Charlotte Tilbury X Norman Parkinson Filmstar Bronze & Glow: Sun Tan &Sun Light: Review & Swatches

The last item I have to go over from the limited edition Charlotte Tilbury X Norman Parkinson collection is the Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Sun Tan & Sun Light.

Per Charlotte's website: "This cream texture, contouring palette duo is inspired by the natural fall of sunlight and shade on the face and is designed to slim, sculpt and highlight your features, creating a naturally glowing complexion. Parkinson’s ability to capture light hugely influences how I think about makeup and Filmstar Bronze & Glow (Sun Tan & Sun Light) captures the youthful, soft-focus lens of his camera, giving you perfect holiday skin – a golden glow that enhances your facial framework. The cream textures have a fresh, dewy finish that is perfect for summer."

I thought this would be a cream version of her current Bronze & Glow when I ordered it, I didn't read the contouring part at first. This is similar, the bronze color is definitely darker and cooler. The powder version has been on my wishlist forever I just never seem to grab it, but I've swatched it. This comes in a plastic rose gold metallic case with a glossy photo on the top. The retail is $80 for 15.5g of product. The bronze color is ever so slightly larger than the highlight pan.

Sunlight:

"The creamy SUN TAN BRONZER melts into the skin for a natural tan. The formula has a natural luminous finish and coverage is light to medium. Refined pigments give a soft-focus effect, whilst spherical polymers allow perfect blendability and glide, for easy application."

"The warm, golden SUN LIGHT HIGHLIGHTER is an easily bendable cream, so that you can build up the color, from a highlighting veil of pearl to a more dramatic metallic effect. Soft focus pigments minimize any skin imperfections. Apricot oil adds moisture. A high percentage of pearls give a luminous finish, for a healthy bronzed glow."

I've been playing with this for about two weeks. The texture of the bronze shade is thin, creamy, easy to work with, and it has a drier finish after applying. It dries down some, not to a full powder feel but it's not as creamy as when you first apply it. I used to have the Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate in shade 1, from memory the Charlotte Tilbury bronze/contour shade might be a little warmer but seems similar in depth. I like Charlotte Tilbury's better texture wise for the drier effect as the Tom Ford was more emollient and more greasy feeling. I think this contour shade works well through medium skin tones, it might be too light past that. It may also be too dark for very light skin tones. It's cool enough to be used as a contour more so than the powder version. However, it's dark for a bronzer this will give you a very brown, dark, bronze effect, this won't be for light skin tones as a bronzer and I don't like it as a bronzer on me as a light-medium NC25-27 skin tone. It's too brown and dark, and feels a little dirty looking. Like I rubbed chocolate or mud on my face. There's no shimmer in this shade. This looks warmer in swatches than it does in person. It's very brown, with a hint of yellow, no orange. I would only use this as a contour, not a bronzer.

The highlight is a shimmery honey gold shade. It's not overpowering in the shimmer effect. It's like a more intense Wonder Glow. It's more emollient than the bronze shade, it doesn't dry down. It's thin, creamy and easy to work with. This won't be a highlight for really light skin tones, but it can add a summer golden warmth. Overall, this palette gives a summer feel, warm and golden.

I like using the Tom Ford #6 Cheek Brush or Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for blending this. I've used my fingers and brushes, both work. A brush is more precise for the contour so I prefer that, I prefer my fingers for the highlight. I've also used my Chkiuhodo G10 for a smaller more precise placement of the contour, then blend with the Tom Ford or Real Techniques brush.

At first I compared it with contouring products like my THREE Shading Stick, Surratt's Grisaille contour powder blush and Charlotte's Wonder Glow. I wish I had the Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate and Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder to compare. I then decided to add some bronzers in the swatches: Armani's Liquid Summer #90 and Tom Ford's Terra. I had no other similar highlighters to compare as I normally don't use golden ones. THREE is lighter, more pink, less brown. Surratt is lighter, much cooler and it's also the sheerest. Armani is lighter, more golden, and shimmery. Tom Ford is lighter, more pink, less brown. Wonder Glow is sheerer, less shimmery.

L to R: THREE Shading Stick, Surratt Grisaille, Charlotte Tilbury Bronze & Glow, Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow:

Top to Bottom: Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow, Charlotte Tilbury Sun Light Highlighter, Charlotte Tilbury Sun Tan Bronzer, THREE Shading Stick, Surratt Grisaille:

Top to Bottom: Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow, Charlotte Tilbury Sun Light Highlighter, Charlotte Tilbury Sun Tan Bronzer, THREE Shading Stick, Surratt Grisaille, Armani Liquid Summer #90, Tom Ford Terra:

Sunlight:

Edit on 7/20 to Add:

So I went to the mall today, I tested Tom Ford's Shade & Illuminate in #1, Kevyn Aucoin's Sculpting Powder and the newer Kevyn Aucoin duo cream form to compare to Charlotte's. I will say Tom Ford's is actually warmer, more yellow and Charlotte's is darker and cooler. They're still similar. The Kevyn Aucoin cream duo is similar as well, maybe a touch lighter and less brown than Charlotte's. Kevyn Aucoin's Sculpting Powder is lighter and much more similar to the Surratt than Charlotte's.

I also caved and bought Charlotte's powder Bronze & Glow so I'll swatch to compare but very different. The cream is much darker, cooler, browner, the cream highlight more golden. I feel the powder is more a bronzing palette, the cream more a contour palette.

L Powder, R Cream:

Top to Bottom: Cream Highlight, Powder Highlight, Powder Bronzer, Cream Contour:

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