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No matter how much of a beauty enthusiast you are, it’s nigh on impossible to keep on top of new products. It feels like every day there’s something new, vying for your attention, promising to be better than everything that has come before it. This is why we’ve rounded up some the year’s standout launches: the haircare, make-up and skincare that’s actually worth your cash.
From the minimalist beauty brand that has everything you need and nothing you don’t to the retinols that won’t irritate even the most sensitive of skin, here’s our edit of the best.
The triple threat
The beauty buzzword du jour? Peptides. Dermatologists rave about them because they’re great for improving elasticity and firmness, and Lancôme Rénergie HPN 300-Peptide Cream (£83) contains more than 300 different types (yes, really). Throw in a hefty dose of hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, to hydrate and brighten, and you’ve got yourself a skincare super.
lancome.co.uk
The easy hairstyler
The salt-free Hershesons Air Dry Spray (£16) is holiday hair in a bottle without the audible crunch. When you can barely be bothered to brush, let alone blow-dry your hair, spray this, scrunch and go. It flattens frizz and gives movement, making you one of those annoying people who simply have good hair.
hershesons.com
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The textured haircare hero
Ever since the hairstylist Charlotte Mensah launched her cult Manketti Oil range in 2016, fans — Michaela Coel and Zadie Smith included — have been chomping at the bit for more. Enter the Manketti Oil Salt Scrub (£60), designed to deliver the same results as her famed in-salon treatment. It cleanses and softens scalps, reducing itching as it gets to work.
The foundation that stays the day
He has 13.7 million Instagram followers and is Kim Kardashian’s longtime make-up artist, but all you need to know about Mario Dedivanovic is that his brand, Makeup by Mario, is excellent. And not just for those for whom more is more. His new SurrealSkin Foundation (£40) is a glide-on, second-skin, medium-coverage formula (available in 30 shades). It doesn’t slip off during the day and gives a glow that’s gentle, despite what the visible flecks of glitter may suggest.
sephora.co.uk
The one-minute smokey eye
Never quite sure how to do a smokey eye? Hermès Ombres d’Hermès in Ombres Fauves (£90) is a paint-by-numbers version. There are three shades that graduate in intensity, so you work from the inner to the outer corner, blending the darkest into your socket line — and a fourth, peachy shade, for when you’re feeling plucky.
selfridges.com
The two megawatt mascaras
“What mascara were you wearing tonight, or was it individual lashes?” a friend recently WhatsApped me after dinner. The answer was Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Sculpt Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara (£26; anastasiabeverlyhills.co.uk), which does exactly what it says it will, and in a single sweep. Meanwhile, the high octane Fenty Beauty Hella Thicc Volumizing Mascara (£19; sephora.co.uk) adds dramatic length, density and colour. If you need more selling points than that, there’s its glossy texture and teeny brush that allows you to lay it on thick, even into the corners, coating every hair.
Fashion’s new favourite beauty brand
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Rabanne is made for Gen Z, who are as expressive as they are experimental, but don’t let that put you off. Behind the space-age packaging are flattering eyeshadow shades — especially in the metallic Mini Palette duos (£26), translated from the brand’s iconic chain mail — and buttery-soft matte lipsticks (they’re a thing). Try Famous Matte Lipcolour in Spotted (£29), a pinky nude.
selfridges.com
The most talked-about fake tan
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — not all fake tans go patchy and not all have that weird smell. Case in point: Jimmy Coco Sunless Cocooning Face & Body Souffle (£29), by the man who has browned the bottoms of Victoria’s Secret models and was entrusted to spray Kim Kardashian ahead of the Met Gala. His is a super-hydrating mousse with a moisture-locking ingredient that works to give a more even and longer-lasting tan. It’s available in five shades: go one lighter than you usually would for a no-questions-asked winter glow.
jimmycoco.co.uk
The monthly salvation
From the acupuncturist Ross J Barr — whose patches (for sleep and calm) are sold in Claridge’s room minibars and whose clients have included the Duchess of Sussex and Alexa Chung — come Period Patches (£20, victoriahealth.com). Designed to be worn on the lower back (the site of various acupuncture points), they contain a combination of soothing herbs that warm up on contact with skin to help ease pain for up to eight hours.
