If you feel you’ll never master the art of applying makeup, let Charlotte Tilbury, makeup artist to celebs like Jennifer Lopez and Sienna Miller, show you how easy it is.
If you feel you’ll never master the art of applying makeup, let Charlotte Tilbury, makeup artist to celebs like Jennifer Lopez and Sienna Miller, show you how easy it is.
When it comes to putting on makeup, do you have the niggling feeling that you’re not quite getting it right? And all those products at the beauty counters and stores – just baffling!
“We’re just expected to know what to do with makeup,” says makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury. “The cosmetics industry is confusing because there’s too much stuff and no navigation. Celebrities have a team of experts making them look that good – why should it be a VIP club?”
Speaking of VIPs, Charlotte has powdered and perfected the likes of Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. She did Amal Clooney’s wedding makeup. She gave Jennifer Lopez those cheekbones. Her own eponymous beauty brand has achieved the status of makeup bag must-have since it was launched. Here, she shares the tips that every woman needs for everyday beauty.
1.Wear makeup – no, really.
“No one looks better without makeup,” Charlotte says. “That’s a fact. Even if it’s just a little bit of concealer and a bit of mascara.”
2. Don’t test foundation on the back of your hand.
“If you’re in a shop, draw a line straight down your face and across your jaw – if it matches across both, it’s your colour. You don’t want a tidemark.”
3. Apply bronzer properly.
Charlotte’s advice: Look in the mirror and suck in your cheeks, then brush a bronzer or shading powder over the hollow. Using swirling motions, touch up your temples, across the nose bridge and across your chin to mimic a suntan. “It will make you look happier and healthier,” she says.
4. Revive older skin with highlighter.
Apply this to the top of your cheekbones and under your brows. “A bit of peachy pink is very youthful when you’re a bit older, and can make crepey eyelids look smoother – you can cheat things back up.”
5. Go dewy, not shiny.
“Any shine under the eyes, along the nose or round the mouth and chin will make you look jowly. People with oily skin should carry powder with them every day – choose a good, fine powder full of emollients, that goes on like silk.”
6. Curl your eyelashes.
“Straight lashes can act like a hood,” Charlotte says. “Curling them opens up the eyes, and makes them look bigger. You just lift and curl them, to help your mascara do its job.” Curlers don’t have to be expensive, either – try 1028 Visual Therapy Gold Eyelash Curler, $12.90.
7. Always use lip liner.
“Match it to your lipstick,” says Charlotte. “Not only does it help to stop feathering, everybody has slightly uneven lips, so liner gives you a perfect pout.” To apply, smile to make your lips taut so you can easily follow the line of your mouth, and always use a sharp pencil.
8. Don’t be scared of lipstick.
“As you get older, lipstick can put a bit of life and prettiness back – especially rosebud colours.”
9. Liquid eyeliner is not impossible to master.
“You have to use something with a firm nib, like a felt tip,” Charlotte says. “Even I have trouble with those little brushes, so give up on that.”
From the inner corner, draw along the lash line to threequarters of the way along, then look in the mirror and draw a dot where you want the flick to finish on each side, to make sure they’re level. Then, join the dots to form a line. Try Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen, $34.
10. Keep eyebrows light.
“Never go darker than your hair colour, even if your hair is dark,” says Charlotte. Choose an eyebrow pencil that isn’t too waxy, and draw in soft, feathery strokes. Hold a pencil, vertically, at the side of your nose – brows should start at that point. Then rotate it diagonally across your iris – that’s where the arch of your brow should be.
