I always imagine my finished look before I start to get ready: a stamped-on red lip for a special occasion; a sleek cat eye for a night on the town; glowy, shimmery skin for a holiday in the sun. It’s just that sometimes when I’m standing at the makeup counter in front of a library of products, I get a little overwhelmed. Should I opt for a matte or satin lipstick? A liquid liner or a kohl? A powder shimmer or liquid bronzer?
Enter Charlotte Tilbury, the makeup artist of choice for celebs like Kate Moss, Selma Hayek and Sienna Miller. Tilbury has been concocting products backstage for longer than her line has been available, but now, her no-fail makeup products and application tips are accessible to everyone. “Easy to choose, easy to use is my motto,” she told me.
She’s created personas from the Rebel and the Rock Chick to the Uptown Girl and the Bombshell. Best yet? You can fully use one of the looks or you can mix and match the elements. Bombshell cheekbones with a Vixen lip? Yes, please!
Today, she’ll be at Nordstorm NorthPark (along with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders) to share tips and tricks from 6 to 8 pm. Ahead of the event, we caught up with her for Dallas makeup tips to use year round.
Which of your looks best embodies the Dallas woman?
All 10! Dallas women love makeup. I could tell them, but they’d be like, “I want them all!” I can just hear it now. Would you have one dress in your wardrobe? No. So if you’re going to Saint Tropez, you’d wear a different look than if it’s winter. You dress differently. That’s what celebrities do, that’s what makeup artists do, that’s what super models do. Women wanted to do it, they just never had someone to tell them: “These are the eyes that go with the cheeks that go with the lips.“
What else have you noticed about Dallas women?
You know what I love about them, they make a real effort. They care about their appearance, they care about looking gorgeous, and I have so much respect for that. Because in life, if you put your best forward, life is just a better place to be. If you are just the most beautiful version of yourself, not only does life offer more to you, but when you look in the mirror you feel a bit more confident and happier. Makeup is magic.
Can you mix and match the elements from your different looks?
Completely! That was the whole point. This is what my recommendation is, but I also make ten very beautiful wardrobes. Take the Color Chameleons: They’re made especially for green eyes or brown eyes or blue eyes to make your eye color sparkle but lots of people buy all eight because they’re such beautiful colors. The great thing about the looks is that I put together these really beautiful sets of colors, but some people go, “I love that red lip and I want the Uptown Girl eye.” It’s safe to play because they’re all beautiful colors.
Do designers speak in terms of your looks when you create runway makeup?
More and more, this season was all about contouring and beige and nothing. Season after season, you think, “Oh we’re getting to a bit more makeup,” and back we are again. That was where my magic cream became a famous product backstage because all the model’s skin would become inflamed and exhausted and celebrities skin coming off airplanes and they would take my magic cream and it was like a comfort blanket for the skin.
Teach me to contour!
Using my Film Star Bronze & Glow take the Powder and Sculpt Brush it’s a no brainer! All the hairs on the brush have been specially cut and so you can do it easily. Look in the mirror, suck in your cheekbones and follow the hollow!
How to we transition from winter makeup to summer makeup?
Well for instance, we’ve done a cream version of the Film Star Bronze & Glow that we’re launching in July. I thought how do I capture, in January, a holiday and so I developed the Beach Sticks. They’ve gone nuts about them here in Texas! They have this light-flecks that give you this very pretty sunset, luminous skin and come in bronzes and pinks.
What tips can you share for keeping makeup on in the sun?
If you get hot and sweat, try a powder like the Air Brush Flawless Finish Powder. It makes you look younger! It’s like an HD-finish and it smoothes over pores. It’s like a fine silk.
