Glossy Picks: 19 new beauty and wellness buys that are powering us through March

12 March 2024

With the start of Spring not far away, these are the skincare, makeup and wellness buys that will get us all looking and feeling our best

Any products in this article have been selected editorially however if you buy something we mention, we may earn commission

The post deliveries at GTG have been looking a little different in the last few weeks. New skincare launches are arriving that promise to give skin a fresh restart and get complexions looking glowy, plumped and protected. Spring makeup collections are being dropped and there’s a general feeling of hope, joy and happiness in the air (quite literally if you scroll down to read about some new candle buys). So that’s what we’re bringing in this week’s Glossy Picks. There are new cleansers that are bound to become instant icons considering one is from cult skincare brand Tatcha and the other is Charlotte Tilbury. We’ve got swoon-worthy limited edition eyeshadows and curated charity makeup collections, not to mention very clever hair collaborations and supplement newness. Scroll down to discover all that and much more. Enjoy!

Victoria Woodhall, GTG Editorial Director

Lisa Eldridge Kitten Lash Masacara, £29

"It’s hard to believe that MUA Lisa Eldridge – known for her ‘kitten eye’ flick, a pared down version of the ‘cat eye’ liner – has never had a mascara of her own. Until now, and it’s a corker! I trialled it against other big-brand mascara releases and it consistently trumped them all, especially on lash separation, colour intensity and length. If you’re known for a clean graphic eye look, as Eldridge is, your mascara cannot be clumpy, messy or stick the lashes together. The curved wand picks up lashes at the root curling them with a soft, clean defined coat of loveliness – hard to beat!"

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Tatcha The Matcha Cleanse, £42

"This cleanser has me at ‘matcha’ (Jenki Matcha is my newest brew obsession) and while this gel is more for oily and combination skin than my dry, mature skin, I use it when I need a more thorough first cleanse especially around my nose and chin. It’s a fragrance-free formula that taps matcha for its antioxidant benefits. If clogged pores are your thing and you need to keep your skin calm, this is the daily cleanser you need."

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Shiseido Rivitalessence Skin Glow SPF30, £39.20

"This light coverage but noticeably glow-giving foundation has gone straight in at number one on my ‘base’ chart. I’m not surprised it received such stellar plaudits when it came out a couple of months ago; I’m just sorry I didn’t get to it sooner. It’s runny (hence the ‘essence’ in the name) but easy to apply with my fingers. It doesn’t get ‘eaten’ by my pores and manages to make me look glowy hours later. SPF30 and calming antioxidant niacinamide look after my skin too."

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Suqqu Signature Color Eyes 134 Sakurautsushi, £50

"Suqqu’s iconic quads are an investment for sure, but when you have wrinkly eyelids as I do you need your eyeshadow to be ultra-fine and to stay put. And that’s worth the extra spend. This cherry blossom-inspired limited edition palette (hurry!) is grown-up smokey with the perfect combination of chocolate, soft purple and refined sparkle. It reminds me of a Charlotte Tilbury palette, of which I’ve yet to find one that’s cool-toned yet soft enough for me. The shadows go on both wet and dry and the two applicators inside are everything you need."

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SJ Corfield-Smith, GTG Beauty Director

Bobbi Brown x Kitri Pretty Powerful Collection, £65 (worth £103.50)

"Every year, Bobbi Brown put together an edit of their best-selling makeup products and collab with another brand to create a stylish makeup bag to house them in with 100 per cent of the sales donated to Smart Works, a charity that provides women with clothing and coaching to get them back into the workplace. This year they have teamed up with playful and colourful fashion brand, Kitri and the result is this gorgeous bag with a signature tropical Kitri print and containing the brilliant Bobbi Brown moisturiser and primer, cream blush and lip pot, long-wear cream eyeshadow stick and lipgloss. Brilliant products for great value and supporting a great cause."

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Gem Mouthwash in Coconut Mint, £10

"Mouthwash is rarely a product you keep out on display. Why is the packaging so aggressive? But things are changing. Meet Gem a new oral health brand that has come to our shores from Australia. All the products (there are toothpastes, whitening products and mouth sprays too) come in aesthetically pleasing pastel packaging and focus on improving the microbiome in the mouth which can then help with things like bad breath and healthier teeth and gums. I find most mouthwashes quite intense but this has a lovely balance between mint and coconut and doesn’t contain alcohol."

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Hello Sunday The Shimmer One Mineral Glow Stick SPF45, £22

"You know spring is almost here when new SPFs start to land (even though you're wearing yours on the daily) and this is a great new addition to your suncare arsenal for the sunny season and beyond. It’s a mineral-based, broad-spectrum SPF in a stick format making it easy to slather on when you’re on the go and out and about. As you’ve guessed from the name, it has a luminous shimmery glow which instantly makes skin look better. You can apply it over or under makeup but I prefer under to create a base layer of glow that can be added to. And I would recommend giving it a cursory blend in with fingers to ensure it looks flawless"

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Maeva Rae The Collection Candle Trio, £40

"This is a new, completely sustainable and functional home fragrance brand that is most deserving of your time and attention. Each candle has been formulated with natural ingredients to help heighten and stimulate different emotions. I have been enjoying the trio collection which contains votive-sized of each scent; Invigorate, Calm and Joy. They burn really well (which shows a well-made candle) and the throw of the scent is very impressive even in the smaller size."

