Not everything a makeup guru tells you is gospel. Like when one told me to stop wearing mascara: “You’ll look fresher and younger.” I tried and looked more bald coot than fresh youth. Interestingly, Peter Philips created this soft smoky eye at Dior Haute Couture AW19 sans mascara. Apply the black shadow around the eyes, pushing it into the roots of the lashes. Keep foundation light, add a hint of highlighter to boost skin tone, and finish off with a soft pink lip. In reality, this is a more effective way to go mascara free. Otherwise, keep your mascara.
1. Bobbi Brown Luxe Illuminating Powder £36, bobbibrown.co.uk
2. Dior Backstage eyelash curler £20, boots.com
3. Dior Couleurs Tri(o)blique eyeshadow palette in Smoky Canvas £49, dior.com
4. Clarins Lip Milky Mousse £16.50, clarins.co.uk
5. Tom Ford Lid Lacquer in Badass £30, tomford.co.uk
I can’t do without: an eco brand that looks good and does good
One of my biggest beauty bugbears is eco-conscious brands that feel worthiness is enough. Many don’t pay any attention to the efficacy of their formulations or – on a superficial level – their aesthetic. There is also the question of authenticity; they talk up sustainability credentials that, when you delve deeper, lack substance. Some, thanfully, are different. Sana Jardin is a small luxury fragrance brand that contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Goals for 2030. It has a Beyond Sustainability business model that works on the circular economy principle. This means their flower harvesters upcycle the waste products from the fragrance production and sell them, keeping all the profits. Bottom line: Sana Jardin provides women with skills and materials to increase their income through commerce not charity. Now to the fragrances. They are expertly blended, unusual and smell expensive, (Tiger by Her Side – amber, bergamot, coriander, rose and vanilla notes – is the bestseller) and easily hold their own against any other lauded perfume brand. Their newly launched candles are every bit as exquisite as the scents. 100% vegetable wax, free of phthalates, artificial colorants, parabens and formaldehydes and come in recyclable packaging. And they actually look good. Other eco brands, take note. Sana Jardin candles £48, sanajardin.com
On my radar: cleansers to help you face the new year afresh
Worth a squeeze This gel creme loosens dead skin – thanks polyhydroxy acid – conditions (with orange, goji and sea buckthorn extracts) and cleans without stripping, as a good cleanser should. Ole Henriksen Truth Juice Daily Cleanser, £22, boots.com
A clinical approach From the deep cleanser that unclogs pores to a genius SPF to spray over makeup, this clinically formulated but straightforward line from Dr Anita Sturham is everything needed in your skin regime. Decree, from £44, harveynichols.com
Glow to Go Kate Somerville is called ‘queen of the glow’ for good reason. This non-drying face wash includes brightening AHAs and natural fruit enzymes. Kate Sommerville Exfolikate Cleanser, £32, katesomerville.co.uk
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