In our monthly Let’s Make-Up round-up, we bring you a selection of the tried and tested, freshest, and buzziest beauty launches that are worth adding to your basket.
All types of lotions and potions across makeup, skincare, haircare and more cross our desks and we take it upon ourselves to review them all so you don’t have to. If we include it below, then you know it’s a good ‘un.
It is officially the best month of the year - and that’s not just because it is my birthday month. Taurus season is giving a lot to look forward to on the beauty front too. The worlds of fashion and beauty are colliding with Marc Jacobs teaming up with pimple patch brand Starface - and that’s just the start. Byredo is entering a new category, GHD is making effortless beach waves actually effortless to create and MAC is making a worthy dupe for Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick.
For all this and more, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
Starface x Heaven by Marc Jacobs
Starface is no stranger to a collaboration - in fact, I have been wearing the Hello Kitty spot stickers over the last month or so, but the brand has entered its style era. Its first fashion team-up is with Marc Jacobs’ sub-brand Heaven and comprises 32 of its famed hydrocolloid pimple patches.
But these are not Starface’s signature stars. The blemish-busting heroes are adorned with illustrations to resemble tattoos, which have been designed by popular tattoo artists Keegan Dakkar, Sean Kennedy, Rachel Lu and David Enth. The drawings include a ‘mom’ motif, a clothes peg and more.
Buy now £15.00, Marc Jacobs
Byredo Blanche Textile Fragrance
Your fragrance wardrobe may already consist of the complex notes of Byredo’s rose, sandalwood and musk Blanche aroma, but the brand is entering a new category to take its scenting one step further. Blanche is often compared to clean clothing with its delicate composition, and now you can take that literally.
The new Textile Perfume is designed for the home, and more specifically for your sheets, with a kind-to-fabric formula that is residue-free. It can be spritzed anywhere around your space - from bedding to upholstery.
Buy now, Byredo
MAC Dazzleshadow Eyeshadow Stick
Instead of complex layering and eyeshadow palettes with untouched pans, you can bring the dazzle to your makeup look with just one simple stick - courtesy of MAC. The brand has unveiled its Dazzleshadow with a metallic finish that has immediate and pigmented payoff with just one swipe.
Once applied, it locks in for 12 hours and there are eight colourways to choose from, some of which have no glitter, should you be looking for an everyday hue.
Buy now £22.00, MAC Cosmetics
Hair By Sam McKnight Pure Genius Natural Scalp Restoring Oil
Scalp care should be the foundation of our haircare - but so many of us prioritise products for our strands instead. Sam McKnight is trying to change that, harnessing his expertise as one of fashion’s favourite hair stylists to bring formulas to tackle our concerns.
His latest Pure Genius Natural Scalp Restoring Oil is made up of 15 natural oils, botanicals of which have been scientifically backed and include the likes of growth-stimulating rosemary leaf, soothing chamomile and the star ingredient, crinipan, to regulate oil and combat dandruff. For ease, it comes in a dropper applicator (which is biodegradable).
Buy now £36.00, Cult Beauty
VIEVE Poutder
With VIEVE’s latest lip product, founder Jamie Genevieve takes inspiration from a K-beauty makeup favourite. The blurred lip trend is straight from the Korean cosmetic playbook, and Poutder will help you achieve it with a soft-matte mousse texture. There are four colourways in pinks, nude and brown that are made up of fine powder particles and are buildable. While imparting colour, they won’t leave your lips dry or flakey thanks to the inclusion of vitamin E and hyaluronic in the ingredient line-up.
Buy now £23.00, VIEVE
La Roche Posay Anthelios UVAIR SPF50+
Each summer, La Roche Posay proves its prowess in the SPF space with a new innovation - and Anthelios UVAIR SPF50+ is certainly the brand’s best yet. Forget the dry skin that is a common consequence of suncare, the formula is enriched with hydrating hyaluronic acid as well as balancing niacinamide.
The texture feels lightweight on the skin but delivers a heavy hit of broad-spectrum protection.
Buy now £20.00, lookfantastic
ghd WAVE
Don’t rate your curling skills with straighteners? GHD has launched WAVE to make the process completely foolproof. All you have to do is run the barrel down the strands and it creates the perfect wave. To protect your locks, the heat is set at the optimal 185°C, while the anodised coating ensures more shine and less frizz than after air drying.
Buy now £159.00, GHD
Skin Rocks The Light Moisturiser
Summer will (hopefully) bring with it elevated temperatures which will mean your rich winter moisturiser will not be suitable. Instead of daily SULA, switch up the nourishing formula for something more lightweight - and with Caroline Hirons’ latest invention, you need not sacrifice on the hydration. Pro-vitamin D3 is set alongside stem cell active and ceramides that work together to offer intense moisturisation, and it works quick. All participants in trial noticed an improvement in just one hour. Available in fragrance and fragrance free.
Buy now £58.00, Skin Rocks
Three Warriors Hydrabronze Tan Drops
Fake tanning the face was once a risky business. Creating an even coating using mousse is no easy feat, which is why tanning drops have become the applicator of choice for tanning aficionados. The concept is simple: add a few drops to your moisturiser, mix and apply. No more patchiness and no more OTT hue that gives the game away.
This is especially the case with Aussie label Three Warriors, which has formulated its Hydrabronze glow with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and Tasmanian marine collagen as well as vitamin C-rich Kakadu plum extract - an antioxidant that shields and protects the skin from external aggressors.
Buy now, Harrods
