Charlotte Tilbury's Party Takeover: 5 looks to master for the holiday season

It's time to shine...

It's time to shine...

Christmas is the perfect opportunity to up the ante, so we asked celebrity make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury to create five stand out looks especially for Marie Claire. Prepare to wow.

Glitter Ball

Whether you want high-octane glitz or just a hint of sparkle, this look is playful, easy-to-do and will take your party look from zero to hero. 'Start off with a flawless canvas,' says make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury. Here, she used her Magic Away Concealer, £24 and Light Wonder Foundation, £32. You’ll also want to apply concealer to your lids and under-eye area to give the glitter something to adhere to,' adds Tilbury who shared her exclusive pro tips on this shoot.

'Then, pat the loose, chunky flecks over the top with your ring finger, working fast, before they sets. Finish with one coat of mascara, applied just at the roots, to keep it looking modern.' Try Sleek Glitterfest Biodegradable Glitter in Silver, £5.49, and Yves Saint Laurent The Curler Mascara in Black, £26.

Photography by Jason Hetherington

Guilty Secrets

Chocolate and gold: The winning make-up combination for every skin tone. But the festive season gives us license to be more adventurous, so take yourself out of your beauty comfort zone and use metallics to pump up the drama. You’ll need to start with a glossy complexion, so give dull skin a light-bulb moment with Charlotte Tilbury’s Bar of Gold Palette, £49, which delivers a metallic sheen to cheekbones, nose and cupid's bow.

For sculpted eyes, sweep Chanel’s Longwear Powder Eyeshadow in Chocolate Brown, £26, over lids before dabbing sparkly Tom Ford’s Shadow Extreme in TFX2 Gold, £30, onto the inner corners. 'The key is to blend, blend, blend with a make-up brush so the two tones meld seamlessly,' says Tilbury. To enhance the mouth, she swiped her Matte Revolution Lipstick in Birkin Brown, £24, onto model Veridiana’s lips.

Photography by Jason Hetherington

Mad About Matte

Whatever else you wear, red lipstick will have you party-ready in seconds. This season’s top lip tip? Focus on the finish. Shiny can look OTT, but a velvety matte stamp is both chic and cool. Plus it’s all the more doable now that lipstick formulas are flexible and soft, rather than chalky and dense. 'If you want to re-shape and re-size your lips and Cupid’s Bow, stencil first with a "stealth liner",' says Tilbury.

'Trace the natural outline of your lips, correct any asymmetrical unevenness, then enhance the roundness by going slightly outside the lip line.' Try Tilbury's Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Kiss n Tell, £16, and then press Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Lipstick in Tell Laura, £24, straight from the bullet onto your mouth.

Photography by Jason Hetherington

Back to Black

Smoky eyes are elegant, mysterious and face lifting but can also be unnecessarily complicated and time-consuming to create. Tilbury’s technique involves just two products. Start off with a cream base such as BareMinerals’ Gen Nude Eyeshadow + Primer in Exposed, £19 to encourage anything you apply on top to stay put.

Then, use a small brush to create a chunky, feline shaped line of black shadow and sweep it down on to the lower lashline. Add a slick of black eyeliner for more intensity. We love Charlotte Tilbury’s Smoke shade from The Sophisticate Palette, £39, and the Classic Eye Pencil in Audrey, £16 – both are dark and matte. Mascara (try Legendary Lashes Volume 2, £25), brushed up brows, nude blush and flushed lips are just dressy enough.

Photography by Jason Hetherington

Pink Power

Christmas is a time to get creative with colour but, instead of a rainbow palette, just stick to one shade. Tilbury chose millennial pink – unexpected, yes, but boy does it work. Step one: create a sheer makeup base. 'I like to massage the skin with my Magic Cream, £70, to stimulate lymphatic drainage and boost circulation,' she says.

Next up is a sweep of the Hollywood Beauty Light Wand, £29, over the tops of cheekbones, the tip of the nose and the inner corner of the eyes. 'It gives this amazing spotlight sheen,' says Tilbury. Add a light wash of rosy-coloured cream shadow to your lids – try Givenchy Ombre Couture Cream Eyeshadow 16H Hold Waterproof in Rose Illusion, £20. Then apply Charlotte Tilbury Kissing Lipsticks in Velvet Underground, £24. Skip mascara, this look is impactful and fresher without it.

Photography by Jason Hetherington

Which one of Charlotte's looks is your favourite? Let us know at @marieclaireuk.

For more make-up tips, tutorials and product recommendations, head to our beauty section at the top of the page.

Lisa Oxenham

An award-winning health and beauty writer, stylist and creative director, Lisa Oxenham is one of the UK’s top beauty editors and the Beauty and Style Director at Marie Claire UK. With 20 years of editorial experience Lisa is a brand partnership expert, and a popular speaker, panelist and interviewer on a range of topics from sustainability to the future of beauty in the digital world. She recently spoke at Cognition X and Beauty Tech Live and is on the Advisory Board for the British Beauty Council’s Sustainable Beauty Coalition.

A well-respected creative director she works on celebrity, model and influencer shoots with the highest calibre of photographers, filmmakers, make-up artists and hairstylists to create timeless images, attention-grabbing videos, digital events and masterclasses. Most recently Lisa has directed covers such as Lily Cole and Jameela Jamil, films such as Save The Arts featuring Francesca Hayward and sustainable fashion shoots such as Be The Change. Supporting the beauty industry over the pandemic has been a top focus, directing the British Beauty Council’s six inspirational short biographical films for their Bring Back Beauty campaign.

Lisa is a wellbeing and beauty influencer with a focus on mental health and a large and engaged audience on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.