What you really want for Christmas
Last month we asked you to choose your best-ever beauty buys. Thousands of votes later we reveal . . .
This has been a landmark year for beauty. A year of innovation and cool new brands, of specialised skincare ingredients trickling down from medical and cosmetic clinics into everyday use, and, with the launch of the British Beauty Council, a year when finally the beauty industry was recognised as serious, big business.
So it’s no surprise that this year’s beauty awards, as voted for by you, reflect that — almost 12,000 votes were cast to decide the winning products.
Our judges — model Marie helvin, makeup artist Ruby hammer, cosmetic doctor Maryam Zamani and inspire beauty columnist Elsa McAlonan — put forward their suggestions for the shortlist, but the final decision rested with you, the readers.
The results illustrate the complicated and often contrary relationship we have with beauty.
however much we like a bargain, we’re happy to splash out on a product we know will perform. We love to try something new, yet we retain huge loyalty for those products that have never let us down. We want serious skincare with advanced ingredients that can smooth away wrinkles and fight off the damaging effects of pollution, yet we also long for more soothing creams and cleansers, for when our skin is feeling irritable.
And on top of all that, however much we think we’re practical at heart, we can’t resist a spot of sheer glamour.
SO WHAT WON, AND WHY?
FiRsT are things that help us face today’s world with more confidence, particularly now — in our social media-focused world — we feel we have to look our best all the time.
Products such as Vichy Dermablend sOs Cover stick concealer and Revlon’s Photoready insta-Filter Foundation, which, thanks to a clever formula containing lightreflecting particles, does a great job of blurring lines and making your skin tone look more even. No doubt many of us were lured by its name, too — it sounds as if it’s got our backs in those unexpected moments when friends demand an impromptu picture.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Arden’s Retinol Ceramide Capsules Line Erasing Night serum got your vote in the night cream category. The rise of retinol has been a key theme in skincare this year. Once available only through A-list dermatologists, now every company, from No7 to L’Oreal Paris and dermatologist brands such as Dr Murad, is adding it into its anti-ageing arsenal.
To recap the science bit, retinol helps smooth lines and wrinkles and soften pigmentation. ‘This is a powerhouse ingredient that will enhance skin health and appearance,’ says Dr Maryam Zamani. ‘it tackles acne, wrinkles, pigmentary changes and skin texture.’
it’s the gentler, younger cousin of the retinoid creams dermatologists prescribe. however, it is still strong enough to cause irritation and flaking, so buying a retinol product can feel like a leap of faith — one we are more inclined to take in the company of a brand like Elizabeth Arden, which we’ve come to trust over the years.
in the Elizabeth Arden serum, retinol’s regenerative power is tempered by ceramides, a crucial ingredient in the fatty mix of lipids surrounding each cell, which helps improve the skin barrier.
The result is an effective product skin can tolerate without protest. it also comes in handy capsules, another emerging trend, each of which provides one generous dose.
Although we want effective and possibly more aggressive skincare to deal with wrinkles, another huge demand, paradoxically, is for gentler creams.
An enormous number of us struggle with sensitive, irritable or intolerant skin, often triggered by stressful lifestyles. When it all kicks off, we want reliable products that will soothe, calm and protect our faces.
i’d wager that’s why Avene’s lovely soothing Moisture Mask is a winner, and also why CeraVe’s Moisturising Cream landed at the top of its category, even though the product only launched in the UK in March.
The CeraVe cream is about as straightforward as a day cream can be; its packaging is nothing to write home about and it’s as cheap as chips — but, boy, it’s good.
With key moisturising ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, which helps the skin to hold more moisturiser, and ceramides, to help keep that moisture in the skin, we know we can rely on it to do what it says on the pot.
The whole Glossier phenomenon hasn’t passed you by, either. This super-trendy new brand, with its low-key but pretty pink packaging, was founded by New Yorker Emily Weiss in 2010 and focuses on creating products ‘that are inspired by the people who need them’. Arriving in the UK a year ago, it has found an eager audience — you clearly love the Milky Jelly
Cleanser even more than Glossier’s make-up, and voted it a winner.
