Charlotte Tilbury is a brand that knows a thing or two about creating a buzz in the beauty world. From a cult lipstick that sells a tube every two minutes somewhere in the world to a foundation with a 17,000-person waitlist, basically every product that this brand launches has a record-breaking statistic or celebrity fan to its name. In fact, even when it launched back in 2013, Tilbury’s eponymous line was one of those rare gems that managed to have both beauty editors and consumers in a frenzy to try it. As a renowned makeup artist at the top of her game, Tilbury was already using some of her beauty products backstage on celebrity clients—so the excitement about them finally being launched into the hands of the public was very much real.
Eight years later and there’s no sign of the hype dying down. In fact, even amongst my beauty editor friends, Charlotte Tilbury events and new product launches remain amongst some of the most exciting dates in our beauty diaries. But, are the products actually worth the hype? From A-list-approved moisturisers to best-selling lip liners, it can be hard to know where to start if you’re new to the Charlotte Tilbury collection but I’ve been lucky enough in my job to basically try every product that the brand sells—and I can confirm that there are some real standout products that have become essentials in my own routine.
The collection is vast so, to make things a little easier to digest, I’ve broken down my favourite products into categories; complexion, cheeks, eyes, lips and skincare. Keep scrolling to see the 20 best Charlotte Tilbury products that I recommend to everyone.
Sabrina Elba adores Charlotte Tilbury’s trademark glow so much that she chose Tilbury as her wedding day makeup artist.
If I could only use one Charlotte Tilbury product for the rest of my life it would be this one. Tilbury is renowned for creating glowy celebrity makeup looks and this basically gives you the same dewy results in a bottle. You can use it under or over makeup—I do both—and it instantly makes your skin look about a hundred times healthier and more radiant. Plus, celebrities like Emma Roberts and Mandy Moore swear by it too.
Full coverage and matte aren’t buzzwords that I usually look for when choosing a foundation, but when this one launched back in 2019 to much fanfare I knew I had to try it. Genuinely, it’s been up there in my list of regular foundations ever since. It has seriously good coverage but never looks heavy or cloying on the skin. And although it’s described as matte it has a pleasingly lightweight, natural finish that just looks like good skin.
Unlike with foundation, concealer is a product that I seek a full coverage finish in—but I am very particular about the formulas I like. They have to be versatile enough to cover breakouts (both active blemishes and hyperpigmentation left behind by old spots) as well as disguise dark circles and brighten under-eyes. It’s a bit of an ask but this delivers on all points and has brilliant staying power.
I’m pretty lazy when it comes to applying primer and generally only use it when I have an occasion to go to that I’d want my makeup to last all day at. However, despite spending so much time at home recently, I’ve been gravitating towards this again because of how dewy and bright it leaves skin looking. Sitting in the central heating all day has left my complexion looking quite dehydrated but applying this before my makeup—or even wearing it alone—provides an instant wash of dewiness.
I think that even people who say they hate face powder might just be able to get on board with this Charlotte Tilbury one. The pigments are so finely-milled that it feels like velvet when applied to skin. Plus, while it does take down unwanted shine and oiliness it does’t dull the skin at all. In fact, it leaves it looking bright and even. Genius.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Cheek to Chic blushers were spotted when Kim Kardashian West shared an Instagram snap of her makeup drawer—she’s a fan.
This is probably one of Charlotte Tilbury’s most iconic products but, if I’m being totally honest, I overlooked it for years purely because it’s referred to as a contour palette—and I have no time to be trying to carve out cheekbones with my round cheeks. However, when I eventually gave it a go a couple of years back I was instantly in love. I don’t use it to sculpt my face, rather as a soft wash of bronze colour to liven up my skin when I’m looking tired. The highlighter is a delight too.
These two-tone blushers come in a few different shades to suit different skin tones and personal inclinations but it’s Pillow Talk that I reach for on an almost daily basis. I love the versatility of being able to use the lighter or darker shades both individually or together but most of all I love the sheeny colour that it imparts on cheeks.
