Celebrity makeup artist puts Hollywood’s best faces forward
What do the stars have that other women don’t? Britain’s Charlotte Tilbury knows the answer
Celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury has had her hands on many famous faces.
And she knew the minute she worked on Jennifer Lawrence, five months before the publication of Vanity Fair’s March 2012 young stars of Hollywood issue, that the young actress was poised for greatness, although back then Tilbury had no idea who she was.
The energetic British redhead, in Toronto for the Holt Renfrew expansion of her eponymous cosmetics and skin-care line, noted the young women in her makeup chair for that photo session, including Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Rooney Mara, are huge stars now.
But at the time, “honestly when I walked in the door, I didn’t know who any of them were . . . none of their films had come out.”
(Lawrence was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for 2010 indie Winter’s Bone but gained wide recognition when The Hunger Games opened in March 2012, well after the November 2011 VF cover photo shoot.)
“They were young girls with their little jeans on . . . T-shirts, whatever.
“They weren’t stars yet and that was their big cover moment,” said Tilbury, who was also impressed with actress Lily Collins.
“I have to say Jennifer Lawrence did kind of stand out, especially when she was in hair and makeup,” Tilbury added of the 1920s Art Deco glamour look used for the Mario Testino photo shoot.
“She is a great actress, she can morph, and she really came alive with the makeup.”
With an international following, 42-year-old Tilbury is passionate about the transformative power of makeup, calling it a confidence booster and “hugely empowering.”
The business-savvy Tilbury speaks quickly, never missing an opportunity to mention her products by name and highlight their virtues every few sentences. She’s very good at bringing the conversation back to her line of skin care and makeup.
“I want to touch as many faces and as many people as I can because I do believe makeup is magic,” said the beauty maven, who draws inspiration from style influencers Helena Rubinstein, Estée Lauder and Coco Chanel.
Tilbury started doing models’ glamour makeup in the early 1990s and has worked with Amal Clooney, Kate Moss, Demi Moore, models Gisele Bundchen and Christy Turlington, as well as Penelope Cruz, Céline Dion, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston and Rihanna.
She has kind words for all but enthusiastically praises Jennifer Lopez’s “ah-maz-ing skin.”
So what do the stars have that other women don’t? They may “prep for two weeks beforehand with their facialists, some more than others” ahead of a red carpet appearance, but they “don’t come from a different planet,” Tilbury pointed out. “They’ve got a face like everybody else.
“Their face is their fortune and what I feel like saying to everyone is, ‘Guess what? Everyone’s face is their fortune.’ ”