1 / 11
Which products have brightened the start of 2017 for the Glossy Posse?
From hair hydrators to eyeliners that stay put and from luxurious home fragrance straight through to under-eye saviours. These are the products that we've fallen for already this year.
Click through the gallery to see our reviews of the products we're loving right now...
2 / 11
Why we love it: “An incredibly luxurious candle”
Review: “I’ve become a bit of a candle addict of late. Partly down to our recent candles Gloss Report and partly down to my current obsession with homeware. Timothy Dunn have absolutely nailed it in the home fragrance department. Their background is in floristry and after founder Timothy travelled the world on a hunt for floral inspiration, he wanted to recreate his memories for people to experience in their own home.
“The Tiger Eye home scented candle comes in beautiful hand-blown, glossy black glass container and smells incredible. I can always tell how much I rate a product's packaging by my plans for it afterwards; I will be keeping the jar for my makeup brushes. The fragrance has top notes of orange blossom, petitgrain and jasmine, heart notes of lily, cyclamen and sandalwood and base notes of vanilla, amberwood and patchouli. It smells deep and powerful, but natural and indulgent. It’s a super sexy scent and is my current go-to evening candle.
"This fragrance was inspired by the Bengal tiger with its amber eyes, sauntering gracefully through the forests of northern India. If you’re looking for a luxurious gift or want to try something new, you really do need to try this brand.”
Reviewer: Lorna Patrick, Marketing Assistant
3 / 11
Why we love it: “Awesome, beautiful shades, that last in the most exquisite bottles.”
Review: “The brainchild of Dineh Mohajer who was the founder of cult nail and beauty brand Hard Candy, Smith and Cult is, in my humble opinion, the coolest nail brand to hit our beauty shelves in years. Why do I love it so? The colours are just so spot on. For example Lover’s Creep is the perfect deep dark red without heading in vampy territory, Bitter Buddhist is a beautiful shade of pale celadon green (I’d quite like walls in this colour) while Kings and Thieves is a gorgeous opaque dark ink blue (a new classic in the making). These are just three examples of the wonderfully named varnishes such as Kundalini Hustle a kick-ass bright red that’s product perfection and 1972 a to-die-for rose gold.
"Do they stay put? Yes - not forever, but yes, and did I mention the wonderfully weighted bottles with molten gold lids? Oh and Darjeeling Darling the perfect deep emerald shade? I’m slightly in love with this brand as you can probably tell - they have totally and utterly nailed it (sorry, bad pun).”
Reviewer: ST
4 / 11
Why we love it: “A warm, comforting and sensual scent that will suit just about anyone.”
Review: “A new year and a new Intense scent from Jo Malone, that has the potential to be a new cult favourite. I know it's early but it's going to be pretty hard for this to be beaten. Created by Master Perfumer, Mathilde Bijaoui, it is said to be both 'captivating and mesmerising' and I think that is completely spot on. Surprisingly, the top note is lavender, but you only get a quick hit of this before the rich and intense heart and base notes of myrrh and tonka come into play. There is a sense of soft vanilla and almond which I think really gives it it's comforting qualities. It feels slightly on the sweeter side, but don't be put off, as it's rather warming where it balances out the darker and more exotic notes - decadence and opulence at its best.
"What hit me first with this fragrance was how it captures such warm memories and really takes you back - it reminds me of my dear Grandma (I think it must be the mix of myrrh with the hint of vanilla because she loved that!) and I think you are always on to a winner when you can personally relate to a scent. I’ve been wearing it daily and I cannot get enough.”
Reviewer: Sarah McGinnis, Art Editor
5 / 11
Why we love it: "yoga wear that looks cool on and off the mat"
Review: "This super soft slouch fit fleece-lined sweatshirt by cool new yoga wear brand Behere&love, is just structured and glam enough to wear with jeans and still look on the smarter side of athleisure (in fact, I’m wearing it to the office today). I was drawn magpie-like to its foil ‘om’ and the fact that the neck is flatteringly wide but still holds its shape (I wouldn’t go as far as to describe it as it’s “off the shoulder” as it says in the blurb).
"There’s not a piece in this contemporary collection of sweats and vests with their foil graphic ‘slogans’ drawn from yoga poses, that I don’t like. As well as ‘om’, there’s ‘namaste’ ‘tadasana’, ‘eagle’ and ‘cobra, crab, crow’ and prices range from £35 to £65. I also love the pink prayer hands ident vest, which will be my next acquisition – or will it be the denim sweat with ‘eagle’ written in gold? As I live in my yoga gear anyway, I figure everything is a win-win purchase.
"The only caveat is that the foil-blocked sweatshirts have to be washed inside out on cold to keep the foil shiny and so are nor suitable for heavy duty sweating. But I’m told the foil-blocked workout vests are more heat resistant."
Reviewer: Victoria Woodhall, Deputy Editor
6 / 11
Why we love it: “A pint-sized hair hero that provides targeted hydration to where you need it most.”
Review: “Much like my skin, my hair falls into the category of combination - greasy roots and dry ends are a mainstay for most of the year and the winter only helps highlight this imbalance to an even greater degree. A touch of targeted hydration is what my regime has needed, and it’s come in the form of this small but mighty DD, (aka, ‘Dryness Defence’), balm.
