By Krista Madden
Instagram is big. We know that. But now it’s responsible for an incredible collaboration that nobody thought could happen, even though I think when Charlotte Tilbury channels something she has the power and charm to manifest most things. Charlotte Tilbury often posted Norman Parkinson images via her account, and it led to his grandson Jake asking her whether she’d like to take a look around the Parkinson archive. 750,000 negatives and 3000 original prints later and the idea of the Charlotte Tilbury, Norman Parkinson collaboration was born.
The collection is made up of a series of compacts and makeup bags all adorned with some of his most iconic works. And the connection doesn’t end there. The product within the compacts reflects the image chosen to decorate it. Take the Filmstar Bronze & Glow (Sun Tan & Sun Light) compact. It’s THE go-to palette for holiday skin, featuring a creamy bronzer and a warm blendable cream highlighter. And the image on the compact? Norman Parkinson’s Jamaica Blue & Beautiful photograph of Jerry Hall that covered British Vogue for the May 1975 issue. It’s makeup meets the art world.
When you hear Charlotte describe her inspiration for her products you are transported to a world of glamour, boudoirs, supermodels and luxury yachts. Charlotte is an absolute expert in her field of makeup, she is an artist, she looks at faces with light and shade and wants to put her skills into a pot of the most perfect make up that anyone can use to conjure up Gisele’s sun kissed skin, even on the school run.
The idea of using Norman Parkinson’s images has been a dream come true for Charlotte and the care and passion she has put into creating these formulas, textures and colours just makes you want to buy the lot. It’s the magic of summer, holiday skin in a compact, applying a dreamy glow on your skin with Charlotte’s pretty paint pots, all such a pleasure and a treat.
The compacts are all limited edition, so you will have to snap them up. The make up bags have already got a back order from all Charlotte’s friends, and Kate Moss was using hers on a shoot yesterday, she threw out her old one and immediately filled her new Jerry Hall make up bag.
The larger make up bag could double up as a clutch for going out, in fact cheeky Charlotte calls it the ‘MakeUp, Party, Sleep, Repeat’ bag….with her naughty gravely laugh you just know this is going to be happening with that bag all over Europe this summer.
To view the full range (and you really should) you’ll have to wait for its release this July. It will be available exclusively at CharlotteTilbury.com and Selfridges in July, until August, when it will also hit NetAPorter.com.