March signals the start of spring and here’s hoping warmer weather is coming.
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.
There are two stand-out categories in this month’s edit. First and foremost, the mascara sphere is about to be turned on its head with game-changing new formulations. MAC has unveiled its “biggest launch ever” in the form of the Stack Mascara, while Clinique and Milk Makeup are hot on its heels with lengthening and voluminising wands of their own.
Next up, it’s haircare that should certainly be on your radar for March. New eponymous label from Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness, a curly locks saviour from vegan brand Pacifica and the next instalment of Aveda’s Olaplex-competing restorative range - the Botanical Repair - are just a few of the stand-outs.
For all this and more besides, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
M·A·C Stack Mascara
There must be something about March that is encouraging all the biggest cosmetics labels to up their mascara game as three is a trend. It may be the third new launch but it’s the biggest from M·A·C ever (according to the brand) and comes two years in the making.
It has been dubbed as their “biggest breakthrough in mascara technology”. This all begins with the Superstack Mega Brush and Superstack Micro Brush, unique petal-shaped design that staggers the bristles in such way as to leave no single lash uncoated. Speaking off coating, the stats speak for themselves; 95 per cent saw gravity-defying volume, lift and length, while the same amount said mascara builds endlessly.
Amp up your lash looks with the formula that is made to be infinitely buildable without clumping, flaking or hardening. It’s created to be the ultimate all-rounder. No longer do you need to use one product for your lengthening, while another for volume - this does it all through the different length multifaceted bristles.
Buy now £26.00, lookfantastic
JVN Hair
If you’ve watched a single episode of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series Queer Eye, you will know that Jonathan Van Ness has the hair of dreams - and now you can recreate his enviable luscious long with his eponymous brand JVN Hair.
The conscious, sustainable, science-backed and non-gendered haircare line combines his over 15 years as a professional hairstylist in New York and Los Angeles into a collection that is set to improve your hair health with every use.
The brand was founded to “to normalise each and every hair type” and as such, takes a different approach to categorising its product line-up. “We think your hair is already gorgeous”, the label explains and so you’ll find formulas that address concerns rather than type. Each contains the hero ingredient of hemisqualane that is sustainably sourced and acts as a natural alternative to silicone.
The gentle Nurture range - made up of a moisture mask, hydrating shampoo, hydrating conditioner - is designed to nourish, protect from colour fade and smooth frizz (by 54 per cent according to the brand) with the likes of using camellia seed oil, panthenol, and amino acids.
Undamage is for over-processed heat-damaged tresses that have been through a lot and need a restorative boost. The shampoo and conditioner repairs and rebuilds with ceramides, hydrolysed quinoa and jojoba esters - visibly reducing split ends by 47 per cent.
The shampoo and conditioner that make up the Embody range are all about bounce, volume and shine. For all hair types, the formulas star the likes of caffeine, biotin, and bamboo extract where, in a consumer study, 93 per cent agreed that their hair felt thicker.
There’s also a Complete Pre-Wash Scalp Oil, Complete Air Dry Cream, and Complete Instant Recovery Serum for all your styling needs.
Buy now £16.00, Space NK
Pai Skincare Resurrection Girl
One look at the clear blue gel-like texture and we were hooked. The ultra-hydrating mask is a tall glass of water for your skin and it looks the part too.
The namesake and star ingredient is the resilient Resurrection Plant, a seemingly miracle piece of foliage that can grow in extreme environments and has the ability to revive itself after being completely dehyrated - effectively bringing it back to life. You have to see it to believe it.
Combined with the powerful antioxidant Blue Tansy Oil as well as fellow hydrating hero Hyaluronic Acid, Inulin and Pentavitin, it revives dull and dry skin in just 10 minutes.
The product can be used on all skin types no matter your sensitivities.
Buy now £44.00, Cult Beauty
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Omega-Rich Cloud Cream
The cult Midnight Recovery range has a new addition to bring moisture to dry complexions and soothe skin irritations.
The night cream has a lightweight super soft texture that absorbs quickly into the skin, repairing the lipid barrier as you doze. Like the oil of the same name, the formula is scented with a delicate lavender aroma with aromatherapy properties to encourage a sound slumber.
It combines Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids as well as the label’s secret botanical concoction to counteract dry and dullness.
Buy now £41.00, Kiehl’s
Pacifica Pineapple Curls
There has never been a better array of haircare targeted specifically for curly locks - and Pacifica is taking that one step further with Pineapple collection.
