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 has taken its sweet time but with June comes the hotter temperatures - or so we hope and pray. Let your beauty purchases reflect that and opt for a summery fragrance to wave in the season. Fresh and bright scents are on offer from & Other Stories, Penhaligon’s and Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
In other news, Cowshed is celebrating a very special anniversary, and there’s never been a better time to take stock of your health and load up your supplement cupboard at the same time thanks to Vida Glow.
For all this and more besides, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
Cowshed 25th anniversary
Cowshed is celebrating its 25th birthday and to honour the milestone, there’s a limited-edition hamper with its beloved botanical products combined with more fan-favourites.
We have been big fans of the label since its inception. With a touch of humour infused through the range, it boasted the likes of the Mad Cow or Horny Cow, before evolving into the Active, Awake, Balance, Cosy, Indulge, Relax and Replenish collections that exist today. Each represents a mood with natural ingredients at their heart. Unwind with the calming lavender infusion of Relax, take a moment of Zen with the red mandarin and bitter orange of Replenish or hunker down with Cosy and its notes of patchouli and rose.
Cowshed was created to inject a spa-level aromatherapy experience into our everyday lives. Whether you live in the country or the heart of the city, you can benefit from the essential oil blends that were once sourced in the Walled Garden at Babington House. The story of Cowshed and the Somerset-based outpost of the legendary member’s club are inextricably linked. It was the home of the first spa offering services using the luxury label with experiences for the mind, body and soul.
Included within the hamper is a bumper pack of Cowshed goodies (more on that below) with Soho House’s chic coffee table book, the Morning Noon Night Book and a cosy House Robe so you need not slip the ones in your room on your next stay at any of the Soho House destinations (FYI, they will add it to your hotel bill).
It includes the Featuring Relax Bath & Shower Gel, Awake Bath & Shower Gel, Active Body Lotion, Soften Shampoo & Conditioner, Relax Shower Scrub, Refresh Hand Wash & Hand Cream.
Buy now £225.00, Cowshed
Vida Glow Women’s Health ingestible range
If you’re a regular ES Best reader, you may recognise Vida Glow as one of our favourite collagen brands. The label is constantly expanding its repertoire and this has extended into a new collection of ingestible supplements for women, specifically designed to meet our physiological requirements.
There are four in the range that pretty much do as they say on the tin. De-Stress comes in the form of an orange-flavoured chewable liquid burstlet to relieve symptoms of stress and mild anxiety. The Gut Pro harnesses the power of probiotics for a whole host of benefits including reducing bloating and balancing vaiginal pH. Then there’s Prenatal+ that’s packed with nutrients and vitamins to support preconception and pregnancy and Multi360, an all-rounder multivitamin for energy and general health.
Buy now £30.00, Vida Glow
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Media Cologne Forte
Maison Francis Kurkdjian, the brand behind the iconic Baccarat Rouge 540, has taken a very different approach with the Aqua collection. These summery scents are light and bright and there’s a new addition taking the fourth spot alongside Aqua Vita, Aqua Celestia, and Aqua Universalis.
Aqua Media is a mood-boosting scent that is vibrant and fresh and, much like the others, has bergamot from Italy (it’s a consistent note that runs through the Aqua range). This is set alongside crystalline hedione that provides the airy feel with sweet fennel, aniseed and citrus. It’s green most of all with fresh wild herbs, a base of woody musks, patchouli and green moss.
Buy now £175.00, John Lewis
NATURIUM Phyto-Glow Lip Balms
Our lips can never seem to catch a break, from stress from the cold winter air to hotter temperatures drying out our pouts all the more, they’re always in need of some TLC. NATURIUM comes to the rescue with its moisture-rich new launch. The tinted Phyto-Glow Lip Balms work to lock in moisture, while providing a swipe of shine and gloss. This is achieved through plant derived esters that also give a plumped effect. There’s also shea butter, capacu butter, and squalane that is enhanced through a vanilla flavour. Five shades available; pink, cherry, berry and nude as well as clear.
Buy now £12.00, Space NK
Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum
If you’ve ever experienced acne or consistent blemishes, you will know just how challenging it is to find a product that will keep it under control without leaving a flaking, drying mess in their wake.
After founder Sunday Riley’s daughter struggled with this exact dilemma, she decided to do something about it - and with that the B3 Nice was born.
Reminding you not only to give your skin the TLC it deserves, the product encourages a clearer, radiant complexion through the inclusion of niacinamide (a B3 derivative, hence the name). This minimises the appearance of pores, regulates oil production and maintain’s the skin’s natural moisture production. This is combined with Trans-Resvertaol to combat free radicals, dark spots and discoloration as well as a trademarked Brightenyl biotechnologically created molecule to improve skin’s texture.
