You can’t have an interest in the skincare industry without knowing about Charlotte Tilbury. Her skincare and makeup is loved by critics the world over, but it’s a brand I’d never had much personal interest in. Why? Like Benefit, I’d mentally filed it as a makeup-first brand, with skincare as an afterthought.
Then a huge Aspinal of London box turned up with a big sticker on the front reading ‘Mr. Tilbury’. Assuming this wasn’t a coded marriage proposal from Charlotte herself, I was intrigued at the prospect of targeted men’s skincare, but inside the stunning leather, MANFACE-monogrammed bag was the Charlotte Tilbury core line plus the new Unisex Healthy Glow.
Now, the actual feature product, the Unisex Healthy Glow, I don’t really care for. There’s nothing wrong with it, but when you’re as paper-white as I am, all tinted moisturisers look odd; there’s just no way to blend them in. It’s one of those colour-burst products that comes out white and changes on blending. On me the colour was a terracotta-peach and way too dark. For reference, in cover and concealing makeup I’m Bobbi Brown 0, adding ‘depth’ with 0.75.
What did catch my eye was Charlotte’s Magic Cream.
It’s just my kind of moisturiser: water-based but thick in texture, not greasy, so it’s perfect for dehydrated skin. On application my skin felt immediately comforted, and they’re not joking when they say it makes you look better, I went from Gremlin to Gizmo in 30 seconds.
It’s loaded with antioxidants, a broad-spectrum SPF15 for all-year protection, moisture-binding hyaluronic acid and a range of essential and non-comedogenic oils for conditioning. There’s a touch of dimethicone in the top quarter of the ingredients, but that doesn’t bother me much. There’s a little shea in there too, which, formulated correctly, is great for oil-prone but dehydrated skin: it helps restore the acid mantle and regulate the skin without being heavy or pore-blocking.
I can honestly say Clarins Beauty Flash Balm pales in comparison, both visually and for skin health, though it’s worth noting Magic Cream is twice the price at £70 for 50ml.
So while I’m not a fan of the Unisex Healthy Glow, I’d happily recommend any guy check out the Magic Cream. I’m yet to use the other bits from the kit, but if this is anything to go by, they’re a safe bet.
Update
The Magic Night Cream is also gorgeous. It’s a gel-balm texture and, though a touch sticky until it dries, it’s enormously comforting and gives you that same Magic Cream feeling when you wake up. Big thumbs up.
Leave a Reply