Coming soon to a make-up bag near you, the Charlotte Tilbury airbrush flawless blush blur promises to give cheeks a silky, soft-focus finish, alongside the appearance of fuller, plumper-looking skin.
But does the Charlotte Tilbury make-up line really need another blush? The brand already has an extensive roster of cheek products, from the iconic beauty light wands and unreal blush healthy glow sticks, to its beautiful skin blushes and existing powder formulas, so this new £35 addition has a lot to prove.
Much like the wider airbrush flawless range, which includes the bestselling foundation, setting spray and more, its USP is a soft-focus effect designed to smooth the look of pores and texture, while delivering buildable, blushed-from-within colour. Available in 11 shades, the formula is also infused with hyaluronic acid and optical light fillers, which the brand claims help to bounce light across the cheeks for a more luminous finish.
I got first access to the new formula ahead of its 25 August launch to find out whether it really offers something different – and, more importantly, whether it’s good enough to earn a place in a market that already has plenty of blush options. Here’s my honest review.
Read more: Best cream blushes, tested
Charlotte Tilbury airbrush flawless blush blur
Rating: 4.5/5
Shades: 11
Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
- Long-lasting
- Effectively smoothes pores
- Even finish
Take note
- Colour pay-off varies between shades
Available in 11 shades, including pillow talk-themed colour options, the new airbrush flawless blush blur is presented in a signature Charlotte Tilbury compact case with an application mirror.
I went in with pillow talk medium to begin with and, while I saw a smoothing finish that effectively disguised the pores on my cheeks, the colour was quite subtle. The lightweight powder formula is buildable, so you can add as much or little as you want to create a natural or bold finish. But, I did see more colour pay-off with more vibrant shades like blushgasm (a bold Barbie pink). Compared to the pillow talk medium, this shade delivered an instant pop of cheek brightness that meant minimal application effort.
The blush felt silky-soft on my skin and not at all drying, even though it’s a powder formula and a mattified effect is part and parcel of the equation. It didn’t cling to any pores or dry patches and, instead, created an even layer of cheek coverage that didn’t budge for hours.
As promised, the finish is indeed blurring and it successfully concealed my cheek pores while adding a completely even layer of coverage. There was no patchiness as the day wore on, either. I first applied it at lunchtime and, after an evening out without any top-ups in between, there was still plenty of noticeable colour. The matte, blurring finish had faded, but the colour had hardly moved.
As a busy mum who favours quick and easy products that stay put, this impressed me.
Buy now £35, Charlottetilbury.com
Is the new airbrush flawless blush blur better than the other Charlotte Tilbury blushes?
If you prefer a cream or liquid blush, I wouldn’t swap it for this, but as a powder, I think the airbrush flawless blush blur is Charlotte Tilbury’s best yet. Unlike the brand’s more dewy cream formulas, this gives a soft-matte, pore-blurring finish that feels lightweight and stays put without drying out skin.
It also has the edge over Charlotte Tilbury’s existing powder blushes, thanks to its silky texture, even coverage and *actually* smoothing effect. Colour pay-off varies between shades, but the formula is buildable and some, such as blushgasm, deliver an instant hit of pigment. For me, it fills a different niche rather than replacing the brand’s existing blush roster – but if you’re a powder fan, this is the one I’d pick.
How we tested
I tested the new airbrush flawless blush blur on my dry skin over the course of a full day, using more than one shade to see if the formula fluctuated between different hues. I was particularly interested in whether a powder blush could deliver the promised smoothing effect without clinging to dryness or looking flat. During and after application, I took into consideration the following criteria:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Helen Wilson-Beevers has been reviewing the latest and greatest in beauty for years, so she knows a good blush from a patchy case of blush blindness. Not only has she reviewed a number of Charlotte Tilbury launches previously (including the airbrush flawless foundation), but she took on testing of the equally new airbrush flawless blur loose powder this very week – so she’s well acquainted in the brand’s skin-smoothing formulas. And, as someone with dry skin and the occasional flaky patch, she was just the person to put both products’ texture-banishing abilities to the test.
