Charlotte Tilbury

British makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury is one of the most important people in the glamour business. Her iconic eponymous beauty line, complete with pristine rose gold packaging and a color palette designed to bring out the glowing beauty of any face, include some of the most beloved cult-classic products in the industry: Pillow Talk lipstick, Lip Cheat liners, stunning eye shadow palettes, and of course, Magic Cream.

A bit of a party animal herself and heavily associated with models like her dear friend Kate Moss (known for similar behavior), the cream was invented using a special blend of various oils to rehydrate the face after a long night of too many drinks, too much fun, and too little sleep. She pokes fun at this in many of her YouTube videos, always slathering a lavish amount of the product onto whichever fresh face she's priming to paint.

What drew me to this particular cream was, despite my usual oiliness and tendency to break out (as you can read more on here), I often struggle with dehydration due in no small part to similar late nights like those that inspired Charlotte. I'm also a sucker for luxe packaging and expensive scents, so I decided to experiment by ordering a small, 15mL travel sized jar for $29.

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The tiny jar is crafted in the same shape as the full size and sits heavy in the hand like any high-end product should. Inside the jar is one of the loveliest moisturizers I've ever touched or smelled, with a faint floral scent that sits in the nose with pure grandeur.

I applied a small amount at first, then a bit more to evenly coat my face. The "magic" glow of which I'd heard began illuminating the tiredness under my eyes, filled the fine lines that gather atop my cheeks when I smile, and brightened the dark spots that tend to collect on my jawline. Out of reluctance to promote such an expensive product, I was fully prepared to unleash my inner hater but to my hesitant delight I found: this stuff really works.

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Even better, the glow and smoothness of my newfound angelic skin became the perfectly primed canvas on which to lay my makeup. I was worried about the grease slick my face might become by midday, but somehow the arcane magic of the cream's secret oils worked to control my own and with only a light dusting of powder to set, my skin looked wonderful all day.

That jar led to a larger jar, the full $100 investment (ouch!), and that jar has disappeared into my pores as well over the past three months. I'm on week two without my new favorite moisturizer, and I can already tell some of the texture and tiny lines are making a hasty return. My skin's oil production also seems less even without Magic Cream, but New York late summer humidity isn't helping my case much either.

Overall, Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream is–despite my hopes otherwise–entirely worth the investment if you suffer from dry, dehydrated skin or just want to achieve the type of glow that waif-like British supermodels seem to have naturally, even with a hangover. For $100, it's certainly an investment you'll want to use wisely and sparingly, but if you have the cash and love an opulent treat, grab a jar for yourself now.