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As I became TikTok-obsessed at the height of the pandemic, it seemed I couldn’t go ten videos without seeing my fellow beauty-lovers posting a Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter review. And like one’s cheekbones following an application of the highlighter product, the reviews were glowing. The product seemed to be a mainstay in the routines of all the It girls, from Adele to the singer-songwriter Griff; and now, two years later, it’s still buzzy. Some apply it under their foundation, others wear it on its own—ditching foundation altogether—and some consider it their highlighter of choice. With so many endorsements touting different benefits floating around, I was intrigued by the Hollywood Flawless Filter but didn’t want to take the plunge until I had figured out what exactly this product was meant to do. After some research, it seemed the answer is a little bit of everything.
“It’s the marriage between a liquid highlighter and a real-life filter that helps blur and illuminate the skin,” celebrity makeup artist Carolina Dalí-Trites tells Vogue. She opts for the formula when she wants to achieve an effortless, glowing complexion. “It looks so natural on, gives the skin that healthy glowing-from-within look that’s flattering on everyone.”
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- Key Ingredients: A liquid cream infused with finely milled powders, porcelain flower extract, and glossy oil.
- Makeup Benefits: This works like an IRL beauty filter to blur fine lines and pores, brighten, and moisturize, leaving a radiant finish.
Because of its creamy formula, it’s especially pragmatic for those with dry skin—like Gigi Hadid, who applies it early in her makeup regimen, as documented in her Beauty Secrets. “For those with oily skin types, I recommend being more precise with application and applying Hollywood Flawless Filter where they want more of a glow,” Dalí-Trites notes. It’s all about learning how to make the product work for you—just as you would with any other makeup pick. Celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes believes it’s suitable for all skin types, tones, and ages. “I would say it works for everyone. There are lots of shades in the texture that suits all; you just need less if you have oily skin [versus] someone who is dry,” she says.
Like me, the founder of skin-care brand Naturium Susan Yara sought to demystify its uses on TikTok. “The way that I think is easiest to use this is before you put any foundation on,” she says in her video. “When you apply it before you actually put on your foundation, it actually just gives you a little more flexibility.”
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Even more: Below, Dalí-Trites provides this pro technique that “creates [a] complexion that looks naturally flawless, glowing, and effortless.”
- “For maximum glow, I lightly mist the Westman Atelier Highlighter Blending Brush with the Chanel Hydra Beauty Essence Mist, apply Hollywood Flawless Filter to the highest points of the face or areas you want to blur and illuminate like above the brow bone, on the brow bone, cheekbones, center of the nose, jawline and Cupid’s bow. I tap it in with the lightly misted highlighter brush and blend.”
- “Then, take a small Shiseido concealer brush and apply Chanel correcteur concealer where coverage is needed, blend, and leave the rest of the skin bare.”
- “Using the Nars precision powder brush (highly recommend a small powder brush like this one), I powder with the Westman Atelier translucent setting powder under the eyes, around folds of the mouth, and a touch on the center of the forehead.”
For more medium to full coverage, she recommends applying foundation and concealer first. “With a misted highlighter brush, apply the Hollywood Flawless Filter to the areas you want to blur and highlight, lastly powder under eyes, around folds of the mouth, and a touch on the center of the forehead.”
Et voilà, you’ve achieved a dewy, natural radiance with ease. I’ll admit that I am not a highlighter girl by any means—you’ll rarely find me buffing in an iridescent pigment to complete my look—but the product offers a dewy, no shimmer-glow that adds radiance and dimension. Once applied, my skin appears supple, smooth, and lit-from-within. Let’s just say I see what the hype is all about.
