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The best new summer beauty products
As the mercury rises and the heatwave shows no signs of waning, we’re turning to the new products that will fix all manner of summer dilemmas. From dry skin soothers to hair-quenching balms and the powder blusher that glows like a cream but stays all day, here’s what’s new and approved in our beauty kits this week…
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Bare Minerals Gen Nude Eyeshadow Palette, £29
Why we love it: "A travel friendly palette with long lasting neutral and warm tones to suit everyone."
Review: "I’m definitely a less is more girl when it comes to my makeup and bareMinerals has always been my go-to brand, as I love how lightweight and natural looking the makeup is. So I was delighted to hear they’ve launched a collection of 4 nude coloured eyeshadow palettes. Each palette contains 6 shades of neutral, warm tones offering a mixture of mattes and shimmers designed to suit all skin tones. I tried the Copper palette which complimented my olive skin beautifully. The formula is extremely pigmented and incredibly smooth, making it very easy to apply and to blend the colours. Just like the rest of the bareMinerals family, these shadows are really long-lasting. I found that they stayed put from morning until the evening with little or no fall out and required very little touch up. There’s a handy guide included, on how to create 3 very different looks from the same palette: Bright Eyed, Polished Work and Dramatic Eye Look in just three steps each. Perfect to take you from a natural look during the day through to a more glam and party eye for the evening. With its beautiful packaging and compact size this is one item I’ll be keeping in my handbag from now on!’"
Reviewer: Kully Buhal, Head of Business Development
3 / 7
Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion, £24
Why we love it: “A sheer blusher that suits everyone.”
Review: “You lot probably know by now that I’m a blusher nut, and I don’t suffer chalky textures, unnatural looking colours or flimsy, short-lived wear gladly. Happily, this new ultra-light powder blusher ticks every single box, no matter your blusher preference, or even if you don’t like rouge as rule - Ginger would work beautifully as a bronzer on light skintones. From the deep pink/purple Kir Royale to my favourite, Rosé (no surprises that the one named after wine wins) there’s a shade to suit every skin tone and colour is somehow buildable yet also see-through- it’s been designed to mimic the natural effects of a cream, with the staying power and polished finish of a powder. It’s the most beautiful blusher I’ve used in ages.”
Reviewer: Anna Hunter, Senior Features Writer
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Alpha-H Liquid Gold Ultimate Perfecting Mask, £45
Why we love it: “Smooth skin and radiance all in one clever, effective mask!”
Review: “The original Liquid Gold is a holy grail of mine and something that I can never be without in my skincare routine. So when I found out that Alpha-H were adding a mask to the range I had to give it a whirl. Designed to repair the skin’s barrier function and ideal for sun damage, pigmentation and enlarged pores, it sounds like a miracle worker. The formula includes squalane , shea butter and fision hydrate for nourishment, which makes the texture a thick, creamy, balm. Once spread across the face you leave for up to 10 minutes to let the ingredients get to work (which is signalled by a slight tingling sensation). When it was removed, my skin looked visibly brighter and radiant, and in the morning the texture was smooth as silk - quite rare for my acne-prone skin. It’s definitely a great weekly treatment to help invigorate the skin and give it an extra hydration boost.”
Reviewer: Alexandra Harrison, Admin Assistant
5 / 7
Diptyque Invigorating Body Balm, £50 for 200ml
Why we love it: "An uplifting and revitalising body balm that softens and hydrates limbs in need of a little post-holiday TLC."
Review: "If the recent heatwave has parched your skin as much as it has mine, then this new Body Balm from Diptyque will be just what you need to inject a little life back into those limbs. This revitalising and deeply nourishing balm has the texture of a dry oil, melting effortlessly into the skin, giving it a hefty dose of moisture and leaving it feeling toned, soft and radiant. I've been using straight after bathing/showering on legs and arms. Thanks to the sesame oil, which is rich in fatty acids, it helps with the restructuring and renewal of skin cells, which explains why my legs felt a little more supple afterwards! With a strong citrusy scent of Sicilian Blood Orange and sweet clementines, it's uplifting and invigorating -so much so, you'll be instantly transported to the Italian coast, but with less parched, and glowier-looking limbs."
Reviewer: Sarah McGinnis, Art Editror
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Cienna Rose Nail Lacquer in Shopping Spree and Snob, £9
Why we love it: “Pretty summer brights with a friendly formula.”
Review: “The ‘Barbie pink’ Shopping Spree shade and bright coral-red Snob from the summer collection at Cienna Rose is just what I needed for a fresh lick of paint after removing my beloved gel mani (which I had done at new ultra-cool salon, Townhouse ). The Cienna Rose formula is 12-free, meaning they’ve kept out any problematic chemicals, and it’s also cruelty free. More importantly though it contains vitamin E, pro vitamin B5 and lemongrass (which I sadly can’t smell) to make it a little kinder to your nails. I love the rubbery bottle top for extra grip and stability when applying too - it’s the full package.”
Reviewer: Judy Johnson, Digital Editor
7 / 7
L’Oreal Professionnel Source Essentielle Nourishing Balm, £22
L’Oreal Professionnel salon exclusive: find your nearest branch here
Why we love it: “A vegan silicone-free hair smoothie that’ll help sort out your thirsty hair.”
Review: “Thanks to the current heatwave, my hair’s appetite for moisture is pretty insatiable at the moment. The only way to quench its thirst has been to dial down the dependence on my styling tools and up the ante of my weekly hair mask regime. This is where this newbie from L’Oreal Professionnel has proved particularly valuable. Containing 99 per cent naturally derived ingredients, its label makes for a pretty delicious sounding read - a bounty of nourishing oils and hydration heavyweights ranging from coconut to argan seed oil to give hair its pre-summer mojo back. With the other 1 per cent comprising of compounds necessary to boost the stability and conditioning prowess of the formula, it offers a replenishing balance of crop and chemistry to leave hair softer, shinier and more manageable.”
Reviewer: Ayesha Muttucumaru, Senior Features Writer