Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Review

I wanted this product since the original was released 2 years ago but I didn't think it would show up on my skin tone. Fast forward 2 years later and they finally released one for those in the chocolate club (Medium-Dark) - cue happy dance! I was beyond SUPER EXCITED and snapped it up from Beautylish a few days after launch but unfortunately this is one item I wish I had the option to try before buying.

The entire packaging is truly a sight for any makeup lover and this is one brand that doesn't disappoint. It comes in quite an interesting little burgundy box that you pull apart from the centre to reveal another box that you open up like a wedding invite and then *gasp* there it is - the gorgeous textured rose gold compact that so many who have the original rave about.

It's a hard plastic compact, not metal like it may appear online, that has a little bit of weight to it so it doesn't feel cheap. It has a sturdy clasp that locks it into place so there's no risk of it opening up in your bag. Had it been magnetic then it would have taken a bit of the luxury away. Inside is a good size mirror and the two powders, each embossed with the relevant use SCULPT and HIGHLIGHT.

Was it worth the wait? Unfortunately no. I'm still confused at how this can cost so much and yet deliver so little. The formulae of the powders are phenomenal; they are highly pigmented, blendable and sit well on the skin but wow the actual functionality of these shades are unbelievably disappointing. It makes me wonder whether I should have gone with the original after all - but I have no interest in finding out after this splurge.

The sculpt shade gones on a dirty brown but it's easily blended out so don't be alarmed; it's really gorgeous and it almost redeemed this product BUT what's with the shimmer in what's suppose to be a sculpting powder? I learned this the flipping hard way. My face looked fine in my room but when I checked my face outside I was horrified to see all the shimmer. I only use this at night now - what's the point right?

The highlight shade gave me the most grief. It's point blank too orange to be a "highlight"; it could possibly work for those of a much darker skin tone than myself (i.e. I'm MAC 42-44) but what use would they have for the bronzer because it wouldn't show up too well. I tried lightly applying the highlight and it was "ok" but once in the light; there was just too much shimmer so can you imagine my face with both the shimmery bronzer and the orange highlight? I now use the highlight as a blush topper and eyeshadow.

I personally wouldn't recommend investing over $NZD100.00 on this product. Almost four months on I'm still using it- why? Because I spent good lunch money on this haha! You may find some use for one of the shades but is it really worth splurging that much just for one shade that you may be restricted to using at night or using it for anything but highlighting? Not for me.

After hearing amazing things about this bronzer highlighter duo I had to have it, but that price tag CRIKEY it doesn’t come cheap but hey we can improvise when it comes to makeup and beauty items, who knew broccoli and canned tomatoes tasted so good together. I waited roughly 10 days for this to arrive from beautylish. Oh the excitement was high the day it arrived.

The packaging, as always from Charlotte Tilbury is stunning and stands out, the gorgeous rose gold compact has the CT logo stamped in the centre with grooves starting at the logo and working outwards it truly looks gorgeous and I love it in my collection. Inside it has a big mirror that covers the length of the lid, perfect when you need a touch up during the day. It has a clasp that shuts it perfectly in place so there is no accidental opening in your bag.

I brought this for the light medium skin tones, the powders have the grooves matching the compact with “highlight” and “sculpt” embossed in each powder. The highlight shade is gorgeous, a peachy golden highlight that is easy to apply and blend. The sculpt powder on the other hand is just not quite my favourite, (this might sound weird) but the particles seem really big so I feel like I look like a disco ball and it’s harder to blend than the highlight shade. Maybe I’m not makeup savvy enough to use it to its full potential but I just can’t seem to make it work like the highlight shade. I have tried a lighter hand as I can be heavy handed but it’s just way too shimmery for my liking.

Overall though I’m a tad disappointed as I’m only using the highlight shade so feel like it’s a very expensive product for only using half the product. Wont be repurchasing and I doubt I will be finishing the rest *sob*

This is a luxury, high end product that I had been eyeing up for a while. I was incredibly lucky to win this product, however I will review this as if I had spent my own money on it, and I have spent money on other CT Tilbury/high end products.

The Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow is the ultimate of all luxurious, high end products. Contained within a solid, rose gold compact, the packaging includes a large mirror which makes it perfect for my handbag. Inside is a bronzer and highlight for light-medium complexions. I usually stay clear of duos, as I find that excess product makes the shades mix, but I haven't found this an issue as the compact is large.

The highlight shade is beautiful. It is an easy to manage, golden highlight that gives a natural yet definitely there glow. It is suitable for cheekbones, cupids bow etc, and doesn't need blending out. It is buildable for nights out or those who prefer a stand-out highlight. This is my favourite highlighter, and is perfect for a bronzed, summer glow.

