When it comes to face powders I am picky. I have dry, dehydrated skin and many powders are much too drying on my complexion. So I am always on the hunt for that great powder. I have a few firm favorites that I go back to time and time again, but I like trying new ones too. More often than not, they disappoint me, so going out and buying this super luxury powder was a bit of a gamble. Whether my gamble paid off? That’s what we’ll found out in this review.
Review: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Filter face powder in Fair
The Airbrush Flawless Filter is a pressed powder that comes with 8 grams of product and retails for €42. That is quite a lot of money, but a little less expensive than one of my favorites: the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Diffused Light. However, that does come with more product, so I am not sure yet which one is a better deal, but I think they are equally matched in terms of cost per use. So how does this powder perform?
What does this powder have to offer?
This powder was interesting to me as this powder promises to be lightweight while setting down makeup and never looking heavy or cakey. It is supposed to be very finely milled that should give you an ‘airbrush finish’ to help smooth over imperfections and make your complexion look flawless. Those are some steep claims to make for something as simple as a powder, but I find that the powder I used makes the biggest difference in my makeup and how it wears throughout the day. More so than a primer or setting spray. While those help, nothing beats powder for finishing your makeup and making sure everything stays where it should throughout the day.
How does this powder perform?
So a few things you should know about this powder. It comes in a few different skin colored shades. I have the lightest one: 1 Fair. Once applied to the face you can barely see this powder sitting on the skin. It has that very fluffy lightweight texture it promises to have. The powder feel smooth and nice on the skin and it never looks dry and cakey. I have tried this with a few foundations now and it has played well with each one, which is rare for me. The soft texture of this powder does mean that I think I might be able to use this up quite quickly. I have been using it daily for about 3 weeks now and I already have a sizeable dent in one part of the pan. Doesn’t mean the powder is already running out, but I think this may be one of those products that you would have to replace every 2 – 3 months and at this price point that may be a bit expensive.
How does this powder swatch?
The lightweight texture of this powder means that it feels like nothing on the skin. It barely shows up in a swatch and it barely shows up on the skin. You can of course see the effect of setting down your makeup (see below for the before and after), but it doesn’t look like you have added powder all that much. The only downside I have found with this one is that there is quite a bit of kick back every time you use this. Just sticking your brush into the pan will lead the powder to come loose and I feel I therefore waste quite a bit of it. This powder might be better off as a loose powder rather than a pressed one.
What does this powder look like on the face?
On the left you can see my face without the powder applied. To the right you can see my face with powder on but no other makeup yet applied. As you can see the powder mattifies the face quite a bit, but not in a flat, makeuppy kind of way. This makes your skin look silky smooth and it truly prevents your makeup from going everywhere. With this powder I have experienced no excessive creasing or anything else. I have some dry patches around my nose where foundation tends to bunch up and that is also less noticeable when I use this powder than with others that I have tried.
My final thoughts
The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Filter powder is a very nice powder indeed. Do I like this more than the Hourglass one? I don’t think so. I think the Hourglass is more luminous and even better suited for my dry skin than this one is. It is good and I think worth the price point as I haven’t tried a powder this silky and smooth from any other brands. That being said, if indeed this runs out in about 3 months I know I won’t be repurchasing this as it would become too expensive in the long run. I have another powder I love that I get through much more quickly (Too Faced Primed & Poreless pressed) but that is 10 euros less expensive than this and it has a very similar effect in the end.
Would I recommend the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Filter powder?
This product has so much going for it. It has a great texture, works on dry skin, comes in different skin tones AND it has a great formula that is easy to work with. The price point is what is holding me back from truly raving this into the high heavens. Yes it is a great powder, but I have tried powders I like equally that are more affordable or last me a longer amount of time. So in the end, would it be worth it to commit to this? I don’t think so. However, I do know that I will love this product for as long as it lasts.
5 responses to “Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish powder review”
I really liked this powder when I tried it but I remember using it up pretty quickly also. I have a Powder from No7 that has a pretty similar texture so I’ve been using that more recently
I will be trying a Milani powder next. Let’s hope that lasts a bit longer.
I tried the Laura Mercier secret eye brightener. Really don’t like it or the price. I also have Bare Minerals powder blush and it’s not that great. For finishing powder I like Too Face although it’s a bit light. I also like Sexy Mama by the Balm.
Too Faced make some great powders. My favorite loose and pressed powder are by them.
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