Stila eyeshadow, Chanel bronzer and a Louis Vuitton fragrance… we’re feeling rather fancy this week
Whether you’re looking to up your makeup game with a glam new eyeshadow, transport yourself to sunnier climes with a Californian inspired scent or give some much needed TLC to tired skin, we’ve got an edit of hot-off-the-press launches you’ll want to know about – including a rather chic take on Normal People’s Connell’s iconic chain necklace (which even has 179k followers on Insta ) Don’t say we never treat you.
Stila Double Dip Duo Liquid Eye Shadow, £24
Loved by: Jemma Thompson, digital designer
“I was obsessed with Stila’s Magnificent Metal liquid eyeshadow when they launched a few years ago so when I saw this latest addition to the family I had to try and I’m happy to say it lived up to all of my glitter fantasies. The highly pigmented formula glides over your skin in one smooth sweep and while it dries instantly, it still blends with incredible ease and stays put all day long. I particularly love the way that shades clip together with magnetised packaging, meaning you can mix and match the 12 colours available depending on your mood / makeup bags needs. The one I tried, named Pink Martini features Stila’s matte-finish Suede Shade and the fan favourite Glitter & Glow, both equally great on their own but together have been bringing me all the joy and a much-needed dash of sass in lockdown life.”
Pretty Athletic Sweatproof: Neutralising Hydration Gel, £24
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
“My gym bag has been gathering dust for the last ten weeks, but when I can go back to my beloved spin studios I can guarantee this will be nestled in amongst my trainers and deodorant. It says to apply before and after exercise, but I don’t really like to use anything on my skin before getting a sweat on, so I save this for a post-run treat. The lemony-scented gel texture sinks in easily and is instantly refreshing; when you exercise the sweat you produce changes the skin’s ph and because this is ph balanced (5.5 to 6.0) it helps to rebalance the skin post-sweat sash. Pretty Athletic’s whole range is designed to be used by people who love working up a sweat and want products designed for post-exercise. It includes a shower scrub, a cleanser and a gel body moisturiser, which is next on my list to try.”
Balance Me PHA Clarifying Mist, £18
Loved by: Victoria Woodhall, editorial director
“Balance me know their mists. Their Hyaluronic Acid Plumping Spray is regularly a beauty editor’s favourite, Now comes the PHA (polyhydroxy acid) mist, a one-stop-shop for gently exfoliating, unblocking pores and keeping blemishes in check. It’s ideal for teens (my daughter has already stolen) as well as spraying on your chest and back if you’re prone to breakouts there as I am after exercise. In a touch-free world, it’s a good way to treat delicate or spotty skin without getting your fingers involved. I like the fact that it’s antibacterial but also has soothing ingredients so you can spray it quite liberally while remaining soothing and suitable for eczema and rosacea sufferers too.”
Revitalash Cosmetics Hi-Def Brow Gel, £39
Loved by: Jemma Thompson, digital designer
“It may be week ten of lockdown but whenever I look at my brows, I see week 50. It’s a slow battle to learn to love my unruly caterpillars but this brow gel has made it much easier. Available in clear, dark and soft brown this styling brush helps to sculpt, control and shape brows for the laminated look. Plus, it’s water-resistant and long-wearing so doesn’t peel off like gels I’ve used in the past. If you want to tackle brittleness and breakage this is great for conditioning thanks to the peptide and oats it contains that helps to fortify, condition and enhance the appearance of fuller-looking brows. “
Estrid razor starter kit, £7.95
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
“Picture most adverts for shaving, be they in print or on TV, and you’ll see a woman running a razor down already perfectly smooth limbs. Scandinavian razor brand Estrid chucked this age-old image in the bin and use people with actual body hair in their campaigns. That’s the first thing that attracted me to the brand, which offers subscription packages (i.e. you’re sent new razor heads in the post at a frequency you set, either once a month, every second month or every three months). Having a reusable handle cuts down on plastic waste and on top of that, the Estrid razors are undeniably chic, in brushed steel shades of peach, lilac, grey and pink. The razor heads do feature some plastic but the Estrid team are currently working on eliminating this so the head is in line with the eco-credentials of the other elements. One last thing – the strips on the five-blade razor are vegan and contain aloe vera, shea butter and cocoa butter for a soothing shave. The starter pack comes with the handle, wall mount and two heads.”
