Tried & Tested
On trial: Charlotte Tilbury’s 4-step secret to gorgeous, glowing skin
Dull, lacklustre and raging – can Tilbury really turn my perimenopausal skin around?
Fancy some of that celebrity soft-focus skin, in real life? I know I do. But here’s the rub: to achieve wow-factor makeup that feels glorious – and lasts – you first have to care for the skin that it sits upon.
Whether you’re Christmas-party bound or simply want to make your everyday cosmetics work harder, any pro will tell you that the best makeup starts with the right skincare. So, when Charlotte Tilbury MBE promises gorgeous, glowing skin in four simple steps… well, I had to give it a go. Could these four products really give my dull, winter-ravaged skin added glow in time for party season?
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Charlotte Tilbury’s 4-Step Skin Prep routine – four icons, endless glow.
1. For radiant glow – Charlotte Tilbury Glow Toner
What makes it magic? It makes other products in your routine work harder.
What’s in it? This high-performance acid-free toner is enriched with balancing niacinamide, pore-minimising Poretight and Super Peptide Royalepigen P5 to prep skin for the next step.
Who’s it for? All skin types.
Use AM/PM – press two or three drops into clean, dry skin (using a cotton pad or fingertips), before serum or moisturiser
‘Packed with so much good stuff (niacinamide, I’m looking at you), Glow Toner has everyone obsessed, and rightly so. My skin looks and feels brighter, smoother and baby soft. It's gently resurfaced, but with none of that skin stripping you get with harsher, traditional toners. It’s fast, fuss-free and gives GREAT glow. L-O-V-E.’
★★★★★
2. For a targeted instant ‘youth’ boost – Charlotte Tilbury Magic Serum
Crystal Elixir
What makes it magic? High-performance ingredients – this potent elixir is superfood for the skin.
What’s in it? Replexium™ (for younger-looking skin), golden vitamin C (to brighten) and hydration powerhouse polyglutamic acid (four times more hydrating than hyaluronic acid).
Who’s it for? All skin types.
Use AM/PM – Sweep two or three drops into skin, pre-moisturiser’
‘This potent elixir is a perfect canvas-maker for thirsty skin. Non-greasy – and best applied pre-moisturiser – it soaks into skin for a brighter, natural beauty blur and better blending. I’m 100 per cent hooked.’
★★★★
3. To make dull, lacklustre skin, sing – Charlotte's Magic Cream
What makes it magic? The OG award-winning instant skin revival – clinically proven to help boost your skin barrier (while creating the perfect glowing canvas for makeup).
What’s in it? Hyaluronic acid, vitamins C and E, plus a plump-effect peptide complex.
Who’s it for? All skin types.
Use AM/PM – ‘Tilbury tap’ in a hazelnut-sized amount to face and neck, post-cleanse or serum and pre-SPF.
‘The hype woman to your makeup main act – use to retexturise, smooth, firm, plump, prime and grip makeup, for a longer-lasting finish. Magic Cream is the five-star moisturiser with thousands of glowing reviews – including one from me.’
★★★★★
4. For exhausted under-eyes –
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue
What makes it magic? A fan favourite – one is sold every two minutes – this ‘eye refresh’ cools, soothes and brightens tired eyes, instantly.
What’s in it? Retinol, vitamin C and winter daphne stem cell extract (to help strengthen the skin's barrier function).
Who’s it for? All skin types.
Use AM/PM – Tap in a pea-sized amount with your ring finger, massaging around the eye area to boost periorbital circulation.
‘Like a cool glass of water for thirsty under-eyes. Use to refresh, hydrate and s-o-o-t-h-e. Magic Eye Rescue reduces the appearance of dark circles and fine lines, for instantly brighter-looking eyes. I’m hooked!’
★★★★
The verdict
The chances are you’ve already been bewitched by a Charlotte Tilbury bestseller (or five). Her Glow Toner promises plumper, glowing skin (93% agreed*), her Magic Cream, a 2x reduction in the appearance of wrinkles in eight weeks! The Magic Serum claims skin appears 49 per cent firmer in eight weeks***! But – shouty exclamations aside – do they truly deliver?
Honestly? In my 20 years as a beauty editor, nothing has woken up my skin quite like this awesome foursome. As a midlife mum of two, with a serious case of exhausted face – and a dash of perioral dermatitis – my skin (much like my moods) pinballs between dull, lacklustre and raging. And yes, I am perimenopausal.
Full disclosure – I’m a long-time fan of Charlotte’s sorcery – switching between plumping Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream and cooling Magic Water Cream, depending on my skin's needs, and reaching for (my eye saviour) Magic Eye Rescue.
Yet I’d neglected to try Charlotte’s globally bestselling, multi-award winning Crystal Elixir and acid-free Glow Toner. Given that both are packed with skin-soothing niacinamide? Well, more fool me.
Perfect for creating a zero-crease canvas, fixing makeup on, fast, or for a shot of skin confidence on no-makeup days… Call me a convert. Chalk me up as a total Charlotte Tilbury fangirl/woman. So be it. For I can now proudly proclaim that these skin-enhancing, glow-giving, ageless, budge-proof, line-blurring, pore-perfecting, silky, natural, soft-focus skin boosters are where the real magic happens.
Great alone, even better together. If Charlotte Tilbury is selling the secret to gorgeous, glowing skin, then I’m sold.
