Charlotte Tilbury’s New Foundation Is Beautiful — 9 Editors Try It On

Charlotte Tilbury recently launched a brand-new liquid foundation range called 'Beautiful Skin.' The name is based on the formula, which is infused with active ingredients you know from skincare labels, such as hyaluronic acid for hydration and a rose complex for brightening — which you seldom find in makeup.

The idea is to both smooth and illuminate the skin by increasing its radiance. So the R29 team got on board to try it out. Read our honest reviews of the Beautiful Skin formula, coverage, shade range (there are 30 options), glow, and the overall worth-it-ness of its $65 price tag, below.

Medium to full coverage is my happy place when it comes to foundation. I usually mix It Cosmetics CC Cream with the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation. It makes for the ultimate, glowy base. Up until now though, I’ve struggled to find a mid-weight option for everyday use that doesn’t slide off, so I was excited to try the Beautiful Skin foundation in the hope it would become a hydrating, toned-down version of my DIY going-out formula. And, bingo! The coverage is truly ‘medium’, is hydrating and long-lasting, and still allows my freckles to sneak through. It’s kind of like wearing your natural skin, but better!

I tend to go for a full-coverage vibe when I do wear foundation, so I was a bit sceptical about wearing something that’s meant to be medium coverage. But this foundation might have made me a convert — I found that the coverage was perfect, without looking like I was wearing a 'full face' of makeup. I love how dewy and glowy it made my skin — normally I layer an illuminating primer underneath (like this one) to get the same effect. I’ve gotten so many compliments on my skin since using this foundation! The only issue I had was that I was in between shades, so I had to mix two (8 and 9) to get the right one. But in my view, using a foundation that’s actually good for my skin is still worth it!

Trialling a new foundation is always a bit nerve-racking, especially from a brand you haven't used before (albeit one you've heard plenty of good stuff about). I chose to test Beautiful Skin on a day when I had less than 10 minutes to do my makeup, because it's not an authentic trial by fire if you're not running late, right? I used a beauty blender to dab in the foundation, and found the texture to be almost sticky. Its low-to-medium coverage made for the perfect everyday base, and gave me a natural-looking finish that allowed my pimples to peep through. Since it left me with a glow for the rest of the day, it's been the foundation I've continued to reach for.

I'm more of a tinted moisturiser kinda gal and haven't had much luck in the foundation department... until now. I usually find foundations to be quite heavy, but this one was hydrating, thanks to the hyaluronic acid, and didn't leave me feeling caked. It's a true medium-coverage foundation and it evened out my cheek hyperpigmentation nicely — without making me look ashy or grey. Bonus points because it left my skin radiant and glowy, but not shiny, which is important to me as someone with oily skin. Overall, I would definitely recommend this as an everyday foundation. 

My skin isn’t the happiest with me at the moment, thanks to a New Year's Resolution to up my retinol game (for the thousandth time) which has left it achingly dry. So, I’ve been skipping foundation for a healthy smothering of Magic Cream followed by an SPF (always) and tinted moisturiser. Two words in this product changed my mind: hyaluronic acid. (HA is a humectant, which means it helps skin hold onto water, which I desperately need right now.) I opted for the shade 4 Neutral, using two pumps of product, and focusing on my T-zone, which is prone to redness, and my chin, which has been breaking out a bit thanks to the aforementioned retinol routine. I loved how this foundation went on lightly and smoothly, but was easily buildable. There’s no heaviness or cakiness and my parched skin looks radiant and supple. Beautiful Skin Foundation, did we just become best friends?

I adore Charlotte Tilbury makeup, so the expectations were high for her new Beautiful Skin foundation. When I tell you Charlotte did the damn thing with this tube, I don’t lie: The coverage lies somewhere in between my other fave CT foundations — Magic and Light Wonder — but has a satin-y matte finish that I personally love for my oily skin. Anything too dewy tends to read greasy on me. The shade 5N was a perfect light-medium with a hint of olive, and disappeared into my skin. Really, it doesn’t even look like I’m wearing foundation — which is kind of the best compliment I can give to complexion makeup. A little goes a long way with this stuff — which is good, since it’s on the pricey end: I used a little less than one pump for my entire face, but if you want to build up coverage, you can definitely do that.

I’m typically foundation-averse — shade matching makes my brain hurt — but let me tell you: I applied this foundation and my skin drank it up. This photo is me over applying the foundation, and my skin still looks truly glowy, clear, and best for me: like my own skin. Some foundations just sit on your face like they’re waiting for the school bus, but this one provides skin-like coverage without the heavy, gloopy feeling, and this… this might be the foundation that turns me into a foundation girl. Only time will tell.

My favorite "foundation" is a tinted sunscreen — so that tells you how I feel about coverage: I want my skin to look bare. When I read that this was a "medium coverage" situation I went for the use-a-teeny-bit approach. I dispense one single pump on the back of one hand and used the other to dampen my Beautyblender, for a sheer application. After blending, my skin looks glowy, and not airbrushed or covered — my freckles still show through. Because this doesn't have an SPF, I don't know if I'll be using it before an average day of working from my apartment and going on a single mental-health walk. Instead, I can see myself wearing it as a base when I'm going out to dinner or drinks.

These days, you’ll be hard-pressed to find me wearing more than my skin-care routine plus a sunscreen. But for those important Zoom meetings and brief outings, I like to put on a little something-something to make my skin look like the best version of itself. For this reason, I typically turn to coverage products that are on the lighter side. Not only do I like my skin to look like my skin, but I also don’t want to wear anything too heavy, especially when I have to shield it with a mask. Enter: Charlotte Tilbury’s new ‘Beautiful Skin’ foundation. When I first applied it, I wasn’t sure I had even put anything on — that’s how well the shade matched my skin tone. But upon further application, I realised that this formula really did just blend into my skin so seamlessly, giving me the perfect amount of coverage and radiance — not matte (which I don’t love because of my dry skin), but not overly dewy (which can look greasy, even on Zoom!). This is definitely going to be my new day-to-day foundation. Thanks, Charlotte!