Makeup mogul Charlotte Tilbury reveals her most coveted beauty secrets
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The end of the 2020 awards season may have been canceled, but that hasn't stopped makeup mogul Charlotte Tilbury from pressing pause on the beauty world.
British-born Tilbury, who has made a name for herself both on the red carpet and as one of the cosmetic industry's leading brands, has kept makeup lovers in quarantine content with one innovative launch after another. And it's no surprise that each of her pioneering products has accumulated quite the impressive waitlist. Her Airbrush Bronzer garnered over 5,000 waitlist customers in its first week, while her new moisturizing Magic Cream Light also received impressed reviews.
We caught up with Tilbury to chat all things makeup, her top skincare tips and her biggest beauty inspiration.
How has your take on aging evolved over the years?
“Ever since I first became a makeup artist, I have always expressed the importance of daily skincare routines with supercharged skincare products to take the best care of your skin. It’s important at every age. So much screen time can be super dehydrating for the skin and can damage the skin’s natural protective barrier, in turn leading to the breakdown of lipids and collagen, which are responsible for keeping the skin hydrated, supple and youthful-looking."
What role does beauty self-care play in times of uncertainty for you?
"Beauty and self-care in times of uncertainty are incredibly important, darling. I am a firm believer that skincare is self-care! During the last few months, I have been spending A LOT of time on self-care and I’ve found myself gravitating even more to my morning and night-time skincare rituals. My skin is looking better than ever! I am also loving at-home skin treatments, I’ve been giving myself at-home facials using my supercharged skincare products."
One of Tilbury's favorites is her recently launched Magic Cream Light, a lightweight moisturizer formulated with UVA/UVB and blue light protection. " [It's] so important as we’re spending longer in front of screens!" Tilbury says.
Who is your biggest beauty inspiration?
“I have so many beauty inspirations – icons from the past and my gorgeous friends today who I always look to for inspiration. My amazing mother Patsy has always been one of my biggest beauty inspirations – she is always so glamorous. I created my Patsy Red lipstick from my Hot Lips 2 collection in homage to her. She introduced me to the powerful, magical world of makeup as a young girl. I channel my beauty inspirations through my collections too – my Hot Lips lipsticks are all inspired by incredible, iconic women and men from all of whom have been an endless source of inspiration to me.”
Can you talk about some of your biggest skincare secrets?
Skin:
"Having been a makeup artist for over 27 years, I have SO many skincare and beauty secrets. I always say you can’t have a beautiful painting without a beautiful canvas and my secret for a gorgeous, glowing canvas of magic skin is to NEVER do makeup without my supercharged skincare routine. I talk a lot about the importance of layering when it comes to skincare -- makeup glides effortlessly on to the skin when it’s super hydrated."
Lips:
"The secret to cheating fuller, wider-looking lips is my Lip Cheat Lip Liners (Sephora, $22). You can create the effect of fuller, wider-looking lips with a flawless finish instantly. The wax and oil-rich formula works beautifully as a stencil, helping lip color to last."
Eyes:
"I’m known as the Queen of the Smokey eye. It’s my go-to look for every occasion!. I even have a famous smokey bedroom eye I wear at night! My beauty secret for creating the ultimate smokey eye that’s super-flattering and super-wearable is to follow my quick and easy 4 steps routine."
1. Start by using the prime shade, which is a light and eye-enhancing shade, and wash it over the eyelids back and forth like window wiper, taking it right up to the brow bone with a soft Blender brush. This instantly brightens the appearance of the eyes.
2, Next follow with the slightly darker enhance shade, with the same windscreen wiper motion but this time, focus on blending the shade into the crease of the eye socket.
3. To create more definition, apply the smoke shade, a deeper, rich shade, using a Smudger brush and run this shadow along the lash line and outwards into a V-shape.
4. To finish, no smokey eye look would be complete without a POP of molten sparkle pressed on to the lid. My POP shades are so finely milled and emollient-rich it makes the eyes glisten in an instant!"