really covers up any flaws you have, something that lasts from the morning till the night without much shift then you probably want to checkout the Dior Foundation Stick or the Anastasia version which I love and definitely have much better lasting power and coverage. However, both of these formulas are going to feel a little heavier and slightly more drying on the skin than the Charlotte Tilbury version.
For me, I love using this on “makeup free” days where I wanted to still look put together. But that’s also because I am one of those skincare junkies that has 100 products in her morning and evening skincare routine. I also have dry skin, so something like this is great but probably too subtle for when I’m going to work or out in general.
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