This is a megawatt highlighter with major shine so I tend to think of it as a night out product. (Remember those?) If you’re after something more subtle then the aforementioned Hollywood Flawless Filter or Filmstar Bronze & Glow might be more up your street but if you want some serious skin reflection then it doesn’t come better than the Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wands. It has a kind of liquid-gel formula that glides onto your skin then dries down while remaining dewy—and this peachy shade is so, so good.
The lady behind Amal Clooney’s shimmering red carpet look? Charlotte Tilbury, of course.
I always recommend this brow gel to people who aren’t sure where to start with brow products as the teeny-tiny brush means it’s really easy to precisely apply the product exactly where you want it and there’s no risk of looking like you have huge, drawn-on eyebrows at the end of it.
This was the first Charlotte Tilbury product that I ever bought—although the shade was called ‘Jean’—and I still love it just as much. In fact, it’s one of my favourite cream eyeshadow formulations of all time. I am in no way a pro when it comes to makeup application so I love that this can just be dabbed onto eyelids using fingertips. It has a shimmery, almost metallic finish and genuinely looks like I’ve made a real effort with my makeup when I wear it.
I rarely hear anyone talking about these eyeshadow pencils but they’re brilliant. Although they’re referred to as pencils, I think of them more like a crayon—a creamy texture that can be scribbled onto eyelids with no skill required. This sparkly green shade is beautiful and I love drawing a thick line of it close to my lashes as an easy eyeliner alternative.
I often find eyeshadow palettes overwhelming—they take up loads of space and I only ever end up using a couple of shades from each palette. I love these Charlotte Tilbury quads as they’re a carefully curated edit of colours that are actually all wearable. I love this matte one for easy, everyday eyeshadow looks but there are tons of different shade options to choose from.
This is Tilbury’s latest mascara launch and, in my opinion, it’s the best. It offers everything that I want from a mascara—volume, length, lift and jet-black pigment—and leaves lashes looking fluttery and full but not fake.
Emma Roberts stepped out in the iconic Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lip liner and lipstick at the Met Gala.
I don’t think anybody will be surprised to see this cult product in my list of recommendations. It’s as good as everyone says it is, celebrities adore it—Amal Clooney even wore it on her wedding day—and it’s pretty much the only lip liner I use. I love how it defines your lips without looking too intense and it’s creamy enough to apply all over for an easy daytime lip look too.
Of course, the iconic Pillow Talk lipstick has made the cut too. It’s a gorgeous dusky-pink shade with a matte finish that manages to be comfortable enough to wear all day—very impressive. Whenever I wear it I always feel instantly more polished.
I’ve always been a matte lipstick girl but this formula converted me to the joys of shiny lipsticks. It contains hyaluronic acid so it’s really moisturising—just like wearing a lip balm, in fact—but the colour lasts for ages and leaves your lips looking really juicy.
Kate Moss is a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury—particularly her iconic moisturiser which she used on her wedding day.
This cult moisturiser was created by Tilbury to get models’ skin looking brilliant when they were backstage and short on time—and it really delivers. While I don’t use it as my daily moisturiser (it’s a little rich for my oily skin) I always apply it on days that my skin looks particularly lacklustre as it almost gives the same results as a facial. Plus, my makeup always layers so well on top of it.
I was so excited when Charlotte Tilbury launched this lightweight version of her iconic Magic Cream. For oilier skin types like mine, it’s brilliant as the texture isn’t as rich as the classic moisturiser—but it would also make a great summer option as it also contains SPF20 to protect skin from the sun. It has all the brilliant skin-brightening properties of the original as well as blue light protection and a pollution defence complex so its extra hardworking.
It was our beauty contributor Shannon who turned me onto this serum. Yes, it creates that trademark Tilbury glow but this serum is more than that—it contains vitamin C and niacinamide to actually improve the texture and tone of your skin with frequent use. It’s now in regular rotation in my beauty stash.
The A-list are pretty much obsessed with this face mask and it’s often spotted backstage to prep skin. (In fact, Sienna Miller used it before the Oscars—it’s that good.) I love a clay mask but find that many can leave my skin feeling dehydrated afterwards. This one uses sweet almond oil in conjunction with Spanish clay to both draw out impurities and absorb excess oil while leaving your skin soft and dewy. Up next, I tried every product from The Ordinary and these are the ones I’d recommend.
