From the new Foreo cleaning device that works with your skin type, the Phlur perfume that TikTok has gone crazy for to the Espa electronic diffuser that will revolutionise sniffle season, here are some of the best new beauty buys this week.
With autumn very much here we can all feel that sense of change in the air. The weather is changing which means you might be looking for ways to boost the efficacy of your skincare. The world is changing which means you may be looking for a budget-friendly way to add a bit of optimism and glow to your complexion. Dark nights are drawing in which means you may turn to your products to help lift your mood and spirit. If this sounds like you, we've got you covered.
This week the GTG team have been trying out the new calming and anxiety-quelling Balance Me essential oil designed with stressed-out people everywhere in mind. Then there's the new Max Factor cream blush that is all about making skin look like it has a healthy, good-vibes-only glow about it. As well as the new Charlotte Tilbury concealer that won't crease on you no matter how long your day is - promise. And there are quite a few other fabulous things in the mix too. Read on to discover what we've loved, why they're perfect for this time of year and why we think you're going to love them too.
The 'bespoke for your skin type' cleansing tool: Foreo Luna 4, £239 and Luna 4 Mini, £169
"Foreo has lured thousands of beauty lovers away from their scratchy electric cleansing brushes, flannels, cotton pads and (ugh!) wipes to the delights of sonic pulsating (and hygienic!) silicone bristles. I’m all in - and so is my 15-year-old son - with the fourth generation of the Foreo cleansing device the Luna. What’s new? The full-size Luna 4, which I use (of course I gave myself the big one) comes in three options for different skin types: sensitive, combination and balanced, each in their own colour. Balanced, which I use, is orange and has a medium bristle firmness. You can now also dial up or down the intensity with a button on the back.
"The Luna 4 mini, which my son is using, has fine bristles on the front for more delicate areas and stronger nobbles on the back for getting deep into blocked pores. Both now have a travel lock to avoid embarassing vibrating luggage. We both agree that the buzzing feels supremely relaxing, you spend more time on this important step because it feels so nice and the whole thing makes whatever cleanser you using work harder. One of the key pillars of good skin is a good cleanse, and this makes me look forward to my evening routine and has got one gadget-loving 15-year-old into a great habit for life. Oh and heads-up there’s a Foreo Luna 4 for the body coming imminently." Victoria Woodhall, GTG Editorial Director
The uncreasable concealer: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer, £25
"I don’t get on the with Beautiful Skin foundation (not sheer enough for me) but this concealer, in 30 shades, is brilliant. Easy enough to apply but with a mildly tacky consistency, you can tell straight away it’s going to form a hardy film that won’t budge, crease or gather, which is perfect for undereyes and just as helpful on spots and blemishes. It’s incredibly densely pigmented so you need barely any product; I’m constantly applying too much even if it’s just a small dab. My bogstandard Caucasian complexion usually puts me around two or three on the shade scale but here I am a five, owing to the wide variety of very light as well as very dark colours to choose from." Inge van Lotringen, GTG Beauty Editor
The hug-in-a-bottle perfume: Phlur Missing Person EDP, £96
"One of the latest beauty buzzes in the UK is the arrival of Phlur, a fine fragrance brand owned by American blogger Chriselle Lim which launched in Selfridges this month and is already being compared to Byredo. There are nine scents, naturally, I tried TikTok-famous Missing Person which has since gone viral on the app after make-up artist Mikayla Nogueira posted about it. It’s a musky, floral scent that’s supposed to smell like the ”lingering scent of your lover’s skin.” That might sound pretentious but having sniffed it, I can confirm I strangely know what they mean. It’s familiar, nostalgic, romantic, and unlike anything, I’ve smelt in a while and the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Miranda Kerr are fans too. Plus, the minimal packaging is ultra chic." Rosie Fitzmaurice, Health and Wellness Editor
@mikaylanogueira This is literally the most unique perfume it’s so STRANGE how it immediately makes you think of a person @rachelrigler #perfume #perfumetok ♬ original sound - Mikayla Nogueira
The skin issue solving serum: The Inkey List Excess Oil Solution, £15.99
"I’m a huge fan of The Inkey List. The brand has proven you don’t need to remortgage your house to buy decent and effective skincare. They have just launched the ‘Super Solutions’ range: four products that tackle specific skin conditions, using higher concentrations of ingredients to genuinely help. They are essentially bridging the gap between the beauty hall and a dermatologist’s office with these products and they all have been formulated to work under makeup whilst still truly dealing with big skincare issues such as acne, redness, dry and rough skin and oiliness. This light gel-serum contains 20% niacinamide and has kept my combination skin under check perfectly." Sarah Jane Corfield Smith, Beauty Director
