BEAUTY NEWS

L’Oréal goes big with retinol, top foundations from Sothys, Avène’s antioxidant defence, new brows with Natio, winter fragrances and more.

NIGHT VISION It can be tough finding a product that truly delivers with retinol. L’Oréal makes sure you get a great result from this anti-ageing ingredient.

Making retinol easy and accessible is L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum. Retinol is widely researched and respected as the most useful and effective of anti-ageing skincare ingredients, but in prescription-only forms it can sometimes leave skin sensitive and dry, while department-store versions commonly only hold very low concentrations of the wonder ingredient. This before-bed serum is L’Oréal’s highest concentration of pure retinol ever, at 0.2 per cent, and carefully formulated with other beneficial hydrating ingredients to ensure skin tolerates it well. Because retinol can quickly degrade, L’Oréal has spent much time and effort also developing a formula that maintains its stability and potency, down to the last drop.

HIT SCENT

Bestseller Narciso Rodriguez For Her was extended to a woody-musk version in 2019. Now it is elevated again with Narciso Rodriguez For Her Musc Noir, this time featuring sensual, eveningappropriate elements of plum and suede.

HAIR HERO

By this stage in the season hair can feel significantly drier, and the effects are worsened with regular hot tool use. Protect strands before styling with Joico’s Heat Hero Glossing Thermal Protector that guards against damage from irons and blowdryers, adds a touch of healthy shine and also minimises flyaways and split ends.

COVERAGE AND COLOUR COMBINED

Sothys extends its skincare expertise to two new high-performance foundations, meaning you can choose the one that meets your favoured finish and lifestyle demands. Sothys Teint Jeunesse has a medium-high coverage glowy satin finish and comes packed with omegas and peptides that maintain the firm, youthful appearance of skin, while Sothys Teint Detox Energie has a smooth flawless matte finish that conceals and improve imperfections, pores, redness, and spots and organic elderberry and ginseng extracts to re-energise skin and protect against stressors like pollution.

SO YUM!

Sweet tooths, roll up. Glasshouse Fragrances’ winter collection ‘Sugar Coated’ has six limited-edition candles designed for dessert lovers, each sweetly scented with delectable notes of creamy vanilla, buttery caramel and nutty praline. Our picks? Bakery Binge, which scents your surroundings with comforting warm baking and cinnamon, and Rich and Famous, which blends chocolate, cream and coffee.

GOOD TO GLOW

Avène’s new A-Oxitive Antioxidant Defense Serum acts like your skin’s bodyguard, assisting it in warding off negative effects the environment – think pollution, UV and other stressors – can have on skin. Those challenges can play a part in worsening uneven texture, fine lines and pigmentation. Vitamins C and E are some of the most effective antioxidants to help fend off these challenges as well as improve the current appearance of your complexion. They’re included here in a uniquely stablised, time-release form that’s better able to benefit skin, resulting in a brighter, refreshed and more radiant appearance over time.

EYEBROWS

Reshape your brows with new options from Natio. Use the Angled Eyebrow Pencil to create a stronger shape, the Tinted Brow Defining Pen to mimic the appearance of single hairs or the Tinted Brow Gel to set hairs in place.

GOOD HAIR DAYS ON THE GO

This year marks 20 years since ghd changed what’s possible for hair texture transformation. The brand’s heated flat-plate styling tool quickly became a hair industry standard (and set the super-straight hair trend that is indelibly connected with the early 2000s!). It has been equally popular with the rest of us since, thanks to its speed and ease of use.

Now, for the first time, ghd is detaching its cord. Introducing Ghd Unplugged, a compact-sized cordless styler designed to make it easy to carry with you, and small enough to slide into an overnight bag or handbag. With ghd’s standard technology that ensures even heat distribution and safe-for-strands temperature, it carries 20 minutes of cordless styling time and can be charged at home or on the go with the USB-C charging cable.

GARDEN STATE

Get inspired to depart from the usual autopilot makeup routine of this time of year in favour of joyful creativity inspired by nature with M.A.C’s Botanic

Panic makeup collection. The red of a perfect poppy, the pink of a velvety petunia, the canary yellow of a sunflower, the powdery purple of a lilac and the velvety coral of a rose are all imagined in vivid cosmetic colour.

COOLA EXPANDS INTO SKINCARE

Long beloved for its organic sunscreen and tanning formulas, Californian-cool company COOLA has jumped into skincare with a six-product collection. The line follows its now well-established approach that prioritises natural, sustainably-sourced organic ingredients with formulas that minimise the damage of common skin aggressors including blue light, pollution and UV rays. The new line offers a full skin regimen with a cleansing gel, daily moisturiser, sea salt exfoliator, antioxidant serum, hydrating mask and face mist.

KANSA WAND What is a Kansa Wand?

A facial massage device made of wood and Kansa metal, an alloy of copper and tin. This wand has traditionally been used for facial massage in Ayurveda for thousands of years.

How is it beneficial?

Kansa facial massage stimulates circulation and lymphatic drainage, resulting in clearer, plumper, smoother skin. Kansa metal’s composition is naturally alkaline and so is said to help balance skin’s pH.

How do you use it?

Two Birds Beauty founder Jessie Gurunathan offers a Kansa Wand created by traditional artisans alongside her brand’s popular cacay oil serum. “I like to try and use my wand every evening after I apply my Replenish & Repair Serum. My first step is a ‘figure eight’ shape around my eyes, as the metal is still cold and is great for drainage and soothing.”