Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Skincare Review

In March I met celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury. You can read more here. I left our meeting with lots of goodies to try but wanted to spend some time using each of the products before I reviewed them. 

I’ve split the reviews into skincare and makeup. Skincare first…

Charlotte’s Magic Cream (£70.00) - For over 20 years Charlotte mixed her own age-defying potion for supermodels and celebrities. It became known in the industry as “Charlotte’s Magic Cream”. It’s a secret mix of anti-age ingredients which are now packaged in a gorgeous vintage style pot for us ordinary folk to buy. The cream itself is very moisturising but settles into the skin without leaving any greasiness, giving a light dewy finish. Would I buy this product? Yes. It really suits my skin which is very sensitive and my makeup sits really nicely on top of it. I’ve received lots of compliments recently about my makeup but I actually think it’s largely down to this product. Although it is on the pricey side, I think it is worth the investment. I’ve been using it now for about two months and am still only half way through the pot. It gives my dehydrated skin a real glow and is the perfect base for my foundation. It also contains SPF which is important in a day-cream!

Magic Night Rescue Cream (£100.00) - This is a really rich luxurious night cream, it feeds your skin overnight with a mix of 8 ingredients, including Winter Daphne Stem Cell Extract and Time-Released Retinol. Would I buy this product? Probably not. It did leave my skin lovely and moisturised but I found it a bit too heavy to put on just before bed (most of it ended up on my pillow which, at £100.00 a pop, is a bit of a waste). I probably should have applied it earlier in the evening to allow it plenty of time to settle in before going to bed but, realistically, I’m not disciplined enough to take my makeup off when I first get home from work. I‘ve still got most of the pot left which I’m going to keep using as a moisturising treatment for whenever my skin feels dry. When I met Charlotte she applied the cream to one of my hands and there was a clear difference when compared to my other hand, so I can definitely attest that it works but, for me, I’d rather use the Magic day cream as a moisturiser. 

Magic Eye Rescue (£40.00) - This claims to reduce the appearance of eye bags and dark circles, smooth crow’s feet, minimise fine lines and re-energise the delicate under eye area. It’s a rich moisturiser which is really refreshing when patted onto the skin. Would I buy this product? Yes. You only have to apply a tiny amount, a little goes a long way so the price doesn’t concern me. I’ve noticed a difference in my under-eye concealer when using this product underneath first. My concealer no longer dries out and creases after a few hours of wear. 

* The above three products can be purchased together as the Magic Skin Trilogy for £195.00

Multi-Miracle Glow (£45.00) - This product comes in a huge pot. It can be used in several ways, either as a cleanser, a mask or a balm. It’s like a gel but is very light on the skin and absorbs nicely. I use it mostly as a cleanser to remove my makeup at the end of each day and it leaves my skin lovely and soft. It has Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil and Cranberry Seed Oil which are anti-oxidant pure oils to moisturise the skin. It also had extracts of frangipani flower to soothe and purify dirt and makeup. Vitamins A, C and E also feature to smooth wrinkles. Basically a wonder product! Would I buy this product? Yes. It’s a gorgeous product to have on display in my bathroom with its rose gold lid and a real treat to use at the end of each day and for the size of the pot I think it’s good value.

Goddess Skin Clay Mask (£45.00) - This mask is based on an ancient Mediterranean beauty recipe, which combines nutrient-rich Spanish clay with Sweet Almond Oil. Would I buy this product? Yes. Unlike other clay masks this one does not dry out and harden. I use it a couple of times a week and my skin looks much brighter afterwards. 

Lip Magic (£25.00) - A soothing lip balm to moisturise and plump the lips. Unlike other balms I’ve used, this works well with lipstick applied on top as it isn’t too greasy. I have actually been using this for daytime with a Charlotte Tilbury lip-pencil and they work really nicely together. Would I buy this product? Probably not. Shortly before I got this I purchased a Chanel lip balm which comes in bullet form, like a lipstick. I prefer this rather than having to put my finger in the pot, which is more hygienic. I’d definitely buy it again if it came in bullet form though as I really like the texture although I think £25.00 is a bit steep for a lip balm.  

Supermodel Body (£45.00) When I met Charlotte she called thisGisele in a tube”. It is a shimmery product to sculpt your limbs. It has a roll on metal applicator which makes it really easy to highlight down the centre of legs and arms. Would I buy this product? I used this when I was in Portugal recently and it was an ideal product to have on holiday to apply in the evenings and the scent wasn’t unpleasant like a lot of tanning products. I’d definitely buy to use on holiday again but probably wouldn’t buy it for every day use. 

