CHARLOTTE TILBURY BEAUTIFUL SKIN BRONZER | NEW IN

 

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I'm honestly a sucker for a cream cheek product, so of course when I saw the new Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sunkissed Glow Bronzer | £42 | I decided to pick it up. I'm reviewing it for you today to see how it stacks up against other cream bronzers I love and I've included a little comparison with the original Airbrush bronzer too...

This is marketed as a face and body bronzer, though I personally only used it on my face because I'll never have time for body makeup. Though this does mean you get a really generous amount of product for the high-end price-tag. The packaging and design is obviously gorgeous; it's a slim compact and the closure is sturdy and functional. It comes in 4 shades and I have 3 Tan, which does indicate to me that they could do with adding a fifth darker option. I do think ideally they should have a few more in-between colours too, because I'd have loved something in-between Medium and Tan.

I did notice even when I was just swatching it that this product that it does have a more 'solid' texture than most cream bronzers I've used before. It's not spongy or emollient, and it has more of a matte finish than is my personal preference. Additionally, the undertone of 3 Tan isn't really as warm as I'd expected; it's kind of a brontour shade (like a hybrid between a warm bronzer and a cool contour), and I think it would have been better off marketed as such. I personally want a product for summer that's not orange but does bring a natural sunkissed warmth to my skin and I don't think this really does.

In terms of application - I use a dense synthetic buffing brush and it works really well, though I do find it's a little bit of work to get a non-patchy finish. It's also pretty pigmented so going in with a lighter hand is a must. One benefit to this formula is that it is pretty long-wearing and I do think it could be great for oilier skin types that need something a little more matte that will stay on the skin all day. However, I just don't think it's for me; I have cream bronzers at less than half the price (namely, from Refy and Saie - reviewed here and here) that are creamier, offer a glowing finish and warm my skin instead of sculpting it. It's such a shame because I had high hopes for this one and had been lusting after it for a while before finally taking the plunge and it wasn't cheap!

I also wanted to give you a little comparison with the Airbrush Bronzer* | £39 | which I also have in the shade Tan. This is a powder formula that takes its concept from the Airbrush setting powder Charlotte does. It's also pretty huge and is a little cheaper than Beautiful Skin. You'll notice right off the bat from my swatches that although they're both in the shade Tan, the colours are very different on the skin. The Airbrush bronzer has a more traditional bronzing tone to it, so it's warm and offers that 'just caught the sun' look I'm after.

Though this is a powder (and I'm a cream cheek person in general) it's finely-milled and natural on the skin. It has a buildable formula and does glide onto the skin without skipping so although it's matte, it's never drying or flat and it has great longevity, staying nice and even on the skin. I personally prefer it and recommend it over Beautiful Skin. I hope this post has given you a good idea of why Beautiful Skin wasn't really for me. There is a market for this cream bronzer, but it's just not for me!

See the Beautiful Skin Bronzer in action here.

Have you tried this bronzer?

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