Blurred Lines: I Tried Charlotte Tilbury’s New Airbrush Flawless Powder and Blush
September 3 | 6 minute read
Words by Madeleine Boles de Boer
It takes a lot of effort to look this low effort. My skin and makeup routine is a constant push and pull between taking down shine and adding glow back in for that elusive ‘lit-from-within' look. A Brightening Sun Serum adds glow, while my Serum Concealer counteracts dehydration. Naturally, I turn to the Queen of Glow herself for a filter-like finish. But adding colour back in, then locking everything down with powder, is where things get tricky. Despite my undying love for them, cream blushes have been known to slide off my cheeks by my 3pm snack, around the same time I’m reaching for blotting paper to deal with my T-zone.
With the best brands in the industry at my fingertips (a real occupational hazard when it comes to my bank balance), you’d think I would have solved this by now. A powder is the obvious answer to my perpetually shiny forehead, but anything promising to ‘mattify’ still makes me wary. Enter: Charlotte Tilbury and the latest additions to her iconic Airbrush Flawless range – Airbrush Flawless Blur Loose Powder and Airbrush Flawless Blush Blur.
Armed with the cutest heart-shaped powder puff you’ve ever seen, my forehead and I set off on a week of trialling two products that promised to set, perfect and blur, while retaining that all-important glow.
Loose or Pressed? A Pro Explains the Difference
Ready to powder my way to perfection, I stumbled at the first hurdle. How does one use a loose powder? And why would I choose this over one that has already been tested and tried the world over: the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder? I turned to MECCA’s Pro Trainer Hannah to find out how to get the most out of this beauty filter in a jar.
First up, should I just swap my pressed powder for loose? The short answer: no – they each have very different – and important! – jobs to do. “The loose powder is great for all-over setting; it can also be used to bake (Editor's note: a technique where a generous amount of setting powder is applied over foundation or concealer for a longer time to set the makeup). I would reach for the original Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder if I were on the go or was only setting a very light layer of complexion like a tinted moisturiser or even just concealer,” says Hannah. “If you are someone who always feels like makeup slides, if you are oily, or if your makeup just isn’t lasting, Airbrush Flawless Blur Loose Powder could be for you,” she added. Tick, tick and tick.
I followed Hannah’s advice and added a small amount of loose powder before rubbing into the palm of my hand to ensure even distribution and seamless application. I used the translucent shade, but it comes in six other shades for a range of skin tones. I set under my eyes, along my jaw and on my forehead. I expected to feel somewhat whelmed by the results, and I had nerves about looking cakey. But to my surprise, my skin looked, well, airbrushed – like how I look in the mirror before I put my glasses on. Fine lines, texture and – most importantly – excess oil melted away, leaving a lightly blurred finish behind that exceeded my criteria for radiance. Set with a spritz of the Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, I was ready to take on the day.
The true test came when my stomach reminded me it was time for my afternoon snack. My T-zone was almost immaculate – no separation, no dryness and no shine. Colour me impressed.
Can a Powder Blush Convert a Cream Blush Loyalist?
After a few too many run-ins with patchy colours and questionable blending, I converted to cream blush and bronzer products a few years ago and have never looked back. More forgiving when it comes to technique, I can swipe my way to looking halfway ‘done’ in a few seconds. So going back to powder was going to take some convincing. But Hannah quickly quelled my nerves with a fact about the new Airbrush Flawless Blush Blur that made it a lot less intimidating: “The Blush Blur is almost identical to the base formula of the original Airbrush Flawless Powder – so you are getting amazing setting and blurring properties in your blush.”
I tried the ‘Pillow Talk Medium’ shade – a cool-toned rosy pink that instantly lifted my cheekbones with that same filter-IRL finish. A tapered brush made for an easy blend, and I took it slightly up my temples and dusted my eyelids for a 2026 approach to blush. While it was noticeably brighter than my subtle-to-the-point-of-undetectable cream colour, I loved how much life it brought to my face. I wasn’t the only fan – even my husband and mum singled out my blush as looking great, which felt like a highly specific compliment coming from them. My favourite part, though, was its staying power. I hadn’t forgotten what shade I used by lunchtime, and before I washed my makeup off in the evening my cheeks looked just as flushed as they had at 8am.
The Verdict
As a self-confessed cream makeup loyalist, I was hesitant to add powders to my routine. But the Charlotte Tilbury promise of red carpet-worthy glow proved the right incentive to step outside my comfort zone. My makeup stayed put, my oil stayed at bay and my blush remained flushed. Instead of my usual light dusting of pressed powder and hoping for the best, I’ll be reaching for the powder puff a lot more often.