“Enriched with glycerol and coconut oil to nourish and protect in equal measure, smoothing on a small amount onto my mid-lengths and ends before blow-drying has made a noticeable difference to both the smoothness and softness of my hair. Ideal for medium fine to thick hair types, the fact that you need only apply it to your ends is a real selling point as it ensures it won’t cause your roots to feel flat. Providing much-needed moisture to where I’ve needed it most, it’s made for the simple yet super addition to my routine that I’m certain to carry on using long after the winter’s over.”
Reviewer: Ayesha Muttucumaru, Senior Features Writer
7 / 11
Why we love it: “One of the best budget buys in my armoury of body cleansers and moisturisers.”
Review: “I love a body scrub - that feeling of exfoliating away the day’s grease and grime and leaving your skin feeling renewed and sparkly clean. Kind Natured’s moisturising scrub is that bit better, being made from almost 100 percent natural ingredients and is filled to the brim with thick sugar crystals held together in a clear soapy gel which foams gently.
"It is scented with coconut and monoi to create a fragrance I can only describe as being ever-so-slightly floral and very ‘clean’ - essentially, what I aim to be when I leave the shower. The most appealing element of the scrub is the fact that it is packaged in a squeezy tube - not presented in a fancy large pot with which I have to battle during every wash to ensure I scoop up the right amount of scrub into the correct area of my palm, while trying to avoid dropping it all over the shower tray or getting rogue spouts of water into the tub before I awkwardly try to screw the lid back on.
"You can buy the scrub together with Kind Natured’s Body Lotion which I simply adore. It should really be called a body butter as the texture is thick and soothing and you really don’t need much at all before it soaks itself deep into the skin. A body lotion this good at such a low price is a must buy."
Reviewer: Gemma Painter, Digital Marketing Manager
8 / 11
Why we love it: “Finally, a waterline-friendly eyeliner that really doesn’t budge.”
Review: “Stop the search: I’ve found the eyeliner we’ve all been looking for. Is it intense in colour? Yes. Can it be either precise or smudged for different looks? Yes. Does it twist-up? Yes. Does it glide on smoothly? Thanks to the coconut oil gel formula, yes. Does it stay put? Yes. What, even on the waterline? Yes! I have put this to the thorough test, too - I applied it at 7:30am one morning on the upper waterline and come 1am, after a full day of work and an evening of play with no topping up in between, it was still there, lining my eyes perfectly. It even has a built-in sharpener, and despite its budge-proof, waterproof ways it’s easy to remove (I used my trusty Bioderma Micellar Solution). Eyeliner goals complete; steady hand not included.”
Reviewer: Judy Johnson, Online Editor
9 / 11
Why we love it: “Concentrated under-eye moisture in 10 minutes!”
Review: “Here’s a lesser-known fact, beauty aficionados: the skin around your eyes is 40 per cent thinner than the rest of your face, so stresses and late nights will always show there first… (she says as she grabs the nearest possible thing to plump up tired eyes and thinning skin…Cucumber? Teabags? Ice cubes?)
“Thankfully Estee Lauder have done all the hard work on this one and come up with these incredible, moisture-giving eye masks, which positively saturate the area underneath your eyes, leaving your peepers looking rested with small lines all plumped up and ready to face the world. The recommendation is to treat yourself to an eye mask one evening a week (which, to me, is a very achievable goal), or as and when you need an extra lift. I found them really easy to use and best of all, they take ten minutes to soak into the skin under your eyes. So, whether you’re a fan of Estee Lauder’s cult Advanced Night Repair Oil or not, these little sachets contain all the magical healing powers of the oil (including lady’s thistle and white birch), but in a much higher dosage so they not only pack a punch, but will help your eyes look rested and renewed. Sold!”
Reviewer: Alecka Micklewright, Commercial Director
10 / 11
Why we love it: “Facilitates a soft and swingy blow dry without the breakage”
Review: “I’m going to start by saying that this is very expensive for a mid-January pick (or any pick) but I’ve been using this cuticle smoothing, shine-making brush for a good month now and it’s transformed the daily ‘wrestle with hairdryer’ experience of old. Vaguely making a shape with it as you blow dry results in impressive volume at the roots, silky mid-lengths and detangled ends and it grips the hair nicely so that you don’t hit yourself on the head or wang it across the room (all previous blow drying hazards in my house). It feels old-school and will last a lifetime unlike its plastic peers and I’ve found I’m doing far less tugging and knot-detonating since I started using it. A brush like this is undoubtedly a grown-up luxury, but I finally appreciate the appeal of a retro natural brush.”
Reviewer: Anna Hunter, Senior Features Writer
11 / 11
Why we love it: “The most sophisticated rose-scented cream I’ve ever tried”
Review: “If you suffer from mildly sensitive skin then, like me, you’ve probably resigned yourself to a lifetime of unscented, plain and simple creams that get the job done with little or no excitement. That need be the case no more with Dr Hauschka’s newly formulated Rose Body Cream, which offers a delicate scent of rose that doesn’t smell like soap or (for me) spark any signs of itching or redness that I would usually expect with floral scented products. Whilst the texture of this cream is quite heavy on first inspection, due to the rose wax and shea butter, it applies quickly and easily and miraculously absorbs into the skin within seconds - meaning it’s slotted seamlessly into my pre-bedtime moisturising regime. You don’t need a lot of it either so this one’ a keeper!”
Reviewer: Gemma Bellman, Managing Director
