Beauty buzz
■ If being more sustainable in your beauty choices is one of your
New Year’s resolutions, these Reusable Make-up Rounds should go on your eco shopping list. Made from organic cotton, each pad contains naturally antibacterial bamboo, which feels silky soft on your skin. The rounds can be washed and reused making them much more gentle on the planet, too. Available as a set of 5 (£6) or a set of 10 (£12) and with an organic cotton storage bag (£1) from tabithaeve.co.uk
■ Boots Glow Banana range could be just the kickstart your 2022 beauty regime needs. The facial toner, peel and mask, £5 each, all contain extracts from the fruit, providing a natural source of exfoliating AHAS, plus vitamins A and E. Together these help to brighten and hydrate the skin – and there is a faint nostalgic whiff of those foam pick ‘n’ mix banana sweets...
■ While we’re on the subject of your five a day, here’s a brand that is doing cool things with the bits you usually chuck in your bin. Upcircle is on a mission to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced from food waste by turning the by-products into beauty products. The new Night Cream with Blueberry Extract, £18.99, Hand + Body Wash, £11.99, and Hand + Body Lotion, £14.99, are all made with antioxidant-rich fruit extracts left over from the juice industry.
■ Glitter isn’t just for Christmas, you know...
Dear Dahlia’s four Mezmerising Moment Palettes, £49 each, are full of natural and wearable shades, and the powders are beautifully blendable and buttery-soft.
WITH so much fanfare surrounding beauty launches these days – from huge advertising campaigns to Youtube video product placement, and Instagram influencers doing sponsored posts – it’s hard to know which supposedly ‘holy Grail’ products truly live up to the hype.
If you bought every so-called ‘must have’ new item, you’d end up splashing a lot of cash on skincare and make-up – and a lot of it might not even be right for you and will sit languishing in your bathroom for months (or let’s be honest, years).
That’s why it’s a good idea to wait and see what other beauty buffs have to say about that latest mega-hyped foundation or skinperfecting serum, before you take the plunge yourself.
Once the dust has settled, you can see which newbies have become bestsellers and gone on to achieve genuine cult status.
here, we run down the beauty buys that have impressed us lately.
Lush Lashes black mascara £15.50
Better known for bath bombs, Lush is proving it’s a force to be reckoned with in the make-up department, with this incredible mascara.
The jet black formula is the perfect consistency (it clings to your lashes and dries fast), while the wand’s tiny teeth separate, define and lengthen your lashes.
Hourglass Curator Refillable Palette with three eyeshadow refills £96
A more sustainable alternative to readymade eyeshadow collections (because no-one ever uses all the shades equally, do they?),
hourglass Curator palettes are made from tin and post-consumer plastic and come in one, three and five-pan sizes.
Choose from 40 high-quality shades in matte, satin, metallic and shimmer finishes to build your perfect palette.
Vita Liberata Heavenly elixir £17 (was £34), Lookfantastic
A world-first from the much-loved tanning brand, heavenly Elixir imparts a natural-looking bronze that develops over 72 hours (instead of the standard eight), so you can get your glow sorted well in advance of that party/holiday/ weekend away.
Vichy Capital Soleil UV-AGE Daily
£15.75 (was £21), Boots
Every beauty buff knows SPF is a daily essential. But finding a sunscreen you want to wear every day? Not easy. This skin/suncare hybrid protects against pollution, UVA and UVB rays while delivering vitamin E, peptides and niacinamide, all in an ultra lightweight fluid that soaks into your skin in seconds.
Bad Habit Omzzz Acai nightly cleansing balm £18, ASOS
If you haven’t yet swapped your moisture-stripping foaming face wash for a cleansing balm, what are you waiting for?
Apply this bestseller from Morphe’s spin-off skincare line directly onto dry skin, then add water and watch it melt away your make-up, leaving a clean, smooth, hydrated complexion.
Nars Pure Radiant Tinted moisturiser SPF30 £33, Boots
OK, this is not strictly a new product, but Nars extended the range of its Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser from six to 16 shades in 2021, meaning more people can now discover this iconic product, which fans love for its glowy, ‘your skin but better’ coverage.
Cloud Nine The Cordless Iron Pro £349
The beauty equivalent of a camel coat, this high-tech hair gadget is a real investment piece.
The first cordless tool from Cloud Nine heats up to 170°C, has a vibrating function for extra straightening power, and comes with lots of extras, including a faux leather box, roll bag, travel case, heat guard, charging pod, two extra plug adaptors, and (if you buy it right now) a pair of wireless ear pods.