A tan-giving tinted moisturiser that suits both sexes? We put Charlotte Tilbury’s newest glowing innovation to the test…
First things first, my boyfriend and I share many things, and while he’s not partial to wearing makeup (although guyliner was a thing at one point during our uni days), everything from shower gel to spot cream to aftersun gets equally divvied up in our house, not least because I’m a beauty journalist and if he brought home as much as I did our flat would cave in.
As such, going Dutch on a moisturiser is nothing new, but both coverage and self-tan trickey are new horizons for him. So to Charlotte Tilbury’s new #GlowMo collection, and more specifically, Unisex Healthy Glow Hydrating Tint , £35. To set the scene, I’m a pale-faced Celt who’s prone to redness with pores the size of saucers, while he has mixed Thai/ Polish heritage with a tendency to turn the *perfect* shade of bronze at the first sight of sunlight. If anyone needs a healthy glow out of this, it’s me, but let’s see how we got on there.
Initial impressions
Straight out of the sleek white and gold tube, Healthy Glow is in fact white.
Don’t be deceived- begin rubbing it into skin and it transforms from white to a deep terracotta. Alarmingly dark on me, convincingly bronze on boyfriend. This doesn’t bode well for moi. Boyf looks buff. I mean, great, but throw a girl a bone here Charlotte T. Things do settle down with a bit with more blending, but I somehow can’t achieve the seamless suntan that Nick has. Miffed.
Anna pre-glow application
Man meanwhile…
“Packaging is ideal, couldn't see any problems with it. The little squirty bit is good, I hate those ones with a huge outlet because then you have to start shaking it about like a polaroid picture, or a bottle of ketchup. The design is smart and elegant and I would show it off to all my friends if I ever invited them over.”
Nick pre-glow application
The after-glow
Post-glow application
Weeeeellll now. Summer-in-a-bottle hit me a bit hard. The texture is quite thick, so it’s likely that I put a bit too much on, and in hindsight I should have buffed it into my neck and collarbone for less tideline-y results. What I can say is that it veils redness with aplomb, and if you’re leaning more towards an olive-toned complexion, it will likely remove the need for foundation- just dot a bit of concealer over blemishes and ta-da. Perhaps see Nick’s ‘after’ shot for a good case-study of what you’ll end up with. Ignore me for I didn’t blend.
With makeup applied
Colour-aside, the finish was a good balance of shine-free yet nicely supple. My pores did a decent disappearing act if that counts? Still, slight oompa loompa head.
Nick’s notes:
“Final look is natural and subtle, which is good and what I would go for. I don't want to instantly look like I spent two weeks in the Caribbean because everyone would know I hadn't been there and I would then have a lot of explaining to do.”
“If it's supposed to allow you to tan/glow in a subtle way, it did its job at making the skin look natural, you know, like I hadn't put anything on. The texture was a bit grainy, like a really, really, really fine scrub but not harsh like a scrub. It was a bit thick which made it harder to spread evenly. I also found that it made my skin a little oily, but this was not terribly noticeable and to be honest it wasn't enough that it bothered me. It also didn't make my skin itchy or red or burn or anything nasty and I hardly noticed it was there when I was wearing it. I think you would be better placed to tell me how healthy it made me look.” (SO BLOODY HEALTHY).
Post-glow application
Just a little caveat in terms of wearability:
“It tended to rub off slightly, especially if you’re a hayfever sufferer like me and need to use a lot of tissues.”
This would go for pretty much any tinted product or makeup, and I found that Healthy Glow did the day shift very well, although post-workout it was a bit patchy around cheeks, but Nick was soft-focus until face-washing time.
The sunkissed couple in the #GlowMo promo obviously set the gold bar high, and if that was what we were aiming for (ambitiously it was), Nick definitely got close. Had I applied it more dexterously and combined it with a bodily faux-glow I think I would have pulled it off far better. For now I’ll be sticking to the lighter toned self-tan formula of Charlotte’s Overnight Bronze & Glow Mask , £38, and I’m ALL in on the Beauty Glow Instant Look in a Palette , £49. I think that Charlotte excels in the general makeup field, and if you’re pallid her beautiful bronzers add instant warmth and luminosity, but go easier on Unisex Healthy Glow than I did if you’re on the ghostly end of English rose.
Discover Charlotte’s entire #GlowMo collection here
Follow Charlotte on Instagram @ctilburymakeup , Anna @annyhunter and Nick @nicklaokaim