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.
September is here. A time for new beginnings and the hope that an Indian summer will finally show its head on this dear isle we call home. But even if we aren’t blessed with sunny weather and toasty temperatures, there’s joy to be had for some of the biggest and most renowned beauty brands on the market have unveiled hugely anticipated formulations to get excited about.
From Glossier to Charlotte Tilbury, Dior to Maison Francis Kurkdjian, innovation is in the air. Also of note is a vivid green fragrance from TikTok favourite PHLUR, the first-ever firming serum from Glow Recipe and refillable, plant-conscious label Wild has released a shower gel.
For all this and plenty more besides, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
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Susanne Kaufmann x Byredo Collaboration
The world of skincare and fragrance collide with this meeting of minds. Byredo’s Ben Gorham and Susanne Kaufmann have teamed up for a limited edition series that harnesses both founders’ expertise.
The moisturising scented body oil and roll-on fragrance oil takes inspiration from Bregenzerwald in the Austrian Alps, the home of Kaufmann’s eponymous label - and as such has notes of fresh pine trees that you’ll find dotted around the mountains. The ingredients are sourced from local plants that are rich in antioxidants so not only are you treating your olfactories to a calming walk in the forest, but your skin is reaping the benefits of the area too.
Buy now £75.00, Space NK
Le Labo City Exclusives
Each September Le Labo gives customers a chance to shop its exclusive fragrances from around the world. You have 30 days to get your hands on the hometown scents created in the likes of New York, Shanghai, Melbourne, Paris and Austin. Once this time is up, a plane ride will be the only way you can shop these city-inspired aromas.
There’s also a new fragrance entering the fold. MYRRHE 55 is Shanghai’s City Exclusive and has very subtle notes of incense with liquorice set alongside jasmine and patchouli and anchored down with oud, ambergris and musk. You would think that this would make it a heavy, masculine scent but quite the contrary. The notes are surprisingly light and intensely addictive.
Buy now, Le Labo
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Es Cap Candle
Fill your home with the addictive scent of Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s new aroma. To go alongside your collection of the brand’s eau de parfums (that no doubt includes the legendary Baccarat Rouge 540) comes a fresh summery candle that will transform your space no matter what the mercurial British weather has in store.
The Es Cap Candle joins the line-up of five that each take inspiration from the brand’s eponymous perfumer’s memories with this particular scent harking back to Ibiza’s idyllic neighbour, Formentara. Kurkdjian explains “Es Cap is the elegance of simplicity, the luxury of silence and of the horizon as far as the eye can see. It is red soil, burning white-hot from the summer sun, and radiant blue sky. It is the fragrance of a fig tree, whose voice is carried by a warm wind whipping against the breathtaking cliffs south of Formentera”.
It has notes of fig leaves, cedarwood and dry wood accord.
Buy now £80.00, John Lewis
MZ Skin Reviving Antioxidant Facial Oil
This supercharged face oil is full to the brim of skin-loving ingredients. The antioxidant-rich combination is an antidote for stressed-out complexions in order to support the barrier, counteract oxidative stress and bring some much-needed radiance.
Like the entire MZ Skin that is based on the expertise of Dr Maryam Zamani, a world-renowned oculoplastic surgeon and aesthetic doctor, it uses innovative technology to optimise absorption. The product has a low molecular weight that is lapped up by parched skin, while each of the 98 per cent natural ingredients is individually chosen based on efficacy and for long-term results.
Buy now £160.00, MZ SKIN
Glow Recipe Pomegranate Peptide Firming Serum
With every Glow Recipe launch, we have come to expect a dewy radiance that is the K-beauty-inspired label’s M.O. - and while you can still expect the skin to have a healthy and nourished appearance with this product, the brand has taken a different approach.
Still harnessing the power of fruit, the Pomegranate Peptide Firming Serum is Glow Recipe’s first-ever firming serum - but you knew that from the name. Apply onto the skin come morning or night and follow with moisturiser to seal it in. The product works to minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while hydrating the complexion.
Buy now £40.68, Sephora
PHLUR Father Figure
PHLUR is the viral TikTok fragrance label that you need on your radar. The individual fragrances are unlike anything on the market and the same runs true for FATHER FIGURE. It’s not just the name that sets it apart from the crowd, it’s also the vivid green aroma (and bottle to match).
It opens with notes of fig and cassis before enveloping into a deeper sandalwood, orris root and Madagascar vanilla concoction. Closing it out is musk and patchouli to create a sensual base that is still miraculously light.
Buy now £96.00, Selfridges
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Water Cream
The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream is the definition of a holy grail product. Since its launch, over 10 years ago, the moisturiser has formed the basis of skin routines the world over, bringing with it a rich, creamy texture that glides over the skin. In the last few months, this winning formula was adapted into a body product but now the eponymous entrepreneur has taken it one step further with the Magic Water Cream.
