In the latest Charlotte Tilbury news, the make-up artist is launching five new shades of her cult contour wands tomorrow (14 January). This release comes less than a month after it was revealed that Tilbury is selling her eponymous brand and, from 2026, will no longer hold a stake in the business.
The contour wands (£30, Charlottetilbury.com) had previously been available in just two shades – fair medium and medium deep – but you’ll now be able to get your hands on an additional five shades – four darker and one for paler skin. The new shades are titled medium, tan, tan deep, deep, and fair, respectively, and are designed to sit over both liquid and powder make-up for a seamless sculpt.
The formula and packaging will remain the same – a pigmented, stretchy liquid in the brand’s signature sponge-topped tube – with a unique locking mechanism to prevent any product from leaking out of the squeeze-to-dispense applicator while travelling or on the move.
Announcing the new launch, Tilbury explained she has “obsessively studied the overtones and undertones of different skin tones”. She described the new colourways as the “perfectly balanced shades for the easiest, most natural-looking contour of your life,” adding that they’re “never muddy or ashy” and “flatter in every light to give you my natural, soft-sculpt effect.”
Tilbury has worked as a make-up artist for more than 30 years and has garnered experience backstage at fashion weeks as well as with stars from Kate Moss to Sienna Miller. Speaking at her new Covent Garden store, the founder described how the wands came about in 2013 and reminisced how women had felt overwhelmed at the thought of contouring. “When I was watching on social media, the way people were contouring – I was left thinking, ‘Oh my god, I need to lie down.’” The solution came after that moment: “I was like, ‘We need to create something that is really simple in a wand.’” And voila, the contour wands were made.
Since their launch more than 10 years ago, the wands quickly developed hall-of-fame status – getting hold of one after their viral stint became harder than procuring a Hermès birkin bag. With cosmetics giant Puig on board since 2020, the brand seemingly has a better handle on stock and, it would seem, inclusive shade ranges. Watch this space for our beauty team’s first look at the five new shades.
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