Take It All Off Eye Make Up Remover (£24.00) - An oil-rich cleanser, enriched with soothing organic cornflower water and regenerating Veronica Extract. Two pumps onto a cotton pad removes makeup while also caring for and replenishing the eyes. Would I buy this product? Yes. It removes makeup quickly if you apply it to a warm damp cotton pad and hold it against your eyes for 10 seconds. Makeup comes off with one swipe so no rubbing the delicate eye area. I also like the pump action which makes it really easy to use. 

The Charlotte Tilbury makeup review will follow soon…..

Cocktail Saturdays was a guest of Charlotte Tilbury and was gifted the above products to review.

Charlotte Tilbury

Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury is renowned for creating gorgeous beauty looks for celebrities like Adele, Penelope Cruz, Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Aniston. She is best friends with Kate Moss, and did Amal Clooney's wedding day make-up when she married George Clooney in Venice.

every woman wants to feel beautiful, powerful and sexy and that make-up is a great way to achieve this

Not quite content with her success as a make-up artist, Charlotte has recently launched her own make-up products. Her aim with the ‘Charlotte Tilbury’ range is to bring her famous red carpet looks to reality for women around the world. She is passionate about make-up, firm in the belief that it is “a woman’s secret weapon”, and wants to engage the 50% of British females who do not use beauty products to their advantage. 

She has tried to simplify make-up by packaging her range into 10 carefully edited, signature looks which can be bought as a kit, meaning that you can’t go wrong when you recreate it at home. My personal favourite look is Uptown Girl which is “groomed, glossy, gorgeous perfection.” Having been raised in Ibiza, the glamorous bronzed look has become Charlotte’s signature style, which all her products reflect.

The range is sold nationwide in selected stores, including John Lewis Liverpool, as well as a flagship “beauty boudoir” in Covent Garden. It has had great success since its launch two years ago and is highly regarded within the beauty industry. The packaging, the range of colours and textures, but most importantly the quality, have catapulted the brand into an award winning bestseller which is loved by celebrities, models, makeup artists and editors. It’s no surprise that this week Charlotte has been nominated for the Veuve Clicquot Business Women Award 2016.

give a woman the right make-up and she can conquer the world

For Charlotte, the formula of her products is paramount. She has beavered away with her team in secret laboratories to perfect her magic lotions and potions for the past 5 years, until she was finally happy to release it to the public.

I truly believe that make-up can change your life!

Having gained her expansive knowledge of beauty through working at top level for the past 20 years at the forefront of the industry, she has poured all her best-kept secrets into her make-up products.

She has a very refreshing stance on beauty, that women should not feel guilty for wearing make-up saying it can help make the best version of yourself, calling it “the incredible transformative power of make-up.”

I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to attend an event earlier today to meet Charlotte at John Lewis in Liverpool to learn more about the range.

Before I arrived I visited the brands counter in the beauty hall of John Lewis. It’s very glamorous and buzzing with beautiful sales people. I was served by the lovely Jodie who applied the Filmstar Bronze and Glow.

Charlotte is a fan of contouring providing it is done correctly. This product does just that. There’s no awful orange or grey tones, just a clever blend of pearl and pigment to give a perfect sun-kissed complexion. Think J-Lo!

The product is also Paraben-free which is a huge plus for me and my sensitive skin. Jodie also applied a lip-pencil in Pillowtalk and a coating of Bitch Perfect lipstick which were both beautifully nude. Once my transformation was complete I was lead upstairs to a private room to meet the lady herself. 

Charlotte was absolutely lovely, and spoke for over 90 minutes about her products with such passion. This isn’t just a brand she has put her name to, she has carefully selected each and every product and its formulation and knows her brand inside out.

During her talk she gave us an insight into her life as a make-up artist and was open and honest about herself and the industry. I have to say I was really impressed with how down to earth she was and how much time she spent talking through her products. She was really warm, absolutely hilarious and only too happy to answer questions and pose for photographs afterwards.

Equally her team were all lovely, each of them taking the time to demonstrate the products on us while Charlotte spoke. At the end of the talk we were all gifted a make-up bag containing a look for us to take home. I was given Uptown Girl and can’t wait to try the products. 

I’ll post a follow up review once I have had a chance to try each product individually. In the meantime, here are some titbits about Charlotte:

- Her husband has never seen her without make-up, she takes her make-up off at night and then immediately reapplies it before bed
- Her favourite cocktails are Margaritas and Skinny Bitches (vodka, lime and soda)
- Her favourite place in Ibiza is La Paloma in San Lorenzo
- Her biggest inspirations are Coco Chanel, Estee Lauder and Helena Rubinstein, who famously said "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones”
- Kate Moss is godmother to both of her two young children
- Her father is an artist and she used his painting brushes as inspiration when designing her makeup brush collection
- She has over 220 black dresses and over 350 pairs of shoes in her Notting Hill home, only one set of which are flats

A huge thank you to Charlotte and her team for such a lovely day, and a big thanks to John Lewis for my invitation.

www.charlottetilbury.com