No one does glamour like Charlotte Tilbury, the legendary makeup artist responsible for the looks of countless celebrities (she even did Amal Clooney’s wedding-day makeup. She’s famous in the beauty world for sleeping in a full-on smoky eye (legend has it her husband has never seen her without makeup on), and in 2013, she launched her namesake beauty line in order to share some of her signature bombshell glam with the world. Like Charlotte’s makeup style, the line focuses on gorgeous, glowing skin, rock-inspired smoky eyes, and plush lips. And it’s all really good.
Chances are if you ask any makeup lover what to buy from the line they’ll point you in the direction of one of Charlotte’s cult products, such as the universally flattering Pillow Talk Lipstick or Filmstar Bronze & Glow for a natural contour, but the rest of the collection is just as strong. However, with products this luxe, you want to be sure you’re getting the right fit for you, so the line can be a little intimidating. Fear not, as we’ve been testing the collection since it’s inception, and know what’s worth the investment. Read on for the products our editors can’t live without.
Beauty has been democratic for quite some time now, with drugstore brands stepping up their game and indie favorites creating truly amazing products for less than a latte. However, this accessibility has traditionally been restricted to makeup. While there is some excellent drugstore skin care out on the shelves, there are few affordable options that really rival what luxury serums and moisturizers have to offer.
That’s why Canadian brand The Ordinary created such a buzz when it burst onto the scene two years ago. The brand takes a clinical, science-based approached to skin care and specializes in single ingredient–driven products that deliver targeted results. The best part? Nothing in the brand costs more than $20. In fact, the majority of it clocks in for less than $10. This is largely in part thanks to The Ordinary’s dedication to transparency (something the brand’s late founder was deeply passionate about), resulting in prices that aren’t significantly marked up.
Now, the brand is even more accessible than ever: just recently the full line, which you could previously only shop for on the brand’s website, landed in Sephora stores across the country. But despite the low price point, The Ordinary can be a little intimidating. The names of the products are all highly scientific (they refer to ingredients, not results), so you’re left trying to decipher what the hell azelaic acid does. That’s where we come in.
Our editors went through hundreds of dollars worth of products from The Ordinary to narrow down what’s actually worth adding to your medicine cabinet. Here’s what they reported back with.
No hate on Dry January, but why does the New Year have to be all about self-deprivation? After months of spending our time, energy, and money on everyone else, we’re ready to treat ourselves. Welcome to our series To Me, From Me.
I’ve always been a sucker for eyeliner. When I first started wearing makeup, I didn’t get the memo on any other eye products. Mascara? Can’t tell a difference. Eyelash curler? Torture device designed for ants. Eyeshadow? Too complicated.
I got everything I wanted out of eyeliner, like easy definition, a little drama, and a whole lot of look. By high school, my signature makeup was a 10-minute application of the following: emerald-green liquid liner from the inner corners to the center, blue liquid liner from the center to a slight wing, and a healthy sweep of silver glitter liner over both. It looked great with my Catholic school uniform. (In my defense, this was 2004, the same year Britney Spears released Toxic—so, really, I’m just a product of my environment.)
Now, as an adult, I know better. So while I’ll still mess with a cobalt wing, my daily go-to is black liquid liner—specifically, Tom Ford’s Eye Defining Pen. If I ever have to testify for anything, they’d have to swear me into the proceedings with my right hand on this thing. It’s a dual-ended liquid liner; one end has a shorter, finer stroke, like a calligraphy pen, while the other is a longer brush. I use both ends indiscriminately (whichever cap I happen to pop off first) and the result is always good.
First, it deposits so much ink that there’s never any skipping or uneven spots that force you to double up on applications. And the pigment itself dries down to this rich, satin-y black that looks luxurious and won’t budge, even if your eyelids are oily (a real thing, folks). The color is so impactful that with a single sweep, you don’t need any other eye makeup. To be fair: It is high-maintenance, since it’s so pigmented that you have to wait a few seconds for it to dry before blinking. But hey, so am I.
What I used to achieve in three separate liners, I can now get in one. It makes all the difference between looking like I just woke up and looking like I’ve been awake for hours and, in that time, have gone for a run, showered, and enjoyed a breakfast date with my husband, Dev Patel. It makes me look and feel…ready. For the day. For anything.
And the best part? That $58 isn’t going to waste, because this won’t dry out for years. (Years!) I’ve been using the same pen since 2014, and only now is the ink starting to look half-hearted. And when I can’t get any more out of it? No sweat: I’ll put all the money I’m not spending on other makeup towards it. For me, it’s a worthy tradeoff.
Yes, we love the poppers, the champagne, and the glittery decorations. But the best part about party season? Going all out with makeup we normally wouldn’t wear on the regular. Whether you’re feeling smoky glitter lids or gilded lips, we scoured the runways, red carpet, and social media for the coolest party makeup ideas out there. And even if it takes a little extra time to paint it on, isn’t getting ready half the fun? Scroll on for the best party makeup ideas for New Year’s Eve, birthdays, or—really—any other time you feel like celebrating. Do you need an excuse?
Most days, when you’re getting dressed, the goal is to not overthink it—as long as your clothes don’t get in the way of anything you have to do, then you’re good to go. But sometimes, a little fuss can be fun, and even worth the extra hassle. Take the statement sleeve trend, for instance: A relative of the never-endingoff-the-shoulder craze, it plays up blouses by adding embellishments to (think ruffles, contrasting fabric) or playing with the shape (by adding volume, cut-outs, or extra length) of the sleeves. And it’ll make your jeans or trousers feel a lot more fun.
For those days where you feel like doing a lil’ something extra (but no more than “a lil'”), consider the 20 statement-sleeved blouses ahead.
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Lady Gaga, our lady of prosthetic cheekbones and heels while hiking, has solidified a new phase of her style evolution. The actress and singer’s Vogue cover went live today, featuring a stripped-down, fresh, and dewy side of Gaga. The past few months have seen her step largely away from the theatrical roots that she came up with, so the look’s not necessarily new—since Joanne debuted, Gaga has increasingly let her raw self into the spotlight. Still, the Vogue cover is the most she’s committed to her bare-bones vibe yet. And as her fans can attest, no one goes for it like Gaga.
As our entertainment writer Chris Rosa put it: a bargain beauty shopper is born!
If you’re wondering where this all came from, Gaga tells Vogue that she’s welcomed a “galaxy of change” over the past decade, so fronting Vogue‘s October issue with barely any makeup makes sense (even as we’re still trying to wrap our heads around it). Gaga and Tanno usually use Marc Jacobs cosmetics—Tanno is a Global Artistry Ambassador for the brand—so this is an unusually accessible change of pace for the duo. But rumors have also flown about Gaga launching a brand of her own (named HAUS Beauty, because of course), and this would’ve been a prime time to whip it out. So maybe all bets are off for Vogue, or this is a new era of Gaga that’s here to stay.
Speaking to shedding some of her larger-than-life looks, Gaga says, “For me, fashion and art and music have always been a form of armor. I just kept creating more and more fantasies to escape into, new skins to shed. And every time I shed a skin, it was like taking a shower when you’re dirty: getting rid of, washing off, shedding all of the bad, and becoming something new.”
She added: “I just remember feeling so irritated at the thought that I had to conform to being ‘normal,’ or less of whatever I was already born as. And so I took such radical enjoyment in expressing who I am in the most grandiose of ways. It was sort of like a very polite ‘Fuck off.’ It was never about looking perfect—it was always about just being myself. And I think that’s what it’s always been about for my fans, too. It was a form of protection, and a secret—like a wink from afar. I’m a monster, and you’re a monster too.”
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