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Ingeborg van Lotringen, GTG Contributing Beauty Editor

The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion, £15.20

"A weightless, instantly absorbing lotion in an air-free (for stability and freshness) pump, this is super-easy to use as your overnight skin regenerator under night cream. Thanks to superior effectiveness but far less of a chance of irritation, retinal is steadily taking over in popularity from retinol, but the issue has so far been the price: hard to stabilise, it has had to come at a higher cost than retinol so far. But The Ordinary (of course) has come to the rescue with this highly affordable serum that features all the ‘expensive’ things retinal needs: slow-release encapsulation, an active 0.2% concentration, and soothing, antioxidant and hydrating added ingredients. You can thank them later for brighter, smoother, less oily skin."

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Diso Dissolvable Vitamin Strips in Collagen, £13

"Personally I can’t cope with gloopy, invariably unsavoury supplement drinks or shots, and I don’t like endlessly chewing on gummies either. I prefer caps and pills, but they aren’t always the best way to deliver the nutrients. So this brand has come up with an alternative: small square plastic-looking strips that dissolve instantly in your mouth. They are made from natural plant fibres and prebiotic polysaccharides (which are calorie-free sugar alternatives that do taste overwhelmingly sweet - a plus if you have a seriously sweet tooth) and have been shown to absorb into your system fast. Packed with targeted bends of vitamins and nutrients for skin and hair, sleep, energy and more (including this daily collagen booster), they look pretty funky too."

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Zara Hair Curl Activator, £15.99

"I’m a fan of this weightless curl reviving mist which prevents waves and coils from going a bit flat and limp. Zara achieved a bit of a coup snaring proper hair ledge Guido (one of the stalwarts of the early-1990s supermodel era) to develop this as part of a complete styling range, and we benefit by getting the products at affordable prices. They would have been three times the price (with the same formulations) had Guido chosen to go ‘premium’. Yet premium is how they look, and they work well enough to end up in professional kits."

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Isla Huffadine, GTG Content Coordinator

Laneige Bouncy and Firm Sleeping Mask, £32

"The Laneige lip mask is already a staple in my nightly skincare routine so I was thirlled when I heard about this new addition. Designed to hydrate and plump and paired with a delightful peony scent it's ideal for those with busy schedules as you simply apply before bed and let the hard-working squalane, glycerin and collagen extract get to work and rinse off in the morning. My skin felt deeply mostuirised and appeared far more glowy the next day. Similar to their lip mask, a small amount of this product goes a long way."

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Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting Gel, £17

"If your brows require something to lift them up, and keep them up may I introduce you to Rare Beauty’s new brow gel. It is a clear formula gel that comes with a small spoolie brush that allows you to really get into even the bushiest of brows and sculpt them into the desired shape. It can be used alone or with other brow products and I promise you it doesn't leave your brows feeling stiff or sticky."

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Charlotte Tilbury Magic Hydration Revival Cleanser, £25

"Adding to the skincare side of Charlotte Tilbury is this brand new daily cleanser. It has a slightly unique texture in that it starts out as a cream and then transforms into a foam when combined with water and finishes up as a milk that you rinse off. As you would expect, it makes light work of removing makeup and left my skin feeling soft, hydrated and plump. I’m looking forward to continuing to use this cleanser, seeing if it lives up to the promise of minimising the appearance of pores."

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Elf Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen, £8

"As someone with thin lips I’m drawn to the idea of plumping glosses, but I really don't like the tingling sensation lots have. Enter Elf’s new plumping pen - true to its name it functions just like a pen. You simply click the base a few times, dispensing the desired amount of product and slather it on. No tingling but a little bit of cooling and it feels very hydrating. For everyday wear I chose the clear shade, but there are seven other tinted colours to choose from."

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Becki Murray, GTG Contributing Editor

Ren Clean Skincare Radiance PHA Exfoliating Facial, £34

"In the quest for visibly brightening, ‘wow, you are glowing’ skin, it can be so frustrating to have sensitive complexion (like mine), as you can miss the mark and head straight to red and sore instead. Not so with this mask from sensitive skin specialists, Ren. Inside the travel-friendly tube is a formula that uses the gentlest kind of chemical exfoliant - PHAs - and pomegranate enzymes, which quickly get to work removing dead skin for instant radiance."

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Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food Banana 3-in-1 Dry Hair Mask Treatment, £8.99

"I’ve relied on the original Garnier Hair Food for years because I bleach my hair and always need something to keep it hydrated and breakage-free. Trust me, this supercharged version will not disappoint you either. The new range, which can still be used as a mask or leave-in treatment depending on your hair thickness - is now powered not only by superfoods like banana and watermelon but also super vitamins, like vitamin C for shine and vitamin F for strength. Make it your next weekend treat."

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Bertioli Water Meadow Candle, £35

"Even when not burning, the scent of this ‘flower-filled-meadow’ candle beautifully fills a room and I’ve gifted it to multiple friends now as a result. Instantly noticeable without being headache-inducing, this is a fresh Spring day in sustainable soy wax form. It’s inspired by the floral landscape that surrounds the award-winning Thyme hotel and spa in the Cotswolds, so if you are a central city-dweller like me, it's just the little escape to the country you probably need right now."

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Hemsley Organics Sleep Well Pillow Mist, £26

"After experiencing a virtual reiki session with leading spiritual healer Georgina Hemsley (which I would strongly recommend if you are struggling with stress right now), I’ve become hooked on the pillow mist she used during the session. It’s like breathing in a shot of ‘calming juice’ with its blend of lavender, cedarwood, bergamot, jasmine and chamomile noticeably lowering your heart rate. I spritz it liberally on my pillows, to help me relax before bed."

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