Then there’s the growing concern about pollution and its effects on our skin. Beauty brands are scrambling to help out, and it’s good to see that No7, whose skincare has been perennially popular since its Protect & Perfect serum shot to sellout fame in 2007, is a favourite for its Early Defence Glow Activating Serum.
This offers all-round protection, including a ‘Double Defence technology’ with antioxidants to protect skin from pollution and sun damage.
The make-up winners span the spectrum, from bargain basics — Rimmel London 60 seconds super shine nail varnish, a fabulous quick fix, and Avon’s True Colour 15-in-1 Day to Night Eyeshadow Edit, with its lovely selection of long-lasting, creaseproof shades — to the timeless chic of a luxurious red lipstick, in the form of Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour.
The texture may be a modern tweak on a classic formula, but it is still a little bullet of pure class.
And, as greater beauty brains than mine have pointed out before now, lipstick always seems to hold its appeal and sell well in times of economic uncertainty.
Leonard Lauder, chairman emeritus of the Estee Lauder brands, coined the phrase ‘the lipstick index’ for this phenomenon at the start of the century, the theory being that we’re unlikely to splash out on a car when money is
tight, but instead will treat ourselves to something small and glamorous.
Another modern classic is NArs Orgasm Blush, a universally flattering pinky-peach that manages not to look too sparkly even though it is flecked with gold. How we all blushed at the name at its 1999 launch. Now, not so much.
Instead, it seems an old friend, a make-up stash staple that has stood the test of time. ‘It suits all tones and gives a lovely glow at any time of year,’ agrees judge ruby Hammer.
Your make-up choices also flag up the soaring popularity of Maybelline’s Lash sensational Mascara, the best-selling mascara in the UK.
Great Lash used to be the brand’s top seller, but its nice thin formula, which gives lashes gentle definition, isn’t really enough for us these days. Now we’ve become so used to seeing false lashes and lash extensions everywhere from the school gates to the office party, Lash sensational ups the ante very satisfactorily.
A quick nod to the enduring power of beauty workhorses like the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, which makes
hair better and stronger, full stop. Invented to help Audrey Hepburn’s hair when it was being styled to death on film sets, it has become ever more popular. Yes, it’s costly, but we’re happy to pay when something really works.
Personally, I’m thrilled to see The Body shop Body Yogurt named best body moisturiser. It’s not a complex or high-tech formulation, but it is a significant step away from the heavier body balms. Lighter creams do a better job of hydrating the skin.
This has a lovely bouncy gel texture; it sinks in easily and promises to keep skin hydrated for 48 hours. It’s also vegan — another hot ticket in modern beauty.
For us old-stagers who remember the jibes lobbed at the ecoconscious Body shop in the seventies, its name is a delightful nod back to the company’s roots.
Then there’s the ghd platinum+ black styler, which walked away with the lion’s share of the votes in the beauty gadget category.
As with some other winners, this is so much more than a great product which does a good job. The story of how three Yorkshire hairdressers bought the rights to an innovative hairstyling tool in 2001 and built the brand into the hair equivalent of Jimmy Choo shoes has become a legend in the hair industry.
The products are a highly prized commodity — as all the hair salons that have had break-ins where thieves steal only the ghds can confirm. This year, ghd even saw off the challenge from the latest Dyson launch, the Air Wrap hair curler, a technically brilliant innovation — but one with mixed reviews.
Finally, even if you’re not a perfume aficionado, Lancome’s La Vie Est Belle L’Eclat Eau de Parfum won’t have escaped your notice. Perhaps if I called it The Julia roberts One, you’d know it — she has led the campaign for the fragrance since it launched in 2012, and it now outsells all Lancome’s other products.
L’Eclat is this year’s version, a lighter, sparkling take on the established classic.
It’s reassuringly familiar and a bit of frivolity, which is exactly what we need at this time of year.