'I tried the *identical* dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's Flawless Filter. Here are my honest thoughts."

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your weekly review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellness. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Senior Lifestyle Writer Erin Docherty reviews the new MCoBeauty Flawless Glow to see if it’s worth the hype.

Everyone knows MCoBeauty always brings the goods when it comes to affordable products that look, feel and act the same as the spendy stuff. 

The products become the kind of stuff everyone in the You Beauty Facebook group froths over on the regular. (If you're not already a member, please do yourself a favour, friend).

Watch: Remember that time I tried 10 pumps of foundation on my face? I do. Post continues below.

Now, you might've realised the brand is like a spinning door of new launches and literally churns out a new product every three seconds. It can be hard to keep up with them — but it was their most recent launch that grabbed my attention.

Because as this fresh, newborn product wandered its way across my desk, I immediately mistook it for someone else. Quite a famous product, in fact. 

It looked awfully like Charlotte Tilbury's Flawless Filter — but... not?

In its teeny, tiny, just-new-to-the-shelves voice, the product said its name was actually 'Flawless Glow. MCoBeauty Flawless Glow.'

And because there's nothing we love more than a very good dupe, I knew I had to give it a whirl.

So, here are my honest thoughts. 

What is MCoBeauty Flawless Glow?

A good place to start. MCoBeauty Flawless Glow Luminous Skin Filter is described on the website as a four-in-one multi-tasking complexion perfector. 

It says it can be worn alone for a lightweight subtle glow, under makeup as a luminous primer, mixed with foundation to add a light-reflecting glow, or on top of makeup as a highlighter. 

At $34.99, it's around half the price of Charlotte Tilbury's cult Flawless Filter ($65). A fairly big difference.

But how does it shape up?

Well first off, they look almost identical. Like, the packaging is EXACT. 

Similar to the cult Flawless Filter formula, MCoBeauty's newbie comes in a glass bottle (she's weighty). It even has CT's signature rose-gold lid and a similar design/font/colours on the front of the packaging. Ooft!

Looks almost, completely... the same

Here's a little side-by-side comparison:

Compare the pair.

She's pretty dingin' close, no? (Yes). 

When it comes to the actual formulation, MCoBeauty's version touts hydration-boosting squalene among its key ingredients. It says it also contains "finely milled powders to blur the appearance of pores". 

Charlotte Tilbury's number has similar ingredients and also contains squalene, along with "finely milled powders" to "help blur the appearance of lines and pores". 

Very similar!

So, how did you go with it?

I received two different shades of the new MCoBeauty Flawless Glow formula — 2.5 'Fair' and 3 'Light'.

The 2.5 'Fair' ended up closer to my natural shade, so I went with this.

Image: Supplied

Now, I've tried Charlotte Tilbury's Flawless Filter before, but I'm also a die-hard fan of any versatile tinted formula that's going to up your glow. 

When it comes to my individual skin, I tend to slink around the dull side, so I like to wear these kinds of formulas alone or under my foundation for added radiance. My skin's also dry, so love anything that's going to give an extra boost of moisture/not make you feel like your face is flaking off by 2pm.

I've tried a lot of different formulas, with Holme Beauty Primer being my current favourite (and the winner of the You Beauty Awards for the best Newcomer! NBD) — so I'm very on board with adding new favourites to my kit.

So! The product. Back to the product.

As mentioned, the packaging is obviously identical. But it goes right down to the applicator, too — with MCoBeauty's version also having a doe-foot sponge. 

Image: Supplied

The texture of the formula is also very similar — it feels pretty lightweight and sheer but offers a hefty amount of glow. One layer provided enough coverage for me, but it's definitely buildable and I found it really easy to blend with a sponge. 

Here's what my skin looked like without any makeup (on the left) and what it looked like wearing MCoBeauty's Flawless Filter and a lick of mascara (on the right).

Left: Bare faced. Right: MCoBeauty Flawless Filter.

The formula made my skin look really radiant and glowing, but I was nervy that I was on the cusp of looking like the Tin Man. 

It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but it just looked a bit... too intense for wearing alone, and I felt that I needed to add a bit of foundation or concealer over the top.

So, I decided to go back and blend a sheer foundation formula over the top with a damp sponge (I used Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation).

And you guys, this combo was a real winner. My skin went from looking like a dull rag to a sheet of metal to a juicy grape that drinks four litres of water a day.

Image: MCoBeauty Flawless Glow worn underneath Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation.

So, yeah — mixing is definitely the best combo for my skin type.

The verdict.

As my skin has been drier than usual (chillier weather) (also, perpetually thirsty skin), I was interested in seeing how this held up throughout the day — I was honestly expecting some flaking or weird patches to pop up.

However, I was actually really surprised. I found this formula to be really comfortable and lightweight throughout the day. My skin still felt hydrated and happy (thanks to the squalene, I reckon). 

Overall, I was really impressed with this newbie. While it might not be one I'll wear alone (see: Tin Man vibes), it feels like a really great everyday kind of formula to slap on under my foundation for an added boost of glow.

If you're a fan of the cult Charlotte Tilbury formula, you'd be a silly goose for not giving it a whirl. Not only is it half the price of the O.G., but everything from the packaging to the formula is pretty much identical. You can't go wrong.

Would you try MCoBeauty's new Flawless Glow? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Feature image: Supplied; Mamamia.