Silly George Heart Eyes Mascara, £12.99
Loved by: Hattie Sloggett, GTG contributor
“Many mascaras promise to be smudge-free but what they don’t mention is that trying to get it off often takes hours, more makeup remover than any human should own and the loss of actual lashes as collateral damage. So, in all honesty, I was a little bit nervous about coating my lashes with this tubing mascara (which has a non-smudge formula), but what a waste of nerves that was. This un-flashy, simple mascara bowled me over in seconds. Silly George says that there are two application settings, but to translate it means that if you unscrew the very top lid (dark pink), more formula is scraped off the brush than if you use the main cover (baby pink). The logic being that less residue will enable you to create refined and lengthy lashes and more product on the brush will allow a thicker coating of formula, creating volume and depth. This tube of joy provides a natural flutter whichever wand you use – and the best bit? True to its promise it is wholly smudge-proof, BUT removal is easy and doesn’t leave you feeling like you have taken a brillo pad to your lash line.”
Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream, £42
Loved by: Victoria Woodhall, editorial director
“For me, Chanel’s best beauty product is this face and body gel-cream bronzer. The fact that it has just had a revamp gives me the chance to rave about it once more. It used to be called Soleil de Tan but has now moved into Chanel’s Les Beiges stable (their naked skin glow offering) with a new name; Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream. It was the queen of beach glow Elle Macpherson who first put me on to this when she whipped it out of her makeup bag, looking stunning and barefaced. It’s not in any way iridescent (a relief) but it’s not matte either, so my skin never looks dull and always appears immediately healthier. I found vloggers with darker skin tones enjoying it for added glow despite it being in just one universal shade. If you’re feeling pasty apply all over with a brush or on cheeks and forehead and chest to contour.”
Edge of Ember Anchor Chain Gold Necklace, £145
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
“Ever since watching Normal People I’d been on the hunt for the perfect chain necklace to channel my inner Connell (if my hair wasn’t so curly I’d have cut in a Marianne style fringe , but nevermind). I found the chain I’d been looking for in Edge of Ember’s Me Collection , a range of jewellery akin to an LBD; timeless and goes with anything. The Anchor necklace is a slightly chunkier chain which feels pleasingly weighty around my neck and is perfect layered with my Edge of Ember initial necklace which my friends got me for my 30th birthday. If you really want the Connell vibe, this chain comes in silver too but for summer I think the gold is the one; It’s my new staple piece.”
Tired Faace face mask, £22.50
Loved by: Marie-Louise Pumfrey, GTG contributor
“I’m writing this from my kitchen table with Faace’s mask slathered on to pep up my morning complexion. I woke up with a headache and in desperate need of a reboot so I decided to give this invigorating new mask a whirl. It smells good; zingy and citrussy and within ten minutes my skin feels smooth and dewy. This cheerful mask’s ingredients include caffeine to perk you up, aloe vera for healing, vitamin C to add radiance plus lactic acid to exfoliate and frankincense to strengthen the skin. Faace is a new organic, vegan and cruelty-free British beauty brand and has been created by a pool of professionals – bloggers, make-up artists, aromatherapists and scientists. They also have masks to cure your period face and your sweaty face and after feeling much revived after using this one, I’m definitely in the market to try those too.”
Priori Tetra fx251 SPF45, £72
Loved by: Hattie Sloggett, GTG contributor
“If there is one thing that’s been drilled into me by any woman older than me, it is that we should be wearing sun protection on our faces EVERY day. Granted, I have lived by this rule since I was a child, but that was more to do with the fact that I was fair-skinned and didn’t enjoy looking like a beetroot after playing outdoors. However, one thing that makes me procrastinate the application of SPF in the mornings is the suncream stickiness and oily complexion I’m left with. So imagine my delight when one of my favourite brands Priori sent me this mineral sunscreen. It is a god-send! Not only does it blend perfectly into my skin without looking like there is anything there, it’s non-sticky, can go on top of moisturiser, doesn’t sting when you sweat it into your eyes (you know that’s a thing) and has sunscreen, infrared protection, antioxidants and DNA repair enzymes in the mix. If that doesn’t make you say wow, the glow this creates on your skin will. I’ll trade this for foundation any day.”
Louis Vuitton California Dream, £200 for 100ml
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
“Even for a fragrance obsessive like me, £200 seems steep for perfume but given that one spritz transports me in my mind to Newport Beach, I’m going to justify the cost. It’s not like I’ll be spending money on flights anytime soon anyway. The pink and blue ombre bottle captures the beauty of a Californian sunset – silhouetted LA palm trees springs to mind immediately upon seeing this bottle. There are plenty of gorgeous sunshine scents out there ( Byredo Sundazed and Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess spring to mind) but this one offers more than the coconutty, baked sand scent thanks to zesty notes of mandarin, warm ambrette and vanilla-tinged benzoin. A few spritzes of this lasts from sunrise to sunset lingering long after the sun has gone down and if you do run out, rest assured the dreamy bottle can be refilled in selected LV stores from the fragrance fountain.”
MORE GLOSS: What will beauty shopping look like after lockdown?
