Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter glides on with a thin, serum-like texture. The sheer coverage is closer to a veil than a foundation. So it didn’t hide any redness or dark spots; instead it felt like someone had just turned up the brightness dial on my face. It comes in a hefty glass bottle topped with a gilded cap. And the oversize doe-foot applicator deposits just a bit of product, so targeted application — on the cheeks, forehead, and chin — is easy. But you’ll have to dip and deposit the filter several times to cover the whole face, even with just a thin layer.
The low-coverage finish was definitely very glowy, but it didn’t last all day. Using my finger to apply it, the serum-like texture blended into my skin easily. By evening, however, the glow had faded into a cakier, oily look on my extra-dry skin. This wasn’t exactly shocking. Many reviewers online rave about the Hollywood Flawless Filter’s initial finish, but they note that it tends to break down or look greasy after a few hours, especially without setting powder. Cosmetic chemist Julie Pefferman wasn’t too surprised, either. The Charlotte Tilbury formula has mica in it (unlike the E.L.F. formula). “Mica provides a stronger glow but it has a higher risk of irritation and settles into fine lines over time.”
When I topped the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter with concealer, cream contour, and cream bronzer, and then set it with powder, it lasted much longer, and it did give my whole face more of a glow. I loved the look, and everyone else did too. I wore this combo look to a New York Fashion Week party packed with impossibly good-looking people, and every friend I ran into complimented my makeup. After a full night of gossiping, dinner, and then a long walk home, my makeup still looked great. But the effect felt like something I could have more easily re-created with my other favorite liquid highlighters or bronzing drops, which are made by Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, and Versed. The priciest of these three, Drunk Elephant’s D-Bronzi, is still less expensive than the Hollywood Flawless Filter.
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