As one of the more expensive foundations on the market, the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation not only needs to live up to its claims but it also needs to be good value for money.
If you have oily or combination skin that’s not yet showing deep signs of ageing, we’d say it ticks both boxes. The coverage is superb – it leaves your complexion looking even, and it conceals imperfections without making your skin look flat or dull. This is no mean feat.
It does take a bit of effort to get this finish as the foundation dries quickly if you don’t blend it well enough the first time round, however this effort is worth it.
The foundation also comes with a host of skincare benefits (that I discuss more in our Formula section below). Over time the foundation can improve the appearance of the skin even when you’re not wearing it and I definitely saw a hydrated glow to our skin during our Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation review period.
What’s more, if your skin is yet to show deep signs of ageing, this foundation has the potential – in our experience – to help stem the tide and keep your skin looking plump, hydrated, and youthful for a little longer.
However, if you have dry skin or your fine lines and wrinkles are already well established, this foundation will likely cause you more problems, not fewer. It tends to stick to dry patches and gathers in wrinkles and fine lines. This ends up emphasising the lines, not blurring them.
If you fall into the former skin type camp, and you want a full-coverage foundation that does more than just balance your skin tone then you won’t find many better foundations. In this instance, I think the Airbrush Flawless foundation is more than worth the money.
If you fall into the latter skin type camp, we’d suggest giving this foundation a miss. Other Charlotte Tilbury foundations are worth your money and effort – namely the Light Wonder or Beautiful Skin – or I highly recommend the L’Oreal Infallible alternatives.
| Charlotte Tilbury | £39 |
| Cult Beauty | £39 |
| Sephora | £39 |
In my Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation review I put the iconic, skin-loving foundation to the test to see if it lives up to the hype and price
JUMP TO SECTION
Click the links to jump to the relevant section:
How I tested Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Formula
How to use the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Review
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless review video
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation shades
Charlotte Tilbury is a British makeup artist who has become one of the most sought-after names in the beauty industry.
With a career spanning more than 25 years, Charlotte Tilbury has worked with countless A-List celebrities and models, and has become known for her signature makeup looks that somehow manage to be glamorous, and subtle. Meaning they translate from the red carpet to everyday looks.
After making a name for herself in makeup artistry circles, Charlotte launched her own range of makeup and one of the standout products is her Airbrush Flawless foundation.
As one of the early products in the collection, this foundation has gained an almost cult following for offering full coverage with an airbrushed finish.
However, with so many foundations on the market, is the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation worth the hype?
In this review, I take a closer look at the foundation’s claims from its formulation, to how easy it is to apply, its wearability, and overall performance – because at this price, it’s not really the kind of product you can take a gamble on.
Keep reading to find out whether Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless is one of the best foundations around, or if you should give it a miss.
mamabella | mamabella The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless range has been around for a while – it’s one of the longest-running collections in the Charlotte Tilbury makeup range
As the name suggests, all of the products in the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless range are designed to give you an “airbrushed flawless” complexion.
In addition to the Airbrush Flawless foundation, here are some of the other key products in the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless range:
In addition to the Airbrush Flawless makeup line, several other products trade on the Flawless name. These include:
mamabella | mamabella The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation is a full-coverage foundation that promises a matte finish
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Best BB cream | Best moisturiser | Best tinted moisturiser | Best toner | Best primer | Best cleanser| Best eye cream| Best anti-ageing cream | Best hand cream| Best foot cream | Best face mask | Best face exfoliator | Best face oil| Best serum| Best night cream | Best SPF | Best Vitamin C serum | Men’s skincare routine| Best stretch mark cream | How to get free skincare samples
The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation is not only one of the thickest Charlotte Tilbury foundations, but it’s also one of the thickest foundations we’ve ever used. This sounds like a negative but it has its pros.
On the plus side, you won’t find a foundation that offers better coverage than the Airbrush Flawless. A single, thin layer of this foundation completely evened out my complexion. It covered blemishes, redness, and even the most prominent capillaries and freckles/moles.
Once it’s on the skin, this thickness means it does not budge. It lasts all day, even on my oily skin to the point where I needed a good cleansing balm or similar to get rid of it. This is the case even without the use of setting powder or setting spray, which is rare.
