Charlotte Tilbury has answered fans’ prayers with a new foundation so sheer that it’s perfect to wear in summer. The brand’s new Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint is a hydrating foundation stick, which is available in 20 shades for a sheer-to-light yet buildable coverage.
Usually if you’re searching for lightweight make-up for summer your only option is to rely on liquid-based products such as CC creams and tinted moisturisers, but this £35 Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint did not disappoint.
The last time I used a foundation stick was from Bobbi Brown and while I thought it did an amazing job on covering blemishes, it left a thick, waxy feeling on my face. Luckily that’s not the case when I tried the Charlotte Tilbury one. I picked the shade ‘2 Fair’ for my light-medium skin and wore it on top of my usual skincare and sunscreen.
Dubbed as a “ring light in a stick“, the makeup is infused with hydrating hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and light-mapping micro fine pearlescent filters to give a ‘soft-focus blur and smoothing’ effect. The Daikon Radish Seed Oil and a trademarked Collageneer help to strengthen the skin barrier for firmer-feeling, plumper-looking skin.
The first impression using the Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint is the smooth glide-on experience, I swiped it across my cheeks and it blended in so well it didn’t give a caked-on look. I carried on applying the stick on my forehead and chin and I realised a single application was enough to create an effortlessly dewy sun-kissed look.
To cover enlarged pores or acne, I’d recommend using a concealer on top of it. The barely-there foundation lasted the whole day and I didn’t have to touch up. I gasped when I took a selfie and realised I had the “snatched look” I’ve been trying to create with highlighter. My cheekbones, temple, down the bridge of my nose and under brows had become more sculpted when the light hit my face, which meant I didn’t have to use any highlighter on top.
Founder Charlotte herself said: “I’ve always been obsessed with light. Like a light thief, I bottle the magic of light to share it with the world. From lighting tricks used by old Hollywood stars, cinematographers and fashion photographers, to Hollywood HMI lights, spotlights, and the flattering effect of candlelight, moonlight, pink light, I have studied them all and put them in my products. Now I have taken the smoothing, blurring, lit-from-within effects of the viral ring light and bottled them using my Light Mapping Mesh Tech.”
She also claimed the tint offers skin benefits after using it for six weeks and quoted people on the pre-launch trial said their skin ‘feel up to 13 times firmer and wrinkles appear reduced by 38%.’ I have been wearing the tint for days and yet I don’t see any reduction in wrinkles or increase in firmness, but my skin feels soft and hydrated.
The Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint is not the only one on the market that offers skin-feel foundation, Suqqu’s The Foundation, which is loved by Margot Robbie, also masters the technique of glow. The blend of minerals and Japanese ingredient extracts offers three layers of glow – from a moisture-rich instant glow to a transparent, natural glow developed over time.