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.
This month is not only Mother’s Day, but International Women’s Day too so to celebrate the female figures in our life, there are gifts aplenty – including a special edit over at Cult Beauty where the proceeds are donated to a worthy cause - find more details below.
Our concealers should work harder for us – well, that’s what both Erborian and Makeup By Mario are stressing with their latest launches. While, yes, they conceal, they also impart nourishing ingredients to the skin – so no more flaking, dryness or exacerbating stressed skin.
For all this and more, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
Westman Atelier Lip Suede Matte Lipstick
Every single launch to date of Gucci Westman’s eponymous brand has treated her loyal fan base to a luxury makeup hero. The Lip Suede Matte Lipstick is no different. One swipe of the velvety texture imparts a vibrant colour with 10 shades available across the spectrum of pinks, berries, nudes and reds.
But, unlike many of its matte lipstick contemporaries, Westman has infused the formula with hydrating and nourishing ingredients, namely vitamins C and E to treat parched pouts with antioxidant and plumping protection. There is also Hydro Suede Technology – a combination of hyaluronic acid and kaolin clay that prevents the shade from feathering.
Buy now £45.00, Westman Atelier
Cult Beauty x Hertility | Wo(man)-Made Make Up Edit
Cult Beauty has teamed up with women’s health company Hertility to provide a curation of makeup products in which the proceeds are donated as part of a £18,000 commitment to the Black Women’s Health Initiative. The mission, according to the retailer, is to drive “research and change to close the gap on racial inequalities in Black women’s healthcare”.
In honour of International Women’s Day, the seven-strong edit comes entirely from female-founded labels and includes radiance-boosting complexion saviours from Westman Atelier, Saie, Pai, Hourglass and Vieve as well as the cult Charlotte Tilbury lippie and Chantecaille’s mascara in mini form.
The contents are worth £128 and are housed in a limited-edition reusable washbag that has been illustrated by artist Laxmi Hussain with an abstract design as a “representation of female reproductive empowerment”.
Buy now £40.00, Cult Beauty
Erborian Super BB Concealer-Serum
Leave skin-stressing, dryness-causing concealers behind, there are new formulations on the market that treat our complexions while working their concealing magic. Korean label Erborian is beloved for its skin-makeup hybrids and the new Super BB Concealer-Serum may overtake its CC Crème as your new favourite product.
As the name suggests, it was designed to act as a serum, brimming with potent ingredients like niacinamide and white ginseng complex to brighten and smooth skin as it imparts the tint. Apply on blemishes or dark circles and it nourishes without settling into fine lines. There is also SPF 25 for built-in protection.
Buy now £35.00, lookfantastic
Makeup By Mario SurrealSkin Awakening Concealer
Makeup By Mario’s SurrealSkin Awakening Concealer has dropped at Sephora UK and the eponymous makeup artist has produced a multitasking product that won’t cake skin in pigment.
First and foremost, it is made to conceal the likes of spots with medium, buildable coverage. Mario advises to “let the concealer dry down for a few seconds before blending. Use the F5 brush or your finger to blend and blur it out” to optimise its effectiveness.
There is caffeine contained within the product as part of what the brand calls Lift & Lock technology. This ingredient is selected for its ability to depuff, tighten and minimise the appearance of dark circles. It is also brightening and for this reason, the concealer can double up as a highlighter, especially if you get creative with the hue.
Mario says, “To highlight your complexion with the concealer, you want to use one shade lighter or the same shade that you use under your eyes and apply it to the centre of the forehead, ridge of the nose, and centre of the chin”. It comes in 22 colours.
Buy now £28.00, Sephora
Lashify Labs 'Flush' Blush
Lashify is known for its trademarked lash extension system but now the brand is casting its net wider than our eyes. Through its beauty think tank, Lashify Labs, it is turning its attention to our complexion with its first non-lash launch.
The unique Flush product is tapping into the minimal makeup trend. It’s a gel texture that leaves a healthy glow in its wake. The pH-activated formula appears translucent but results in a customised, universally flattering shade when dabbed from the apple of the cheek to the cheekbone.
Buy now £32.00, Lashify
EVE LOM Daily Rejuvenating Cream
EVE LOM unveiled its Daily Rejuvenating Cream backstage during London Fashion Week at Emilia Wickstead AW24 to prep the complexions with its plumping and moisturising properties. Lead makeup artist Anne Sophie Costa explained, “I used this on the models' skin for an extra boost of hydration and glow. The desired outcome is polished and perfected skin with a hint of rawness, matte and elegant yet sophisticated and polished in its finish”.
The formula is enriched with what the brand calls its Time Retreat Complex, which contains encapsulated retinol to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It is set alongside hydrating hyaluronic acid and wild indigo seed extract for long-lasting moisturisation.
Buy now £120.00, Space NK
Ultra Violette Super Glow Drops SPF50
One of our favourite SPF brands is adding to its collection of sun-shielding formulas with SKINSCREEN. This makeup-suncare hybrid from Ultra Violette has SPF50 as well as a glowy tint so that your cosmetics will not interfere with protecting your complexion from UVA and UVB rays.
It comes in two variations; Bronzing and Illuminating and blends seamlessly into the skin. The brand suggests placing a few drops on the high points of your face for a sun-kissed glow or all over for a confidence-boosting tan.
Buy now £33.00, Cult Beauty
AWvi
The brainchild of Alexander Werz, the CEO of the communications company Karla Otto, AWvi is a new label taking a 360 approach to wellness. Werz is well-placed to call on experts in beauty, health and wellbeing and in collaboration with leaders in their fields, ‘The Skin Method’ was born. Pronounced AWE-vee, there are four products set to launch that are brimming with science-backed ‘next-gen’ ingredients to mimic that of biological systems and provide support from the inside out and vice-versa. The collection is made of a supplement, cleanser, serum and moisturiser.
Price from £44.
Buy now, AWvi
REFY Lash Sculpt
Beauty entrepreneur Jess Hunt has expanded her REFY range with Lash Sculpt. The brand’s first foray into the mascara space has brought to market a hugely unique brush with dramatic curvature. This design ensures that, no matter your eye shape, your lashes will be coated in its nourishing carnauba and candelilla wax-enriched formula, lifting and lengthening as you swipe – and importantly, without clumping. The ingredient line-up has many similarities to that of the hugely popular Brow Sculpt.
Buy now £20.00, REFY
