Charlotte Tilbury Tan (5) Hollywood Flawless Filter Review, Photos, Swatches
Tan (5)
Charlotte Tilbury Tan (5) Hollywood Flawless Filter ($44.00 for 1.00 fl. oz.) is a medium yellow with a warm, golden sheen and strong, warm undertones. I’d consider the shade to be more on the “medium” to “medium-tan” side of the spectrum over “tan.” It’s a very flexible and versatile product, though, so when sheered out and spread across the skin for all-over priming or mixed in with base products, it will definitely stretch across more skin tones. It should add some warmth, though it may be far too yellow for some complexions. I wish it was a bit more neutral or slightly rosier compared to the color for greater versatility across undertones.
I’m light to light-medium, and I can get away with wearing it as a targeted highlighter, which adds slight warmth, or sheered out along the perimeter of my face for a slightly bronzed, warmed-up effect. The consistency is thin, gel-like, and smooth with a lightweight feel that spread well across my skin, mixed nicely with moisturizer and foundation, and worked well patted on top of skin (bare or with foundation) as a standalone highlighter.
It’ll be key to pick a foundation without full coverage if you want to layer this product underneath it or else the foundation will cover the majority of the effect (if using full coverage, I’d recommend mixing it in with the foundation or applying in top, as it’s still drying, and gently dabbing and blending on high points).
For me, it wore well for eight and a half hours on my cheeks as a standalone highlighter. As a primer, it helped my makeup go on more smoothly and gave the end result a dewier, more luminous finish (but not oily); it didn’t lengthen or shorten the wear (but didn’t claim to lengthen).
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Becca Moondance (3) (-, $30.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Cover FX Sunlight (P, $34.00) is more shimmery (85% similar).
- Becca Light Year (4) (-, $30.00) is less shimmery, darker, more muted (85% similar).
- Zoeva Liquid Clock (PiP, ) is more shimmery, more pigmented (85% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Medium (4.5) (P, $44.00) is less shimmery, more muted, cooler (85% similar).
- NYX Daytime Halo (P, $6.99) is lighter (85% similar).
- Becca Royal Glow (LE, $38.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Tan (5.5) (P, $44.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- elf 4 (Medium) (P, $14.00) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- Lancome Gold Lights (P, $23.00) is more muted, cooler (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$44.00/1 oz. - $44.00 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be a "customizable complexion booster" that can be used as a primer, highlighter, or mixed with base products. The line includes seven shades, like a more typical foundation or concealer range, but they have sheerer coverage and fine pearl, so there is some flexibility, though for added luminosity (but not altering color) all-over, one would want to choose a shade closer to their actual skin tone.
It has a jumbo-sized, doe-foot applicator, which I preferred for spot highlighting and priming but isn't as functional for mixing in with base products (compared to a pump). I find that the lighter shades look very similar when mixed with foundation or layered under it, so the shade range is more flexible than it might seem (for some skin tones).
The texture was smooth and lightweight, like a thin gel-based primer in feel, so the product easily spread across my skin for an all-over application (worn as primer, per the brand), and it made my skin look radiant. I can see one person finding that finish to look "oily," and another person to feel like it looks beautifully glowing--it's definitely very radiant on its own, so I'd recommend strategically applying it over bare skin, like a very diffused highlighter, or mixing it in with moisturizer if you're someone who wants glow but not full-on dewiness.
I also liked to gently swiped the product on using the included doe-foot applicator on the high planes of my face, diffused and blended (over a greater area than I would have if using it specifically to highlight my cheekbones) and gently dabbed foundation over it. I recommend using a sheer to medium coverage foundation over something full coverage, because full coverage will work better when it's mixed in otherwise the coverage level will tamp down the luminosity quite a bit.
As a standalone highlighter, it gave me a lit-from-within-glow that was luminous but not tacky or truly glossy, just looked dewy on my skin. It worked as well over bare skin as it did blended on top of foundation for me. On its own, it lasted well for nine hours with minimal fading and no migration as a cheek highlighter. As a primer, it seemed to help my makeup go on more smoothly but I didn't notice any extension of wear (but no shortening either); though the brand made no claim about it extending longevity, only that it would improve the finish and give skin a glow (so I didn't rate it down for not extending the wear).
Browse all of our Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter swatches.
Ingredients
Aqua/Water/Eau, Hydrogenated Didecene, Mica, Glycerin, Propanediol, Squalane, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Isoamyl Laurate, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxyacetophenone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Glycosaminoglycans, Hoya Lacunosa Flower Extract, [May Contain/Peut Contenir (+/-): Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I hear what you’re saying about the yellow tones in these recent filters. It’s kind of weird for me to read this (and comments all over the internet) about too-yellow foundation. For much of my early makeup-wearing years I avoided foundations (and only used them grudgingly) because I found it impossible to get a shade that was yellow enough for me. For about 20 years, every foundation I tried was too peach-to-pink.
Now, the spectrum has shifted, and many foundations have a gold tone on the warm end, or even a subcategory of gold undertone — *FINALLY* I have choices. But now a lot of other people are having issues with the gold shift. True foundations in lines with a good range of color choices still have neutral options (which would have been the warm option 30 years ago), but it seems like the default “neutral” has gone gold for foundations or “filters” (like this product) in lines with fewer shade options. I can see where that would be a problem, especially as it seems like the cool end of the spectrum has simultaneously been shifted warmer in those same lines, so instead of pinks or mauves, the default *cool* is closer to peach.
It used to be that the fairest option in any foundation range was inevitably pink toned, and being fair-to-light myself, that meant I always had to use foundations that were darker than my skin if I wanted to get closer to the right undertone. Now … it seems like many of the lines that have truly pale shades also have a pale yellow or gold option — sometimes that’s their palest choice! It feels like the world of cosmetics has finally welcomed me to the fold. It’s really only in the last 5 years that I’ve been able to get true color matches for my skin.
I don’t need every line out there to have options for me, but selfishly, I don’t want the pendulum to swing back. I’m sure at some point the default “neutral” tone for these translucent or blurring products with minimal color options will shift cooler (because times change), which is fine as long as the foundation lines with the largest range of shades continue to provide yellow/gold options. I think the stronger yellow undertones is a trend, like the warm red/orange/gold eye shadow palettes.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s because rosacea is more prevalent nowadays and yellow-based products disguise that better? Actually, I don’t *know* that rosacea is more prevalent, but I feel like more people are talking about it in the past couple years. Just a random thought.
I just wish that the range ran a little more neutral if they weren’t going to have more distinctive cool/warm shades, you know? They stretch so it doesn’t need to be something with 40 shades, but it seemed odd not to have at least one more pale pinkish one and a mid-tone rosy one (think Marc Jacobs Fantasy Luminizing Drops).
This convo right here addresses the problem I have with these. Because while my skin *does* have yellow/golden tones in it, they’re not strong enough to carry this as an add in to my foundation. This looks too orangish to me. Neutral base would be far more appreciated by many more folks, I’d think?
Alecto, I definitely agree with you about the rosacea uptick. I got dx’d with it in my mid 30’s. But wasn’t obsessed with covering it up until my mid 40’s when it began to look awful. Was ecstatic when I finally was able to get something that hid it, plus matched my actual skin tone! And that first one was Revlon Color stay in Warm Golden.
This one is exactly the perfect depth for my level of pigmentation. Only catch is, I feel like it looks too orange based for my very blah neutral olive undertones? I don’t want Cheeto faux tan effects!
I have this — I’m between an NC30/35 with olive/golden undertones. It sheers out on me very nicely. For a product like this, I would strongly encourage one to swatch it in store. I have both shade 4 and 5 and like using the products.