billion dollar beauty
bandwagon, but it was Tilbury who had the foresight to champion it from the start. ‘Make-up has this ‘magic’ ability to morph your state of mind,’ she says. ‘It can pick you up when you’re feeling down, and literally re- energise you. I call it the psychology of make-up because if you look good, you exude confidence and the world reacts to you in a powerful, more positive way.’ Evidently, many people agree. Charlotte Tilbury Beauty now ranks as one of the fastest growing brands on both sides of the pond, with a new flagship store set to open in LA in June. In fact, with a pre-tax profit of £2.6 million in 2017, and over 100 store counters worldwide, the company has been tipped as a future billion-dollar enterprise. Considering her reputation in the industry, this might not be surprising. As a beauty editor, I knew Charlotte as an exceptional make-up artist and backstage stalwart with a client-list that reads like a Who’s Who of Hollywood. But I also knew her as one of the coveted ‘Mossy Posse’ (Tilbury and Kate Moss go way back) – the girl gang we all wanted to belong to. Despite these credentials, when Charlotte launched her brand back in 2013, beauty editors like myself were sceptical. We were, after all, seeing on average 50 new launches a week. That scepticism was soon quashed. From the fool-proof formats to the first-rate formulas, there’s a reason why the Instant Eye Palette garnered a waiting list of over 30,000. The hype hasn’t abated either: her best-selling ‘Pillow Talk’ collection – born from her iconic pinky/nude shade of Lip Cheat lip liner – flew off the shelves every 15 seconds when it was relaunched in January this year. ‘From the very beginning I had a crystal-clear image of how I wanted the brand to be: incredibly personal, magical and unique,’ explains Charlotte. ‘I saw an opportunity for simplicity in the market, focusing on creating products that were easy-touse and easy-to-choose for consumers, a space where I could really innovate and disrupt the beauty world with every product. I
wanted to create my own limitless beauty brand.’ Which is exactly what she did. The brand rapidly became one of Selfridges’ most popular make-up counters and has won over 230 awards, including the coveted CEW UK Award for Best British Brand, four times, and Vogue Beauty Awards Best Influencer Brand.
Charlotte's Best Sellers
LUXURY PALETTE Eyeshadow, £39 HOLLYWOOD FLAWLESS FILTER Highlighter, £30 PILLOWTALK Lipstick, £24 CHARLOTTE'S MAGIC CREAM Moisturiser, £49 FULL FAT LASHES Mascara, £23
Today, it’s hard to imagine a beauty hall that isn’t be-decked with her now iconic rose-gold wares. But while people may buy into the sophisticated branding, they also buy into the allure of Charlotte herself. I distinctly remember first setting eyes on her backstage in Milan – a vision of oldschool Hollywood glamour in sky-high heels (incidentally, I have never seen Charlotte in anything less than a four-inch heel – even while heavily pregnant) and a signature pencil skirt. Charlotte is unashamedly feminine in a world where some women at the
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top often feel like they need to adopt masculine traits in order to succeed. ‘I am very lucky to be surrounded by a matrix of powerful, remarkable, magical women, all of whom I admire for many reasons,’ she says, ‘whether it’s my glamourous mother Patsy who has always given me great advice, my creative sister Leah or my brilliant CEO Demetra. It is incredibly important to have strong women around you who challenge, support and inspire you.’ The fact that Tilbury is undoubtedly a ‘woman’s woman’ is easy to see, not least through her charity endeavours. Last month she pledged £1m to Women for Women International in her role as Global Ambassador for the charity. Since 2016, Charlotte has been committed to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives through a number of initiatives, including donating a portion of proceeds from sales of her first Hot Lips collection. Her glamorous image may hark back to a golden era of days gone by, but Tilbury is a thoroughly modern businesswoman. ‘The beauty industry is one of the most forward-thinking, magical and experimental sectors in business – it evolves every day,’ she explains. ‘From the continued rise of social media, to new advances in technology such as augmented reality and Artificial Intelligence, I know we’re heading towards totally revolutionising the shopping experience. I am always pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules, and I will continue my mission to share the power of make-up with everyone, all around the world!’ Rule-breaking aside, what’s her top tip for channeling that Charlotte Tilbury attitude? ‘One of my positive mantras that I live by is ‘dare to dream it, dare to believe it, dare to do it!’ You have to remain focused, driven and structured in order to be able to take it on, but at the same time it’s incredibly rewarding.’ Now, with major international expansion plans on the horizon, get ready to see Charlotte Tilbury paint the world ‘Pillow Talk’ pink. charlottetilbury.com
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