Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Emma Bow Tilbury (born 10 February 1973) is an English beauty entrepreneur and makeup artist. She is the founder, chairperson, and chief creative officer of the makeup and skincare brand Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Ltd. Tilbury is a contributing beauty editor for British Vogue, and global ambassador for Women International.

Early life
Tilbury was born in Kensington, West London on 10 February 1973 to artist Lance Tilbury and production manager Patsy Dodd. She and her parents moved to Ibiza, Spain when she was nine months old. When she was 13, Charlotte moved back to London to attend a Rudolf-Steiner boarding school in Sussex, where she started experimenting with makeup. Tilbury would give her friends makeup advice and show them which colors would look nice on them. Tilbury attended the Glauca Rossi School of Makeup.

Career
Tilbury began her career in makeup assisting Mary Greenwell, whom she had previously met at age 11 in America. She would later cite Greenwell as "an incredible mentor."

In October 2012, Tilbury launched her own YouTube channel called BERTIE IRL, as well as a blog called Barry’s Beauty Secrets. On these, she posts advice about skincare and makeup tutorials.

In 2013, Tilbury launched her beauty brand, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Ltd. at the department store Selfridges in London, with a lineup of skincare and makeup products. The brand enjoyed early success, as Tilbury already had a large following from her YouTube channel. In November 2015, Tilbury's flagship store opened in London's Covent Garden. The products are now sold internationally and can also be found at makeup retailer Sephora.

Tilbury's work can be seen in prestigious fashion magazines like Vogue, LOVE magazine, Vanity Fair, V magazine, usually in the form of cover shoots and editorial campaigns. Tilbury has worked with photographers including Mario Testino and Mert and Marcus, as well as celebrities such as Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian, Gisele Bündchen and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. Tilbury also works for Fashion Week in New York, Milan, Paris, and London, acting as show makeup director for brands such as Prada, McQueen, Cavalli, Lanvin, and Chloe. In the past, Tilbury has collaborated with designers such as Tom Ford and Burberry on beauty campaigns, as well as acted as creative director for Helena Rubinstein, amongst others.

In June 2020, Tilbury announced her partnership with Spanish fashion and fragrance company Puig. Puig acquired a majority stake in the business, with Tilbury retaining a significant minority stake, as well as continuing to be its chairman, president, and chief creative officer. The CEO, Demetra Pinsent, also retained her role.

Awards
Tilbury was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to the beauty and cosmetics industry. In addition, she was given the Rodial Award for Best Makeup Artist 2012, the CEW Achiever award in 2014, and was nominated for Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year for 2016. Tilbury has also been featured in the Business of Fashion 500 since 2013.

Tilbury's brand has won more than 300 global awards since launch, including the Walpole award for Emerging Luxury British Brand 2014, CEW Best British Brand of the Year 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019, Best Health & Beauty eCommerce Website of the Year 2016, Vogue Best Influencer Brand, IMAGE Most Innovative Beauty Brand and #21 in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100.

Lawsuits
In 2019, Tilbury won a lawsuit against supermarket chain Aldi, accusing them of selling a dupe of her products. That same year, actress Brooke Shields sued Tilbury for using her name without permission for one of her products. The case was dropped the same year.

Personal life
Tilbury is based between a Notting Hill townhouse and Ibiza. She married film producer George Waud in June 2014. She has two sons, Flynn and Valentine.