Charlotte Tilbury X Norman Parkinson

Having managed to turn herself and her previous beauty lines into a huge success, Charlotte Tilbury, make-up artist to celebrities for over 20 years, has teamed her beauty expertise with Norman Parkinson’s family on a spring/summer 2015 collection devoted to the infamous work of a fantastically legendary photographer. Although this is to be her first collaboration, it will undeniably be as much of a triumph as it is glamorous.

Tilbury has always been stimulated and captivated by Norman Parkinson’s work and being a personal friend to his grandson Jake who, after giving her the chance to visit the 750,000 negatives in the Parkinson archive, sparked the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to Parkinson through a limited edition beauty line. Tilbury has succeeded in producing enticing packaging beautiful enough to seduce any make-up fanatic. Priced reasonably between £32 and £55, the collection contains four scrumptious products including the option of two tantalising shades of lipstick – 1975 Red or Miss Kensington – that are arguably everything you need to “help create a better version of you”.  

One image by Parkinson which Tilbury couldn’t escape is the Vogue cover photo of the gorgeous Jerry Hall from the 1975 issue. It captivated Tilbury because of the use of light and how Parkinson managed to portray such beauty using such a pure element. This image is the centrepiece to the collection and is placed on the make-up bag and on her Sun Tan and Sun Light, an adaptation of the Filmstar Bronze Glow palette. Not only did Tilbury attempt to display the wonderful works of Parkinson throughout but also to replicate his ability to manipulate light.

“This Vogue cover is a reference that I return to constantly – I’m obsessed with Jerry Hall’s beauty and how Parkinson has portrayed it here,” Tilbury declared. “Parkinson’s ability to capture light hugely influences how I think about make-up – that whole soft-focus look. As an artist, a lot of my tricks start with a play on light and dark to enhance and re-shape the facial framework. This new cream texture contouring palette is inspired by the natural fall of sun light and shade on one’s face”.

Norman Parkinson was an incredible fashion photographer with a career that spanned over 50 years. Jerry Hall was not the only muse for the line as Parkinson’s images of Carmen Dell’Orefice and Wenda Parkinson, Norman Parkinson’s wife since 1947, were also spread across the stylish compacts. 

Aura Montana

This range will be available at Brown Thomas, Selfridges and online at www.Charlottetilbury.com come this July 2015.