Charlotte Tilbury Magic Airbrush Bronzer and The Air Brush
When this bronzer landed on our desks, we thought: ‘Well, THAT’S too big and clunky to be any use. But it’s got Charlotte Tilbury’s name on it, so we’d better give it a go.’
Fact: the compact for this is HUGE. But open it up, and inside is a truly incredible bronzing product (which you apply looking into the accordingly huge mirror – so the size of the compact’s actually a bonus, not a downside). We also like the fact that the oversized palette is refillable.
Bottom line: THIS. IS. AMAZING. We sound like Charlotte herself, here – and we make no apologies. First, the bronzer itself – and can we say first of all that we are delighted this offers a Deep shade, for the very darkest skintones. (In contrast to most bronzer shade ranges we have encountered.) But at the other end of the spectrum, there’s also a Fair shade which works on complexions that find it hard to match, too. (Whichever shade is your best match, you can find a how-to video to help you apply it, here; select your skintone, and a video pops up.) See the different shades on different skintones, below.
The texture is soft-as-silk – which is how it leaves skin looking. According to Team Charlotte, it’s enriched with mica that’s been treated with amino acids, line-blurring silica, hyaluronic acid (so it’s not drying, like some powders), and ‘micro-fine perfecting powders’. The finish is matte – again, unlike so many glimmer bronzers (because yes, bronzers add a healthy glow ‘where the sun strikes’ – but since when did the sun dispense glitter, with it?)
But oh, can we talk about the brush? Again, we were: ‘How much better than a normal bronzing brush can this be?’ Well. Immediately we tried the retractable kabuki brush, we realised: THIS IS A WHOLE OTHER THING. And the real secret of the incredibly seamless effect you get with Magic Airbrush Bronzer: because the super-soft synthetic, cruelty-free brush skims over skin so that you literally can’t see any edges at all, and the effect – provided you choose the right shade – is UNBELIEVABLY REALISTIC.
Honestly, this is one make-up innovation that lives up to its ‘magic’ name. We stand corrected.
Airbrush Bronzer/£39 – buy here
The Air Brush/£32 – buy here
The Airbrush Bronzing Kit (Bronzer & Brush)/£67 – buy here
