In the market for a payday treat? These editor-approved new buys are worthy of your hard-earned cash
Any products in this article have been selected editorially however if you buy something we mention, we may earn commission.
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No late summer slump around these parts – not when there’s lots of exciting new beauty and wellbeing Glossy Picks to review! Our editors have been hard at work, as ever. Coming up this week: a killer makeup/skincare collab that will thrill Gen Z (and beyond), Huda’s sister’s new delicious scent and a fancy new red light mask… but not for your face this time. Let’s dive in.
SJ CORFIELD-SMITH
Our beauty director adores this new collab
Elf x Bubble Drop N’ Dunk, £18
“This beauty collaboration makes perfect sense. Elf and Bubble, who have similar teen/ Gen Z audiences, have taken two of their best-sellers – Elf’s bronzing drops and Bubble’s Slam Dunk moisturiser – and merged them to create the dream buy: a customisable bronzing moisturiser, available in three tones. The clever design with two separate pumps means you can choose the quantity of each before blending them together in your palm and applying. One pump of the bronzer and two of the moisturiser gives me the perfect golden glow. Under £20, to boot.”
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If you’re after a way to keep candles burning in your home without the guilt (or the expense) of buying new vessels every time, meet Pott. This British brand makes reusable ceramic pots, and their starter set is perfection. You get a handmade pot, a candle and a matching matchstick holder. There are 11 scents, each coming with its own coordinating container. Mine is the Seasalt, in a stunning deep blue with white speckles. When your candle finishes, put the pot in a bowl of hot water, the leftover wax will easily pop out and you’re ready to slot in a refill, which cost £27.50.”
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Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaflash Intense Fortifying Treatment, £34.95
“Caring for bleached or highlighted hair can feel like a huge job at the end of the summer but this makes light work of it. It’s a seriously nourishing hair mask with a milky-gel texture that sinks in fast and also tones away brassiness. Use it after shampooing, leave for a few minutes and rinse. There’s a matching shampoo too, but if your budget can’t stretch to the duo, this is the one to prioritise.”
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Neom Real Luxury Pro-Vitamin D3 Dry Body Oil, £28
“The common gripe with body oils is that they are, ironically, too oily. This, however, is a game-changer. It has a handy spray nozzle, so you don’t have to drip it out, and absorbs so quickly you could easily forget you’d applied it, were it not for how silky soft your skin feels and the gorgeous scent, blended to help you de-stress. Instead of a sheen, it creates an almost matte effect. Genius.”
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DAHABA ALI HUSSEN
Sweaty workout? Our content coordinator's new concealer won't budge
Benefit Porefessional Concealer, £22.80
“This concealer is full coverage, hydrating and waterproof. It stayed put flawlessly throughout a full day at work, then even survived a post-work run in the heatwave. Apply it, leave it to set for around five minutes, then lock everything in with a good setting powder. The result is seriously impressive, long-lasting coverage.”
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Thisworks Red Light Body Wrap, £100
“If you’re already an ardent LED light face mask fan, this red light and near-infrared light wrap is a handy – and well-priced – way to extend the benefits to the rest of your body. Roughly the size of a hand towel, it’s easy to use on areas like your arms, legs or stomach. I’ve been using it 3–5 times a week on clean, dry arms and my skin looks healthier and more radiant. I also use it on my hair – which is now shinier with less breakage.”
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Blue Lagoon BL+ Lip Renewal Mask, £65
“This lip mask has become a bedtime essential for me. With bakuchiol and ceramides, it’s super hydrating, and I love the ritual of applying it with the little spatula, which glides pleasingly over the lips. I wake up with them looking smooth, plump and generally amazing the next morning. Expensive, yes, but a treat worth the outlay after a long, hot, lip-frazzling summer.”
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Kayali Boujee Kitty Caramel Milk 22, £80
“This new fragrance from Kayali – the brand founded by Mona Kattan, sister of makeup queen Huda – has a delicious caramel note that feels indulgent without being too sugary, giving it a more grown-up feel than its name suggests. I’ve been surprised by how long-lasting it is – with just a few sprays in the morning, the scent sticks around beautifully throughout the day.”
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INGEBORG VAN LOTRINGEN
Our contributing beauty editor smells like a forest
“Another lovely creation from a small, independent British perfume house, this ‘feelings first’ fragrance is a forest in a bottle. Comforting and grounding, it opens as a warm, woody scent with hints of citrus, aldehydes and spices, then cools down to something darker and creamier, with pine, vetiver and moss blending with white flowers. What’s left has overtones of the great men’s scents of the 1980s, like Kouros and Cartier’s Santos. Not sure? You can try a £10 1.5ml sample bottle that’s redeemable against the full size 50ml.”
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Lunik Azelaic Acid LactoPDRN Serum, £15.02
“A barrier-reinforcing, skin clarifying and oil-controlling serum, this is entirely clear, weightless and fast-absorbing. I find this baffling: azelaic acid is notorious for being a powdery ingredient that doesn’t dissolve easily and so makes for creamy-milky serums that tend to pill. But there’s none of that here, despite the high 12% concentration of antibacterial, redness-reducing, mildly exfoliating azelaic, teamed with bacteria-derived PDRN to soothe. It may tingle slightly upon application but don’t worry about that; this is great for acne prone and/or sensitive skins.”
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Skinceuticals P-Tiox cream, £135
“A cream with pretensions of being an age-fighting serum, this is a fresh, scent-free gel that instantly plumps out crepey areas and leaves skin hydrated long-term, despite its lightness. It supports the barrier and locks in moisture – but also has line-relaxing and brightening peptides, a collagen-projecting flavonoid complex and gentle exfoliants. Together, they do a good job of softening pores and wrinkles that deepen with age, which helps justify the price tag.”
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Cassie I Am Enough Face Makeup, £33
“This is a compact foundation, radiance giver and bronzer by Brit MUA Cassie Lomas. The eight shades are ever-so-slightly deeper than your own skin tone (the lightest, 111, sits on the darkest end of my classic northern European hue) in order not to just even out skin tone but give warmth and definition. When it says a little goes a long way, they’re not lying: a tiny dip of your foundation brush is probably enough but you can layer easily for added Insta-perfection. There’s not a hint of oiliness so those with oilier skins will love it.”
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