Glamour is second nature to Charlotte Tilbury. The British makeup artist and founder of her eponymous skin care and beauty line even sleeps in her makeup. Tilbury hits Los Angeles for the Academy Awards each year, where she transforms A-list clients such as Penelope Cruz, Amal Clooney and Jennifer Lopez into next-level idols for the red carpet.
"Everyone wants to be the most beautiful, mesmerizing and flawless version of themselves when they walk the red carpet and I love that I get to help so many of my gorgeous friends achieve that," she says. To do it, she relies on a strict schedule (gluten-free toast and scrambled eggs at Chateau Marmont at 7 a.m., interviews at 10 a.m., clients at 2 p.m.), a team and a whole lot of research: "The colour of the dress is the key to the makeup look," she says. "I consider the shape too and the fabric. How does it flow? Does it cling to curves or skim over the body? Are we going with an ethereal golden goddess look or a chic sophisticate or classic mood?"
As for her signature look, Tilbury favours a few essentials. "The first port of call is a glowy base, with a flawless filter to it," she says. "Then, contouring, which is simple Hollywood makeup 101: cheeks, jaw, temples, eyes and now nose contouring has more recently become a thing – all the celebrities want it."
Here, she shares everything that helps make the magic happen.
1. Magic Cream
"It's like an instant miracle working cream for the skin and has become a cult favourite around the world. It contains camellia oil, rosehip oil, bio-nymph peptides and hyaluronic acid – instantly flooding the skin with moisture. I never apply makeup without it; it gives me the perfect glowing base."
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, $125 through charlottetilbury.com.
2. Hollywood Flawless Filter
"It's the ultimate high gloss, high glow celebrity-skin-filter-in-a-bottle! You can wear it under foundation, instead of foundation or on top of foundation in the areas where you want to glow the most."
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, $50 through charlottetilbury.com.
3. Mason Pearson hairbrush
"Each time you use this brush, it stimulates blood flow to the roots of the hair and spreads essential oils to the ends, to give a gorgeous healthy sheen. I always like to make sure I have plenty of volume in my hair, especially at the crown."
Mason Pearson All Boar hairbrush, $330 at Delineation (delineation.ca).
4. Hand-Held Makeup Light
"Good lighting is essential for any makeup. I always use a bright makeup light to ensure the finished looks are as flawless in real life as they are on the red carpet."
Tweezerman mini LED lighted 15x mirror, $32 at Shoppers Drug Mart (tweezerman.ca).
5. Dior Homme sunglasses
"They are glamorous, chic and good for covering tired and exhausted eyes!"
Dior Homme Blacktie 219 sunglasses, $365 at Holt Renfrew (holtrenfrew.com).
6. Dolce Vita palette
"I love the decadent molten bronze-y golds and rich chocolate shades. They really make my green eyes pop and give me that gorgeous come-hither gaze! I wear it with a feline flick to elongate and enlarge the eyes and lashings of mascara."
Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Palette, $66 through charlottetilbury.com.
7. Pointed Q-tips
"Pointed Q-tips are my must-have beauty bag essentials – great for cleaning up any little makeup mistakes. Dipped in a little of my Magic Cream they are your best friend for correcting the perfect feline flick."
Q-Tips Cotton Swabs Precision Tips, $11.97 through amazon.ca.
8. Sam McKnight Texturizing Spray
"I love Sam McKnight's Cool Girl texturizing spray. It's ideal for throwing into my bag when I'm on the go between appointments and parties for an instant volume boost."
Sam McKnight Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist, $46 at LAC+CO (lacandco.com).
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