Celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury drums up excitement whenever her eponymous beauty line launches a product. So when Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter hit shelves earlier this month, we dropped everything to test it out. Tilbury’s makeup and skin care goods have enjoyed many viral moments on TikTok for their ease of application and skin-transforming results. And if these powder highlighters are anything like Tilbury’s bestselling beauty wands, they’re poised to be veritable sensations.

Before we get into our testing review, it’s worth nothing that celebrity makeup artists are already taking a shine to this shimmery powder. In the few weeks since its launch, Jessica Chastain, Aubrey Plaza, Phoebe Dynevor, and Lily James (who’s featured in the product’s campaign) have sported it on red carpets ahead of the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. One box we can tick off on our testing list? This powder photographs beautifully.

Celebrity News

Pamela Anderson Channels Old Hollywood Glam at the 2026 CFDA Awards

Celebrity News

Jordyn Woods on This NBA Season's 'Lucky Bag' and Creating a Beauty Brand Someday

Highlighters tend to have subtler color payoff than blush, contour sticks, and bronzer, but they play an equally important role in accentuating your facial structure and defining the contours of your face. The formulas bounce light wherever you apply them, which makes your skin appear hydrated and radiant, as if you’ve slathered on a super rich facial moisturizer. We’ve seen loads of newness in the cream highlighter category in recent years, from sheer balm sticks to pearly liquids that melt into your favorite foundation. So we had high expectations for Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter when it landed on our desks, wondering if the powder highlighter category is about to get a makeover. Read on to find out.

Sign up for WWD’S Shop newsletter to get the scoop on the best in beauty and style with in-depth reviews of exciting new releases and buyer’s guides to find the products you need to try ASAP.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter

Product tested: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter
Testing time period: Two weeks
Application method: I used a soft powder brush to dust the powder onto the high planes of my cheeks and on the bridge of my nose. To illuminate my inner eyes, I used a smaller eyeshadow brush to blend the formula onto my lids.
Size: 0.24 oz
Number of shades: 6
Pros:
- Doesn’t settle into fine lines
- Radiant finish
- Sheer color payoff allows for seamless blending with other products
Cons:
- Pan is loose in the compact, so it may fall out
Testing review: This highlighter is intensely radiant and a breeze to apply with a makeup brush or your fingertips. The shade range suits fair to dark skin tones, and the sheer color payoff gives you plenty of wiggle room when you’re choosing a tone. A little goes a long way, so it’s well worth the price.

Courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter $48 Buy Now AT SEPHORA

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter $48 Buy Now AT NORDSTROM

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter $48 Buy Now AT REVOLVE

About Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter

It’s no secret that lighting impacts our appearance — the warm glow of golden hour, for example, has a way of softening the look of our skin. With this powder, you’ll have A-plus lighting at your fingertips thanks to its unique finish. The formula has incandescence without coming off sparkly: Tilt your face, and you’ll notice a barely-there sheen wherever you applied it. As for the texture, this highlighter contains emollient ingredients like squalane that prevent the formula from caking, prolong the wear time, and make it easy to blend. Consider it a powder version of Charlotte Tilbury’s popular Hollywood Flawless Filter Foundation (a bottle is sold every 30 seconds, according to the brand). Both deliver radiance without making you look shiny or greasy.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter Editor Testing Review

At first glance, Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighters look just like any other pressed powder: The compacts contain large, shallow pans of pearl, cream, soft peach, and bronze pigments with noticeable sheen. But my perception changed after swiping on the product — these powder highlighters are unlike any I’ve tested before.

I applied the fairest shade, Moonlit Glow, and immediately noticed that the formula’s color seemed to disappear on my skin, but pore-smoothing radiance remained in its wake. The blurring finish matches that of the best setting powders. I’ve since swatched other shades, including Pillow Talk and Champagne Glow, and each have a similar effect on the skin, with minor differences in undertones. The color payoff is so sheer that choosing a shade is strictly a matter of personal preference.

The highlighter’s silky texture prevents the powders from settling into fine lines while you wear it. Instead, the pigments sit lightly on your skin without caking or creasing throughout the day. Not only does this even out any texture on your complexion; it also extends the wear time of your makeup look.

How We Tested Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter

To test Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter, we first applied the product on bare skin to note its color payoff, texture, and feel. Then we tested the formulas over cream, liquid, and powder complexion products, noting if different textures impacted the wear time or ease of application of the highlighter (it did not). We tested three shades with multiple application techniques, using clean fingertips and loose blush brushes to diffuse the powder onto the high planes of the cheeks and bridge of the nose. To blend the powder on the inner corners of the eyes, we used a densely bristled small eyeshadow brush. Throughout the two-week testing window, we noted if the powder transferred, creased, or caked.