@victoria_woolly_web This is ✨thicc✨ but it blends nicely and lasts for ages. It does oxidise a fair bit (as you can see) #fyp #fypシ #viral #mamabella #foundationtest #foundations #foundationreview #foundation #bestfoundation #bestfoundationuk #bestfoundationever #bestfoundationforoilyskin #NatWestWhatYouWaitingFor #charlottetilbury #airbrushflawless ♬ Fly Away – Wes Nelson
It does, however, feels heavy on the skin. No matter how many times Charlotte Tilbury claims its full of hydrating skincare, it still made my skin feel thick. It also takes a lot of blending with a damp beauty blender or buffer brush to achieve the desired finish. It’s great at removing texture, but you have to work for it.
It is easier to apply when using your fingers because the heat helps the makeup melt into the skin but to get the fully airbrushed look, you will need to soften it with a kabuki brush or similar. Otherwise, it can leave streaks.
Elsewhere, while it does as promised and creates an airbrushed finish from a distance and on camera, it does tend to settle in pores and look cakey up close, particularly on dry areas of the skin. Additionally, it can emphasise wrinkles and fine lines in the short term – even if the skincare benefits of the foundation reduce their appearance in the long term.
Buy now from Charlotte Tibury
@victoria_woolly_web Day 26: The second Charlotte Tilbury foundation on test – Airbrush Flawless #fyp #foryoupage #tiktok #foundations #foundationreview #beautyblogger #foruyou #viral #stitch #mua #charlottetilburymakeup #airbrush #flawless #4up #makeuptok #makeuptiktok #makeup ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy
For my Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation review, I used it as my go-to foundation for three weeks; wearing it every time I wore makeup which is around three-four times a week.
For the first week, I applied the foundation using just my fingers. For the second week, I used a foundation brush. For week three I used a damp beauty blender.
I experimented with setting the foundation using powder, setting spray, as well as leaving the foundation to sit on my skin without being set. I wore it to the gym and out for walks, as well as on a night out.
I recorded how the foundation felt on my skin, how well it lasted throughout the day, and how easy it was to apply using the different techniques. I also took before and after photos and videos to show how it looks on camera, and in real life.
FURTHER READING: How we test foundation
There are 44 Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation shades and they range from Fair (1) to Deep (16). You can then buy it with either a cool, warm, or neutral undertone. If you want to know more about undertones, check out our How to find your perfect foundation match online and in-store guide.
Annoyingly, one Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation shade doesn’t automatically translate to the same shade in another Charlotte Tilbury foundation. To help, the brand has created a foundation matrix. For example, if you’re the shade 1 Cool in the Airbrush Flawless, you’ll need to get 1 Neutral when buying the Beautiful Skin foundation and vice versa.
It does take up to five minutes for the shade to oxidise so don’t always judge it on the first application. Blend it into your skin, leave it for five minutes, and look at the shade in natural light. Charlotte Tilbury will often give away foundation samples with orders so this can be a good way to try before you buy.
I’ve listed all of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Foundation swatch shades below, in numerical order. Below that I’ve grouped all the Cool, Warm, and Neutral shades.
mamabella | mamabella Below is a table that lists all of the shades, categorised by undertone.
| Cool Shades | Neutral Shades | Warm Shades |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cool | 1 Neutral | 3 Warm |
| 2 Cool | 2 Neutral | 4 Warm |
| 3 Cool | 3 Neutral | 5 Warm |
| 5 Cool | 4 Neutral | 5.5 Warm |
| 8 Cool | 5 Neutral | 6 Warm |
| 9 Cool | 5.5 Neutral | 7 Warm |
| 10 Cool | 6 Neutral | 7.5 Warm |
| 11 Cool | 7 Neutral | 8 Warm |
| 12 Cool | 7.5 Neutral | 9 Warm |
| 13 Cool | 10 Neutral | 10 Warm |
| 14 Cool | 11 Neutral | 11 Warm |
| 15 Cool | 12.5 Neutral | 12.5 Warm |
| 15.5 Cool | 13 Neutral | 13 Warm |
| 16 Cool | 14 Neutral | 14 Warm |
| 16 Cool | 15 Neutral | 15 Warm |
mamabella | mamabella Charlotte Tilbury recommends applying the Airbrush Flawless foundation to the centre of your face, using a foundation brush, or your fingers
Charlotte Tilbury recommends applying the Airbrush Flawless foundation to the centre of your face, using a foundation brush, or your fingers.
