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 marks the start of a new school year and the beauty world has marked this true to form - with formulas set to help you usher in the autumn season. Mark the period with a heady aroma and Le Labo has just the thing with its City Exclusives collection available for one month and one month only. Loewe too is stepping up its fragrance game by improving the concentration of its perfumes, while a major fashion house has entered the space (spoiler alert: it’s Balmain).
The holidays are over but if your skin is still feeling the effects of your jet-set lifestyle, call in the experts at Summer Fridays and its Jet Lag collection that has not one but two new additions. Dyson is showing its prowess for more than just tools with bathroom cabinet staples to prep, prime and style your locks before and after the use of its legendary Supersonic or Airwrap devices.
For all this and more, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
Le Labo City Exclusives collection - Coriandre 39
Every year in September, Le Labo unveils its City Exclusive fragrance where for one month - and one month only - the New York house behind the legendary Santal 33 releases limited-edition creations. For 2024, a controversial ingredient has been given the spotlight.
Coriandre 39 takes its inspiration from coriander (or cilantro to our friends across the pond) but this is not the herb as you once knew it. In fact, even those with an aversion to the “soapy” leaf will fall for its charming aroma. Aldehydic cilantro leaves are set alongside spicy lime before evolving with green florals and drying down with heady musk.
It was created to encapsulate the aroma of “forest bathing in El Bosque de Chapultepec or sipping mezcal in the shade at a humming café in La Condesa”, according to the brand and we can guarantee you that one spritz will have you coming back for more.
Buy now £275.00, Le Labo
Dyson Chitosan
Its legendary Supersonic hair dryer or Airwrap are the tools of beauty lovers’ dreams but the tech company is now making a play for your bathroom cabinet with haircare formulas to support the use of its high-performance gadgets, before and after.
There are two products in the collection, the first of which - the Pre-Style Cream has four variations of increasing richness to suit all hair types, from thin to straight, thick to curly and coily. It begins as a cream and evolves into a serum to prime as you apply it to your freshly washed locks.
The Post-Style Cream is enriched with hyaluronic acid and amino acids to turn back the clock of damage. The reparative serum can be used by all hair types and has a precision applicator for the correct dosage. It encourages a strong hold while still retaining shine and flexible movement. All the above are refillable and are powered with the brand’s trademarked macromolecule complex known as chitosan (hence the name) which is derived from mushrooms and was engineered after a decade of research.
Buy now £48.99, Dyson
Summer Fridays Jet Lag Deep Hydration Serum
The Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask deserves every single accolade that it receives. The transformational ceramide-rich cream is a nourishing, brightening treat to tired complexions, whether you have been jet-setting around the world or homebound.
Joining the overnight mask in the range is not one but two products; the Jet Lag Skin Soothing Hydration Mist is a cooling treat to stressed-out skin, while the jelly serum is intensely hydrating and soothing, calling on powerhouse ingredients like squalane, glycerin and the sensitive holy trio of colloidal oatmeal, aloe and arnica to calm redness.
Buy now £44.00, Cult Beauty
LOEWE Earth Elixir
Loewe has turned its fragrances up a notch by amplifying its eau de parfums with a more potent hit of essential oils. One of the aromas to receive this increased concentration is the LOEWE Earth Elixir which has one of the most unique scent palettes on the market. The infusion of truffle, pear and oud are married with elemi, mimosa and violet to create a complex floral, amber and musk aroma. You will spot the same one element throughout the fashion house’s entire fragrance collection and it’s a homage to its roots with the resinous quality of Spanish Rockrose wildflower.
Buy now £132.00, John Lewis
Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Concealer
The concealer market has seen a transformation spearheaded by the likes of Makeup by Mario, Erborian and now Westman Atelier. These brands have unveiled multi-tasking makeup products that take the time-old camouflaging properties and give you a hard-working hero in your makeup bag.
The Vital Skincare Concealer is not about simply covering up blemishes, dark circles or uneven tones. It goes beyond that to hydrate, bring radiance and improve the look of skin with continual use thanks to potent ingredients you will recognise from the formulas in your bathroom cabinet. These include hyaluronic acid and peptides for long-lasting moisture and to combat fine lines respectively, as well as brightening liquorice root and gentian root and antioxidant-rich coffee leaf extract.