The cool club skincare range: Soho Skin Discovery Kit, £60
"We’ve all heard of the Soho House chain, AKA the exclusive members club and hotel known for their infamous Picante cocktails, rooftop pools and very aesthetically pleasing décor. Now you can get a slice of the very luxurious pie with their first-ever skincare collection. The seven-piece discovery kit has all you need for a well-rounded skincare routine. Including a nourishing cream cleanser, boosting eye cream, multi-tasking face cream, renewal serum and 24/7 treatment (their hero product for tired skin) plus a lip balm and an always handy shave gel! All are housed in a sleek travel bag too (which can also be found in their hotel bedrooms). I took this away on a long weekend and was blown away at the quality of the products. First of all, the packaging for the minis is massive! Enough for a week away (you can buy the products individually too). Secondly, the formulas are an absolute treat. Super gentle on your skin barrier but still very effective and formulated with hardworking skincare ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, probiotics and more. It’s perfect if you’re going away and want to take the stress out of packing reliable products. Plus, you can transform any stay into a spa-like experience with these." Jemma Thomspon, GTG Design and Social Media Manager
The lighter than air body butter: Moroccanoil Body Souffle, £32
"Ooooh, I love a rich body butter, especially one that smells amazing and doesn’t leave you feeling oily or sticky. This body souffle from Moroccanoil does just that. It has a light airy texture, hence why it's called a soufflé, that sinks into your skin immediately and hits you with a gorgeous scent that's a bit spicy, floral with just the right balance of amber. I have been smothering my whole body with this for the last few weeks. Not only has my skin felt baby soft thanks to hydrating squalane and a mixture of oils (argan, avocado, and macadamia seed), but I have also been getting compliments on how amazing I smell! I have been using Morrocanoil hair products before they even launched in the UK and this brilliant product has just cemented my fan-girl status. If you haven’t tried this brand yet it needs to be one of your payday purchases!" Amy Rostas, GTG Beauty and Social Media Assistant
The mood-boosting essential oil: Balance Me Balance Being Oil, £20
"I remember so clearly when sisters Rebecca and Clare Hopkins launched the now hugely successful natural self-care skincare brand Balance Me in 2005, in response to impending burnout from their corporate careers. They they were very much ahead of their time and went by the name Balance Being. Now, as stress levels are soaring eveywhere you go, they've tapped into their roots with their first aromatherapy blend, Balance Being. It's a perfumer formulated oil that acts like an adqptogen. It lifts you up when you're flagging and brings you back to calm if you’re anxious. It's intriguing, and seems to smell different depeniodng on how I'm feeling, and I’m addicted. I have one in my handbag and have given an other to my daughter starting university. It reminds you to take a deep breath. You can add it to a tissue and inhale. I actually just put the bottle under my nose and close my eyes. It contains the up-and-coming fragonia essential oil, which brings both uplift and calm as well as lavender, lemon and clove. I don't know anyone who wouldn’t supremely appreciate this right now." VW
The prebiotic-powered face mist: Cultured Biomecare Fortitude Face Mist, £30 for 60ml
"I once enthusiastically spritzed my face with a fancy aromatherapy facial mist throughout a flight to New York in order to stave off the dreaded plane-induced dehydration. I got off at JFK covered in massive welts that took days to calm down: proof, if I still needed it, that ‘natural’ fragrance is as problematic as any synthetic perfume if you’re sensitive to scent. I’ve been very careful about choosing my face mists since. Few pass muster, not just because they contain fragrance, but some have alcohol (cooling- and supremely dehydrating), some are just water (also dehydrating once it evaporates), and some have no soothing or protective ingredients, which I want to see in a face mist. This one is just right, though: free from any irritants, it’s full of humectants to leave skin quenched and with a non-oily glow, and packed with prebiotics to build skin’s defences and blue light-powered enzymes to protect skin from these rays doing damage. The mist could be a tad finer but is thankfully not as splash-and-drip as some other I could mention."IvL
The iconic texture spray: Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray Limited Edition, £45
"Oribe (pronounced or-bay as I recently discovered) is one of the most luxurious haircare brands out there but doesn’t get talked about as much as it should. The late founder of the brand, Oribe Canales was a bit of a legend in the 90s and the go-to hairdresser for supermodels from Naomi to Kate, Linda to Cindy (and later J-Lo). He was the man known for big glam hair and in a nod to that, the brand has just dropped a limited edition version of its Dry Texturizing Spray, which soaks up product buildup, adds texture, volume and all-round sass to any ‘do - it smells incredible, too. Layer in sections under the root to give locks the ultimate zhuzh." RF
