Charlotte Tilbury Reformulated the Airbrush Flawless Foundation—And Dare I Say, Made It Even Better?

One thing to know about my mom and I: we love Charlotte Tilbury. A lot. Seriously, she drove four hours to come with me to one New York City event to score a few minutes with CT’s global artists. Since I was in high school both of our makeup routines have been stocked to the brim with Charlotte products. I swear by the Flawless Filter, Glow Wand (shade Spotlight is elite), and the Pillow Talk Fair lip combo. She’s partial to Eyes to Mesmerize, Invisible UV Flawless Primer, and Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. But there’s one product that we both swear by: The Airbrush Flawless Foundation.

I’ll be totally honest, when we heard news that the product was being reformulated, we were less than thrilled. Don’t mess with perfection, you know? In the same vein, I’ve yet to meet a Charlotte Tilbury product I didn’t like, so I tasked myself and my (very judgmental) mother, Mindy, with the arduous task of a candid, honest review. Our thoughts, ahead.

What’s New About Airbrush Flawless Foundation

• New Texture: Hollywood Flawless Foundation 2.0 supposedly feels bouncier and lighter courtesy of “sensory elastomer gels” that boost the stretchy texture—making the foundation move with your skin throughout the day, as opposed to settling into pores.
• New Shades: As someone who found the OG shades a hint too orange for my cool-toned complexion, I appreciate that the shades were given a little TLC. The new crop of 44 are available in cool, neutral, and warm undertones.
• Bumped-Up Blurring: If you’ve tried the original, then I don’t have to tell you how well it blurs over fine lines and pores. Per the brand, this new rendition amps up those powers even more with light diffusing powers.

The Airbrush Flawless Foundation Application

I normally apply my foundation with my fingers (on a regular day, I only wear the Flawless Filter), while my mom primarily uses a Beautyblender. But after consulting with some of my makeup artist friends, my mom and I decided to apply this new formula with a makeup brush.

Personally, I prefer lighter coverage, so given that this is a full coverage formula, I decided to use the tiniest bit. I put a ¾ pump on my hand and proceeded to saturate my brush before applying the foundation in small circles to my skin—starting at the outer edge of my face and working my way inward. It went on smoothly, there was no pilling, and it actually was a lot less matte than I anticipated, which is a big pro in my book.

As for Mindy? “With more mature skin, I’ve found that less is more and also that my makeup is only as good as my skin prep. I always, always, always start with Charlotte’s UV Primer—it’s her most underrated product. It creates the perfect canvas. I used a brush to apply the foundation and was really happy when it didn’t pill with my skincare. But to really get help it sink into my skin, I tapped a damp Beautyblender on top before doing my blush and bronzer.”

The Airbrush Flawless Foundation Wear

I love a dewy finish more than anything. But recently I’ve been looking a little more greasy than glowy, so the thought of an oil-absorbing foundation didn’t scare me. That being said, I’m objectively not a matte foundation girl, so I was pretty thrilled when it ended up having a soft glow. It wasn’t wet in the way that Flawless Filter is, looked more medium than full coverage (although I’m sure you could build it up if you’re heart desired), and genuinely gave my skin a blurring, airbrush finish—almost like I was standing in front of a ring light 24/7. It held up for most of the day, too. By the time I got home at 9:30 pm, a little foundation had rubbed off my nose, but overall it looked pretty solid.

My mom agreed, adding: “I haven't had any Botox or filler, so I have little fine lines around my eyes and mouth. Most foundations are really prone to settling there, so I was shocked to see that it stayed floating on top. I also try not to use too much powder (it can look cakey on mature skin), so the fact that this was self-setting was a huge pro.”

The Takeaway on Airbrush Flawless Foundation

It takes a lot for me to get on board with a new foundation, but this is my favorite complexion product so far this year. It’s not drying or heavy or cakey, but definitely gives my skin a blurred, airbrushed finish. (I know it’s in the name, but I’m serious—it does what it says.) It’s also very much an it-is-what-you-make-it foundation. If I use glowy moisturizers, serums, and primers, the radiance is going to show through, whereas if I kept my skin more matte, I’m sure this would be far less shiny. Sequels are rarely better than the original, but in this case? Most definitely.

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