The drops to perk up tired complexions
The Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Drops (£33) had a 25,000-plus waiting list on Cult Beauty before its launch, thanks to its predecessor, D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops, which are TikTok gold. A skincare/make-up hybrid, the drops work to reduce the appearance of dark spots and strengthen the skin barrier while bestowing a seriously good, glitter-free glow. Wear alone, under, in or on top of make-up.
cultbeauty.co.uk
The hyped celebrity brand
we actually rateIf you know anything about Hailey Bieber’s brand Rhode, it’s that her products have been designed to make your skin look like a glazed doughnut. Not all that appealing to anyone over 30, granted, but think of it instead as a glow, from which everyone can benefit. Start with the Peptide Glazing Fluid (£29), which is essentially a moisturiser and serum combined, making skin feel properly hydrated and plied with fatty acids (the 100,000-strong waiting list in America now makes sense). Also try the Peptide Lip Treatment (£16), a salve for dry winter lips.
rhodeskin.com
The game-changing retinols
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Beauty Pie rolls out stellar skincare time and time again, so it’s pretty impressive that its new Youthbomb Double Retinol Action Skin Overhaul Serum (from £44; beautypie.com) is already its bestselling product. It has two types of retinoid (vitamin A) for extra anti-ageing action, plus hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to help keep irritation at bay. And since we can’t choose between them, we also love Elizabeth Arden Retinol + HPR Ceramide Rapid Skin Renewing Water Cream (£75; elizabetharden.co.uk), a new-generation retinoid that the brand says is ten times as powerful as pure retinol, but thanks to the jazzy technology is suitable for novices as well as seasoned retinol users.
The multitasking face oil
You’ve got the Soho House membership and the Soho Home sofa — now it’s time for Soho Skin. The beer bottle-brown packaging masks sophisticated formulas and serious ingredients. The latest addition is the Face Oil (£60), a lightweight yet antioxidant-rich formula that will give you properly perked, notably plumped skin.
sohoskin.com
The easy eye-enhancing sticks
In six molten shades, from a champagne to a russet, the Rare Beauty All of the Above Weightless Eyeshadow Sticks (£21 each) will seduce you with their colours. And that’s before you’ve scribbled and smudged, which is all you need to do to make them do wonderful things to your eyes. Whether you use on your lids, to hug your lash line or in the inner corners, you can’t possibly go wrong.
rarebeauty.com
The strength-giving shampoo
L’Oréal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Shampoo (£12) is the result of eight years of research into how to rebuild bonds broken by brushing, bleaching and heat. Yes, there are few people who wouldn’t benefit from its clever citric acid complex that works to give muscle — and shine — to feeble strands. For stronger hair still, use with the pre-shampoo treatment and leave-in serum.
superdrug.com
The minimalist brand we can’t get enough of
We’ve banged on about Merit a lot this year, but it would be remiss to omit it from our list. It’s the kind of brand you want a whole make-up bag of, and applying it is as easy as the tutorials make out (a rarity). These are clean, hardworking products designed to be scribbled, swiped and smudged on. From its Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade (£26) to The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick (£40), Merit has nailed the essentials.
meritbeauty.com
The body wash with benefits
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In a gratifyingly big bottle, Naturium The Perfector Salicylic Acid Body Wash (£18) is skincare for your body. Salicylic acid dissolves dead skin cells and unclogs pores, meaning this wash will help keep unsightly blemishes on your chest, back and, um, bottom at bay. It’s also good for dealing with keratosis pilaris (the “chicken skin” that often shows up on the backs of arms) and other rough patches.
spacenk.com
The skincare-haircare hybrid
The cult LA bodycare brand Nécessaire is loved for its formulas that include skincare-grade ingredients, and this year it applied the same principle to haircare. Alongside a shampoo and a conditioner sits the incredibly good The Scalp Serum (£60), which is packed with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and green tea extract to nourish your scalp, getting it (and, as a result, your hair too) in the best possible nick.
sephora.co.uk
The retailer
Few words excite beauty fans like “Sephora”. Having opened a UK store this spring at the west London Westfield with a staggering 6,000 sq ft dedicated to new and noteworthy brands, including Tarte, Glossier and Makeup by Mario, the retailer is coming soon to Westfield Stratford City, in east London. Form an orderly queue.