Buy now £45.00, Selfridges
Skin Rocks The Gel Cleanser
Not content on resting on her laurels, Caroline Hirons is constantly working to bring replenishing skin products to her flourishing Skin Rocks range. The Cream Cleanser is already a cult buy but it has been joined by The Gel Cleanser - a formula that keeps you guessing. Is it a gel? Is it an oil? Is it a milk? Well, it just so happens to be all three in turn throughout the cleansing ritual.
Applied onto dry skin, it’s a gel but as you massage it into the skin with water, it transforms into an oil and milky white texture. The idea is to defy the stereotype of gel cleansers as stripping and drying, instead acting as an indulgent first or second step to treat the skin, no matter your skin type.
Buy now £39.00, Skin Rocks
Hermès Barénia
The first chypre perfume in the Hermès fragrance line-up is known as Barénia and it encapsulates the sophisticated elegance that is synonymous with the leather goods label. The seductive scent is classic in its notes; butterfly lily is combined with the delicate miracle berry, and given depth with oakwood and intense patchouli for a captivating woody olfactory experience.
The curved flacon was designed to resemble the Collier de chien bracelet with its medor studs, which are set on the bottle and made from precious metals, encapsulating one of the heritage pieces from the fashion house.
Buy now £80.00, The Fragrance Shop
INITIO Parfums Privés Hair Perfumes Musk Therapy
Imbuing your locks with hair-loving ingredients and leaving a sumptuous scent trail in its wake, it is unsurprising that the hair perfume category is growing at breakneck speed. INITIO Parfums Privés is tapping into the emerging product type, reformulating three aromas to protect and strengthen the mane, while infusing each strand with heady aroma.
There are three in the collection to date; Oud For Greatness, Atomic Rose and our personal favourite, Musk Therapy. The latter expertly combines notes of bergamot, mandarin, white magnolia, blackcurrant, white sandalwood and both white and pink musk to mimic that of the gourmand extrait de perfume.
Buy now £83.00, Harvey Nichols
Balmain Beauty Les Éternels
Balmain Beauty feels a long time coming. The French fashion house has dipped its toe into the industry with its haircare collection but is re-entering the fragrance industry beyond that of hair perfume, bringing a modern twist to the scent space 78 years after the first Balmain flacon was unveiled in 1946. The label’s creative director Olivier Rousteing explains, “I want to represent all the beauties of the world. No exceptions” of the inclusive eight scents that comprise Les Éternels. The line-up is genderless and layers the four olfactive families together to suit all scent preferences; musk, amber, floral and woody.
In the musk category is Carbonne with touches of rose, while in amber is Sel d’Ambre with salty ambergris. There are three aromas that are brimming with floral notes including Vent Vert (mandarin and jasmine), Rouge (inspired by LA at magic hour) and Ivoire with tuberose and vetiver. To round it off, Bronze (cedarwood and patchouli), Ebene (ebony wood and myrrh oil) and Bleu Infini (cistus absolute and salted lichen) sit in the woody camp.
Joonbyrd PALM WILD Replenishing Hand Wash
Dr Alexis Granite is a fount of knowledge on all things skincare and she harnesses that expertise into her brand Joonbyrd which balances science with wellness to create products that are as efficacious as they are sensorial.
The PALM WILD Replenishing Hand Wash is one of the latest launches in her ever-growing collection, calling on ultra-hydrating ingredients like panthenol, allantoin and apple to cleanse your digits without stripping away the skin’s natural oils. The formula has been clinically tested, while the bottle itself will make an attractive addition to the sink of your downstairs loo.
Buy now £48.00, Joonbyrd
SUSANNE KAUFMANN Ectoin Repair Serum
Ectoin is an ingredient you will begin to spot more and more in the beauty world. The buzz ingredient is a multi-functional amino acid lauded for its reparative quality for the skin barrier. In this serum by SUSANNE KAUFMANN, it acts as a shield for the skin against the damage caused by environmental aggressors to regenerate, calm and soothe the complexion alongside the antioxidant Q10.
The eponymous brand founder explains, “I’ve been using Ectoin in my formulas for almost 15 years. I consider it one of my favourite ingredients. I wanted to incorporate this incredible ingredient into a dedicated, powerful serum. Combined with Q10, my new Ectoin Repair Serum both repairs and protects against free radicals and environmental stressors.”
Buy now £110.00, Space NK
