Three things I learned from Charlotte Tilbury's VIP masterclass in Dublin

The queen of make-up jetted in from London to show off her new holiday collection

Wed, 12 Oct, 2022 - 15:29

Nicole Glennon

Just after 6pm in Brown Thomas' Grafton Street store on Tuesday night, a queue started forming on the third floor.

In the line, some of Ireland's top make-up artists, influencers and beauty journalists waited patiently to see their 'queen' — Charlotte Tilbury.

The British beauty powerhouse counts Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian, Amal Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek among her clients, and is as likely to be seen backstage at the Met Gala as any Oscar award winner.

Charlotte Tilbury with George and Amal Clooney

Last night, the red-haired wonder woman entered the room to cheers and whoops, wearing a stunning velvet suit in a deep purple hue.

She told the very excitable Irish crowd that her aim has always been to democratise Hollywood beauty, before launching into a VIP masterclass that detailed how to create the 'perfect canvas' for any make-up launch, along with some tips and tricks for nailing party-ready Christmas glam.

Here's what I learned.

1. Where to apply concealer for a lifted look

We probably all own a contour stick or know how to use bronzer to try and camouflage our second chin at this stage, but did you know a brightening concealer is also a key trick in many a Hollywood artist's arsenal for creating that lifted, sculpted look?

Last night, Tilbury drafted in the help of Irish model Caoimhe O’Dwyer and one of her lead make-up artist's Kelechi to show us how it's done.

You take a concealer that's one shade lighter than your perfect match and apply it to the centre of the forehead, down the sides of the nose, on the cupid’s bow and on the chin. On the eyes, she says to apply it to the inner corner and the outer corners, following their natural shape and flicking upwards and outwards past the brows and towards the hairline in a winged shape (think feline flick eyeliner).

Tilbury used her Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer (€30) for this trick, which she calls "shapewear for the eyes".

2. Eye make-up doesn't have to be hard

Unlike some of the make-up artists I was surrounded by last night, I am no wizard when it comes to the eyes. It's been a long time since I saved an eye shadow tutorial on Instagram because I just know I don't have the skill, time or patience to complete them.

But with the right products to hand, you don't need to rewind that Youtube video ten times before jabbing yourself in the eye with an eyeliner and pretending bloodshot eye was your look all along.

Enter, Tilbury's latest eye shadow, the Hypnotising Pop Shots (€30). There was some audible squealing in the room last night as we all swatched a variety of shades over our hands and eyes.

Charlotte Tilbury Hypnotising Pop Shot in Emerald Eyes

There are five of them, including a stunning iridescent jade-green (Emerald Eyes) and soft berry (Lovers Diamond) which Tilbury was wearing herself on the night.

The pigmentation is, quite simply, insane. One swipe, and your eyes are done. And the best bit? You don't even need a brush. A quick dab with your index finger and you're finished. Just make sure you have some micellar water around because that product is NOT coming off your finger easily.

3. The key to the perfect lip liner

When Tilbury first started working with Hollywood royalty, she said there was a bit of snobbiness towards the humble lip liner.

Obviously, the lip liner has come back in to fashion in recent years, particularly with trends like overlining the lip and the ombré lip.

But for Tilbury, the perfect lipliner should mimic the natural colour of your lips and enhance your natural lip line.

She swears that when you find the one — which of course she suggests is likely to be her Pillow Talk lip cheat (€23) — you'll never go back.