Hi everyone!
A little over a month ago, I found myself at a Charlotte Tilbury counter and was given samples of her new Magic Foundation. Since then, I’ve received requests to share my thoughts on it so here it is. 🙂
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in Shade 4
Described as,” a miracle in a bottle that transforms skin for all ages, skin tones and skin types. It conceals imperfections, glides on like a dream, and literally feels like a second skin. Whether your skin needs just a bit of perfecting, or you struggle with a frustrating issue like acne, melasma or rosacea, my Magic Foundation will give you a perfect looking skin day, every day!”
Pros
Contains broad spectrum sunscreen
Offers medium to full coverage
Fragrance free and no discernible scent
Doesn’t feel heavy
Shade 4 is pretty spot on with my skin tone
Cons
An ingredient in here caused my skin to itch
Contains talc which may be a problem for some people
Clings on to dry areas/imperfections
Vitamin C and mushroom extract are at the bottom of the list
Doesn’t blend easily
Overall: I had such high hopes with this foundation but unfortunately for me, this didn’t work out for me. There’s an ingredient in here that made my nose itch throughout the day. Despite prepping my skin prior to application, this foundation accentuated any abnormality in my skin and looked cakey. Surprisingly, this feels light-weight and comfortable given the thicker consistency of this foundation yet this factor is not enough to offset the patchy application. Using my beauty blender helped give this a more natural look versus applying it with a brush as the damp sponge helps the foundation blend in better. As far as the inclusion of vitamin C and mushroom extract to provide antioxidant and firming properties, these ingredients are included towards the bottom of the list, meaning they may not be concentrated enough to make a notable difference. I appreciate the fact this is fragrance free and includes a mineral source of sunscreen, however, I would highly recommend Charlotte Tilbury’s Light Wonder over this one.
What are your thoughts on Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation?
Stephanie
Oh no, too bad it didn’t agree with your skin. Were you able to pinpoint the culprit? I’ve not tried CT base products – they all seemed too glowy for my liking. BUT, I’m super interested in this now having seen that the sunscreen is mineral! I’m going to get a sample of this.
No, sadly I haven’t. It happens with quite a few products and sometimes the list is a mile long and I don’t have the time to cross reference. 🙁 You know, the Light Wonder surprised me. I thought it was going to perform like the Lancome Teint Miracle, which can look too glowy one me depending on the weather, BUT, this one was a nice surprise. It has a glow but nothing overwhelming. At least, not in this weather yet. It is more on the sheer side, so if you’re after coverage, Light Wonder might not be the best choice. Hopefully this works out for you. I hear it works well for some. 🙂
Oh I just read this review and it mirrors your thoughts on how it clings to imperfections:
http://www.paulaschoice.com/beautypedia-skin-care-reviews/by-brand/charlotte-tilbury/_/Magic-Foundation-Broad-Spectrum-SPF-15
Oh my gosh that is so crazy! I didn’t know they had a review for this one but it kind of feels cool that we pointed out and agree on most aspects. I always try to review things from a personal and professional viewpoint so it looks like I’m doing pretty well, lol. 🙂
I’ve been hearing mixed reviews of this foundation. Seems like people love it or it doesn’t work for them. I want to try it for myself and see how it works for me though. I might be going to the mall that has Nordstrom in it this weekend, so if I do and they have a CT counter I’m going to get a sample.
I’d be curious to see how this works for you. Fingers crossed you get a CT counter. It took a while for one to pop up over here and even then it’s about a 30 minute drive. Worth it though since you can get a hands on feel as to what the products are like. Good luck! 🙂
That’s too bad that this was disappointing. Charlotte Tilbury’s products are always so hyped up that I think they generally expected to be absolutely amazing.
I can totally sympathise with the itching you experienced due to this foundation. That often happens to me. If I am ever in a country where they stock Charlotte Tilbury’s products, I will definitely try her Light Wonder foundation. It sounds perfect!
I agree! CT has some great products, don’t get me wrong, but yes I feel so many things are hyped up. I tried the Kissing Tree lipstick in the shade Bitch Perfect and while the color was lovely when paired with the lip liner, the color by itself was meh. For $32, I expect a lipstick to have great consistency and to be able to stand alone without the need for a lip liner. Isn’t it so annoying when something causes your skin to itch? Still trying to figure out what ingredients cause that. Yes, pick up a sample of the Light Wonder foundation if you don’t have really oily skin. 🙂
I agree completely that the product should be practically flawless for that price. That is disappointing especially since she is a make-up artist and always claims to spend forever perfecting her products before releasing them.