The Curl Defining Shampoo and Conditioner, Hydrate Curl Nourishing Mask, Pineapple Swirl Curl Defining Cream and Refresher Mist are designed to preserve the definition of your ringlets with a winning cocktail of pineapple, argan oil, and hyaluronic acid to inject moisture into each and every strand without weighing them down.
As with the rest of the brand’s products, the range is entirely vegan and cruelty free and is formulated without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, SLS or mineral oil.
Buy now £13.00, Cult Beauty
Charlotte Tilbury Facial Oil
In order to create the optimal canvas for your makeup, skincare is of the utmost importance and Charlotte Tilbury knows that all too well. The legendary makeup mogul has used her eponymous to not only master the cosmetic space but to revolutionise your skincare regime too.
Her latest innovation is the Facial Oil - a non-greasy, non-comedogenic formula to plump, hydrate and give that lit-from-within luminous complexion that the brand is so famous for.
According to clinical studies from the brand, in just two months skin looks over 337 per cent more radiant and smooth, while feeling more than 310 per cent firmer. It was also found to give 206 per cent more hydration within one hour of use.
The ingredient list is made up of vitamin-rich oils of the avocado, olive, babassu, raspberry seed, blueberry seed and evening primrose nature as well as Cocoyl Hydrolysed collagen and plant extracts. The calming and soothing aroma is derived from lavender, rose absolute, neroli, damask rose and eucalyptus.
Buy now £60.00, Charlotte Tilbury
Dolce Lily by DG Eau de Toilette
Bloomy and vibrant, Dolce Lily is the latest addition to the Dolce & Gabbana Beauty fragrance line-up and is the perfect lively fruity-floral scent to mark the end of a long winter.
The aroma centres on the pink lily flower - a symbol of femininity and kindness - with the unmissable notes of rose. It is then given it a tropical twist with the combination of passionfruit and anchored by sensual musks. On opening, you will get wafts of citrus and bergamot before enveloping into the deeper addictive aroma.
The attractive flacon closely resemble its predecessor but comes in a bolder pop of pink, a colour matched at the flower cap.
Buy now £68.00, Harrods
Clinique Zero Gravity High Impact Mascara
The hunt for the perfect mascara with equal volumising and lengthening properties is enduring but Clinique is making a convincing claim for the title with its Zero Gravity High Impact Mascara. The brand explains, “we have lash lift-off” before going on to share its ability to lift and curl lashes by 50 per cent.
No additional tools necessary, this is the be all and end all for lashes where the curved brush coats a lightweight gel with a strong hold polymer and clay particles. Clinique has forgone the use of heavy waxes to offer long-lasting results and leaves unsightly drooping out of your beauty routine. The formula doesn’t smudge of flake off throughout the day but is easily removed with just warm water.
The launch comes alongside the new Quickliner for Brows that comes in six shades, the High Impact Easy Liquid Liner in two shades and the High Impact Lash Amplifying Serum.
Buy now £22.00, Clinique
Fenty Beauty ICON lipstick bullet
Rihanna is celebrating her birthday in the true Bad Gal style - dropping a internet-breaking beauty launch set to sell out around the world. To honour the singer-entrepreneur, the ICON lipstick case is designed in a bullet shape (inspired by the mogul’s cupid’s bow apparently) for sharper application.
The chic matte black case has a nod to more eco-conscious practises too: it’s refillable and you’re able to mix and match any of the 10-strong shade range. The high pigment formulas come in an array of neutrals tones (light pink nude, neutral pink nude, rose nude, mauve nude, cool taupe nude, chocolate nude, and mahogany nude) as well as everyday reds (burgundy red, maple red, and blue red).
Buy now £15.30, Boots
florence by mills Blue Light collection
The effect of blue light on our skin has been well-documented with premature ageing top of the list, but will that stop us from picking up our phones every five minutes, scrolling through Instagram? Unfortunately not.
So Millie Bobby Brown has done us all a solid, and created a product range to help protect our complexions and leave us with a healthy-looking glow at the same time - thanks Mils.
The Up in the Clouds Blue Light Protection Facial Moisturiser (£19), Soak it in Blue Light Protection Toner (£18) and Zero Chill Makeup Setting Spray (£18) are made up of ingredients like plankton extract that defends against the glare of our devices.