Prior to using this product, I had been steadily using NARS Laguna as a bronzer/contour. I switched to the CT bronzer for weeks, as I was expecting to love it. Unfortunately, it is difficult to blend, making it appear muddy and patchy on the skin. It isn't terrible, but I just can't help but prefer NARS Laguna over this. In my opinion, this product isn't worth purchasing for the bronzer.

After months of owning this product, I am still undecided. This is a beautiful, luxury product that makes me feel extra special, however I do have a bronzer that performs better. Would I repurchase? No, but then I can't see this running out anytime soon. Would I go back and purchase this if I had had this opportunity to use it? Yes. I do love the highlight, I use it often and there really is something special about this product. BUT, I do spend a significant amount on beauty products and like to try new products. I am hesitant to recommend this, as it is a lot of money to spend on a single product.

Wondering if this is worth adding to your collection? It really depends what you already own, and how much you a willing to spend on beauty products online, where you can't try it out before purchasing. This product is quite different to anything else that I own (from a beauty addicts perspective anyway!). The most similar highlight I have seen is the Mary Lou-Manzier.. in the pan they look quite similar but on the skin the CT is more subtle and easier to manage. The bronzer is, well, pretty standard. If you already own a bronzer, chances are you won't notice a huge difference with this one, or may even prefer a different bronzer. Goodluck making your decision!

It isn’t horrible but it isn’t anything to run out and buy. It’s okay. You will only love the bronzer if you are that extremely light skin tone that has a hard time finding foundations that go light enough or you like it so natural that it doesn’t look like you have anything on, at all, even up close. I only ever use this to bake my bronzer as I’m baking the other parts of my face.

The reason it is okay is because the highlighter when paired with the right brush actually is not bad. It’s the only part of this I could see people really liking. You’re not going to blind anyone with this highlighter, if that’s your thing, though.

I wouldn’t run and get this unless you fit the descriptions above. Alternatively, if you do fit those descriptions you will love it and probably not find anything like it so go for it!

I was curious as to why this was raved about as it is so spensy. Till I tried it and I love it! I get the most beautiful soft diffused bronzed contour and a gorgeous glow. Let's start off with the packaging it's a gorgeous luxe gold, weighted compact and fingerprints don't show up all over it and it's easy to clean. It has mirror not that I ever really use it as I prefer bigger stand alone mirrors but if I needed to I could use it for parts of my makeup application or check on my makeup. Now for the bronzer. I have the compact in the shade light to medium. The bronzer is finely milled so that it goes on the skin without looking harsh when you contour or adding texture. It does have a bit of a cool undertone so I could contour with it but it also blends out without much effort and looks slightly diffused so that when turn your face to the side you don't see lines. You can also get a nice bronzed look with this and it photographs beautifully. Now for the highlighter. It is a gorgeous, beautiful highlighter it gives a lit from within champagne glow. It's also super finely milled and you never see glitter or even a lot shimmer. Instead when I apply it I see gorgeous glossy, glowy cheekbones. It doesn't emphasize any texture on my face. I can apply it on places where my pores are bigger like my nose and a bit on my chin without them standing even more. Both the bronzer and highlighter photograph beautifully. I liked how they looked in photos so much that I wore it to my sister's wedding when I knew there would be plenty of people snapping photos. I also like that I get a good flattering application with both products no matter which cheek brushes I use. I haven't had to pull out another brush because the one I had sitting in my brush cup that week didn't apply it the way I wanted it to. They are also the type of bronzer and highlighter that if you go slightly heavy handed it's easy to correct the mistake or it won't look overdone quickly. The only cons of this product is the price. I would recommend it for beginners but I know that beginners wouldn't want to jump the deep end with this spensy compact. But if you have the money to spend it's a worthy splurge in my opinion.

I managed to get this over Christmas and got the limited edition packaging which is absolutely stunning! I used the fair/medium compact. I don't usually like to wear a full face of makeup, so I like how both the highlighter and bronzer are together. I have a light olive skin tone so I found that the bronzer blended into my skin nicely and since the powder is quite fine, I could easily build up more coverage if I wanted more definition. I also used it lightly over my eyelids as a light shadow. I'm not much of a highlighter girl but I found it to be very subtle. Do I think it's worth the price? I think if you want the ease of having both in one stylish compact, that will last a long time for sure but if you prefer more of a stronger highlight you might be better to give this one a miss. As I'm lazy and prefer a more natural makeup look, I love using this.