2024 is now well underway, a month nearly done, the days mercifully gaining extra light. By now, I’ve stopped mistakenly writing 2023 when filling out forms, and have dropped any pretence of adhering to any whiff of 'new year, new me' sentiments. In short, I am over the shift, and keen to crack on.
While 2024 may not feel novel in the slightest anymore, its new launches certainly do. There’s a sea change apparent in what the coming months are going to be like in beauty – or rather what we are going to look and smell, and perhaps even feel like. We all know that mob wife chic with all its ample and wild decorating of the form is set to be the biggest trend of winter, but the things that’ll help us to achieve it (should we want to partake) are thankfully multi-tasking, sophisticated and well-formulated.
I spent the tail-end of last year and the early portion of this one in the joyous position of testing away to tell you which bright and sparkly things to consider should you wish to welcome new products into your life. Here they are.
A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced
Right now you may notice your skin is a little stressed and that no cream seems to do the job of blanketing it sufficiently without making it feel oily or completely coated. This is the answer: it's thick without being greasy, and hasn't made my very spot-prone skin cross, which is quite a feat. The goal isn't only to care for skin in the short term via protecting and cosseting, but also to effectively strengthen and thereby reduce laxity, making skin appear more youthful and bouncy.
Buy now £175.00, Skinceuticals
Mascara & Brow Duo
Firstly, let's take a moment to appreciate how handy it is to have a brow gel and mascara contained in the one tube. Secondly, let me tell you that this isn't just any brow gel or mascara: make-up artist Ruby Hammer is far too clever to flood the market with more of the same, so has opted for tiny wands - the tiniest I've ever seen. This is good. Control - lots of it. You will be able to choose precisely which direction each brow hair shoots in, wriggle the mascara wand right into the roots. Oh, and the mascara is a tubing formula so it'll come off when you wash your face with warm water but not a second beforehand.
Buy now £28.00, Ruby Hammer
Phyto-Teint Perfection Foundation
Remember when wearing foundation equalled looking like you were wearing a skin-coloured paste? Forget that. This one may be high coverage, but it's also luminous and looks natural on. Helpfully, it also covers stuff properly – and doesn't disappear over the course of the day. An added bonus? It being Sisley, the gurus of good skin, they've added ingredients into the mix to help skin to become more plump, smoother and softer over time.
Buy now £80.00, Sisley
Skin Moisture IQ
We are by now all fully aware that good skin starts from within – and a key tenet of healthy, well-functioning skin is hydration. Water alone sadly won't do the job, though eating your greens and oily fish do add to the cause, while supplements plug the gaps. These daily pods contain five capsules filled with ingredients to support skin hydration (and, of course, overall health) including omegas, hyaluronic acid, vitamin A and ceramides. Taken daily by 22 individuals (who were part of a 12-week study during winter months) experienced an increase in hydration and decrease in wrinkle depth.
Buy now £81.00, Advanced Nutrition Programme
Stop & Soothe Aromatherapy Pen
There is so much to love here. For starters, the fact that this pen requires just a click to release the perfect amount of soothing scented gel, which can then be used on wrists or the neck to comfort and relax. It contains a blend of peppermint, lavender, and tonka bean. That said, the gel isn't oily and won't end up on the sleeves or collars, staining them. It is lightweight and can be slung into a bag without adding to the shoulder-tightening load. 1% of all Rare Beauty sales are donated to the Rare Impact Fund to increase access to mental health services for young people. As I said, much to love.
Buy now £20.00, Space NK
Mela B3 Serum
Unfortunately you're going to have to wait until February for this one, but I'd recommend adding a reminder to your calendar if you suffer from pigmentation; this serum is the result of 18 years' worth of research and innovation on the part of L'Oreal, who have multi-patented the powerhouse ingredient, Melasyl. Able to work its magic on various kinds of pigmentation from age-related to post-acne to sun spots, it helps reduce melanin production, decreases inflammation, and strengthens the skin. Texturally, it's equally as good – a sort of silky serum that you apply in the morning before that all-important SPF.
Buy now £48.00, Boots
Advanced Repair Ointment
It's worth making sure you have this ointment in your cupboard. It's the perfect thing for skin that's cracked, parched, or damn sore for any other reason. Three ingredients make it a potent protector of damager skin: pharmaceutical-grade petroleum, which effectively forms a barrier to shield; three ceramides, which repair and prop up the skin's natural defences, and hyaluronic acid, to draw hydration to the skin.
Buy now £11.00, Cult Beauty
Vieve Bath Salts
It is my firm belief that bath salts are about to enter a renaissance. They are so brilliant, releasing goodness and scent into the water (in this case neroli, amber and santal), the salts themselves are beneficial for the skin and muscles (you are treated to Himalayan and Epsoms here), and last but absolutely not least, they don't leave an oily film around the bath which would involve cleaning and therefore you potentially losing the accrued zen on emerging.
Buy now £27.00, Vieve
Elvive Hydra Pure 72h Purifying Shampoo for Oily Scalp and Dehydrated Lengths
Greasy roots and parched ends, are a common problem and one I contend with regularly. This shampoo contains ingredients inspired by skincare (namely exfoliating salicylic and hydration magnet hyaluronic acid) to nix both issues, cleaning the scalp thoroughly without either stripping the hair of its natural oils, or weighing lengths down. This particular range also comprises a scalp serum to control oil production further, and a conditioner to pair with the shampoo.
Buy now £3.75, Boots
Hollywood Pinks K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipsticks
Don't panic, we're not in for another year of nausea-inducing pinker-than-pink Barbie hues. These lipsticks are more muted, more 90's supermodel in vibe. Candy Chic is my personal favourite, conferring a pink that's sweet, sure; but has a bit more punch, a bit of muddiness under that pink to make it eminently flattering. The K.I.S.S.I.N.G formulas are all satin lipsticks, so the finish is a bit sheeny, and they're not drying in the slightest.
Buy now £27.00, Charlotte Tilbury
Heel Repair Stick
Despite moisturising my feet every time I emerge from the shower, I find they still become parched and cracked periodically. Putting this on my bedside table has solved the problem – I quickly swipe the stick onto my heels and the pads of my feet before drifting off and since doing so they've remained soft and supple thanks to the blend of urea, emollients, and provitamin B5.
Buy now £9.74, Amazon
We all by now know about the benefits of bacteria, and the simple answer is to add loads of it and hope the gut accepts it ands that all is then well. But that's not always the case: a proliferation of 'bad' bacteria can undo all the efforts of adding the good stuff, so if you find yourself regularly beset with issues like candida and disrupted digestion, it might be time for this supplement, which inhibits the bad while promoting the good.
Buy now £38.00, Artah
Three Suns Balm Revitalising Cleanser
Given that cleansing is the cornerstone of good skin, you can expect to see a slew emerging this year - but this is the one I've been most excited about thus far. Founder of REOME Joanna Ellner is both an acupuncturist and former Beauty Director, and her mission to create products that are effective and holistic is clearly informed by both. This cleanser blends 12 bio-fermented and biotech actives to create a creamy balm which cleanses but also hydrates and helps skin to achieve greater radiance over time.
Buy now £55.00, Space NK
Love Me Do
You probably already know that Sam McKnight is an uncommonly talented legend of the hairdressing industry with a list of A-List clients - but did you know that he's a keen gardener, too? His fondness for flowers has served his range well, with the signature scent inspired by his garden and realised by perfumer Lyn Harris. In this iteration, it accompanies a hybrid of argan, camelia, and sunflower seed oils that ad lightweight sheen which doesn't add any weight or heaviness to the hair.
Buy now £32.00, Hair by Sam McKnight
Queen Serum
This all-round good news serum launches in February, and I suspect it's going to go down very well indeed with the legion of Omorovicza fans thanks to its ability to smooth and pump, along with containing a sustainably-sourced, biotech Mediterranean microalgae, which improves elasticity without irritation. My skin's become softer and unquestionably happier since adding to my routine.
Buy now £110.00, Omorovicza
Revitalessence Skin Glow
The hybrid of make-up and skincare might not be new, but the advances being made in the field are noteworthy. This primer is, well, a prime example: not only does it make skin look glowing under make-up, it'll also over time tend to the skin's microbiome and thereby foster healthier skin which, you guessed it, will be more vibrant and need less make-up to create that look. It's worth mentioning that Shiseido is greatly revered for its base efforts among those in the know, so do also check out the rest of their products if you haven't already.
Buy now £39.00, Shiseido
Premiere Decalcifying Repairing Pre-Shampoo Treatment
Kerastase doesn't do mediocre, so my ears pricked up when I heard they were going to launch a full new range with the goal of regenerating hair and restoring its original strength. The decalcifying bit? With each shower, water laced with calcium affects the hair's health thanks to the latter depositing around the hair shaft and between the cuticles, making it rough and full. Remove the calcium, and you up shine, and reduce the likelihood of hair breaking thanks to brittleness. The whole range does just that while repairing broken keratin links, and this pre-shampoo treatment is the easiest way to incorporate it.
Buy now £55.65, Kerastase
Cellular Hydration Repair Mask
You're going to hear an awful lot more about the skin's barrier this year, partly because so many barriers have been damaged by the overuse of actives and the overuse of aggressive skincare, and partly because it's really very important to have a well-functioning barrier. I've been impressed by this mask, which can be used overnight if needed to soothe, strengthen, and hydrate, and in so doing help the barrier out on a cellular level.
Buy now £55.00, Murad
Clarifying Detox Shampoo
Categorically not a day-to-day shampoo, this is a seriously potent product that's intended to be used weekly to remove build up in the hair of pollution, heavy metals, and excess oil - a factory reset, if you will. I found that it made my hair look more glossy and soft, allowing my highlighters to shimmer and making everything look overall more pleasing.
Buy now £31.00, Living Proof
Born in Roma Green Stravaganza
We will this year continue to see vanilla strike a warm fuzzy note in our olfactory lives, and this Valentino scent makes good use of it alongside refreshing Lapsang Souchong tea and jasmine. Combined, they offer a smoky yet shiny scent, something that'll add cheer and mystery at once. Oh and I know smell is the important thing, but the bottle is glorious to behold, isn't it?
Buy now £130.00, Harvey Nichols
2300 Styler Dryer
Hailed as the year the blow dry returns by hairdressers, you can expect to see more bounce, more, dare we say it, Rachel cut-inspired heads of hair in 2024. This hairdryer is exciting for two reasons. First, it is happy to be just that - a great hairdryer, no bells, whistles, or tricks up its sleeve. There are options, sure, but they're all about achieving a good blow dry and not about wizardry of hair. Second, it executes that really well, is easy to wield, and comes at a reasonable price.
Buy now £90.00, Babyliss
Melatonin Sleeping Mask
Have you ever removed your make-up at night and thought that even a good amount of sleep wouldn't be enough to make your skin look healthy and juicy once more? That is when you need a dollop of this smoothed across your face and neck bedfore bedding in. It'll plump, soothe, and generally make skin more joyous - and all while you're sleeping.
Buy now £61.00, Rowse
Narcotic Delight
If you want something dark, intense, suggestive of vice and sybaritic leanings, get your hands on this when it comes out in February. It's a mix of - wait for it - vanilla bean, pink peppercorn, cognac, tobacco, and cherry, all sped into extra intensity by hedione, a molecule that opens pleasure receptors and promotes attraction. I told you this is all vice, all Bond girl out late at night, lipsticks and diamonds and danger.
Buy now £230.00, Initiio
The Legacy Collection
Celebrating 75 years since Estee Lauder encouraged women to buy fragrance for themselves for the pure enjoying of it, these five heritage scents have been reinvented by the legendary Frederic Malle. Do move quickly if you'd like to try one of them - they're only going to be around for three months in the early portion of this year and you can expect perfume fans to snap them up during that time.
Buy now £250.00, Estee Lauder
