3 Real Women Tackle Their Skin Woes

Unless you're an actually perfect human, you're likely struggling with some type of skin concern. Whether you're dealing with acne scars, dullness, dark circles, or redness, a clear, bright complexion can feel impossible to achieve. The most obvious place to start is with your skin care routine, but the right foundation can add that extra bit of polish to your look. After all, the right base can make a big difference between a FaceTuned-looking complexion and a cake-y one that's ultimately doing more harm than good.

So when the much-hyped Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation finally hit my desk, I squealed with excitement. I had to try it on the spot to see if it would actually live up to its claims of concealing and correcting. Supposedly it works on dry, oily, and combination skin, while simultaneously tackling every skin concern in the book. Dry patches? Redness? Large pores? You name it: gone.

But perhaps the biggest difference with this foundation and every other one on the market is the ingredient list. It's jam-packed with potent antioxidants and anti-aging ingredients that you'd normally find in your skincare products. There's hyaluronic acid to plump and draw moisture to the skin, super-charged vitamin C to boost collagen production, and some fancy mushroom extract that'll tighten your pores over time.

So in order to show you what the hype is all about, we teamed up with Charlotte Tilbury and tested the Magic Foundation on three girls who battle with very different skin concerns.

Discoloration & Dark Circles

Nisha says that her biggest skin concerns are the dark circles under her eyes and the sun spots on her face. Charlotte Tilbury National Lead Artist Maria Riskakis recommends prepping the skin by applying a light amount of Charlotte's Magic Cream to her combination skin.

"Starting from the center of the face, massage the cream in a circular motion to allow the blood to flow better and bring circulation back to the skin," she says. Then, after it settles in, apply a dime size amount of the Magic Foundation with a brush. It's lightweight, but still provides medium to full coverage. For areas that require more attention (like sun spots), dab on some more with your fingers and don't worrying about the texture feeling (or looking) cakey.

Rosacea

Heather's all-around flushed complexion and persistent dry skin is what most dermatologists would call rosacea (though only they can diagnose you for sure). Start by applying a generous amount of Magic Cream to restore hydration levels, paying close attention to the skin around the eyes.

"Then dab some Magic Eye Rescue in a circular motion starting from the outer corners of the eyes so you don't pull the skin," says Riskakis. After applying the Magic Foundation, the redness on Heather's skin completely subsided. The finish felt so natural and soft that you'd think she wasn't wearing any coverage at all.

Tired Skin

While Dawn doesn't have any major visible skin concerns, she does have this thing called skin fatigue that we all have dealt with first hand. School, work, the environment: they all contribute to the lack of luster in our skin. So to revive Dawn's dullness and bring a whole new meaning to a radiant complexion, Maria once again prepped the skin with some Magic Cream before layering the Magic Foundation on top. In Dawn's case, the antioxidants from the vitamin C almost instantly brightened her skin, and the coverage was so flawless that it looked like she wasn't wearing anything at all. And thanks to the demi-matte finish, the rough patches around her chin and nose were concealed without looking dry or flaky.

This post is sponsored by Charlotte Tilbury.

Images: Lauren Perlstein; Makeup: Maria Riskakis; Hair: Matt Fugate