Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter Review

When I got wind of this launch, I wasn't really sure this would be a product I could get on with. Glowing, highlighted skin is something I aspire to, sure - but 99% of the time that involves a midday squeal of despair after looking in the mirror and seeing my carefully illuminated complexion has turned to the bottom of a chip pan within 4 hours. Oily skin first world problems, right?

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. I am so on board with this. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter is a gorgeous, not-foundation, not-primer, not-highlighter, which is also all of those things.

Bear with me. It's a thing. Promise.

The blurb is quite floral on the website too, in true Charlotte Tilbury style. Hollywood Flawless Filter contains brightening porcelain flower extract (no? me neither) along with "airbrush polymers" and microfine powders to unify and blur the complexion. Basically, if you liked NIOD Photography Fluid, you're going to love this.

The texture is quite thick initially, but it blends out into the skin beautifully and doesn't feel stifling. I use shade 4 as I am olive toned - shade 3 is very peach and shade 2 quite pearlescent. The shade range is small, granted, but quite forgiving overall - as this blends so seamlessly, I think that undertone is more important than exact shade match for this product. It plays well with many of my favourite foundations, and somehow looks glowy, juicy and healthy without looking at all shiny. SORCERY.

I have been using Hollywood Flawless Filter liberally sploshed all over my face, with just a hint of foundation and concealer in the centre, and have genuinely had people stop me in the street to ask what's on my skin. Gorgeous. It's glowy without being ridiculous, and does look like hyper-real skin. This product definitely provides some skin tone evenness and a degree of pore coverage - I'm using about half the foundation I normally use, and I'm really enjoying it. 

Excuse my goosepimply arm, but you get the idea - swatched and then blended. Glowy gorgeousness.

The best bit for me is that this doesn't seem to break up or cake through the day at all, even on my oily skin - I look no shinier than usual at the end of the day, but start off looking better for most of it. I think if you had a lot of texture, by hour 6 you may have experienced some settling in to lines or larger pores, but otherwise I have absolutely no complaints. I reckon drier skins will really enjoy this product too.

Some links above are affiliate links. All products mentioned in this review were bought with my own money.