There are also two new additions to her makeup collection; the What’s My Line? Eyeliners (£14.99) and the Built To Lash Mascara (£14.99).
Buy now £19.00, lookfantastic
Sand&Sky Tasmanian Spring Water Intense Hydration Mask
The Australian brand has unvieled a mask that hydrates your skin for up to 72 hours. That means after applying, it continues to plump, improve texture and inject moisture through three sleeps, three commutes, three long slogs in the office, nine meals, a whole load of snacks and whatever else you can squeeze into your days.
It uses Tasmanian Spring Water for an intense hydration hit alongside three types of Hyaluronic Acid and thirst-quenching Pentavitin. There’s also a multimineral active Sepitonic, fermented Sea Kelp and Cornflower to soothe and improve elasticity on even the most sensitive of skin types.
Buy now £44.90, Selfridges
Tan Luxe The Crème
Luxury tanning label Tan Luxe has been innovating the self-glow game since its inception, creating hybrid products that make it easier and more foolproof than ever to fake that fresh-from-the-beach radiance. The latest addition is a facial moisturiser that is also a skin regenerating treatment as well as a gradual tanner. It has a very light consistency that melts into the skin on application and with the Penta-Cell Complex and the combination of amino acids, antioxidants, and skin-identical lipids, it offers impressive reparative and hydrating properties.
Buy now £39.00, Space NK
Aveda Botanical Repair Strengthening Overnight Serum
If you’re not yet familiar with Aveda’s Botanical Repair, let this be your long-needed official introduction. The product range works to strengthen and repair each strand at the the follicle, shaft and cuticle level.
The Overnight Serum is a continuation of the brand’s mission to fortify our locks with a bond-building formula that is designed to transforms hair as we catch our forty winks. It is made up of ingredients like nangai oil that attracts split ends back together. The product creates an invisible layer on our tresses to counteract friction and leaves hair stronger and nourished. The protected time away from external aggressors really lets the product get to work. The formula is vegan and 99 per cent naturally derived.
Buy now £40.00, lookfantastic
CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser
Drugstore label CeraVe is considered cult for a reason. The brand’s products are effective and easy on your wallet too.
The new CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser does all the things you’d hope the first step in your skincare routine would do i.e. remove the dirt and grime from the day. But it also brings hydration, while remaining delicate, soap-free and fragrance-free so that it can be used on even the most sensitive skin. It is made up of ceramides to keep moisture in and irritants out, plant-derived squalane oil and triglycerides to replenish the skin barrier and glycerin to hydrate and soften.
Buy now £12.50, Boots
RéVive Intensité Volumizing Serum Ultime
This powerhouse product comes as part of RéVive’s game-changing Intensité collection. The science-backed luxury label is constantly innovating in the anti-ageing space and this serum is the continuation of that.
It aims to tackle fine lines and wrinkles with pleasing plumping effects. The ingredients - Bio-Volumizing Protein and Volumizing Peptide Complex - work to encourage your skin’s renewal process in the areas that need it most to offer an increased firmness. Combined with antioxidant-rich Vitamin E and Green Tea, it also evens out you skin tone and has brightening effects.
According to an eight-week clinical research study, 97 per cent of participants said wrinkles were less visible and noted that their skin felt softer.
Buy now £430.00, Harrods
Virtue Flourish® Volumizing Styler
For thin, fine and fragile hair, it can often feel like we should add as much product as possible in order to fortify the strands - but this is often counterproductive. The key is for lightweight formulas that wont weight it down and cause further breakages. Enter Virtue and its Flourish range that was created to counteract female hair loss.
The Volumizing Styler is an airy foam that brings body and bounce to give the illusion of better density, while coating it with the brand’s exclusive clinically-proven Alpha Keratin 60ku CLINICAL® protein that encourages growth and strength. Active Plant Extracts protect against environmental aggressors, while Microalgae Extract brings the volume.
It has a lovely herby and floral scent thanks to the inclusion of basil and patchouli essential oils.
Buy now £32.00, FeelUnique
Milk Makeup Rise Mascara
Its Kush Mascara has reached cult levels but Milk Makeup is adding another lash-lengthening string to its bow with the new Rise Mascara. It is the first 93 per cent natural mascara and uses a patented Vegan Lash Wrap Technology that bind each lash - curling, lengthening and adding volume with every swipe of the buildable formula. It glides effortlessly without clumping or smudging once it has set.
Buy now £24.00, Cult Beauty
