How Does The Reformulated Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Foundation Compare?

I’m someone who only wears a very sheer, minimal skin tint every day, so trying a full coverage matte foundation pushed me way out of my comfort zone! My preference towards weightless, lightweight formulas is mainly so that my skin can breathe – but I have noticed I don’t get as much staying power as with a foundation, so I hoped the new reformulation would surprise me.

When I first swatched it, I found that Shade 1N was a perfect match for my skin tone, but the texture of the foundation itself felt quite thick and drying (very unlike a skin tint). That being said, it did warm up when I blended it out with a brush, followed by a slightly damp beauty blender, and melted beautifully into my skin. It requires some effort to work into the skin, but I’ll admit the coverage was so impressive – even though I usually avoid that!

I made sure to test this on a particularly busy day when I needed my makeup to stay put. And I was, in fact, pleasantly surprised; it lasted all day, from applying it in the morning before work until I got home late in the evening. Plus, it looked just as seamless at the end of the day as when it was freshly applied.

All in all, I think I’ll reach for this when I want a higher coverage and makeup that will last all day (probably for events or similarly long days out). But on a daily basis, I’ll be staying loyal to my skin tints. The matte finish just wasn’t for me, as I like to look dewier and more natural.

The first thing that impressed me from the jump was how extensive the new shade range is – especially how many undertones were taken into account! If you’ve got a similar skin tone to me, I’d recommend 4 Warm/Chaud, a light-caramel colour with a beigey undertone, but not too yellow.

Like Emily, I don’t reach for foundation day-to-day. But if I’m going out and need my makeup to survive sweat and a long night, I’ll usually swap my tinted moisturiser out for a more heavy-duty base product.

That’s probably the best way to describe the Airbrush Foundation; on my first application I instantly realised the formula is incredibly thick. You definitely don’t need a lot of product (the brand recommends just half a pump) so use it sparingly, and note that it can look a little cakey at first. When I layered on some setting spray though, and buffed the foundation into my skin using a dense brush, the combination quickly gave a much more seamless and skin-like finish.

It lasted the entire night with minimal fading, so that’s a solid tick in the ‘longwear’ box for me. And for that reason especially, I’ll be reserving this foundation for my next festival!

Whilst the Hollywood Flawless Filter is one of my go-to makeup products, I’ve never actually tried Airbrush Flawless Foundation – so I jumped at the chance to give the new formula a go. Although after trying shade 6 Neutral for a few weeks, I’m not sure it’s the right shade for me, as it’s too warm and yellow on my olive skin.

As for the formula itself, it certainly delivers on the full coverage aspect. I barely needed more than one pump to get the coverage I wanted (and this is coming from someone who likes a full-coverage foundation). Texture-wise, I wouldn’t say it felt heavy – of course, it’s not a super lightweight formula, but I didn’t find it uncomfortable in any way – and I never encountered any pilling issues when combined with my skincare or suncare.

I did find it quite difficult to blend out with my fingers, so what worked best for me to get a seamless finish was my BeautyBlender. I paired it with my Flawless Filter as well as other primers and – shade issues aside – I always liked how my skin looked initially.

On days when I wore it for long periods of time, my makeup hardly moved around. And as for an added bonus, I think it generally photographed well too. However (and this was a little surprising to me given that I have oily skin), the foundation dried out my complexion and I felt like my fine lines and wrinkles looked very emphasised. I wasn’t expecting this, especially as I tried it out during the warmer months!

It’s worth noting that even though I have oily skin, I do also struggle with dryness and dehydration (so I also tend to prefer foundations with a glow rather than a matte finish). Ultimately, I don’t think this foundation is for me as it just wasn’t very forgiving on my textured skin and dry areas. But if you have very oily skin or a balanced complexion, you might love this!