Yes, yes, I am late to the party reviewing this highlighter, but hear me out: I struggled so so badly making this work on my fair skin that I decided that experience in itself warranted a review. What am I talking about? The Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Superstar Glow highlighter. This product was limited edition and is no longer available, but I feel that many of my thoughts on this Charlotte Tilbury product can be extended to other products in the range. What does it boil down to? Charlotte Tilbury as a makeup line is far too warm toned and aimed at more medium skin rather than fair skin with cooler undertones.
Review: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Superstar Glow highlighter
If I am not mistaken this highlighter was limited edition for Christmas almost 2 years ago now. It is therefore a discontinued product and no longer for sale. You can still find the listing for it on the Charlotte Tilbury website though and this highlighter retailed for €50. That is a high price point for any complexion product, but Charlotte Tilbury is a luxury brand and this thing is massive! It contains 11.5 grams of product which is a lot. Most face powders come with 10 grams, whereas any complexion product that provides color or definition is usually between 5 – 7 grams. That means you easily get double the amount that most highlighters will give you.
What does this highlighter have to offer?
Let’s not beat about the bush: I own this product for a reason. At the time this launched I was planning out a Full Face of Charlotte Tilbury video and figured I could try this. At the time, the brand didn’t offer much in terms of highlighters and since then nothing much exciting has launched. What this product offers is not only a bunch of product, but it should be a face and body highlighter. It only came in one single shade, which is immediately the downturn of this product. Yes it’s pretty, yes it’s great quality but this one single shade isn’t exactly universally flattering.
What is the shade like?
Since this is a highlighter it can be difficult showing its true colors. This looks very pretty in the pan and when the light hits it the reflects make this look a lot lighter than it actually is. It looks like a pretty light pink here right? Think again! This is a rose gold champagne highlighter that is very warm toned indeed (you’ll see it better in the swatch). So while this only comes in one shade, there a lots of people this wouldn’t work for. Anyone deeper than medium skin: too light and ashy looking. Anyone lighter than a medium skin tone: much too dark, leaving a cast and doing nothing to highlight the face. That is why I am only reviewing it now! On me this only works in the hight of summer when I have a bit of a tan (but not too much, I don’t tan) and my skin has a slightly deeper color.
What does this product swatch like?
Swatchy-swatch time! Here you can see how dark this is against my skin. It swatches beautifully and the formula is stunning. This isn’t a super vibrant lit from space kind of highlight but more of a soft candlelit glow. It is very pretty, but against my skin it nearly seems to have an orange vibe. Not cute. I took these pictures after I had just bought the product so I was dealing with my super pale Snow White like winter skin shade which is quite pale indeed. What bugs me most is how bad of a dark cast this leaves, meaning the product pretty much cancels itself out against my skin.
What does this look like applied to fair skin?
Here you can see the before and after. Above is my skin without any product on, the second is my skin with the highlighter. Can you see anything? All I see is a bit of a yellow cast, but nothing that could be called a highlight. In summer I have found this works better, but the darker undertone this has just makes this look dull and flat against my skin. In the end, I think I kind of regret buying this as it just doesn’t go with my skin tone. And I have found through trial and error that Charlotte Tilbury products can be especially hit or miss if you have a cool undertone. The entire line is incredibly warm toned. So if you love your warm tones, then definitely check out what they have on offer. If you have light cool toned skin, I don’t think this brand is 100% right and will only bring out products that will work every so often.
My final thoughts
For how expensive this was, I don’t think the Charlotte Tilbury Superstar highlighter was worth it in the end. At least not for me. While a very pretty product that has a great formula that is easy to work with, it just looks a little bit funny on my skin. I can make it work and get away with it when I have a bit more of a tan, so right now, in August is my ideal season for wearing this. But considering the price point and the fact that I can only wear this product 2- 3 months out of the year means it just isn’t my favorite.
Would I recommend the Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Glow highlighter?
While pretty, this is very much discontinued and no longer available. I don’t think this is worth hunting down on resale websites. The brand now offers other highlighters that do come in more shades, but still, just two I feel is much too limited. I wish Charlotte Tilbury as a brand would focus more on creating more undertones in their products so that more people would get to enjoy them. The quality is nice, but if it clashes with your skin tone, you will not be able to share in on the fun.