When it comes to creating glowy, Hollywood-inspired makeup, no one does it quite like Charlotte Tilbury. Her two-decade-long career as a celebrity makeup artist has seen her work with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Miranda Kerr and Nicole Kidman, and create Amal Clooney’s wedding day makeup look. Pretty impressive portfolio, right? She’s also famous in the world of beauty for sleeping in a “night eye.” (That’s a full-on smokey eye to you and me; rumour has it, her husband has never seen her without makeup on).
In 2013, Charlotte finally launched her long-awaited namesake beauty line, bringing her signature bombshell glam to the masses. Each product was designed to deliver glow, confidence and camera-ready skin – and the formulas clearly worked. Her Hollywood Flawless Filter sells once every 12 seconds globally, and Pillow Talk lipstick? It’s so iconic, one is sold every two minutes. The brand’s inclusive shade range, skin-enhancing finishes and instantly recognisable packaging have earned it cult status – and legions of devoted fans (including us).
In 2020, Charlotte sold a majority stake to Puig (aka, the powerhouse behind Paco Rabanne and Jean Paul Gaultier) in a deal reportedly worth £1 billion – just seven years after launch. But the products we know and love haven’t changed a bit. If anything, the brand has only levelled up, with launches like the newly reimagined Super Nudes Collection – a chic, 90s-inspired edit of lip liners, contour duos and the Super Nudes Easy Eye Palette (designed to sculpt, define and glow with minimal effort). It’s very wearable.
Whether you’ve never tried anything from the brand (where have you been?) or you’re a veteran CT fan wondering what to try next, today is your lucky day. Why? After testing pretty much every skincare and makeup product in Charlotte’s expansive collection, GLAMOUR editors are finally revealing which buys are genuinely worth adding to your beauty arsenal. From facial serums to lipsticks and tinted moisturisers, we’ve road-tested the lot.
Ask any Charlotte Tilbury fan to name their ride-or-die product, and Pillow Talk is guaranteed to come up. The Matte Revolution Lipstick has earned icon status for a reason. Filmstar Bronze & Glow is just as legendary, thanks to its foolproof contour-and-highlight duo that flatters every face shape. More recently, the Magic Serum Crystal Elixir racked up an 8,000-person waitlist – and after trying it ourselves, we get the hype. It’s £60, and 93% of testers said their skin looked more youthful, hydrated and radiant.
