April’s Best New Beauty Buys
Real Flawless Foundation, £38 | Laura Mercier
Laura Mercier’s hotly anticipated foundation doesn’t disappoint. Buildable but with a weightless texture, it provides medium coverage that lasts. The shades are spot on, too. It’s creamy but not too thick – just a couple of pumps is all you need to cover your entire face. We love that it doesn’t crease either, unlike some liquid formulas out there. It’s also fragrance free and non-comedogenic, so it doesn’t cause irritation or clog up your pores.
Visit CultBeauty.co.uk
Premium BB Beauty Balm, £35 | Dr.Jart+
Those after lighter but still visible coverage should pick up this new BB cream. Containing SPF50, it comes with several skin benefits, with ingredients like niacinamide helping to minimise redness and glycerine sealing in moisture for better glow. Move quickly, though – we expect this one to sell out fast.
Visit DrJart.co.uk
Glowy Super Skin Foundation, £34 | Saie
This offers a bit more coverage but still gives skin that hydrated, bouncy look. There are 36 shades to choose from, and the formula is made up of 85% skincare ingredients, including hyaluronic acid to moisturise, peptides to strengthen skin and glycerine to seal in moisture. It applies almost like a serum – a little goes a long way – and you can build up the coverage gradually. Only a few pumps will even out your skin tone and address issues like dark circles.
Visit CultBeauty.co.uk
Super Healthy Hair™ Smoothing Paddle Brush, £40 | Beauty Pie
Everyone needs a good hairbrush and right now we’re loving this one. A combination of nylon and boar bristles will work through the most stubborn of knots without generating any extra static. It has a broad flat base and large surface area – useful for holding your hair taut as you blow-dry or style it.
Visit BeautyPie.com
Cool Girl Volume Blow Dry Foam, £32 | Hair By Sam McKnight
Hair mousse has made a comeback and our favourite right now is this one by Sam McKnight. All hair types can use it – thin, thick, curly or natural – and it helps with almost everything from boosting shine, body and longevity to creating updos. It even gives your natural texture and curls more definition. Use it on wet hair, comb it through, then blast it with a hairdryer. Expect weightless volume that lasts.
Visit SpaceNK.com
Lip Oil, £25 | Rodial
These new oils will give your lips a healthy-looking flush of colour while drenching them in moisture. Vegan collagen, jojoba and sweet almond oils hydrate and soak up dry, flaky patches while softly plumping the lips. There are several shades available, but we love ‘Sugar Coral’ – a universally flattering red.
Visit Selfridges.com
Orgasm Four Play Blush Quad, £45 | Nars
The NARS Orgasm range continues to evolve and our latest obsession is this Four Play Blush Quad, which can be used on the cheeks and eyes for a peachy-pink flush of colour. The soft shimmer levels give just the right amount of glow – use a big fluffy brush to swirl the shades together or play with each one individually to define your features.
Visit NarsCosmetics.co.uk
Hella Thicc Volumizing Mascara, £19 | Fenty Beauty
This jet-black mascara is ideal if you want volume, definition and intensity. The tapered brush with its various-sized bristles catches every lash as you glide it through. You only need a few coats to amp up your lash length – use the tip to widen and elongate your lashes at the outer corners. We were impressed by how long the formula lasted and how little it smudged, too.
Visit HarveyNichols.com
Sunflower & Oat Melting Cleansing Balm, £19.90 | Current State
Current State is the gentle new skincare brand to know about. We’ve been impressed by this cleansing balm, which transforms into a milk on contact with water, dissolving all traces of make-up and dirt for smoother, fresher skin. Oat extracts, vitamin B5 and hyaluronic acid keep moisture levels high, dryness at bay and skin feeling supple.
Visit CultBeauty.co.uk
Hydration Peptide Cream, £54 | Shani Darden Skin Care
Peptides are key for strengthening and smoothing skin – which explains why A-list facialist Shani Darden made them the star ingredient in her new day cream. Created with squalane, shea butter and glycerine, it’s a must-try for anyone who suffers with dryness. It coats skin in moisture and provides a dewy glow that looks bouncy and healthy. It’s an investment but one you won’t regret – a little goes a long way.
