How Charlotte Tilbury Artists Prep Celebrities for the Red Carpet
March 6 | 5 minute read
Words by Arabella Roden
And there’s few who do it better than Charlotte Tilbury – the beauty brand with an A-list following longer than an Oscars guest list.
As the authority in celebrity makeup and skin prep, we turned to Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury to find out exactly what she uses to give A-listers a glow worthy of a thousand spotlights.
These are the celebrity skincare secrets you need to know – whether you’re on camera or not…
“When I’m working with clients like Amal Clooney and Lily James before the Met Gala, Golden Globes or Oscars, or Bella Hadid before a big shoot, I always send them a selection of Charlotte’s 10-minute ‘skin saviour’ masks ahead of time, so they can multi-mask and help prep their skin for the occasion,” Schwarzkopf-Tilbury tells The MECCA Memo.
“Whether the skin needs depuffing, decongesting or hydrating, these masks do it all and give you that otherworldly radiance you see on every red carpet!”
“I always take the time to energise my clients’ complexions with a five-minute facial massage to help sculpt and contour the look of the face”
Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury
Her picks? “I’ll send the acid-exfoliating Super Radiance Resurfacing Facial to gently melt away dead skin cells, deeply hydrate the skin, and create a polished, marble-like glow, and the Goddess Skin Clay Mask to help soften, refine the look pores and reduce the look of redness.”
Next, Tilbury turns to facial massage: “I always take the time to energise my clients’ complexions with a five-minute facial massage to help sculpt and contour the look of the face, and finish with the ‘Tilbury Tap’ method. Also, it’s super important to take skincare down over the neck, décolletage and onto the hands too!”
Schwarzkopf-Tilbury follows with skincare tailored to each star’s skin type – though there are a few essentials that are always in the mix: Charlotte’s Magic Serum Crystal Elixir and its matching Lip Oil, plus the legendary Charlotte’s Magic Cream™- the infamous moisturiser created to deeply hydrate the skin as well as diffuse light. “I use this on every celebrity, on every red carpet and runway, to create a radiant, smoother-looking canvas. Your skin and your makeup always look better when using Magic Cream!” she explains.
Ready to get into the specifics? Here’s the full breakdown…
Salma Hayek's timeless radiance
Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury frequently leads A-lister Salma’s glam team for the red carpet. Her skin prep starts with the Glow Toner – an acid-free, gently exfoliating treatment, with niacinamide to minimise the look of pores – and Magic Serum Crystal Elixir, followed by Magic Cream™ - a blend of hydrating ingredients that help bolster the skins barrier and provide the perfect canvas for makeup. Then it's Magic Eye Rescue to intensively plump and smooth fine lines.
Finally, she finishes with Magic Lip Oil and Charlotte’s Magic Body Cream for a firming, smoothing effect on the décolletage.
Barry Keoghan's balanced, hydrated base
The brief for Saltburn star Barry at this year’s BAFTAs was “luminous skin”. Men’s grooming specialist Christine Nelli used Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Serum Crystal Elixir and the lightweight Magic Water Cream moisturiser, followed by the Cryo-Recovery Eye Serum to depuff, Magic Lip Oil and the just-launched (as in today!) Charlotte’s Magic Hydrator Mist for extra hydration.
Blake Lively's incomparable glow
For a London film premiere in the depths of (northern hemisphere) winter, Schwarzkopf-Tilbury prioritised hydration. She prepped Blake’s skin with the new Magic Hydrator Mist – an ultra-fine, essence-like spritz infused with hydrating hyaluronic acid and niacinamide for a smooth, dewy look – plus Glow Toner and Magic Serum Crystal Elixir. To create the perfect canvas for makeup, she locked in even more moisture with Charlotte’s Magic Water Cream and a swipe of Magic Lip Oil.
