The product: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Blush Glow

Summers are softer than the rest of the year. Soft edges, soft textures, soft beds – a mess of blurry lines. It’s the only time of year that I’ll wear bronzer, and a blush like this one (with its cloud-like brush) fits well into the season. The Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Blush is something that I would never touch in the fall, but want to roll in a bed of it all summer long.

The look: I can’t quite describe what it is about this blush and bronzer kit that I love so much. Both shades are well-pigmented, and best suited for fair skin. The bronzer is soft and easily blendable, sculpting the face without looking muddy. And the blush is… Unremarkable, in a remarkable way. It looks like any other shimmery coral pink, a bit reminiscent of mass hits like Nars Orgasm. (Minus the inane gold shimmer.)

In the pan, neither of these shades look like much. But on the face, they create a wonderfully sculpted result. They’re well-pigmented, the blush more so than the bronzer.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Blush Glow swatches (indirect sunlight)

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Blush Glow review

The brush: This kit comes with the Charlotte Tilbury Mini Artistry Blush Brush, which I’m suspecting is the reason why it’s so goddamn expensive. The brush is divine. It’s plush and soft, with a distinctive high-end-artificial feel. It doesn’t buff product into your cheeks, it strokes them.

I’ve tried this cheek kit with different (worse) brushes, and the results are never quite the same. It just goes to show that makeup is never just one thing: it’s always a matter of product, technique, and tools.

The Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Blush Glow (Light to Medium) mood

At almost $100 CAD, the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Blush Glow is not something that I’d call a must-have. But as a literal vanity piece–something exorbitantly expensive that’s going to sit on your vanity and class it up for ages–it’s delightful. 

This set is definitely expensive, but I sort of look at it as a half-blush, half-brush equation. Charlotte Tilbury is a high-end line, and the Bronze & Blush Glow is barely more expensive than the Bronze & Glow duos – making it a more comprehensive option at a similar price point.

Availability: $98 CAD, online only at Charlotte Tilbury.