Foundations with in-built brushes: yay or nay? I’ve always been firmly in the nay camp. Sure, they’re convenient, but those brush heads get dirty so quickly, and they’re impossible to clean. Just think of all the germs and gunk that end up on our faces every time we swipe them on. Ewww! Not with By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Foundation. This baby has a detachable brush that piqued my curiosity enough to try it. Here’s how it fared:
What’s In By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Illuminating Liquid Foundation?
SILICONES
There’s a reason why foundations are usually silicones-based. Silicones create the perfect makeup base. For starters, silicones fill in all nooks and crannies in your skin: they blur out the look of large pores, fill in fine lines and wrinkles so they look smaller, and smooth out the skin’s surface so that when the light hits, they don’t look so obvious.
Plus, they give slip to a product and make skin silky smooth to the touch. Without giving you pimples or suffocating your skin. Silicones have a particular molecular structure made up of big molecules with wide gaps in between. Your skin can still perspire through these gaps.
Related: Are Silicones Bad For Skin (Find Out What Science Says!)
MICA
Mica comes from the Latin word “micare,” i.e. “to shine.” Today, it earned the nickname of “nature’s glitter.” Guess why? Mica gives makeup sparkle and shine. This foundation doesn’t contain any obvious glitter (phew!), but you’ve still got mica to thank for that illuminating, dewy finish.
Related: Mica In Skincare: What It Is And How Does It Benefit Skin?
The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients
NOTE: The colours indicate the effectiveness of an ingredient. It is ILLEGAL to put toxic and harmful ingredients in skincare products.
- Green: It’s effective, proven to work, and helps the product do the best possible job for your skin.
- Yellow: There’s not much proof it works (at least, yet).
- Red: What is this doing here?!
- Aqua / Water / Eau: The main base. Helps dissolve other ingredients and gives the product a smooth, fluid texture.
- CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide: A white pigment that adds coverage and also gives some UV protection.
- Butylene Glycol: A humectant that pulls water into the skin and helps the product glide.
- Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate: A skin-conditioning emollient that adds moisture without feeling greasy.
- Glycerin: Classic humectant. Draws moisture to the skin to keep it hydrated and dewy.
- Sodium Citrate: Balances pH to keep the formula stable and gentle.
- Tocopherol: Vitamin E. Antioxidant that protects skin from environmental stress.
- Phenoxyethanol: A preservative that keeps bacteria from growing.
- Dextrin Palmitate: An emollient that helps improve texture and blendability.
- Parfum / Fragrance: Added scent (could irritate sensitive skin).
- CI 77491 / Iron Oxides: Red-toned pigment used for skin tone matching.
- Boron Nitride: Gives a soft-focus effect and helps with slip and staying power.
- Aluminum Hydroxide: Often used to coat pigments like titanium dioxide to improve stability.
- Titanium Dioxide: (Again!) Used here both as pigment and for UV protection.
- Methylparaben: Preservative that prevents mold and bacteria.
- Tetrasodium EDTA: Helps stabilize the formula by binding with metal ions in the water.
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: Skin-softening ingredient derived from coconut oil and glycerin.
- Ethylhexyl Palmitate: A lightweight emollient that gives a smooth, non-greasy finish.
- Polymethyl Methacrylate: A texturizing agent that helps blur pores and fine lines.
- Dehydroacetic Acid: Mild preservative often used alongside phenoxyethanol.
- Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate: A gentle emulsifier that helps oil and water mix.
- Talc: Absorbs oil and gives a silky-smooth feel.
- Lauroyl Lysine: Adds a creamy texture and helps pigment glide on skin.
- Silica: Oil-absorbing powder that controls shine and gives a matte finish.
- Hexyl Cinnamal: Fragrance compound with a floral scent (can be an allergen).
- Linalool: Another fragrance component (can also be irritating to sensitive skin).
- Limonene: Citrus-scented fragrance ingredient (another potential irritant).
- Benzyl Salicylate: Used for fragrance and mild UV protection.
- Hydroxycitronellal: Adds a fresh floral note (also flagged as a possible irritant).
- Palmitic Acid: Fatty acid that helps condition skin and stabilize emulsions.
- Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone: Synthetic fragrance compound with a violet-like scent.
- Geraniol: Floral fragrance component found in rose oil.
- Eugenol: Spicy, clove-like scent ingredient.
- Phoenix Dactylifera (Date) Seed Extract: Antioxidant-rich plant extract with skin-conditioning benefits.
- Silica Dimethyl Silylate: Helps control oil and improves the texture of the formula.
- Coumarin: Fragrance ingredient with a sweet, vanilla-like scent.
- Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Sterols: Plant-based skin-conditioning agents.
- Prolinamidoethyl Imidazole: Skin-conditioning ingredient that helps boost moisture retention.
- Caprylyl Glycol: Hydrating ingredient with antimicrobial properties.
- Sodium Hyaluronate: A form of hyaluronic acid that deeply hydrates and plumps skin.
- Hexylene Glycol: Solvent and moisture-carrying ingredient that helps everything mix well.
Texture
This stuff goes on like a silky serum. It’s light, smooth, and has that slightly whipped, mousse-like feel when you first click it out. Blends super easily – no streaks, no dragging. It doesn’t feel cakey or heavy, and it melts into the skin like skincare, not makeup. If you hate thick foundations, you’ll probably love how breathable this one feels.