Designed for summer months or those who prefer a lightweight moisturiser, the newest innovation has a more weightless gel-like texture that is immediately absorbed by dehydrated skin with very little required in the way of rubbing in and no white cast. Once applied, it locks in moisture using a specialised technology that the brand says lasts for 100 hours. Within the formula is also niacinamide to refine pores and balance the skin as well as a firming biopeptide complex that minimises the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
Buy now £70.00, Charlotte Tilbury
Glossier Stretch Fluid Foundation
The Glossier Stretch Concealer launched back in 2016 and was so loved by its community that, for many, it works double duty as a foundation too. While this provided instant camouflaging results, it wasn’t made for the kind of longevity you’d expect from a base. The brand listened to the demand for an all-over formula and after much anticipation, has unveiled its Stretch Fluid Foundation, turning the connotations of this product type on its head.
This product has been designed for movement and to be indistinguishable from your skin. It’s a foundation that feels like skincare and there’s a very good reason for that: the base is made from 89 per cent skincare ingredients. The texture is gel-cream and feels hydrating on the skin due to the inclusion of squalane in the formula. There’s also rosehip and plankton extract that are balancing and ensure that it can be used by all skin types.
Half a pump gives sheer coverage, while it can be built up as needed. What’s more, there are 32 shades divided up into seven categories and with five undertones so you can easily find the one to best match your skin tone.
Buy now £34.00, Glossier
Wild Shower Gel
If you are familiar with Wild, you will know it for its natural, refillable deodorant. The brand is on a mission to reduce single-use plastic in our bathroom cabinets and in order to achieve this, it is expanding its offering. After years of trial and error, the innovative label has unveiled a shower gel with refills made up of a plastic-free, compostable bamboo bottle.
This is paired alongside a hard-wearing aluminium case that will stand up to water exposure and is infinitely recyclable if and when the time comes to throw it away. You will find the cleansing formula in three of the bestselling deo scents including; Fresh Cotton & Sea Salt, Coconut & Vanilla, and Jasmine & Mandarin Blossom.
Buy now £12.00, Wild
Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Sculpt Mascara
The new Lash Sculpt Mascara is a testament to the Anastasia Beverly Hills mastery. This is a transformational formula for the lashes, providing immediate and intense volume and lengthening with just a swipe of the wand. Only one coat is needed to create a false lash effect but if you’re on the hunt for a statement-making eye look, it is buildable without clumping, smudging or flaking. The specialised design of the brush head means that there is no lash immune from its coating.
Buy now £26.00, Anastasia Beverly Hills
Dior L’Or de J’adore
Dior’s biggest fragrance launch of the year is here in the form of L’Or de J’adore. The scent has been created by none other than Francis Kurkdjian, the perfumer responsible for many of our favourite aromas including Burberry Her, Jean-Paul Gaultier Le Mâle and of course, Baccarat Rouge 540.
This is a floral scent that was created to ”celebrate the beauty of flowers” in the words of Kurkdjian himself. It harnesses the olfactory powers of jasmine and rose with Lily of the Valley and violet. It is then housed in this luxe flacon that has become a signature of the house topped with a light-reflecting glass bead.
Buy now £144.00, Dior
Erborian Skin Therapy Night Oil
Korean skincare label Erborian is calling on the nutrient-rich goodness of 17 plant extracts to nourish our complexions while we get our eight hours. Direct from the brand’s lab in Seoul, this oil is designed to leave a radiant complexion come morning, imparting luminosity, hydration and even elasticity. Shake before use to activate the bi-phase layers, a combination of water and oil that encourages better absorption of the active ingredients and keeps it lightweight and suitable for all skin types.
Buy now £52.00, Amazon
Burberry Goddess
Demonstrating the luxury label’s commitment to more sustainable practices, Burberry has launched its first refillable fragrance. Once you have spritzed its gourmand aromatic aroma, you need only purchase a more cost-effective bottle to decant and you’ll never be without your new signature scent. The olfactory experience is elevated through three varieties of vanilla set alongside lavender.
Buy now £68.00, The Perfume Shop
TULA gold glow + get it cooling & brightening eye balm
If the gold exterior packaging isn’t enough to draw you in, the rave reviews for Tula’s bestselling eye balm certainly should. The brand has revamped its beloved formula to be housed in an eye-catching champagne shade. The unchanged formula still offers the hydrating trio of hyaluronic acid, aloe and rosewater. The combination not only treats the delicate area to a cooling, soothing and moisturising effect but it also reduces fine lines and wrinkles.
Buy now £29.00, TULA
ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Green Fig Cleansing Balm
One Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is sold every 10 seconds around the world - a testament to the cleanser's cult following. You may already love the original, fragrance-free and the rose variant and now you can get your hands on a green fig aroma that is set to liven up your daily ablutions.
The delightful balm texture is enriched with the honeyed sweetness of the Mediterranean fruit that will send your senses into overdrive each and every time that you use the product. You will also be treating your skin to the benefits of starflower oil, elderberry oil, optimega oil, padina pavonica and rose and mimosa wax that removes makeup, grime and pollutants in one fell swoop, while leaving your skin silky soft and glowy.
Buy now £48.00, Cult Beauty
