New Season Beauty Picks Under £30
I-Lift Longwear Kajal Liner In Mocha, £25 | Studio 10
Formulating an eye pencil that applies smoothly but does not melt, transfer, fade or crumble under assault from oils, moisture and friction (all of which become more of a problem as eyes age) is really hard, as evidenced by the fact that so very few exist (despite pretty much every pencil making these claims). So I’m delighted to have unearthed this rarity. The two-sided pencil has an off-white end to subtly trace the waterline for bigger, brighter eyes, and a rich, ashy brown with no red tinge to make your eyes pop. There’s enough time to smudge the liner so as to get more of an eyeshadow effect, but once the colours (which even have some skin-caring ingredients in them) set, your work stays in place until you take it off with an oil-based remover.
Available at Studio10Beauty.com
Atobarrier Bubble Cleanser, £15.99 | Aestura
Foaming cleansers don’t need to be stripping, especially if the foam is created through a pump mechanism rather than a chemical reaction in too-aggressive surfactants. This creamy, unscented foam by a Korean dermatological brand (there’s none of the cartoon marketing we associate with K-beauty) is very gentle, yet it will break up even long-wear eye make-up and waterproof sunscreens. If you love skin that looks but never feels squeaky-clean, this is the one for you.
Available at Amazon.co.uk
Beauty Posh Balm Nourishing Lip Shine, £30 | Victoria Beckham
VB has come a long way since her purple wedding dress and has really perfected the art of understated chic. Like all her make-up, this comes packaged in a way that makes you want to do that ‘I’m just discreetly fixing my makeup – LOOK at this gleamy cream tube’ thing. In fact, this is just a nice lip balm that comes in clear and three very (very) sheer tinted options, with things like seed butters and cucumber extract to nourish and fend off free radicals. But they give good gloss, are solid feeling enough not to smush or run out fast and have that added ‘quiet luxury’ appeal that makes them worth three tenners.
Available at VictoriaBeckhamBeauty.com
Perfect Hair Day High Shine Gloss, £30 | Living Proof
If you have anything but the finest of hair (I found it too much for my flimsy, wavy locks), you’ll love this. A post-conditioner five-minute treatment cream, it promises mirror-like shine without coating your hair in heavyweight silicones (there are none). Instead, it relies on a smoothing, cuticle-sealing moisturising ingredient spiked with an optical brightener (like light-refracting particles in highlighter) to deliver its magic. And hair does end up looking decidedly glossy and non-frizzy, like those before-and-afters in commercials. As said, it adds some weight and slight straightening of the hair which just doesn’t sit well with me, but this is a shortcut to salon-groomed locks for every other hair type.
Available at SpaceNK.com
Oil Control Moisturising Gel-Cream, £16.50 | CeraVe
We all know the menopause can really upset our skincare routine; some women feel like they’ve got an entirely new skin type, battling issues they’ve never dealt with before. Sudden breakouts combined with increased sensitivity are one combo that can make you want to tear your hair out in confusion, wondering what on earth to put on your face that can treat one issue without aggravating another. Luckily, products like this quenching but weightless and oil-free cream-gel are ever easier to come by. While you may think they’re for young skin, they’re not: they’re for hormonal skin at any age. With plenty of humectants, niacinamide and zinc to control oil, anti-inflammatories and ceramides to calm and settle skin, and a mattifying agent to keep shine at bay, this is skin balance in a bottle.
Available at Boots.com
Blurring Blush Stick In Daiquiri, £23 | Iconic London
As far as I’m concerned, life is too short and too busy to spend hours on looking perkier. One of the easiest ways to blush, this fat, portable stick dispenses just the right amount of colour: the baby-pink looks so soft it could be invisible but ends up giving a healthy glow. It blends out seamlessly with a finger thanks to the silicone-based formula which also gives skin that soft-focus, texture-blurring finish. There are some nourishing and oil-controlling ingredients in here as well.
Available at IconicLondonInc.com
Derma Cleansing Antibacterial Water, £14 | Kanzen
Hypochlorous acid is one of the best-kept secrets in skincare, possessing all of the antibacterial and antifungal properties of alcohol but without the irritating and skin barrier-stripping side effects. In fact, it’s so gentle it actually helps your skin barrier recover from something as ‘harsh’ as plain water (which has a lower pH than skin and can be a bit drying). It’s a bit of a magic skin ingredient for keeping skin calm, balanced and purified, and you can also use this gentle water as a post-cleanse toner and all-round, non-stinging purifier of wounds and lesions. Only drawback? It smells counter-intuitively of chlorine.
Available at KanzenSkincare.com
Tasty Toppings Crunchy Seeds For Menopause, £12.50 | Peachie
Finally, not a beauty product, I know… But we should all eat more seeds as they contain a hell of a lot of micronutrients, fatty acids and fibre (all essential for health as well as your looks) and are one of life’s easiest nutritional shortcuts. And I’m not going to pretend you need special seeds for special life stages, or that there aren’t seeds mixes at less than a quarter of the price of these available at most supermarkets. But if you want seeds (sunflower, flax, chia and pumpkin) that you actually want to munch on, as a topping for salads or yogurt or even as a snack by themselves, I suggest you try these. Crunchy, yummy and not overly sweet, there’s a tangy almond and cranberry version and a hazelnut, cacao and cherry one that has hints of Nutella and popcorn. They also contain a lot of added essential vitamins B, C and D to support a depleted system.
Available at FeelingPeachie.co.uk
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