Pigmentation
Sheer, but buildable. Click once for a sheer, luminous finish. Twice for a more intense, almost medium coverage. Neither covers serious imperfections, like heavy dark circles or breakouts, though. I need a concealer for that.
Staying Power
Not a long-wear warrior, but not a total ghost either. It lasts around 8 hours on my combination (more dry than oily) skin. On oilier skin, it might start fading or sliding a bit by late afternoon – especially if you skip primer or powder. It’s more of a “natural finish, reapply if needed” type of product than one you can count on for a 16-hour day.
Fragrance
It’s got that classic rose By Terry scent – light, floral, a little powdery. If you’ve used their other products, you’ll recognize it instantly. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s definitely there. If your skin’s super sensitive or you hate fragrance in your base products, you might want to tread carefully.
How To Use It
Click the bottom to release the right amount of formula onto the angled kabuki brush. Apply on your skin and then blend in circular motions working from the centre of the face outwards.
Packaging
The newly improved version of the iconic Light Expert, the foundation now comes with a detachable brush. You can easily unscrew it after every application (ok, I do it after 2 or 3, cos I’m lazy like that) and give it a good wash. Yay for hygiene! Plus, the slanted kabuki brush is super easy to use and makes application foolproof.
Performance & Personal Opinion
The foundation comes with a slanted kabuki that makes it easy to follow the contours of your face. The bristles are super soft to the touch, but firm enough to blend everything seamlessly. If you have time, that is. When I really take the time to work it in, I get a flawless, streak-free application. When I’m in a rush, I’ll just brush it on, and use a sponge, or even just my fingers, to blend it in.
The way the product is dispensed makes application easier too. Rather than appearing in one huge dollop in the center, four little drops appear every time you give the foundation a click. This way, foundation is more easily distributed all over the face. Handy, isn’t it?
By Terry Light Expert Click Brush is infused with light prisms and camouflage micro-pigments that reflect the light, helping hide imperfections and brightening up the whole face. It gives me that lovely healthy glow we’re all craving for, but in a very natural way. It’s my skin but better in a tube.
It’s also incredibly versatile. I use it mostly as foundation. I click, place the brush on my face, stroke, dab, and blend it out from the center all over the face. Normal stuff. It evens out my skin and gives it a dewy glow that lasts most of the day. But it doesn’t cover serious imperfections like dark circles or spots. But you can also use it as highlighter. Just apply it on those areas where the sun naturally hits your face – like your cheekbones, your cupid’s bow, and your forehead – to get that angelic, natural glow.
And it’s great to touch up foundation. When half of it has already disappeared off my face, I don’t have to take the rest off too and do my makeup all over again. I can just apply By Terry Light Expert Click Brush on top of it. It never looks cakey. Best of all, it works with any foundation.
What I like about By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Illuminating Liquid Foundation
- The texture is beautiful – light, smooth, and blends in like a second skin. It doesn’t sit on top or feel heavy.
- It gives that “my skin but better” glow without looking shiny or greasy. Super natural, super fresh.
- The click-brush design actually works. It’s mess-free and distributes product evenly without overloading one area.
- You can build it up from sheer to medium without it going patchy or settling into fine lines.
- Perfect for touch-ups – layers well over other products without caking or looking obvious.
- It’s versatile: works as foundation, glow-booster, or even a subtle highlighter on bare skin.
What I don’t like about By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Illuminating Liquid Foundation
- Coverage is light. It won’t hide dark circles, redness, or blemishes – you’ll definitely need concealer.
- Doesn’t hold up great on oily skin. It starts fading by late afternoon unless you set it really well.
- The built-in brush is nice, but not the fastest if you’re in a rush. You’ll still need to blend with fingers or a sponge.
- It’s fragranced with that classic By Terry rose scent – not strong, but if you’re sensitive, it might be a dealbreaker.
- You go through it quickly. Between daily use and the click dispenser, the product runs out faster than you’d expect – especially for the price.
Who Should Use This?
Women with good skin who are looking for a sheer, illuminating foundation for that my-skin-but-better look.
Does By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Illuminating Liquid Foundation Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| Light to medium coverage. | True. |
| Lightweight comfortable formula. | True. |
| Radiant complexion. | True. |
| Travel friendly. | True. |
| This clever long-lasting liquid foundation reduces redness, erases blemishes, targets dull complexion and leaves a natural finish that feels like a ‘second skin’. | It’s longlasting, brightens a dull complexion, and feels like a second skin. But it doesn’t hide imperfections well. |
Price & Availability
£48.00 at Sephora and SpaceNK
Do You Need It?
If you’re already got pretty good skin and are looking for a sheer, dewy foundation to enhance it even more, this is an excellent option to consider.
Aqua / Water / Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Ci 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Glycerin, Peg/Ppg-18/18 Dimethicone, Sodium Citrate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Dextrin Palmitate, Mica, Parfum / Fragrance, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Ci 77491 / Iron Oxides, Boron Nitride, Aluminum Hydroxide, Cyclohexasiloxane, Titanium Dioxide, Methylparaben, Tetrasodium Edta, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Talc, Lauroyl Lysine, Silica, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Limonene, Benzyl Salicylate, Hydroxycitronellal, Palmitic Acid, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Eugenol, Phoenix Dactylifera (Date) Seed Extract, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Coumarin, Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Sterols, Prolinamidoethyl Imidazole, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hexylene Glycol. (T32201B1)
About Gio
Hi, I’m Gio. I’m a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever – every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what’s worth the splurge and what’s best left on the shelf – using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.
