Charlotte Tilbury On Imperfection, Innovation, And The Power of Pink

Beauty is the industry of happiness—or at least it is for me. The products I keep restocking are always those with high-quality ingredients that deliver on their promises and make me feel good. Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup has fit into that category since my very first purchase back in 2015. I use everything I buy from her down to the last drop, and my relationship with her products is unwavering. My go-to Charlotte Tilbury list includes Wonderglow Primer, Pillow Talk Luxury Palette, Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Liner, Walk of No Shame, and M.I. Kiss Matte Revolution lipsticks. To celebrate Charlotte Tilbury’s launch in Sephora Turkey, the queen of feel-good beauty has answered my questions, opening up her glowy world to the darlings of Wonderflaw.

Having recently written a Tried and Tested article on the Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Palette, I’ve seen firsthand how it resonates profoundly with beauty enthusiasts. What makes the Pillow Talk range so iconic and universally loved?

Darling, I spent years developing my perfect, universally flattering, pretty pink Pillow Talk pigments in my world-leading innovation labs. That’s why Pillow Talk has become an award-winning, best-selling, global phenomenon! Pillow Talk is a beautifying pink filter that mimics the hues found in nature and light!

Throughout history, old Hollywood stars, cinematographers, and fashion photographers have used pink lights for a beautifying effect because everyone looks soft, natural, fresh, nuanced, and pretty in pink! I saw a gap in the market for a universally flattering nudey-pink shade that mimicked the light and the tones nature naturally blesses us with! Like a light thief, I wanted to capture natural pink light to give everyone the tools and tricks for dreamy eyes, the perfect, sumptuous-looking pillow-y pout, and euphoric, love-blushed skin! From my resizing, self-contouring, supersizing Pillow Talk Lip Icons to my Unicorn Pink Pillow Talk Multi-Glow Highlighter that’s like a luminous, multi-dimensional AI filter on the skin! My beautifying nudey-pink Pillow Talk hues are fail-safe and foolproof! They’re easy to use, easy to choose, and easy to gift because they suit everyone! Pillow Talk is loved by supermodels and stars, from The Oscars to The Met Gala to The Fashion Awards. Darlings, Pillow Talk is everyone’s favorite shade–it will take you from day to date in seconds!

Wonderflaw celebrates individuality and the beauty of imperfections. How do you ensure your products embrace and amplify this ethos, especially in an industry often focused on perfection?

When I created my brand, I envisioned it resonating with everyone of all ages, regardless of whether you are 18 or 80! Charlotte Tilbury Beauty is all about empowering people to unlock their inner confidence and realize their potential through the transformative power of makeup, skincare, and fragrance!
It’s true that the beauty industry is always evolving, but I have always preferred to create trends rather than follow them. At Charlotte Tilbury, we don’t imitate, we innovate!

And it’s not just the beauty industry that has evolved – the world has evolved too! Diversity and inclusivity have come a long way in the past few decades. We live in a time where the definition of beauty is far broader and less prescriptive than it used to be. I’ve always strived for Charlotte Tilbury Beauty to be an inclusive brand, and it’s very important to me that we celebrate what makes each of us uniquely beautiful.

Which products do you reach for in your daily beauty routine?

My bathroom is filled with my skincare and my makeup bag is filled with my makeup! I use them all every day—they are my beauty secrets! If I had to pick just one, it has to be my award-winning, best-selling Magic Cream! I never do makeup without it because it’s a miracle moisturizer and primer in one! My once-secret Magic Cream was born backstage to immediately revive and transform the look of celebrities’ and supermodels’ skin. I worked with the best labs in the world to create a formula that’s infused with plump-effect peptides, brightening vitamin C and E, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and my signature cushion and lift mesh technology—a magic blend of skin-cushioning emollients for softer, smoother-looking skin.

It’s the technology that perfectly primes the skin—with Magic Cream your makeup will always look more beautiful. It’s not just skin barrier boosting, it’s skin barrier beautifying, darling! You see visible results in 28 seconds and over time in 28 days—I call it my magic dew of youth and luminosity in a jar!

What exciting innovations can we expect from Charlotte Tilbury in the future?

Charlotte Tilbury: I am always innovating, never imitating, and that is why we have won so many awards and why we have some of the best products in the world! Developing the best formulas, the best ingredients, the best shades, and the best packaging are all things I do not hold back on! I always strive to be forward-thinking and identify gaps in the market where I can create new categories, like Pillow Talk. This was just one of my iconic launches that changed makeup forever! As many people know, it all began with my award-winning Magic Cream, the first product I ever created! Magic Cream was born backstage, where I found that I needed a moisturizer that could immediately soothe, hydrate, and plump the look of models’ skin, giving them that next-level luminosity and prepping them for makeup.

The future of beauty is and always has been so exciting to me! Through years spent challenging my magic innovation labs to develop breakthrough formulas, I have seen firsthand how technology has advanced the capabilities of beauty products and tools, which is why it will always play such a crucial role in my brand!

As a busy entrepreneur, how do you maintain a balanced lifestyle, and what self-care practices do you swear by to keep your skin glowing and healthy?

I am so proud to be a British businesswoman and running my business, taking care of the commercial side of things, as well as creating and marketing products! So yes, I am busy, but I also maintain a balanced lifestyle, making time for my children, husband, family, and friends! I always spend summers in Ibiza, which is part of my DNA, and I feel so invigorated and inspired after my time there. I have such fond memories of summers filled with family, friends, music, parties, and dancing ’til dawn—and everyone knows how much I LOVE to dance!

I also find time to take care of myself. I swear by a good facial using my skincare. The beauty of my range is that you feel as if you’ve been to the spa—even if you’re at home!

What are some of your personal beauty rituals that you never skip?

Darling, you know I never do makeup without my Magic Cream! It’s a miracle moisturizer and primer in one. It makes foundation last longer, it’s the perfect canvas for your makeup, and it helps to boost and beautify your skin barrier!

When I need speedy makeup, I reach for my new Unreal Skin Foundation with Magic Cream for magic skin with an unreal glow! The cushion and lift mesh technology of Magic Cream softens and smooths the feel of skin and lifts the look of facial contour. And the light-mapping micro-fine pearlescent filters of Unreal Skin cascade light to flatter the angles of the face naturally for a glow-sculpting, soft-focusing, lit-from-within glow! It’s my favorite, long-lasting glow hack.

Then of course I would apply my new Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara, because it gives everyone instant exaggerated volume! It’s the best volumized lash results you’ve ever seen and they’re results that last for 28 hours!

It’s smudge-proof, it’s flake-proof, it’s humidity-proof! This mascara does it all! It’s infused with lash-plumping polymers that coat every single lash, I’m talking 9x more volume in just one coat!*

It’s powered by lash vinyl-black wrap tech and an ultra-curved lash styler brush that creates a double lash effect and double curl effect for exaggerated volume and curls that last over 28 hours!* This mascara has been 10 years in the making and I’m so excited to unveil it to the world.

To finish any look, I always use my Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray to fix, set, and lock in your glow for up to 16 hours.

*Tested on 31 people