If there’s one thing in my makeup bag you could say I’m obsessed with, it’s probably my Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream. Or, it’s the Film Star Bronze & Glow. Or—could it be my secret weapon? Charlotte’s “The Retoucher” concealer is like photoshop in a tube and a jet setter’s dream come true for tired eyes.

Why choose just one? Clearly since being introduced to these products a little over a year ago by my own celebrity makeup artist Julie Morgan, I’ve become a devoted member of the tribe of Tilbury. Charlotte’s award-winning line has got to be the most glamorous and feminine brand to come out of London in the last five years, and even though I had never heard of her before, I was instantly drawn to the luxurious rose-gold packaging and super flattering lip and eye colors.

As more and more Tilbury topped my counter, I was curious to know…who is this woman, and what is the story behind these brilliant products? So while in London, I took the opportunity to find out a bit more about the Englishwoman behind the brand, who some are calling the Taylor Swift of the makeup industry.

The longtime makeup artist for A-list Brits like Sienna Miller and Kate Moss, Charlotte Tilbury is a bit better known in her native UK than in other parts of the world, though that’s very quickly changing. Before launching her collection, Charlotte enjoyed a 20+ year career as a top editorial, runway and red carpet makeup artist, with countless Vogue covers under her belts and endorsements from the best photographers on the planet like Annie Leibowitz and Mario Testino, who she’s been working with since the early 90s.

It was during the 90s that Charlotte began perfecting the glossy, glam look she’s known for—which stood in confident opposition to the grunge aesthetic. Thankfully she had many muses on her side, women like Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez, whose iconic beauty looks are now captured by some of her most popular makeup kits, “The Rock Chic,” “The Dolce Vita,” and “The Glowing Goddess.”

Throughout her career, Charlotte always had her sights set on having her own line. And long before she had a business plan or a logo, she had already created a demand. Known to bring six or seven suitcases to her shoots, Charlotte was a prolific beauty alchemist, constantly mixing products to improve texture, color and finish and create looks you couldn’t find anywhere else.

Backstage at fashion week, models hounded Charlotte for the incredibly uplifting, hydrating, instant-glow-giving cream she mixed herself: the Magic Cream. It was the base for every face she touched, and the Charlotte Tilbury name was becoming synonymous with great skin. Luxury brands like Tom Ford (another DL makeup obsession!) MAC, Armani and Chanel tapped Charlotte to help craft their own high-end, high-impact beauty products. Meanwhile, she was experimenting in her secret atelier, working with the best laboratories and laying the groundwork for what was to come.

A few years ago, Charlotte decided it was time to bring the Magic Cream to the market, along with ninety-nine other equally covetable products! Her vision was to revolutionize the industry, creating makeup that was easy to choose and even easier to use, i.e. impossible to mess up. She wanted to empower women everywhere to create a flawless A-list look, without having to sit in her chair or be anything close to an expert.

So far it seems Charlotte’s revolution is working. When the collection debuted at Selfridges in 2013, it was the store’s largest beauty launch ever, with the cream itself selling out in days. The brand has since rapidly expanded to the US through retailers like Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman, and Charlotte has even opened her first stand-alone shop (or “Beauty Boudoir”) in London’s upscale Covent Garden.

Learning about Charlotte’s story, it’s even more obvious to me why her brand resonates—and it goes deeper than pretty packaging. There’s something fundamental we both agree on: that there’s no real difference between a celebrity and a “regular woman.” The days of us vs. them are over. We all have the opportunity to shine our brightest and look our best every day. So to see another woman entrepreneur become successful by spreading that message through her own art and passion, is a fabulous reminder of all that is possible for women like us.

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