Meeting Charlotte Tilbury at Fenwick Newcastle

Ok, so I’m breaking my hiatus (ie putting off writing content until Pipdig has finished my new blog design) because I have something exciting to share… Last week, I got to meet Charlotte Tilbury at Fenwick’s Newcastle store. Like the actual, really famous, does Kate Moss’ makeup and stuff, Charlotte Tilbury. And for someone that about 12 months ago I knew very little about, it was a pretty surreal moment. Unfortunately because I was seated right next to Charlotte (look, here I am looking a bit gormless in Helen’s photo), it was pretty much impossible to take photos at the event itself that wouldn’t have been at a strange angle! But you can check out snaps from the event over on Helen or Megan’s blog posts.

I should probably precursor this post with the admission that when it comes to make up, I don’t really know that much. It’s not that I don’t care about makeup, I just don’t have a clue. Sure I know the basics but when it starts getting complicated or feel like too much of a hassle, I lose interest. I really would rather have the extra half hour in bed than spend my time drawing in the sort of bone structure I wish I had. Instead when it comes to cosmetics, I’m looking for the easy way out. The sort of products I can smudge across my face while I’m still bleary eyed and wondering, ‘how much do I really need this job?!’ (I think it’s safe to say I’m not a morning person either.) So when Charlotte Tilbury first came on the radar, I wasn’t really fangirling as much as my makeup savvy pals like Charissa and Helen. That is, until the launch of the brand in Fenwick Newcastle.

To celebrate the initial launch, I was invited along to Fenwick for a makeover and gifted a range of products used to create the Vintage Vamp look. Being the excellent (ok, sporadic) blogger I am, I started using them on an almost daily basis. And somehow never quite got around to writing about them because by the time I did remember, everyone everywhere had them. So when the lovely folks at Fenwick offered me the opportunity to meet Charlotte, I thought maybe it was time to do a focus piece on the brand. And why you should probably get yourself to a Charlotte Tilbury counter. Immediately. Although I should add that Fenwick currently have the only one in Newcastle.

The only way I could describe Charlotte Tilbury is that she’s an absolute powerhouse of a woman. While she’s both incredibly charismatic and charming, the one thing that struck me about her was her sass. She’s got that sort of old school Hollywood gumption that just makes you sit up and take notice. Even her products themselves seem almost audacious with their rose gold, art deco packaging that’s reminiscent of a yesteryear glamour. The brand feels elegant and bold, and after meeting the achingly confident Charlotte, I can understand why.

Speaking about the brand, one thing that struck me is that Charlotte doesn’t care about her products, she adores them. She lives and breathes her brand so much so that it feels almost crass calling it just that. As she recounted her enviable career, you could feel the energy and enthusiasm she instills into every product from laboratory to production and eventually distribution. Unless she loves it, you can’t have it. It’s not about churning out products she knows people want (and want them they do), they have to have her personal seal of approval. She’s not interested in being a ‘me too’ brand and introducing products just because someone else is offering them.

Since discovering the brand one thing that’s really struck me is how easy the products are to use. While Charlotte is a professional makeup artist, and her products are professional standard, her brand isn’t a scary one. It’s not like walking up to a Mac counter, where you feel intimidated to even talk to the girls unless you’re contoured within an inch of your life. With muses like Kate Moss, Charlotte Tilbury is too cool to be that obvious. Girls like that don’t want to go out looking caked or like they’ve made any sort of effort. “It’s wing mirror makeup, the kind you can apply as you’re getting into a car”, Charlotte said. “The sort of makeup for girls who will never admit they’re even wearing any. Like the french girls that tell you they’d just woken up like this.” Yeah, I’ll take a bottle or two of that.

*Big thank you to Fenwick Newcastle, the Charlotte Tilbury team and OPR for inviting me along to this brilliant event and for the beautiful products I was gifted!