Above: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in Shade #6...light to medium coverage for a glowing finish. |
After being backordered for nearly a month, I was beyond excited to finally receive the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Youth Boosting Perfect Skin Foundation a week or two ago. Although I am still experimenting with it, I wanted to share my preliminary thoughts on this lovely formula, as well as swatches of every shade (which, up to this point, have been mournfully absent on the Internet!). I've also included some images of the foundation in action as well as photos from the Charlotte Tilbury event I attended earlier this month!
Kindly scroll on for more details, swatches, a recap of the Charlotte Tilbury line's debut at Nordstrom in LA and the Bottom Line...
Above: The sturdy tube is a perfect companion for one's handbag. |
Here are the official details, courtesy of Nordstrom:
Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Youth-Boosting Perfect Skin Foundation is an air-light formula that illuminates, smoothes, hydrates, minimizes pores and reduces wrinkles for perfect skin. A pool of youth-boosting actives help give you a gorgeous baby-skin effect, smoothing and evening out tone. Its formula lasts for up to 18 hours and while stimulating epidermal renewal by kick-starting collagen production, delaying the onset of wrinkles and creating the perfect makeup base.
How to use: Shake well and squeeze a small amount of foundation onto the back of your hand. For a daytime look, use your fingertips or a brush to blend into your skin from the middle outwards for a tinted moisturizer effect. For the evening, carry out the same application but pat onto areas where you need extra coverage.
- 1.4 oz.
- Suitable for dry, normal and combination skin types.
- Oil-free.
- By Charlotte Tilbury.
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Above: Shade #6 (a befitting match for my NC 25 skin) , swatched in direct sunlight. |
My Thoughts:
Prior to this foundation's arrival, I had read on more than one occasion that this formula offered light coverage; although I much prefer medium+ coverage, my enchantment with the Charlotte Tilbury line prompted me to try this nonetheless. Overall, I am glad I embraced the adventure! This foundation is lovely, especially for "great skin days" and casual moments when a more pared-down complexion is desired (e.g., weekends or after work and post-shower).
The finish is natural...not overly glowy or matte; I love the nearly HD quality effect...once buffed into the skin (I prefer to use a dampened Beauty Blender), it is virtually invisible while still blurring pores, unevenness and imperfections. If I prefer a more illuminated finish, I add a pea-sized amount of the Wonderglow for a radiant look. In terms of lasting power, I get 5-6 hours of wear before feeling the need to touch up. If I set it with powder directly following application, the wear time can even be extended! It is lightly scented and hasn't in any way irritated my sensitive skin.
Because the formula is initially sheer (albeit buildable to medium), the shades are forgiving and the range of 10 are sure to match a wide spectrum of skintones. Before ordering, I struggled to determine my best match as swatches online were frustratingly absent. That being said, I settled on #6 and could not have chosen a better option! It is a lovely light-medium beige with olive yellow undertones and it blends perfectly with my NC 25 skin. Although my early experiences have been positive thus far, I will continue to experiment with this formula and weigh back in after a few more weeks!
Shade Descriptions (in my experience):
- 1: Very light alabaster beige for fair skin with neutral undertones (@N/NC/NW 10)
- 2: Light beige for fair to light skin with neutral undertones (@N/NC/NW 15)
- 3: Light beige for light skin with neutral undertones (@N/NC/NW 20)
- 4: Light beige for light skin with neutral to yellow undertones (@N/NC 20)
- 5: Light-medium beige for light-medium skin with warm peachy undertones (@N/NW 25)
- 6: Light-medium beige for light-medium skin with olive to yellow undertones (@N/NC 25) **This is my shade!
- 7: Medium beige for medium skin with neutral to warm undertones (@N/NC/NW 30)
- 8: Medium-dark beige for medium-dark skin with warm olive undertones (@N/NC 35-40)
- 9: Dark beige for tan-dark skin with neutral to warm undertones (@N/NC/NW 40-45)
- 10: Rich dark brown for deep skin with neutral undertones (@N/NC/NW 45-50+)
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Above: Swatches of the fair to light shades in direct sunlight. |
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Above: Swatches of the medium to dark shades in direct sunlight. |
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Above: Swatches of all 10 shades in direct sunlight. |
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Above: Charlotte Tilbury's iconic nudes...all three are a pale lip color lover's dream. |
While in the Charlotte Tilbury spirt, I opted to swatch three of her pinky, peachy nude lipsticks (previously reviewed HERE and HERE)...is there anything better? Available at Nordstrom + Net-A-Porter, Nude Kate, Penelope Pink and B*tch Perfect are incredible options for a muted lip that still brings life to the face.
- Nude Kate: A pale pinky beige with a cream finish.
- Penelope Pink: A peachy nude beige with very little pink ; ) My favorite of the three!
- B*tch Perfect: A light-medium peachy pink nude cream with intense opacity.
Above: In direct sunlight. |
Above: In natural lighting (by a window). |
The images below reflect the foundation in action, along with a host of favorite Charlotte Tilbury products...taken at dusk on my way to teach a class ; ) #alwaysworking
Charlotte Tilbury Products Used:
- Light Wonder Foundation in #6 mixed with Wonderglow (available at Nordstrom + Net-A-Porter) for a custom blend of coverage and radiance, buffed on with a dampened Beauty Blender
- Filmstar Bronze and Glow (available at Nordstrom + Net-A-Porter) to add contour and highlight to the face
- Cheek to Chic Swish & Pop Blush in First Love (available at Nordstrom + Net-A-Porter) on the apples of the cheeks for a subtle peachy beige flush
- Airbrush Flawless Finish Micro-Powder in Medium (available at Nordstrom + Net-A-Porter) to set the look
- Two coats of the Full Fat Lashes 5 Star Mascara (available at Nordstrom + Net-A-Porter)
- Penelope Pink Lipstick (available at Nordstrom + Net-A-Porter)
Finally, in honor of this Charlotte Tilbury-centric post, here is a brief visual recapitulation of her line's debut at the Nordstrom at the Grove in LA (initially mentioned HERE and HERE), which took place earlier this month...
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Above: Arriving for the event. |
Above: Cordial servers offering beverages and popcorn...what a glamourously unique atmosphere, no? |
Above: Makeup artists giving visitors the Charlotte Tilbury experience. |
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Above: Spin the wheel for a gorgeous look. |
Above: Sadly, this was as close as I got to Charlotte since I was working during her personal appearance earlier that day... |
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Above: All of the Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks...in the flesh! |
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Above: Always documenting... |
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Above: A Charlotte Tilbury makeup artist in action. |
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Above: A delicious sage lemonade to refresh the evening. |
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Above: Nordstrom + Charlotte Tilbury...a wonderful partnership, indeed! |
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Above: Ending the evening in the magical golden hour. |
--Shop the Post--
Bottom Line: The Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation is a marvelous option for those seeking light to medium coverage and a natural, slightly glowing finish. The entire Charlotte Tilbury line (available at Nordstrom and Net-A-Porter) is pure delight and I am glad I have this foundation formula in my arsenal, especially for casual moments when just a bit of skin refinement is necessary.
I hope you enjoyed the close up of her gorgeous nude lip color as well as the overview of her LA debut event!
What are some of YOUR favorite Charlotte Tilbury products?
Good things ahead, including my October Favorites video, new product releases and a skincare closeup. Have a magnificent Halloween weekend...any fun plans?
xx,
--The Beauty Professor
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