The healing electronic room diffuser: Espa Aromatic Essential Oil Diffuser, £95
"I’ve never used an electronic diffuser before so it was quite fortuitous that this landed on my desk just as the cold of all colds decided to obliterate my immune system. You fill it up with water, pour a few drops of an essential oil - you can of course use Espa ones and I would highly recommend the Energising Apromatherapy Oil that it comes with, but I actually used Olbas Oil to help clear my nose. There are two settings, either a continuous mist or a sporadic one which means it keeps diffusing your chosen scent for longer. It automatically switches off when it runs out of water so it’s great (and safe) to use at night. Now my cold has gone I shall be using this to scent my home, but I almost can’t wait for another sniffle to come along so I can use it for its decongestant prowess." SJCS
The brow reviver: BBB London Brow Boost, £49
"Over the past year, my once bushy full brows are now looking on the thinner side and are giving overplucked 90s vibes, not intentionally. After poorly executed threading and wax appointments the hairs on the top of my brows are struggling to grow back — where possible avoid removing hairs above brows as these take longer to grow back and make brow shaping a nightmare. I’m on a mission to get my brows back to their former glory, and it’s going pretty well thanks to this serum. I’m just over 5 weeks in and I can already notice my brows are looking thicker, better and can spot way more new hairs. It contains biotin which is essential for fuller denser hair, caffeine and hyaluronic acid which helps stimulate the growth of hair follicles. I brush the fragrance-free vegan serum through my brows every morning before applying my eye pencil, sometimes I apply solo instead of a clear brow gel as it works to tame and condition my eyebrows. The bottle might look slightly small, but you need just the tiniest bit to work some brow magic." JT
The super blendable cream blush: Max Factor Miracle Pure Moisturising Cream Blush, £9.99 in shade Vintage Peony
"My new obsession is cream blushers. However, I've found some stain on the skin a bit too well and there's definitely a fine line between looking naturally flushed and like you're auditioning for the circus. Thankfully, this one from Max Factor’s Miracle Pure range is so lightweight and infused with skincare ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid that it blends in perfectly creating the perfect flushing from within effect. I had the pleasure of seeing this product being used in action by the talented makeup artist Caroline Barnes. She advises applying this blush with a brush or your fingers (warming it up before dabbing it on) and a little goes a long way so the smallest drop will do. I'm wearing the shade vintage peony, an iridescent mauve colour that gives my olive skin a gorgeous healthy flush. I will be using this throughout autumn and winter." AR
The de-stressing skin and mood serum: De Mamiel Gravity Fix, £165
"If your skin is ‘mature’ and you’re under stress (show me a mid-life woman who isn’t!) this clever green biotech meets aromatherapy serum is a real treat. Its spenny price makes it a payday splurge for sure, but what you get is acupuncturist Annee De Mamiel’s unrivalled ability to take the stress of the skin, both with ingredients (retinal and a compound called Glycoin, which boosts stressed mature skin) and in the act of applying them. I often find it depressing seeing myself looking a bit battered and careworn when my makeup comes off, but Annee invites you to inhale the gorgeous active aromas of the serum in your hands before you apply, and breathe a sigh of relief, even of gratitude for the skin you are in. She has really nailed the texture too, it feels like absolute silk. Even with my dry skin, it does the job of a moisturiser too. Handmade in the UK with love and science, what more could you want." VW
The most unique spot treatment : Murad Deep Relief Blemish Treatment, £40
"The problem with on-the-spot blemish treatments is making them stay put long enough for the zit-busting ingredients to effectively do their work. Cream formulas can slide off, especially if you put any skincare or makeup on top, while gels often dry up and flake off. So Murad has come up with a bit of a breakthrough: a ‘liquid plaster’ type of cream-gel with film-forming polymers that create an imperceptible, flexible layer anywhere you apply it – and one that is packed with active blemish fighters. There’s the gold standard 2% salicylic acid to clear out and calm congested pores, alongside a plant steroid that works like inflammation-quelling hydrocortisone, amino acids to zap bacteria and and hydrators to keep the skin comfortable. The whiteish, unscented serum really is indetectable once you apply it and subdues even those deep, sore nodules and pustules none of us want to see. Very clever!" IVL