Launches June 15.
Buy now £54.00, Space NK
ILIA In Full Micro-Brow Pencil and In Frame Brow Gel
ILIA landed on UK shores alongside Sephora and the brand has quickly become a staple in our makeup bags. Not content on dominating our base products, the brand is making a play for our brows too. The In Full Micro-Brow Pencil is fitted with an ultra-fine tip so you can create strokes to realistically resemble real hair to bring density and shape to your brow look. The formula has a waxy texture that is buildale and blendable and there’s six shades. Complete the look by finishing your brows in the (also new) In Frame Brow Gel (£24) that leaves a clear coasting to hold them in place.
Buy now £24.00, ILIA
Jo Malone London The Highlands Collection
It wouldn’t truly be the spring/summer season without a new warm weather collection from Jo Malone London. This year The Highlands collection takes inspiration from the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands.
There are four scents, each of which spotlight different scenes, from the Melancholy Thistle Cologne that mimics the elements surrounding a long-abandoned castle with coolwood to represent the ivy-covered stone and bright green fresh notes for the named plant, to the Highland Heather Cologne spotlighting the swathes of heather with a woody scent combining notes of lavender, cypress and amber.
Buy now £58.00, Jo Malone London
& Other Stories Solar Essay
The Solar Essay is a true summer scent through and through in the sense that just one whiff will make you feel warm, cosy and revived.
As soon as you smell the fragrance, you’ll catch the invigorating notes of lemon paired with coconut for a tropical feel. As it evolves, touches of cyclamen, mimosa and tiare emerge until it dries down with a base of tonka beans and cedarwood.
Grab your floppy hat, flip flops and bikini because this aroma will have you booking your next vacay ASAP.
Buy now £29.00, & Other Stories
Penhaligon's - Solaris
The Penhaligon’s offering of scents are defined by rich, indulgent aromas with a luxury feel, and while the Solaris certainly hits the latter on the head, it breaks away from the cult ouds to be brighter and fresher - ready for summer. The scent is citrusy with Sicilian lemon, bittersweet orange and a touch of bergamot. There’s also rose, jasmine and amber gris and musks at the base. Though, this is not your average summer scent. In the brand’s signature style, there’s always a twist and this comes in the form of a peppery element as well as juniper.
Buy now £160.00, Fortnum & Mason
Sculpted by Aimee HYDRATINT
Warmer weather means it’s time to shun those heavy SULA-producing products to lighter formulations - and makeup artist Aimee Connolly has got you covered. Serum meets tint in this product that is 90 per cent skincare ingredients. It’s one to help you create a natural makeup look with a soft wash of colour but best of all, it brings hydration heroes and nourishing ingredients like centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, peptides and vitamin E into your everyday makeup routine. It has SPF20.
Buy now £23.00, Boots
CHANEL: Set Le Vernis 2023
It’s nail art’s world and we’re all living in it. Never has there been more creativity in the nail space but if you’re not so skilled on the hand painting or don’t want to splash the cash on an in-person manicure, CHANEL has entered the chat. The luxury French house has set its instantly recognisable logo on easy stick-ons. The limited-edition designs are paired with a red and a white nail varnish and a gel top coat to create the full logomania look.
Buy now £87.00, Chanel
The Nue Co SUPA_THICK SHAMPOO
The Nue Co is likely best known for its supplements (and its gut health offering has already had our seal of approval) but don’t sleep on its hair collection. The latter is evolving with an expansion of its hugely popular SUPA_THICK range that already includes a supplement for hair growth and scalp treatment to counteract shedding.
The new launches come in the form of a shampoo and conditioner that work together to balance the scalp’s microbiome, strengthen strands and reduce breakage.
The gently foaming formulas do so with a coconut derivative rather than traditional SLS, while there’s also apple cider vinegar, amino acids, vitamin B5, red algae and oat oil extract that combine to protect and fortify.
Founder Jules Miller explains, “Using efficacious actives on your scalp is a health ritual rather than a vehicle to simply clean your hair. Having used hundreds in my time, I have never come across a clean formula that creates such a luxurious foam, truly cleans, builds volume without weighing the hair down…. whilst actively protecting and restoring the scalp microbiome and therefore encouraging hair-growth”.
In a consumer trial, 95 per cent reported thicker, healthier hair just after use, while 86 per cent felt their hair was stronger and healthier after 30 days of use.
Buy now £18.00, The Nue Co