It’s quite frustrating! Especially if the product actually causes a rash. That happens to me with MAC products so I just avoid them entirely now. It’s so interesting how you can go from person to person and some will hate a product and others will swear by the same product.
My skin is extremely dry so I am sure Light Wonder will be a brilliant fit. 🙂
Well it seems to work for some but what I do find frustrating is the claims of these powerhouse ingredients are good but they are found towards the bottom of the list which won’t make much of a difference. Aww I’m so sorry MAC products cause that effect on your skin. For the most part, I avoid their foundations as I find them to be quite thick and cakey looking. Yes, I’ve heard rave reviews for CT Magic Foundation, which is great for the people whom it worked out for, however I think the majority had problems with it. I hope you’ll do better with the Light Wonder one. 🙂
That is quite disappointing that those ingredients aren’t as significant in the product as the hype would suggest especially considering the price tag which comes with her products.
MAC foundations are quite full-coverage and unnatural. I much prefer Lancome Teint Miracle. That is my kind of foundation. Light wonder seems very much like something I would love. Who doesn’t love natural-looking dewy skin, right? 🙂
I agree but I find that’s the case with most products-sometimes the claims are better than the actual products. I also share the same sentiment with MAC foundations. Teint Miracle is one of my go tos and you’d be surprised that some people actually like the look of thick, caked on makeup. Who knew?
It is such a beautiful foundation and so brilliant for dry skin! 🙂
You are right, there are definitely people who enjoy the caked-on make-up look. I think a lot of them, though, are people who haven’t found products which give a brilliant amount of coverage without looking cakey yet.
Great review! I have just tried this foundation too recently and I have to say I totally agree! It doesn’t perform well on my skin either and simply accentuates dry areas and just looks cakey! Real disappointment!
Thanks! I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for you either. When it’s marketed as magic, you have high expectations and it’s a big let down when it fall short. Have you tried the Light Wonder Foundation? I did well with that one.
No bother! Totally agree and the many good reviews on this foundation definitely had my expectations very high so it was so disappointing! I actually got a sample of that when I ordered the magic foundation and again sadly I am not a big fan! I really thought I would like that one too but I just didn’t like the finish, I didn’t find it glowy enough and the coverage was very low for me!
See the opposite the true for me. I received a sample of the Light Wonder foundation but I was hesitant to try it because I was worried it would be too much glow for my combination skin. I actually liked the fact that it was glowy but not overly so. The coverage is decent but yeah not the best when you’re looking for more. Have you tried Lancome’s Teint Miracle foundation? In my experience, that one has great coverage and delivers a glowy look.
That’s good you got on with it! I really like a bit of a glow like the Bare Minerals complexion rescue which I found to be the perfect glowy lightweight base! I’ve not tried the Lancome foundation but I will look into it, thanks 🙂
They always sound good when you read the companies description, don’t they!? What a shame that it’s a clinger and is so hard to blend! I would LOVE to find a good medium coverage that’s light weight, lasts all day and has NO fragrance. Why life!? WHY!!?? 😛
All thanks to the marketing team, lol. I find myself thinking, wow, this sounds excellent and then I start skimming through the ingredient list and I’m like, hmm not as impressive. I haven’t tried the new MUFE HD Foundation but I know that the old one had good coverage and I don’t recall it having fragrance. Not sure if it’s cruelty free though.
Good to know. I have been eyeing this for a while now, but I will definitely have to visit the counter and get some samples before I make the plunge.
xo Anne – Doves & Roses
Samples are always great, especially when CT products are on the pricey side. 🙂
I totally agree, I can’t help but think this product is a little over priced! So underwhelmed with it. I’d love it if you could check out my blog at emilykburr.wordpress.com ?
Yes, I think the Light Wonder is actually a way better formulation and product. Have you tried that one? Followed. 🙂
I’m wanting to try this but I’ve had bad high end foundations in the past . I have acne do they let you have samples because sometimes it looks amazing in the shop and when you buy it and do it yourself it can look different.
Hi! Yes, if you visit a Charlotte Tilbury counter, they do let you have samples. I’m a huge fan of samples too because it’s so hard to tell how something is going to work out. Good luck! 🙂