Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand Review, Photos, Swatches
Original
Charlotte Tilbury Original Hollywood Beauty Light Wand ($38.00 for 0.40 oz.) is a soft, champagne gold with warm, peachy undertones and a fine, pearly sheen. It had a luminous, high-shine finish on my skin that didn’t emphasize my skin’s natural texture and was somewhere between radiant and dewy–more sheen than glossiness, though. Per the brand, it’s supposed to have an “extreme Hollywood luminous finish … that imparts high gloss, brightening and highlighting effects,” which I’d completely agree with.
The liquid highlighter pushes through a soft, cushioned applicator (which I did not find particularly ideal for long-term storage/use), which certainly worked for depositing and gently diffusing the product on the skin, but it worked just as well with fingertips or synthetic cheek brushes and I didn’t have to worry about getting base products onto the included applicator. It had a fluid, more gel-like consistency that spread easily across the skin and diffused easily along the edges. It does dry down quickly, though I didn’t feel like I had to work at warp speed to get the product blended out but I wouldn’t dilly-dally either. It wore well for nine hours on me with minimal fading.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- elf Champagne Campaign (P, $9.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Merit Cava (P, $30.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- NARS Fort de France (P, $38.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- NYX Moonbeam (P, $6.99) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Medium (4) (P, $44.00) is less shimmery, glossier (90% similar).
- Becca Moonstone (DC, $38.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Fire Crystal (PiP, $36.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Tarte Exposed (P, $29.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Sunlit (P, $32.00) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Mean Money (PiP, $36.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$38.00/0.4 oz. - $95.00 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to add a "kiss of color" with a "soft focus beauty glow." I found the liquid highlighter easy to spread across my skin and blend out along the edges with the included applicator as well as with my fingertips. The formula dried down quickly and didn’t remain wet, but there was enough time to apply and blend. The coverage ranged from sheer to semi-sheer, buildable coverage.
It had a lightweight, thin consistency that was more gel-like, which was particularly easy to work with over base products (and still worked well over bare skin!) as it did not lift up product nor did it create patchiness. They wore between eight and nine hours on me before fading visibly.
Browse all of our Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand swatches.
Ingredients
This product has been on my wish list since I purchased the CT foundation and primer. Thanks for the review!
This highlighter is one of the nicest on the market but the applicator is so inconvenient and messy that the majority of the product gets wasted! I was thinking to buy a new tube, cut it open and than move the liquid in another container… maybe with a pump!
Thank you for your review! It looks quite beautiful, if I didn’t have so many similar shades already I would have wanted it. But like you pointed out, the cushion applicator is a problem for long term use, I have some products that I really wish didn’t come with a cushion applicator. I don’t even like the twist/click pen brush tips in many highlighters and concealers for that reason too. Other than that, this looks like a solid product. 🙂
That looks made for you!
I doubt this is for me, as I have all the highlighters I need, but I do love the name “Beauty light wand” — sounds like magic!
This looks like a beautiful option for a cream (or it it more liquid?) option
I agree that the applicator doesn’t look like it will hold up well with use
This is perfection! At least with how naturally glowy and dewy it lays on the skin. That applicator sounds pretty awful, though. It’s a probable future purchase, once I recover from the Aaliyah collection! ???
Christine,
Does the cap screw off so that you can get product out without using the applicator?
It twists so it allows product to come through or prevent it (“on” and “off”), but I don’t think it twists off. You might have more luck ripping off the fluffy applicator and maybe just revealing plastic but I’m not sure (it doesn’t just come off).
I purchased this to see how it stacked up against CT’s other luminizing and highlighting products. I like it and am neutral about the packaging; convenient for traveling or to throw in my purse to boost my look for evening, and no brush required.
Looks nice. Did it pull up your foundation? I really hate that. I don’t use cream blushes because they take off foundation
No, I didn’t have any issues with it lifting up my base. I don’t usually find that to be an issue for me – perhaps it’s my application method? but it’s more like the exception than the norm with liquid/cream products.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a single person who likes the applicator on this or the contour wand. It just looks like you’d waste a lot and it certainly isn’t cheap!