The Fashion Week Beauty Look That Really Does Suit Everyone

We joined the make-up artist-turned global mega brand backstage at London Fashion Week to find out how she created the beauty look for Alice Temperley’s SS18 show – and how you can translate it into life off the catwalk.

The look is, in Charlotte’s own words: ‘French Riviera fresh with a fifties twist’. Translation: a healthy, glowing complexion offset by a bold, matte lip in a modern orange-red.

The retro take on spring make-up is flattering for all skin tones and, with Charlotte’s expert make-up application tips, you can create a flawless, youthful complexion, whatever your age. Intrigued? Follow the steps below to get the look, starting with some all-important prep...

Before applying any make-up, Charlotte always preps the skin with her best-selling Magic Cream, £70 to create a plump and smooth canvas. You will always find make-up sits better on skin that is well cared for and moisturised regularly, so don’t skip this step in the routine. If you’ve got a bit of time on your hands, follow Charlotte’s five minute massage routine for an in-depth prep.

Don’t forget the eye area, either. Use a targeted cream (Charlotte used her Magic Eye Rescue, £40) to firm and plump the eye area, preparing it for make-up application.

Once you have fully plumped and moisturised your skin, forgo heavy foundation and apply a light layer of coverage to achieve a fresher look for spring (a great tip for mature skin too). Charlotte used Light Wonder Foundation, £32 at LFW. Put a small amount onto cheeks and blend out with a foundation brush (try the Hollywood Complexion Brush, £30) – this will give you greater control over how you apply your base and allow you to build up the coverage and colour slowly.

If you feel like you need a little more help in some areas, use a concealer like The Retoucher, £25 to hide dark circles and blemishes.

Long gone are the days of pencil-thin eyebrows: now it’s big, bold brows that are all over the catwalk. If you lack natural thickness, don’t worry: you can cheat it with some clever make-up tips.

Start by filling in brows with a pencil close to your natural shade. Charlotte enhanced the look of the models’ brows with her Brow Lift, £22.50, which comes with a built in highlighter. Apply the highlighter under the eyebrow to lift and shape the whole eye area.

Finish off your brow with an eyebrow gel, brushing the hair up and away from your eyes. This technique will frame your face and open your eyes for a more youthful, modern look. Charlotte used her Legendary Brows, £18.50 to achieve this.

Charlotte created a very natural make-up look for eyes, but her clever application means they still have definition. To recreate it at home, apply a light, cream eyeshadow all over lids and just under the lower eyelashes. Cream eyeshadows are a good choice for everyone, but especially mature skin: the consistency is easy to blend and won’t pull at the delicate eye area, or settle into creases, giving a more flawless finish.

Charlotte used her Eyes to Mesmerise in Jean, £22 to brighten eyes, which, when blended with her Eye Blender Brush, £25, can be evenly spread across the lids without pulling at the skin around the eye area. A light sweep of dark brown eyeliner (Charlotte used Rock N Kohl in Audrey, £16) opens eyes and adds definition. Finish with one or two coats of mascara.

Adding a subtle shimmer to the skin will give you a youthful, glowing finish. Charlotte started by dotting Hollywood Flawless Filter, £30 above the cheekbones, taking it down the apple of the cheek and down the centre of the nose to achieve this effect. Follow with a dab of highlighter in the centre of the forehead, on the cupid’s bow and the chin, before blending in to create that youthful glow. You can use your fingertips or a brush.

Contouring can be a bit scary if you don’t know how to translate the trend from Instagram to real life, but there are so many products out there that make it easy - and wonderfully effective.

Using Filmstar Bronze and Glow, £49, Charlotte defined models' features and added to the glow provided by the Hollywood Flawless Filter. Enhance your features by sweeping across the top of the forehead, along the cheekbones, down either side of the nose and along the jawline – just think of where the sun naturally hits the skin and apply the power there for a natural-looking glow that defines features at the same time. 

Complete the look with a bright lip – try a geranium-hued matte lipstick. Charlotte’s Hot Lips in Tell Laura, £24 is the perfect orange-red for this look. To get the look seen here, start by lining the lips in Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Kiss and Tell, £16, before applying Tell Laura with a lip brush, to help colour go on evenly and last for longer.