If there is one makeup brand that appeals to just about anyone and everyone, it’s Charlotte Tilbury. It’s one of those makeup brands that have hit the sweet spot where they appeal to both 20-somethings and 50-somethings. From those of us who love a barely there, natural makeup look to those who go full red carpet glam for evening occasions, Tilbury has us captivated with her versatile products and lust-worthy packaging that we all want in our makeup bags.
We’ve all seen the ultra-glam campaigns with none other than Kate Moss, Jourdan Dunn, Twiggy, Lily James, and now Bella Hadid, who has recently joined the brand’s band of beauty muses. And if you haven’t, you’ve no doubt seen several reviews of Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup on TikTok and Instagram. (I’m looking at you, Beauty Light Wands.) As such, many of the brand’s products have reached sell-out status and are particularly hard to get your hands on. And we all know that when you’ve had your eye on something and can’t get hold of it, it only makes you want it more. That said, we now live in a world where we’re inundated with product reviews on our social feeds, and it can be hard to know when a beauty product is actually worth it.
So to find out which Charlotte Tilbury makeup is truly deserving of its hype, I decided I’d try some of the brand’s best-selling makeup products myself, and I have thoughts. I’ve listed my edit of favourites below—let’s see if you agree.
This is one Charlotte Tilbury product that I had overlooked, but when I tried it, I fell in love. I generally don’t like primers, but this one is silky smooth, non-greasy and lightweight, making it perfect for makeup prep. That being said, it looks great worn by itself too—it’s not glitzy in any way, but it does add a subtle sheen to the skin to give it a bit of oomph. The addition of SPF 50 is a bonus.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this product, and I think it’s because it’s so versatile. This luminizing liquid can be used alone to give your skin a healthy glow, mixed in with your regular foundation or applied as a highlighter. When I went backstage at Annie’s Ibiza’s debut show at London Fashion Week, makeup artist Sofia Tilbury was using this on the models’ skin to give them that lit-from-within radiance, and I was sold.
I have to admit I wasn’t sold on this foundation when I initially tried it, but I’m since converted. If my skin is on the drier side, it does have a tendency to cling to the dry patches that I am sometimes subjected to as the day goes on, so I like to focus on hydrating thoroughly beforehand and using the foundation sparingly—you definitely need to use less than you think you need. I like that this foundation offers just enough coverage to blur the complexion, but I can still see my freckles through it. However, if you do want more coverage, it’s very buildable. It has a beautifully hydrating and dewy formula that glides on and melts into the skin.
This is the perfect pairing for the corresponding foundation. It has a satin finish with medium coverage that makes it not too drying for under the eyes yet not too slippy for concealing oily areas or blemishes.
I’d heard a lot of mixed reviews about the beauty wands before I tried them, but I sit firmly in the fan camp along with the rest of my Who What Wear UK team. A word of warning: You only need the tiniest amount of product (a little goes a long way), and remember to switch the product back from open to closed to avoid the liquid seeping out when you’re not using it. I find using a stiff contouring makeup brush is best to blend this out to avoid it diffusing too much.
Charlotte Tilbury’s latest product comes in the form of new matte blushes, and I’ve stuck with it religiously since I tried it. It comes in four shades (Peach Pop, a vibrant peach; Pink Pop, a light pink; Pillow Talk, a neutral pink; and Dream Pop, a jammy berry hue), but my favourite has to be Pillow Talk. Like the contouring wand, you only need the tiniest dab, and it will blend effortlessly depending on how intense you would like it to be. I hope to see more shades to come.
I think this might be my favourite makeup product from the brand. So many highlighters are too glittery or too glossy that they slide straight off, but this one sits within a happy middle ground. It lends cheekbones a candlelit gleam that makes the light dance on your skin. It’s truly a beautiful highlighter. I also love to use a small amount on the inner corners of my eyes to help brighten and make my eyes appear more awake.
I’d never really gotten on with face powders, until I tried this. So many powders look flawless at first, but as soon as any oil from my T-zone makes an appearance, it’s a congealed mess, and I’d rather go without and look shiny than cake. This one is an exception. It’s so finely milled that it is almost undetectable on the skin. I like to press a bit onto my chin, nose and in between by eyebrows, and it has definitely helped to reduce the unwanted shine without looking heavy throughout the day.
I’m one of those people who is always subconsciously touching their face, so long-wearing makeup products are a bonus. This brow pencil does not budge, and the micro-fine tip allows for effortless shading to make my brows look fuller and more symmetrical. The addition of the spoolie brush on the other end is always a welcome addition, which helps to diffuse any areas where I have been a little heavy-handed after filling them in.
Who What Wear UK deputy editor Maxine Eggenberger really rates this blusher, which cleverly contains two shades that allow you to play with the tone and intensity of your blusher.
Charlotte Tilbury’s eye shadows are among my favourites. They are incredibly silky and velvety soft and have great colour payoff that lasts well throughout the day. I’m not usually one for pink tones on my eyes, but I really love the Pillow Talk quad (which I’m wearing in my picture), which has two neutral matte hues and two shimmering tones.
Does the perfect neutral eye shadow quad exist? It does, in fact. If you’re a matte-eye-shadow person who is fully invested in your neutral eye makeup hues, then you can’t go wrong with this versatile palette.
While I do like this mascara, it takes some getting used to. Two sides of the mascara wand are flat, which you are supposed to apply directly to the lashes to load the roots of your lashes with product before using the spikier sides of the brush to comb the product from root to tip. This application creates a kind of lash scaffolding at the bases of the eyelashes, which helps the curl last longer, and I’ve definitely noticed that it works on my stubbornly straight lashes.
It wouldn’t be a Charlotte Tilbury makeup roundup without the iconic Pillow Talk lipstick, would it? The matte finish and neutral pink tone makes it a great everyday lipstick that suits those with light to medium skin tones.
After the runaway success of the original Pillow Talk lipstick, Charlotte Tilbury has since launched a deeper hue with a berry tone that makes it the perfect everyday hue for those with darker skin tones.
The lip liner is equally as good as the lipstick, delivering creamy colour that boosts the lifespan of your lipstick and doesn’t feather at the edges of your lips.
