This year Charlotte Tilbury, the makeup maestro who’s worked with every big name from Kate Moss to Rihanna, Victoria Beckham, Kate Winslet and Naomi Campbell, celebrates 20 years in the business with the launch of Charlotte Tilbury Makeup. Tilbury is entering the market this September with a stateside launch of her skincare and makeup collection at Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Net-a-Porter.com.
“My brand is all about easy-to-choose, easy-to-use products, really makeup made easy,” she says. “All my products treat and transform, so they have skin benefits whilst making you look beautiful.”
Charlotte Tilbury
For Tilbury, it’s about sharing the power of makeup with every woman and democratizing the beauty industry.
“Beauty is not an exclusive club,” says Tilbury, who was shocked to find out that 50 percent of women do not engage with makeup. “The beauty retail environment is outdated and overwhelming; there’s so much choice and so little direction.”
For her line’s sleek gold and brown packaging, Tilbury went with a high gloss finish, rose gold gilding and a vintage-inspired star burst motif: “I was inspired by the cigarette cases of the 1920s, the beautiful cut-glass perfume bottles of the 1950s and the timeless allure of Paloma Picasso’s lipstick.”
DuJour sat down with the beauty guru to snag her secrets and talk about the all-encompassing collection of primers, moisturizers and makeup.
Charlotte Tilbury Makeup
What’s the best beauty advice you’ve ever received?
Always use an eyelash curler before mascara—it’s like an instant push-up bra for the eyes. Also, you can never wear enough mascara! Use three coats and lift from the root for a gorgeous, multi-layer falsie effect.
What’s your beauty mantra?
To create a beautiful painting, you need a beautiful canvas. I start every makeup look with my miracle-working moisturizer, Magic Cream, which literally floods the skin with moisture. It’s power-packed with active ingredients like hyaluronic acid and BioNymph Peptide Complex that promote cell renewal and collagen production.
Cheek to Chic Blusher
What’s different about your products?
Throughout my 20 years as a makeup artist and through the product development I have been a part of for many high-end brands—like MAC, Giorgio Armani and MyFace—I have always strived to find the perfect product. Even though I worked with the best VIP formulas before they come to market, I always wanted more: pure perfection. I have never found a foundation that I truly fell in love with and I used to use concealers mixed with cream. I was always looking for the Holy Grail of mascaras—I used to have to mix five to get the result I want.
What makes your collection stand out at makeup counters?
Practical, easy-to-use products don’t have to look boring. I wanted to create beautiful, aspirational packaging that is reminiscent of a bygone era of glamour and decadence but reinterpreted for a modern woman; light-weight, compact packaging that is non-breakable, doesn’t leak and is makeup bag friendly.
What’s the quickest and best way to look put-together?
Cheat killer cheekbones and a defined jawline with my wondrous Filmstar Bronze & Glow and Powder & Sculpt Brush. Simply dip a precision brush into the natural Sculpt shade, suck in your cheeks and follow the hollow. Dust the Highlight shade on the top of the cheekbones, down the nose and on the cupid’s bow for a stunning candlelit effect and a slimmer, sculpted face.
MORE:
Keeping Up with Red Carpet Stylist Kate Young
Beauty Genius Tips for a Fresh New Look
Top Dermatologist Secrets for Camera-Ready Skin
