Quenlin Blackwell didn’t expect to become an Internet sensation at 14 years old. Back then, she was an OG meme maker on the now-defunct app Vine. Over a decade later, Blackwell has transcended her digital footprint. Aside from her hit YouTube shows and celebrity collaborations, the 24-year-old model is booked and busy across the board with fashion week, a highly anticipated runway debut, and, most recently, a holiday campaign with British beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury.
The festive campaign celebrates the brand’s Magic Gifting Universe collection, an assortment of giftable makeup kits (available in miniature sizes), revamped hero products, and a new floral fragrance, Star Confidence. Legendary singer Céline Dion is seen in the accompanying minute-long video channeling her inner “star confidence,” flaunting a full face of Charlotte Tilbury to her 2002 hit song “I’m Alive.” As for Blackwell, she’s dressed in a sequin gown with a beauty palette and a plumping lip gloss in hand.
Instagram content
“I feel like so many of the dreams that I’ve been working towards are finally coming into reality,” Blackwell tells Teen Vogue of the partnership from New York City, just two days before she's slated to hit the Victoria’s Secret catwalk. “No questions, comments, or concerns about the past month; it has been everything that I’ve ever wanted. I’m basking in these wins.”
Ahead, Teen Vogue caught up with Blackwell to chat about life as of late, working with Charlotte Tilbury, her style evolution, and more.
Quenlin Blackwell: I’ve been so blessed. I’ve been feeling great. I’m in New York right now for the Victoria’s Secret show. I’m very excited. This doesn’t feel real — it’s a childhood dream come true.
QB: I’m more mentally preparing for it than physically preparing for it. Even though it’s such a big opportunity, I still want to go into it with a child-like excitement about it instead of an adult-like sternness and rigidity for the moment. I’m honoring my inner girl, being excited about it all, and treating every moment like it’s the biggest thing in the world because it is. So, I’m going into this being happy about it more than nervous — and if I told 13-year-old me about this, she would freak out, and now, I’m freaking out for her.
QB: Charlotte and her team were interested in working with me. I’ve always wanted to be in a Charlotte Tilbury campaign just because of the level of extravagance and glamour that the brand exudes.
QB: I filmed the campaign this past February. It was really exciting to travel to London for it. Her sets feel like a family — it’s all the same makeup artists that she’s used over the years, and she’s there herself, which isn’t common for a lot of brand shoots and campaigns.
Everyone was so welcoming. The sets were so beautiful. I am such a fan of practical effects and the effort that goes into building sets instead of relying on CGI. That’s something that she and her team did, which was a marvel to witness.
I also loved my makeup on set. I’m very particular about the things that I put on my face, and her products don’t cake on my skin; I love how it melts on my face. I’m even wearing Charlotte Tilbury right now.
QB: Early 2000s YouTube gave me my introduction into Charlotte Tilbury for sure. Back then, that’s what all the girls were wearing — and you go into somebody’s vanity or their makeup bag, they have Charlotte Tilbury. I remember being introduced to the brand through the internet and in real life.
QB: The Big Lip Plumpgasm. It’s this minty, perfect pink, and luscious lip gloss. It smells like chocolate, and it tastes sweet — I would know because it got in my mouth after applying it during the shoot so many times. This is one of my favorite Charlotte Tilbury products.
What makes it a good lip gloss is how it doesn’t leave that annoying white residue between the lips. It also has a good pigment to it — if you were to kiss an envelope, it would stick to it. It tastes good, has a light shimmer (not too much to where it’s giving holographic, but a decent amount so the lips look extra big), and [feels like] mint to really invigorate the pucker.
I also love the Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Spray. I express my face all the time, but it never creases. It’s that good.
QB: When it comes to my personal style, I’ve been learning about fashion throughout the different spaces that I’ve been in. I don’t like to wear what everyone else wears. I like to be a little bit different. I remember I used to wear anything, and if you look back at pictures of me when I was 15, you could see that. It took me learning about brands that I felt aligned with, going into their archives, doing research, and wearing those things that helped with my style. But I feel like I’m in a constant evolution because all people are when you’re living, aging, and experiencing life.
QB: There are too many trends that I’ve let go of, like wearing different color shoelaces with the same set of shoes and half the things that I wore before I hit puberty. Since I graduated high school, I’ve maintained the same vibe. But my favorite trend right now is a good lip stain just because I talk, eat, move, and laugh a lot, and my lip stain keeps my look on my face. But there isn’t a trend I don't like. Right now, I just like to see people explore [different styles] and be the best versions of themselves.
QB: I think the microtrend exhaustion is because people lack community in reality, so they’re trying to find it on the Internet. People want to feel different, but they don’t realize you can do that from reading a book and connecting with someone outside, so they just find their community through trends. It feels more like digital fatigue than microtrend exhaustion.
QB: Be who you think that you are. You can do it. Just be good and you’ll be good. Just do it.
This interview has been condensed for length and edited for clarity.