Visit CultBeauty.co.uk
Sérum Superlatif Set, £231 | Violette_FR
Make-up artist Violette is expanding her popular range with this set of hard-working serums. There are five in total and each one uses targeted ingredients to alleviate some of the most common skincare concerns – including pigmentation, blemishes, dullness and inflammation. The formulas have been created with French pharmaceutical expertise, so you can expect the very best results. Each one is made with 96% naturally sourced ingredients to keep aggravation at bay.
Visit ViolatteFR.com
Rue du Cirque EDP, £220 | Robert Piguet Parfums
Robert Piguet makes some of the most iconic fragrances – including Bandit and Fracas – and now it has launched a scent named after the street on which Piguet’s atelier is located. It’s everything you’d expect from the brand – rich, heady and long-lasting, with a warm and smoky silage that’s unlike anything else. Expect plenty of compliments.
Visit Fenwick.co.uk
Néroli Bronzé Fragrance, £180 | Whind
Whind is known for its skincare products, but it’s just dropped its first ever fragrance. Néroli Bronzé features notes of amber, orange zest, pomelo and musk. Promising to immediately transport you to a sunnier destination, it’s guaranteed to be a firm favourite this summer.
Visit Whind.com
L'Eau Papier Eau De Toilette, £125 | Diptyque
Diptyque’s L’Eau Papier has proved very popular in the SheerLuxe office. With musk, roasted sesame seeds, mimosa and wood notes, it’s an earthy, nutty fragrance that’s soft and comforting. Perfect for daytime, it has enough potency to take you through to the evening. A great unisex option.
Visit DiptyqueParis.com
Aesthetic Lily Candle, £45 | Cloon Keen
We’ve just discovered luxury handmade candle brand Cloon Kleen. Prices start from £45, but you get a big candle housed in a slick jar for your money. The fragrances are beautiful, lingering long after the candle is blown out. There’s plenty to discover, but we love ‘Aesthetic Lily’ – a soft floral that provides instant headspace and a sense of calm. A great gift.
Visit LesSenteurs.com
Heated Eye Lash Curler, £14.99 | StylPro
Make-up artists have been warming up their lash curlers for years to improve curl and now, there’s StylPro’s heated lash curler that promises to eliminate some of the faff. It’s easy to use – just press the power button, allow the LED light to blink, then once it stops and turns white, place the silicone pads against your lash line and softly clamp down, holding in place for 10-15 seconds.
Visit LookFantastic.com
Acne Light Shot, £60 | FaceGym
FaceGym’s latest launch shows it is still ahead of the curve. The Acne Light Shot Device uses blue light to tackle the bacteria that causes acne. It also comes with adhesive stickers that attach to your skin. The device then gets deep down into your skin’s epidermis, treating the issue from the inside out. Use it for 20 minutes at a time to stop active spots in their tracks and prevent new ones from forming – so far, 90% of testers agree it’s an effective treatment for breakouts.
Visit Farfetch.com
Everyday Polisher Antioxidizing Body Scrub, €39.57 | Bodyologist
If you’re wanting to soften skin and get rid of uneven bumps, try this polisher from new brand Bodyologist. It uses small exfoliating grains to buff away dead skin cells, helping alleviate issues like keratosis pilaris and ingrown hairs. As you massage it in, you can almost feel it working, though the gritty texture is never too abrasive. The fresh eucalyptus and rosemary scent is a bonus.
Visit TheBodyologists.com
Hydra-Boost Self-Tanning Gel-Crème, £44 | Institut Esthederm
We love Institut Esthederm’s SPF, which is why we were excited by this self-tan launch. With a gel consistency, it’s easy to apply for seamless coverage in a colour that’s so natural you’ll find you want to build it up over a couple of days. Never OTT or too orange, it’s ideal for tan-phobes or anyone wanting to look fresh but not overdone. Unlike some self-tanners, this keeps skin hydrated with something called fucose polymer – an ingredient that helps to boost the natural level of hyaluronic acid in our skin.
Visit SpaceNK.com
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