The Charlotte Tilbury Make-Up Range

Charlotte Tilbury’s announcement of a make-up line this summer got me over my disappointment of a lackluster GTA V. As one of the most iconic make-up artists working today, she has been transforming women into modern vixens longer than I have been born. Stars like Ali McGraw, Barbara Bach, and Ursula Andress are often referenced in her look board for the shows. She encapsulates a moment in time with her makeup, with the ability to polish a face to be as close to perfection as possible. What sets her apart from other face painters of our age is that Tilbury is not conceptual as Dick Page or Pat McGrath-she is all about the glamour and sophistication. The fact that she was now lending her tools and tips to the public to learn her craft and magic literally had me reeling in ecstasy. 

The Charlotte Tilbury counter at Selfridges London feels like a warm haven of make-up extravagance. The members of staff look genuinely happy to help you, taking each individual through an item, as if it were created specifically for you-and they sure are convincing.  Let’s face it, the girls at the Dior counter are frankly quite robotic and make you want to teach them a thing or two about a great brow.  It does help to know that some of them work with Charlotte on the shows, and others have been trained specifically for the role by Tilbury herself.

Charlotte Tilbury Products

  One observation out of many was that a Charlotte Tilbury Brow never looks fake and drawn on. Poorly down eye-brows are a sad epidemic at the moment; or at least at the Mac counter. A Tilbury brow looks luscious and groomed; arched perfectly at the corner. That is what had me falling for her ‘Brow Lift.’ The surge in the full brow look had me with doubts, but one of Tilbury’s assistants revealed that an eye brow pencil is a mandatory product in a Tilbury eye look. If you skip filling in your brows, then it’s as though you've bared your eye look without mascara. I could actually see truth in this idea. Filling in my eyebrows after a smoky eye, does give a sense of neatness and finality to my look. The great thing about brow lift is that it’s a squared off applicator so application is quick in a few deft strokes, then angling it towards the end elongates the eye.  A dainty little peach highlighter is included within the pen that enables you to highlight the brow bone and the inner corner. It works wonders on the cupid bow too.

My previous experience with Charlotte Tilbury’s foundation formula was with her fun little MyFace Cosmetics range at Boots. I remember how hydrating and glowing it left my skin, so I could only dream of what her re-invented premium foundation 'Light Wonder' was to be like. Sadly cosmetic companies don’t recognize realistic dark shades for women of colour. They’re either too orange or too pale. I went for my best bet with Shade Number 3, which is like a moisturizing veil on my skin. I would describe it as a cross between Chanel Vitalumiere and Mac Face and Body foundation. It won’t leave you with every single imperfection covered but it will leave your skin looking like a halo.

The iridescent halo effect was what I was hoping for in the 'Wonder Glow' illuminator. Unfortunately, I was left really disappointed with this product. It did not sit well underneath my foundation or any base for that matter. Mixing It with my moisturizer just makes every single imperfection on my skin stand out even more. Couple that with a shimmery face and it just looks disastrous. But it did work wonders as a highlighter strategically placed applied last in my make-up routine. I simply grab my foundation brush and lightly dab a few layers of this gleaming liquid onto my high points-cheekbones, bridge of the nose and cupid's bow and its gives a natural highlight.

Now the most exciting part of the range-the 'Swish and Pop' blushers. I am a big sucker for a great blusher. Ask anybody and they’ll tell you that their Holy Grail make up item is mascara. As for me, it’s blusher. Blusher does so much for a face than any other product can. It adds structure and depth to your cheeks, makes you look healthy and feminine. A look without blusher makes me feel shapeless.

There is such ingenuity behind Tilbury’s concept of the swish and glow with an outer circle and an inner colour. It’s a really clever way of helping women to structure their cheekbones. You simply contour the cheek area with a dulled down shade, while adding a flush of colour to dictate the center. Named after five lustful names, I opted for Love Glow and subsequently Ecstasy. Love Glow is a pastel sugary pink that is a luminous version of Nars ‘Desire.’

I’m not too keen on 'Love Glow'. Mine broke in the post and I had to use rubbing alcohol to mold the broken powders together, so it applies like a faint-toned cream blusher that smells strongly of bleach. How gross. Luckily, Charlotte Tilbury’s team saved the day by sending me ‘Ecstasy’ to replace the broken product.  There are so many things I love about this shade. ‘Ecstasy’ is a shimmering amber shade with peach tones that enlivens my dark complexion beautifully. The texture blends perfectly into the skin, while leaving an even colour pay-off. What’s not to love?

The star of the base range would be the 'Airbrush Flawless Finish' face powder. I have never been so impressed by a face powder. Face powders are often my worst enemy, they either leave my face looking chalky and dry. The 'Airbrush Flawless Finish' however, manages to make up for a lackluster base. It fills in every pore and leaves a natural veil over the skin, smoothing over any bumps and just giving a generally perfected finish. I have even resorted to using it on its own after moisturizer because it works so well at giving a good thin coverage.

As for 'The Retoucher' concealer, it marries beautifully onto my skin. Touche Eclat and Nars Creamy Concealer are going to be put on hold for a little while, because I am in love with this magic pen. It is the creamiest formula that just glides onto my under eyes, after patting it in it smooth the under eye area and stays put forever. Do be warned, I have just brought this today, so I am on a bit of a high about it.