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.
January is a time for resetting and resolutions and the same can run true for your bathroom cabinet. If your New Year, New Me commitment starts with your self-care rituals, look to Harvey Nichols’ bumper pack of wellness favourites or Clinique’s charcoal-infused detoxifying cleanser.
If you reserve the first month of the year for remaining as cosy as physically possible with little to no movement from your home, you’ll need the ambiance-giving candle to match. See Bella Freud and Loewe - the latter of whom have updated its collection inspired by Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit.
For all this and more besides, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
Summer Fridays Midnight Ritual Retinol Renewal Serum
If you’ve been apprehensive to dive into the world of retinol because you’re worried about sensitivities, Summer Fridays has the gentle but no less effective serum that will ease any concerns. Applied at night, it works to even out tone and texture, while minimising the appearance of fine lines in combination with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. To make it that bit kinder to the complexion, oatmeal and tiger grass are calming and soothing so that you can use it daily.
Buy now £69.00, Revolve
Tatcha The Rice Wash
Japanese skincare label Tachta is coming for each and every step of our skincare routines, replacing potentially harsh formulas with gentle-to-the-skin alternatives that are brimming with unique ingredients sure to transform your complexion. The non-stripping The Rice Wash is a cream cleanser that has Japanese rice powder at its heart. This component has a softening effect on the skin, while also leaving a bright finish. It is set alongside a pH neutral amino acid base to ensure that it won’t dissolve natural and essential oils as well as Okinawa Algae and hyaluronic acid to bring moisture and ceramides to fortify the skin’s barrier.
Buy now £35.00, Space NK
L'OCCITANE x Lily and Lionel
Bringing joy to your hygenine practices, French brand L’OCCITANE has teamed up with womenswear label Lily and Lionel for a limited-edition and mood-boosting transformation of the former’s Forever Bottle. In line with L’OCCITANE’s commitment to more ethical practices, this pump dispenser bottle can be filled with any of the brand’s plastic-minimisinig and cost-friendly refills. It has been adorned with a floral print - a motif also set on a reusable gift bag made entirely from cotton.
Buy now £4.00, L’OCCITANE
Murad Essential-C Firming Radiance Day Cream
Murad is known for its selection of some of the most glow-giving vitamin C-enriched products on the market and the label has expanded its selection with this new day cream. The formula has been clinically proven to provide a hydrated and brightened complexion where a study showed moisture levels improved by 231 per cent in 24 hours, while 93 per cent of participants agreed that their skin was more radiant. This is all due to a stable form of the powerhouse ingredient as well as bacillus ferment that is included for its firming and elasticity-boosting properties.
Buy now £83.00, Murad
Clinique Take The Day Off Charcoal Cleansing Balm
If you’re anything like us Clinique’s charcoal mask played a recurring role in our younger self’s skincare rituals not in the least for the satisfying hardening effect but also for its detoxifying properties. The latter is why the ingredient has been included in this latest launch from the label, a cleansing balm that will become a much-welcomed antidote to the indulgences of the festive period. A reset for the complexion, it contains Japanese charcooal for a deep cleanse and to remove excess oil, makeup and grime from the day.
Buy now £30.00, lookfantastic
Harvey Nichols Wellness Beauty Box
Harvey Nichols is proving the gifting season need not be over with its Wellness Beauty Box that will be the perfect belated present or a self-gift to ease those January blues. The luxury department store has packed over £300 worth of skin, hair, body and wellbeing goodies into this box set with four full-sized products. The contents include Sunday Riley’s Luna Sleeping Night Oil (full size), OTO’s CBD Sleep Drops (full size), NEOM’s Happiness Candle (travel size) and the STARSKIN The Gold Mask face mask to name but a few of the 12-strong line-up.
Buy now £85.00, Harvey Nichols
Bella Freud Hot Spell
Almost too chic to burn, there’s a reason why the Bella Freud candles are often found on curated shelfies on your Instagram feeds: they look seriously good. Typically featuring the signature ‘1970’ or a playful phrase, these home fragrance favourites enhance more than just aesthetics. The fragrances are beautiful too as proven by this latest addition ‘Hot Spell’. It has the summery and fruity concoction of grapefruit, orange, lemon and the spice of ginger giving way to a floral jasmin, magnolia and geranium heart. At the base, it is grounded in vetiver, patchouli and musk.
Buy now £65.00, Bella Freud
LOEWE Perfumes Bunny Candle
If LOEWE’s animal bags have long featured on your wishlist, you’re going to love this new launch from the luxury Spanish fashion house’s fragrance arm. Like its bag predeccesor, the candle is shaped like a rabbit in line with Lunar New Year’s Year of the Rabbit. The three colourways of peach, yellow and grey are scented with the sweet and addictive notes of white chocolate, rice, caramel, vanilla and cream.
Buy now £180.00, LOEWE Perfumes
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter
Each new launch from Charlotte Tilbury is an internet-breaking, game-changing moment but this new highlighter has had a particularly profound effect, becoming an instant social media sensation. The brand is known for imparting that flawless filter glow and this product will help you take this to the next level with all its highlighting, smoothing, blurring and lifting. There are seven shades with a rich powder pigment that leaves a soft-focus 3D finish.
Buy now £38.00, Charlotte Tilbury