Meet the Author

Claire Sullivan is the Senior Beauty and Lifestyle Commerce Editor for WWD and Footwear News. She’s spent over five years researching, reporting on, and writing about the beauty industry for publications like Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle, and Byrdie. She’s swatched hundreds of highlighters during her career, be it a balm, cream, liquid, or powder. She tested Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter for two full weeks, taking notes on the color payoff, packaging, ease of application, and wear time in different environments.

WWD Recommends

Ferran Torres Talks World Cup and That Hat

Character Study: Classic Men’s Looks with Modern Updates

Thom Browne and Teyana Taylor: Designer and Muse

CEO Talks: How Gucci Westman and David Neville Are Building a Luxury Beauty Brand for the Ages

Icebreakers with François Arnaud

Getting Ready for Marc Jacobs 2026 with Nicky Hilton

'Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans' Stars Talk Costumes and Society

Getting Ready with Kerry Washington & Michael Kors

Head to Toe: How to Style Outerwear for Everywhere

A Tour of the New Hermès Madison Avenue Flagship

Adidas Terminates Yeezy Partnership With Ye With Immediate Effect

Louis Vuitton Launches New Exhibition in NYC

Willy Chavarria Takes Us Backstage of His Energetic SS23 Collection Minutes Before Showtime

Head To Toe: Transitioning Your Wardrobe

A closer look at LaQuan Smith's new collection and designing for Beyonce

WWD Report Card: Beyoncé’s Fashion ‘Renaissance’

Men’s Spring 2023 Trend: Skin Show

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Stars Kim Chi and Trixie Mattel Launch Beauty Collaboration

Zoey Deutch Shares Her Red Carpet Favorites and What it's Like Backstage at the Met Gala

A Look at Serena Williams’ Best On-Court Tennis Outfits Over the Years

Megan Fox’s Best Fashion Moments Over the Years

WWD Report Card: Selena Gomez’s Fashion Evolution

The Biggest Fashion Collaborations of 2022 — So Far

5 Things To Know About The Louis Vuitton And Nike Air Force 1 Sneaker Collection

LAUNCH PAD: First Look at the New J. Crew

WWD Report Card: Brad Pitt vs Ryan Gosling

Report Card: Rating the Looks from Paris Couture Week

First Impressions: Paris Men’s Spring 2023 | Day 5 | Kenzo, Hermès, Thom Browne

First Impressions: Paris Men’s Spring 2023 | Day 4 | Junya Watanabe, Dior, Officine Generale

First Impressions: Paris Men’s Spring 2023 | Day 3 | Issey Miyake, Amiri

First Impressions: Paris Men’s Spring 2023 | Day 2 | Lemaire, Givenchy, Reese Cooper

First Impressions: Paris Men’s Spring 2023 | Day 1 | John Elliott, EgonLab

First Impressions: Milan Men’s Spring 2023 | Day 2 | Versace, Fendi, Armani, MSGM

First Impressions: Milan Men's Spring 2023 | Day 1

First Impressions: Milan Men’s Spring 2023 | Day 3 | Etro, Prada, JW Anderson

Hot Summer Bags

WWD + Beauty Inc. at Cosmoprof 2022

On the Red Carpet at the 2022 Met Gala: All the Looks

'And Just Like That' Costume Designers Talk Process for New HBO Show

Netflix's 'Halston' Costume Designer Talks Working with Ewan McGregor

Video: J Balvin on the Deeper Meaning of the J Balvin x Air Jordan 1 Sneaker

Video: How Princess Diana’s Fashion Choices Hinted at What Was Happening Behind Palace Doors

Video: Do These Outrageous Celebrity Fashion Looks Hold Up?

Video: Sarah Cooper — Writer, Comedian, Trump Impersonator, and More

Video: Bob the Drag Queen Grades Legendary Fashion Looks

Video: Supreme Court Style: Inside the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Collars

Video: The Origins of French Girl Style à la Chanel

Video: WWD Presents 'Creating Queer'

Video: Model Shaun Ross Talks Diversity in the Fashion Industry

Video: Fashion for All CEO Hannah Stoudemire On Her #BreakingtheSilence Campaign⁣

These Inclusive Face Masks Provide Functional PPE to All Frontline Workers

Most Popular

WWD

Get all the top news stories and alerts straight to your inbox.

Enter your Email

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Celebrities Love Charlotte Tilbury’s New Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter — We Do, Too.

Recent Articles by Claire Sullivan

Related Articles