Before it dries, gently buff the foundation across the rest of your face or blend it using a damp beauty blender. Move the foundation outwards away from your nose over your cheeks and forehead.
I like to then go back over with a dry kabuki brush to soften the finish and get rid of any streaks or stubborn patches.
If the foundation does start drying, mist your face with a setting spray or spray your beauty blender and tap it directly onto the skin.
FURTHER READING: Best foundation brush for liquid and powder foundations, concealers and more
The image below shows how the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless foundation makeup looks before and after application.
mamabella | mamabella A single, thin layer of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation completely evens out your complexion. It covers blemishes, redness, and even the most prominent capillaries and freckles/moles
As you can see, it has settled a little into the wrinkles that are starting to form on my forehead but it doesn’t show off the fine lines around my eyes.
The area to the right of my mouth is where I tend to get dry patches and you can see a little bit of texture in that region.
We love that it gives full coverage without making my complexion look too flat, or too matte. There is some lovely radiance around my eyes and onto my cheeks.
BASF These images are taken from trials of Replexium, an ingredient found in the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation. The appearance of wrinkles was reduced by as much as 23% after eight weeks of use.
mamabella | mamabella The coverage of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation is superb – it leaves your complexion looking even, and it conceals imperfections without making your skin look flat or dull. This is no mean feat
As one of the more expensive foundations on the market, the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation not only needs to live up to its claims but it needs to be good value for money.
If you have oily or combination skin that’s not yet showing deep signs of ageing, we’d say it ticks both boxes. The coverage is superb – it leaves your complexion looking even, and it conceals imperfections without making your skin look flat or dull. This is no mean feat.
It does take a bit of effort to get this finish as the foundation dries quickly if you don’t blend it well enough the first time around, however at least all effort is worth it.
The foundation also comes with a host of skincare benefits (that I discuss more in the Formula section below). Over time the foundation can improve the appearance of the skin even when you’re not wearing it and I definitely saw a hydrated glow to my skin during my Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation review period.
What’s more, if your skin is yet to show deep signs of ageing, this foundation has the potential – in my experience – to help stem the tide and keep your skin looking plump, hydrated, and youthful for a little longer.
However, if you have dry skin or your fine lines and wrinkles are already well established, this foundation will likely cause you more problems, not fewer. It has a tendency to stick to dry patches and gathers in wrinkles and fine lines. This ends up emphasising the lines, not blurring them.
If you fall into the former skin type camp, and you want a full-coverage foundation that does more than just balance your skin tone then you won’t find many foundations that are better. In this instance, I think the Airbrush Flawless foundation is more than worth the money.
If you fall into the latter skin type camp, we’d suggest giving this foundation a miss. Other Charlotte Tilbury foundations are worth your money and effort – namely the Light Wonder or Beautiful Skin – or I highly recommend the L’Oreal Infallible alternatives.
Looking at the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless ingredients list, there are a couple of things that stand out – and not entirely in a good way.
This foundation has a relatively high number of perfuming ingredients. Granted they’re all in very small amounts so the potential for irritation should be minimal, even on sensitive skin, but it’s worth noting.
It does contain a range of moisturising and humectant ingredients that help to hydrate and soften the skin. However, humectants attract and draw in moisture so if you’re not hydrating your skin before applying this foundation, or if you have dry skin, you may not get the full benefits of these ingredients.
One way around this is to use a hydrating primer or make sure you’re applying lightweight moisturisers or serums before application.
The foundation is silicone-based and if you want to maximise staying power, make sure you’re using a silicone primer beforehand so the two products “play” nicely together. You can read more about this in my What does primer do? guide.
The brand itself calls out the following ingredients:
The following list of ingredients is taken from the INCI Decoder website. Hover over each ingredient to learn more.
perf, Isomalt h, Sodium Phytate chel, Phaeodactylum Tricornutum Extract h|so, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, Alcohol amic|solv|vc, Phytol emo|perf, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone perf, Benzyl Salicylate perf, Citronellol perf, Limonene perf|solvHover the mouse / tap over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget
