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.
The British summer has finally arrived and to welcome the warmer weather, beauty brands from OUAI to Prada have suitably sunny selections joining their line-ups. Jen Atkin’s label is adding a hair oil to its St Barts collection – addictive aroma included, while the fragrance arm of the fashion house has a new triangular flacon as part of its growing Paradoxe family.
Elsewhere, beauty behemoths Victoria Beckham and Rihanna are treating parched pouts. Posh Balm is here for a nourishing wash of colour, while Fenty Beauty has entered the lip oil chat.
For all this and more, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
OUAI St Barts Hair Oil
The scent of paradise, it is no wonder that OUAI is following its hugely successful unveiling of the St Barts body collection with a hair oil – especially since, hair is founder Jen Atkin’s bread and butter. In the tropical aroma of the body cream and scrub, this product is the antidote to a lacklustre summer, bringing the fragrance of the beach no matter where you are holidaying this season.
The oil is enriched with African galanga, ama and Asian borage oils that work to counteract frizz and split ends, while leaving a smooth, glossy finish. It also contains a UV filter to shield against the dehydrating damaging effect of the sun’s rays and protect against thermal damage up to 232°C.
Buy now £26.00, Boots
Weleda Solid Deodorants
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Weleda is known for many things; first and foremost its natural formulations that make it a treat for sensitive skin types. You will also likely know it best for its cult Skin Food nourishing lotion for the face and body, calming redness and soothing.
With this in mind, the brand has expanded its collection to a solid deodorant and as you will expect, it is composed of only skin-friendly and natural ingredients. It combines organic shea butter and sunflower seed wax to nourish, while also counteracting odour with essential oils. There are three fragrances; Eucalyptus-Peppermint, Citrus-Bergamot, and fragrance-free Sensitive that are housed in eco-conscious paper tubes – no plastic necessary.
Buy now £8.95, Amazon
Prada Paradoxe Virtual Flower Eau de Parfum
Prada has added a sumptuous scent to its Paradoxe collection and it is immediately recognisable with the brand’s logo-embellished flacon in its signature triangular shape. Taking an untraditional approach to its formulation, the fragrance arm of the fashion house has called on master perfumers Nadège Le Garlantezec, Shyamala Maisondieu and Antoine Maisondieu to reinvent the note of jasmine, which they did through AI augmentation to “perfectly express the airy and lively scent of Jasmine in nature”.
The opening is of Vert de Bergamot where the trio has captured its green touches through a process of cold expression and molecular distillation. At the heart is the aforementioned jasmine with neroli, while the base of musk and amber bring depth and warmth.
Buy now £69.00, Prada
Fenty Skin Treatz Hydrating + Strengthening Lip Oil
Lip oils have usurped the 90s-favourite gloss as a high-sheen, high-nourishing alternative free from stickiness. Rihanna’s Fenty Skin has demonstrated its prowess once again, entering the space with two beautiful treatments.
The Fenty Skin Treatz Hydrating + Strengthening Lip Oil comes in the aromas Black Cherry and Dragon Fruit and are both respectively infused with the oil of each fruit. The formulas are rich with antioxidants to shield parched pouts from external aggressors and instead impart intense nourishment and plumping.
Buy now £21.00, Boots
Benefit The Porefessional Power Powder
Can you truly call yourself a Noughties baby if you didn’t have Benefit’s POREfessional primer in your first-ever makeup kit? Over the decades, the brand has riffed off this base prepping essential and the latest to join the line-up is loose setting powder.
You can expect the same pore blurring and minimising properties as its cult predecessor as well as the natural-matte finish. The superfine texture glides over the skin without caking or leaving the complexion crying out for moisture. In consumer tests, the Benefit The Porefessional Power Powder was shown to instantly minimise oil, shine and pores by 94 and 91 per cent of participants respectively, while 88 per cent revealed that it locked makeup in place all day.
Buy now £34.50, Cult Beauty
Jones Road Miracle Balm Palette
While every product in Jones Road is a testament to Bobbi Brown’s mastery, it is the Miracle Balm in particular that has earned the brand viral status and sent its loyal fans running to the beauty counters.
But with its ever-expanding shade range, selecting the hue to suit was no easy feat. Well, Brown has answered our cosmetic-related prayers with a palette containing thrice the Miracle Balm power. There are three palettes all of which contain three shades - an all-over, blush and highlight – which were selected for their versatility. The makeup expert recommends using your fingertips or a brush over cheeks, lip or “anywhere you want to tint or glow”.
Buy now £28.00, Jones Road
Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Long Lasting Styling Cream
A stalwart in the kit of session stylists and backstage regulars, Bumble and bumble’s Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil has earned every single one of its innumerable accolades. Building on its success, the haircare label has added the Long Lasting Styling Cream to the mix with the same multitasking properties as the oil.
As the name suggests, it’s designed for the styling stage and so provides hold on your look of choice. This is all while bringing increased hydration, combatting frizz and imparting nourishment from a blend of six oils including nangai. Healthier hair is the aim of the game but it will also lock in your blow-out for longer and ease the restyle process.
Buy now £32.00, lookfantastic
Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Balm Nourishing Lip Shine
Dubbed by the brand as “lipstick’s little sister”, Victoria Beckham Beauty has entered the world of tinted lip balms and it’s a blessing to parched pouts everywhere. Posh Balm provides a wash of colour in four buildable shades that include a clear, rose pink, poppy red and blackberry with sheer coverage.
There is also pH technology infused to give a unique tone based on the individual wearer. The formula reads like a nourishing powerhouse; murumuru seed butter complex to enhance moisture retention, plant-derived lanolin alternative for deep hydration and vitamin and antioxidant-rich cucumber seed oil.
Buy now £30.00, Victoria Beckham Beauty
SkinCeuticals P-Tiox
A mark of a true beauty enthusiast is a love for innovation and there are few brands that compare to SkinCeuticals in that arena. The brand is constantly researching in the anti-ageing space and its latest success P-Tiox.
While the name doesn’t give much of the game away, it’s a peptide serum that is designed to be worn daily and can be easily coated on the complexion and layered up. Peptides are renowned for their effect on fine lines and this was created with an advanced peptide complex to mimic the plumping nature of anti-wrinkle injectables. Smoothing out the skin, there is also PHA, niacinamide and laminaria extract to increase cell turnover, support the skin barrier and boost radiance respectively.
Buy now £130.00, SkinCeuticals
Phlur Missing Person Body Oil
When PHLUR unveiled its Missing Person fragrance, it couldn’t have predicted the impact it would make on social media. Reaching viral status, TikTok users in particular were blown away by the sheer nostalgia of the aroma, a testament to the power of scent and founder Chriselle Lim’s skill.
Since the original eau de parfum was launched, the brand has followed up with a candle and now a body oil in the same accords of white musk, floral jasmine, and heart notes of neroli blossom and orange flower. The sumptuous texture is lightweight and infused with kind-to-skin ingredients like floral oils that are brimming with ceramides and lipids to mimic that found naturally in the skin. The results? Soft to the touch, glowing and beautifully fragranced limbs.
Buy now £45.00, Space NK
MERIT Brow 1990 Gel Pencil
Precision is the name of the game with MERIT’s expanding of its brow category. With the Brow 1990 Gel Pencil, the brand known for its effortless, natural makeup has created a formula to recreate hair-like strokes and ease application. The tip is one of the thinnest eyebrow pencils on the market, according to the US-born label and comes in four sheer and buildable shades; Taupe, Light Brown, Dark Brown and Black-Brown.
Buy now £26.00, MERIT
