12 new-season beauty products to try for FW21
Inspired by the runway, made for your beauty bag – presenting your new-season makeup, skincare, hair and fragrance must-haves
Spicy saffron combined with creamy cedarwood, oud and tobacco is not a fragrance combination you come across often, but Majan’s Salalah Eau de Parfum is a beautifully sensual scent that comes alive on skin. If you’re drawn to typically masculine scents, then you’ll love this. The fragrance is neither sweet nor delicate. What it is: spicy, warm and very, very addictive.
FaceGym’s Microneedling Tool creates tiny micro-channels in the skin using much smaller needles than those used in a clinic. But how this tool stands out is that it already comes pre-loaded with professional-grade hyaluronic acid, peptides and antioxidants. In short, it’s a genius skincare-tool hybrid, which works double time to penetrate the active ingredients deeper into the skin for some serious hydration.
What happens when fashion doyenne Victoria Beckham joins forces with skincare scientist Augustinus Bader? They create something truly special. Not only does the Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Golden Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer improve texture and brightness, but the papaya enzymes gently slough away any dull skin, leaving you with a smooth and glowy finish. Make this your go-to priming step before makeup.
Just like the perfect accessory can lift a look, so too can blush. There is something incredibly joyful about the pop of color Surratt Beauty Liquid Blush in Parfait gives to skin. Cream blushes require a different handling; use the warmth of your fingers to pat into cheekbones and under the brow for the prettiest of skin finishes.
Balmain may be known for its structural style when it comes to fashion, but in beauty it’s the Balmain Hair Couture range that get our editors’ seal of approval. Inspired by working backstage at photo shoots and fashion shows, the Universal Cordless Straightener has been specially designed for traveling and creating a quick, silky, shiny finish. What’s more, the lightweight barrel doubles up as a curling iron to create perfect curls, coils and waves that are as effortlessly chic as the fashion house’s statement blazers.
There’s good hair and then there is great hair. We often forget that the most critical product when styling hair is the shampoo. It impacts the texture, the color and the responsiveness. It’s impossible to achieve a great style – like glossy ‘glass hair’ looks – when you start with a shampoo that leaves behind residue which will mess with styling results. Philip B Forever Shine Shampoo is one of our favorite formulas to remove embedded styling products and give the scalp a proper cleanse – plus, it won’t strip your color and it’s suitable for keratin-treated hair. It’s a staple in our book.
While nothing looks quite as good as that post-facial dewy, juicy, glowing skin, when time is short and travel is long, cheat spa results with Lancer Lift & Plump Sheet Mask. Simply do what the beauty professionals do and layer up your skincare with a sheet mask – it’s a simple but clever trick used by makeup artists to get great skin quick by literally saturating it with hydration. This mask does this and more, dripping in ingredients that work in tandem to drench skin in moisture.
The perfect finish for any look, Cartier Perfume’s Les Heures de Parfum is a collection suited to those who seek a scent that is more beguiling than boring – and L’Heure Diaphane is anything but. What makes this fragrance so intoxicating is the unexpected notes of lychee and peony that sit alongside heady rose. Apply to pulse points and let this beautifully refined floral fragrance envelope you.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian believes that perfume is as important as clothing and its Gentle Fluidity Gold Edition is a unisex fragrance intended to cause a stir. A heady blend of juniper, nutmeg, amber, coriander and vanilla, this enveloping scent is beautifully warm and spicy on the skin, leaving the most head-turning of trails.
The perfect antidote for skin that is looking a little lackluster, U Beauty Resurfacing Compound is a liquid exfoliant that’s designed to coax out a glow in under a week. And it delivers. It comes with all those skin-enhancing ingredients – antioxidants, vitamins C and E, and retinol – so pores are minimized, dark spots brightened, and fine lines and wrinkles are softened. A post-fashion-month must-have.
You only need to take a look at the Christian Louboutin Beauty Les Yeux Noirs Lash Amplifying Lacquer mascara wand to know the exact lash effect it will deliver. This compact, tightly bristled brush really does give exceptional separation and definition and deposits just the right amount of product onto each lash. Plus, the decadent packaging is particularly pleasing.
There are many reasons why the launch of Westman Atelier caused a stir within the beauty industry – from the Baby Cheeks Blush Stick that leaves the most beautiful pop of color to the statement Lip Suede Les Rouges for a truly iconic red lip. But makeup artist Gucci Westman’s latest launch is truly special. Each Eye Pods palette comes with a classic ‘core’ shade that can be used as a base or a smudgy liner, one ‘accent’ shade for an amplified pop of color, and one ‘highlight’ shade to brighten lids and tear ducts. Not only do they have staying power and a rich color pay off, but the innovative magnetic pods snap together and come apart for easy portability.