Radiant skin, glossy lips, and gothic, delicate eyes took center stage at the Harris Reed SS26 show in London this week, with Sofia Tilbury, Global Artistry Director at Charlotte Tilbury setting the makeup look. The clue is in the runway collection's title, 'The Aviary' the aesthetic was all about bird-like beauty with a nod to the gothic.
On the inspiration behind the beauty look Tilbury shares, "'The Aviary'! Harris' collection was inspired by gothic architecture and bird-like beauty, so we wanted to create a look focused on monochromatic tones, contrasting graphic lines with lit-from-within skin and ethereal prettiness."
The London-based designer says, "It has been such a pleasure to celebrate 10 seasons of Harris Reed, alongside the iconic Charlotte Tilbury Beauty! It's extraordinary to reflect on all the seasons I've worked with the incredible Sofia Tilbury - taking the idea of dreamscape and maximalist glamour and transforming it into something adaptable that people can bring into their everyday makeup and lives."
On the look for SS '25, the designer adds, "This season, we wanted to make even more magic! Drawing inspiration from Film Noir, we explored and created an avant garde playing field of drama, blending punk rebellion with elevated beauty, with the eye as the focal point in both makeup looks that both featured the exaggerated and dramatic lashes that have become a true Sofia and Harris staple. We really delved into how people play with eyeshadow, using this to craft a bold, cinematic eye. The makeup look feels gorgeous, gothic and rock and roll! It's such a beautiful embodiment of the magic of the Charlotte Tilbury and Harris Reed partnership. I adore collaborating with Sofia, and each season she pushes my understanding of beauty and makeup to different heights."
Sofia Tilbury, Global Artistry Director, shares her step-by-step guide to recreating this look.
To start, we prepped the skin using Charlotte's Magic Cream so our base was hydrated and glowing. It's a fashion week essential! We also prepped the lips with Charlotte's new Life-Changing Lip Mask to get that fresh, plump look.
We kept the complexion luminous for both beauty looks using Charlotte's Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer and Unreal Skin Hydrating Foundation Stick for a flawless, radiant base, adding her Hollywood Contour Wands or Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Sticks for subtle definition on the cheeks.
To finish, we set the makeup using Charlotte's Airbrush Flawless Finish and Setting Spray. These are always a must for any fashion show or red-carpet event.
We wanted the looks to mirror the collection's duality, so to enhance structure, they feature a fiercely defined eye, but with minimal colour to really accentuate the models' facial architecture and complement Harris' whimsical silhouettes.
For the first look, we used Charlotte's limited-edition Palette of Beautifying Eye Trends in Super Neutral and Digital Lilac to sculpt the eyes, then used the Rock 'n' Kohl eyeliner in Bedroom Black to further accentuate the drama. Once the lashes were applied, we used thick layers of Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara to further exaggerate the effect.
The lashes in the second beauty look are even more pronounced, with lashings of Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara to create dramatically volumised, painted-on lashes, and we blocked out the brows to allow the eyes and lips to become the most prominent feature.
For the lips, we lightly over lined using Charlotte's iconic Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk and Pillow Talk Medium lipstick to create a delicate, nude-pink, doll-like shape, finished with Charlotte's Unreal Lips Healthy Glow Nectar Oil on the first makeup look, and Big Lip Plumpgasm in a new shade coming very soon for the second!