Which Charlotte Tilbury (or other) products for my wedding day?

[ImGettingMARRIEEEED]

I'm getting married in 2025 and want to do my own makeup. I've heard really good things about Charlotte Tilbury makeup but would like some guidance before I buy! Any other brands are also welcome.

I prefer very natural makeup rather than full glam. My usual routine is just a light foundation, a bit of bronzer and some mascara and I don't want to sway too far from that for the wedding.

My skin type is oily. I don't want to spend masses but am happy spending slightly above high street prices for something that's worth the money.

What I'm aiming to buy:

• A foundation, something that's not too heavy but that will stay put all day and won't make me look even oilier than I usually am.
• A setting spray, is CT the best to go for or are there others?
• A blush, something discreet because I tend to get a bit red in the cheeks anyway!
• A lip tint. I absolutely hate reapplying lip products all day so if there's a tint or something that then that would be perfect.
• A bronzer, maybe.

I think that's all. Am I forgetting anything? Any recommendations would be wonderful, please!

I have been using Charlotte Tilsbury for 8 year, my daughter does too. We like a natural look with a little bit extra for special events ( little not lot).
I have shopped for it in lots of different places and have, every time, found the sales assistants absolutely brilliant. They will sit you down, listen to what you like and then try it out on your face, teaching you what to do at each stage. Never been pressured into buying everything.
The only thing I don’t get on with is their mascara, I prefer Mac who also are a brilliant brand

My skin is super oily and the CT setting spray is worth the hype. I’ve tried soooo many. I recently went for my make up trial and tried their setting spray and it lasted about 4 hours. The CT one lasts a good 10-12 hours for me until I get slightly oily

Just to show you that CT do do natural
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=charlotte+tilsbury+natural+look&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c1368904,vid:b4o2OqQMjKg,st:0

I really did not like the products from CT that I’ve tried (airbrush flawless foundation - it is very thick and cakey, and made me very oily) HOWEVER it does look nice in photos so maybe test it out first. It smells really weird though! I was just very drawn in by the rose gold shininess of the brand, daaaaahlings!

I second Laura mercier. Absolute game changer, and every product I’ve tried from there is lovely! The tinted moisturiser has replaced foundation for me, so if you want a more natural look it might be your scene.

Came on here to recommend Lisa Eldridge videos as well.
Not a fan of CT myself - the lipsticks are lovely but the skin products aren't good for oily skin and just aren't that impressive in general. There's better stuff out there.

I’d recommend hourglass. Very lit from within.

I am porcelain skin tone and recommend Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier for tints and foundations. I do not find the CT mascara great and now only use the setting spray. Would you consider having a lash technician do your lashes? I find it much better than trying to apply mascara. You can have very natural looking lashes these days. I am also a 2025 bride (January). I have treated myself to an MUA. I have found one who does natural looking makeup, your best you! I want to look my best self in the images both professionaI and personal photographs. I would not worry about paying for others, if they want to have the MUA services then just tell them they will need to self fund it. It is your special day not theirs.

I wouldn’t go for CT for a wedding day. Especially don’t think about the mascara which ends up on your cheeks within an hour.
I really don’t rate her eyeshadows either. And she looks like a drag queen so I don’t think she’s a good advert for her products.

I ADORE CT but I am loving Nars foundation at the moment. For a lovely glow blush and highlighter wands from CT are great and I am often complimented when I wear them ❤️

Thank you for all of your help! I've ordered the Charlotte Tilbury setting spray, as well as the Bobbi Brown Weightless foundation, so I'm excited to try them and see how well they hold up.

I'm still debating whether or not I book a MUA, I think it's going to depend on how well I do myself, really. Between hair and makeup I much prefer spending money on hair, mine is long and I'm planning on wearing it down and would love some soft boho waves, so if I can't figure it out myself then I'll prioritise spending my money on that.

Fingers crossed the makeup is good on me!

@CommanderMariettaHay I have thought about having a lash technician do my lashes, but I'm worried that it'll damage them in the long run. I have surprisingly good eyelashes so don't really want to ruin them for the sake of one day!

Please go to a counter and get samples- I was so unimpressed with the CT foundation. Looked nice for 5 mins and then split and did not last - tried the magic and the airbrush. Did not even last an hour going round a warm shopping centre after the make up assistant had applied it. Might be my skin I do not know.
Lately I fancied a new eye shadow palette and bought a CT one on ebay new and boxed - £15- it had poor colour density.
CT is a triumph of marketing over quality

I use the flawless filter foundation and absolutely love it, it’s so natural and you can build it up if you want a bit more coverage in certain areas. I used the CT light wonder before it got discontinued and this was my all time favourite, with the flawless filter being a close second. If I need some more coverage or if I’m particularly oily (my skin is combination) I then use their setting power to lightly take away some of my shine.

I also love their setting spray, and would highly recommend it.

I used to love BB. However, since Bobbi herself is no longer involved I feel the quality and options have changed. The foundations are all yellow-toned, which doesn’t suit everyone. They no longer do the creme eyeshadows in the pots and the sticks (IMO) aren’t anything like as good. They no longer do as many colour options in eyeliner and mascara either.

I love the Bobbi Brown eyeshadow sticks and always preferred them to the pots as I found them quicker to use. I haven't found that the quality has changed and I've been using them for years. For eyeshadow that will last all day on your wedding, apply some powder eyeshadow over the top.
I'd definitely recommend a tubing mascara for zero smudges. I love the Hourglass and Estée Lauder double wear ones, but there are good ones at all price points.

