Makeup artist Sofia Tilbury - an exclusive Christmas interview.
Getting festive in Ibiza with the celebrated makeup artist and niece of Charlotte Tilbury.
The luminous and lovely Sofia Schwarzkopf Tilbury and her younger sister Bella were raised between Ibiza and Formentera at the heart of the island’s iconic Tilbury clan. Sofia left the island in her early twenties to train alongside her aunt, Hollywood’s favourite makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury MBE, and has become one of the planet’s hottest young creatives. Sofia caught up with L’OFFICIEL IBIZA to chat all things festive gloss and glamour, and why her heart will always belong to Ibiza.
LOI: Sofia, can you tell us what your Christmas in Ibiza looks like?
SST: We actually often spend Christmas in London at my aunt Charlotte’s house, so whenever we’re in Ibiza, Christmas feels extra special, with that magical energy you can only find there! It’s all about family. Everyone gets together at my grandmother’s house, and it is super cosy, with a Christmas tree, winter fires and huge Charlotte Tilbury Christmas stockings stuffed with beauty gifts and engraved jars of Magic Cream! Charlotte is the best gift-giver, and she always goes all out to spoil everyone!
My grandmother has a tradition of inviting everyone who would otherwise be spending their Christmas alone to join us, so it gets very festive and merry, and our Christmas meal is always the same; a huge British roast dinner with all the trimmings, followed by desserts and cheese whilst everyone plays backgammon and cards. I love it!!
What do you wear at Christmas? Are you cosy or glam?
We’re a full-glam family at Christmas!! My grandmother, Charlotte and I will wear heels, whilst my Mum and my sister [the model Bella Tilbury] prefer to be barefoot or more casual, but everyone is always their best dressed in gorgeous dresses and vintage pieces from Ibiza’s boutiques. For makeup, I go for a dialled-up Pillow Talk look with nude-pink lips, a classic feline flick and lots of contour and glow with the Hollywood Beauty Light Wands.
What do you do on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day?
Every New Year’s Eve in Ibiza we gather at a friend’s house to have a party and we countdown to midnight with the Spanish tradition of twelve lucky grapes, of course. If you’re anything like my sister Bella, you’ll also head off to a big party like DC-10 too, but it’s also so special to just relax by the fire and listen to music until the sun comes up.
Can you tell us your favourite local place to eat over the festive period?
La Escollera is our favourite place to go over the festive period. It’s right by the beach and has a beautiful, relaxing vibe, with great food and magical views of Formentera. I love it during summer, but in winter it feels calmer, so you can really enjoy the crisp sunshine and get cosy under a blanket on the terrace.
What is your all-time favourite party in Ibiza and what is your go-to glam for it?
My favourite parties in Ibiza are the house parties! They always have the most intimate energy and they’re full of incredible, bohemian, creative people. At this time of year, I’d wear a mini dress, sheer tights and big heels (even though all the best parties are up in the mountains, so I usually need help to walk uphill!) paired with my go-to party makeup look, inspired by ‘90s supermodel glamour. I like to prep my skin with my Magic Water Cream and Hollywood Flawless Filter, so I look fresh and glowing, contour with my Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer, which looks incredible on the body too, then I add a sculpted, taupe-brown smokey eye with my Super Nudes Easy Eye Palette and Feline Flick liner, before finishing with a berry-pink Pillow Talk Medium lip!
Can you share one insider’s tip about Ibiza in winter?
I love to explore the famous Ibiza Christmas markets to find gorgeous gifts, trinkets and unique vintage pieces, and take time for a walk on the beach on New Year’s Day. There is nothing like fresh sea air to blow away the cobwebs!
How do you get the perfect Ibiza glow over winter?
To get the perfect Ibiza glow through winter, it’s important to take care of your skin. Multi-masking is something I always do to help deeply hydrate, smooth and brighten the look of my skin - my family LOVE to use Charlotte’s Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Masks and Goddess Skin Clay Mask when we’re relaxing altogether by the fire! I also always use Charlotte’s Magic Cream when I want a flawless glow. It’s Charlotte’s miracle moisturiser to instantly revive the look of skin, especially if it’s looking tired, dull or dry after the party season.
Another must-have product is the hyaluronic-acid-infused Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer. It’s a blendable, buildable, forgiving cream-bronzer formula, so you can use a large brush to glide it all over your complexion, including your arms and chest, to cheat a healthy glow, or apply with a precision brush to the cheekbones, temples, jawline and nose to contour. I love to apply it over my nose to get that sun-kissed Ibiza look in winter!
A great gift for glow this holiday season is Charlotte’s Superstar Glow Kit. It’s a mini duo of the viral Beauty Light Wands featuring a dreamy Spotlight highlighter and Pinkgasm blush for a quick and easy, fool-proof Hollywood glow. They’re my number one trick for a lit-from-within radiance on all my celebrity clients – just dot over your cheekbones, then pat in with your fingers.
What is the way to create the most gorgeous festive eye?
The festive season is the perfect time to play with colour and texture, and Charlotte’s new Beautyverse palette is what I’ve been using on all my clients lately – Kate Moss, Salma Hayek, and Penelope Cruz! It’s all about futuristic-finishes and eye-gilding shades that play with the light and there’s something for everyone in this palette.
To recreate the Cyber Silver eye look I did for Kate Moss at Club Magic in Paris, you can start with the shade Virtual Taupe, blending it into the crease of the lids, backwards and forwards like a windscreen wiper to add definition. Then, use your finger to activate a glass-like glow with the shades Cyber Silver and Digital Lilac. Sweep Cyber Silver across the entire lid, then press Digital Lilac in the centre of the lid for a pop of colour that accentuates your eyes!
Which is the colour you like most for lips for this winter?
For me, party looks are all about red lips and glowing eyes or smokey eyes and pretty, nude-pink lips. Pillow Talk is the perfect nude lip shade for everyone, and if you’re stuck for a gift this holiday season, Charlotte’s Pillow Talk On the Go Kit is the dreamiest five-step set of travel-sized eye, lip and cheek Pillow Talk secrets that create a beautifying look on everyone!! When it comes to reds, I love Red Carpet Red, So Red or the shade named after my grandmother, Patsy Tilbury – Patsy Red. She’s an icon and she always says, ‘Red lipstick is instant glamour, just wake up and wear it!’
