My First Impressions On Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder

My First Impressions On Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder

Since It’s launch at the Bentall Centre, I have been receiving Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder recommendations left, right and centre.

Packaging, size, price

It Is travel friendly tube, easy to squeeze out the desired amount – thumbs up there! The Light Wonder Foundation contains 40ml/1.35floz of product can be purchased off. 

Shade range

There are 10 shades available, I’m in Shade 4 in Falr (in MAC I’m ~NC20).

Application

With sheer bases, I find fingers to be the best tool for build-able coverage. If you are opposed to fingers, a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush does the job quite nicely. Application is not tricky so to speak, the product spreads like a dream but building coverage in problem areas is a bit tedious; lot’s of patting motions as opposed to swiping. Problem-area-close-up? You got it!

Consistency & coverage

The consistency is on the runny side; not quite as fluid as Mac water weight foundation breeds but it will slide down your arm given the chance.

The coverage I would describe as sheer, build-able to a medium. To achieve a medium coverage in the photos below, I had to use a good dollop (May be the size of a nob of garlic? Bad analogy, I apologise) and that’s against my no-foundation-foundation nature so I kinda wish it had a bit more coverage so I could apply less product overall.

 

It does have more coverage than say, a tinted moisturiser. The after photo illustrates the foundation alone, no powder/primer/concealer.

Fragrance

Noticeable upon application but fleeting, the scent is somewhere between clean and floral. A deliberate addition.

Finish

Very dewy, similar to the Mac water weight foundation in that it imparts the skin with a slight gloss. I actually don’t love a gloss all over, I find it catches the light on the t-zone to make it look more textured than it actually is. I much prefer the foundation once the t-zone has been powdered.

In fact, the finish is so tacky that you’ll need a generous helping of powder in order to apply powder blush/bronzer/contour and have it lay evenly – I tend to layer cream products instead, to avoid excessive powdering. This is an example of how the foundation looks once the t-zone has been set, I used the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Powder #2 (which only mutes the gloss, as opposed to mattifying the skin entirely).

I suspect that this formula is abundant with light reflective particles (not shimmer) as it deflects shadowy areas – very ‘youthful’.

Longevity

At the five hour mark, I am craving a blot and I am normal to dry. Paired with the dewy finish, I predict that the Light Wonder Foundation would register best on dry to mildly combo skins – oilier skin types will be blotting every hour, I have not got time for date.

Aside from the little extra sheen, it wore beautifully. Where some foundations look downright unsightly towards the end of the day, the Light Wonder does not awkwardly cake up, separate or sink into laugh lines.

Worth noting that, as with most dewy bases that do not set bulletproof, the Light Wonder Foundation will transfer without much encouragement. Keep hugs to a minimum, yeah?

Photo-friendly/SPF Test

Now, it boggles my mind that cosmetic creators keep adding token amounts of SPF to foundations – in this case SPF15. That’s not enough to provide sufficient sun protection (don’t be fooled, apply a decent sunscreen underneath) AND THEN it poses a photography risk. Just why.

Good news: I wore the Light Wonder on a photoshoot recently, lots of flash equipment and no discernible ghost-face, the world did not end. If you’re working in natural light, I highly recommend it! Pictured beautifully in the full face shot above, if I may say so myself ;)

In a nutshell

Out of the foundations that I have tested as of late, the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder is up there – four out of five stars.

Have you tried the Light Wonder Foundation? What are your thoughts?