IME, Charlotte Tilbury make-up is for people who want to look made-up. Like, 'Wow! Who did your make-up?' levels of made-up. I had a makeover there before my hen night and several friends I hadn't seen in a while greeted me quite cautiously when I arrived at the bar, as if they weren't 100% sure it was me. Admittedly, the MUA was trowelling on every single product available but 'very natural' it is not.

Lisa Eldridge has similar levels of MUA expertise but the results are a lot more subtle and flattering. Her Seamless Skin foundation is fantastic; her eyeshadow palettes are easy to use and really long-lasting, and the Velvet lipsticks are incredible. Plus, she has really good, step by step Youtube tutorials, in which she often mixes high end lines with high street options.

I thought the sticks were rubbish @Housewife2010, no staying power and much less colour choice than the pots. They didn’t bring the same colours over either; I LOVED Sand Dollar, that was my everyday go-to eyeshadow, also liked Heather, Velvet Plum and Galaxy. I use other brands now but man, I miss those pots!

Hello again, I'm back!

So, I bought the Bobbi Brown Weightless foundation and whilst I quite like it and it's better than what I was using before, it's not staying in tact on my face long enough for my liking. I also bought the Charlotte Tilbury setting spray and I quite like it, but even with the spray, the Bobbi Brown one isn't lasting long enough. I've been experimenting with it for a couple of weeks now, and I'm not 100% happy (but if it was just for a day to day foundation, I think it's good!)

So I'm looking for more recommendations! My friend used the Charlotte Tilbury foundation for her wedding and liked it, I've seen I can get a travel size version on Sephora, so may buy that to try but I would only want to use a light layer, I don't want to look too "made up" - is this possible with this foundation?

I also always hear about NARS foundation (ever since the beauty blogger youtube days!), so may look into that. Any experiences?

I use the Rimmel Stay Matte powder and have done since I was a teen, but feel like it might be a bit too cakey. Is the CT one better? Or any others that really stand out?

Hourglass is good.
I have a lot of CT and it's hit and miss, a couple of bits have been make up revolution quality in luxury packaging. I swear by the setting spray and finishing powder though, always repurchase them when they run out. Her bronzer I really like too and it's subtle as doesn't look muddy.
Natasha denona concealer is nice and the NARS creamy concealer. I also really like the NARS foundation. CT foundation was nice and glowy, I've tried a few but they accentuated the texture / pores on my face and made it looks worse than it does without any make up on, so I gave up on those, but NARS has a blurring/ filter effect. You said you want natural but for pictures then make up doesn't show up much unless you wear a bit more (completely up to you but make up artists strategically add a bit heavier for pictures) eyeko mascara is my favourite, have been wearing it for years and find it the least clumpy.

Charlotte Tilbury is not very natural looking make up.

It's not very good quality either.

Chanel would be better.

NARS foundation was what my MUA used on my wedding day. I think it was a mix of Radiant Longwear and Sheer Glow. Her other suggestion was IT Cosmetics CC cream.

I used Hourglass concealer as I have some dark blemishes I needed to cover, but the MUA would have used CT if it was just for lightening undereyes etc. Laura Mercier powder to set.

For setting spray - Urban Decay? Also are you using a primer? My MUA used Bobbi Brown Face Base (££££ but it worked).

Getting a natural look but a long-lasting finish is as much about technique and skill as about the products though. PP also makes a really good point about it looking different in photos and in person. You say you don't want to spend on trials - how much are you going to end up spending testing all these products?

Thanks for the tips! It looks like CT is consistently quite 50/50 for people so I'm going to try NARS first and see what I think, thank you!

@owlexpress You make a very good point, but it'll still be a lot cheaper than trials, etc. So far I've only bought 2 products, one of which I'm happy with and I'm buying the travel sizes of the foundations just in case I don't like them. Overall, I don't wear much makeup in day to day life and getting a makeup artist etc just isn't a priority for the day itself.

I don't have any opinion on CT or Bobbi Brown (except to say I used to love BB eyeshadow sticks, but now there's much less product in them - last one barely lasted a couple of months).

Anyway I was told, by a MUA I trust, that people who do their own wedding makeup underestimate how much the camera washes them out - and how quickly heat and fluster can melt makeup away! So whatever brand you use it's a good idea to step out of your comfort zone a bit and go for a heavier, more dramatic look.

@ImGettingMARRIEEEED It's your decision, but I feel like you're approaching that back to front. I also don't wear much makeup day to day and therefore getting a MUA was definitely a priority for me because I'm not skilled in doing my own. It takes the pressure off in the morning and is one less thing to do/worry about. It would be like saying you don't really bake or eat cakes, so you're just going to make your own wedding cake. It's just unnecessary time spent focusing on learning a skill you don't need. If you're definite on minimal makeup and don't have any problem areas (acne scars or birthmarks etc) you probably don't even need a trial.

I think it depends on your skin type, i got suckered in by the Charlotte T hype, and i do like some products .. i've tried almost all though, and only re-purchase two. The setting spray and the pressed powder.

I personally find the foundations and lipsticks drying and cakey. The blush and eyeshadows are too pink and bright - i like a very natural look (i still don't get the pink eyeshadow vibe but maybe it just doesn't suit my skin tone).

When ordering from CT though, they do send out samples so you could order the setting spray for example and get foundation samples to try.

Have you looked at Chantecaille? I have not tried their foundations - though I believe they are highly rated (award winning, went viral etc), as I normally only use powder, but I do have some of their eyeshadows and lipsticks. If you want natural and light then they are exquisite. Definitely more expensive, but also cruelty free as a bonus.

https://chantecaille.com/products/future-skin

https://chantecaille.com/collections/lipsticks