In our monthly Let’s Make-Up round-up, we bring you a selection of the tried and tested, freshest, and buzziest beauty launches that are worth adding to your basket.
All types of lotions and potions across makeup, skincare, haircare and more cross our desks and we take it upon ourselves to review them all so you don’t have to. If we include it below, then you know it’s a good ‘un.
This July, we are ushering in a new label all the way from Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian apothecary brand - Granado Pharmácias - is launching exclusively at Liberty. Elsewhere, innovations in hair colour technology has given us the mood ring of hair with a treatment that changes colour depending on light and temperature.
Get the summer holiday glow with no sun required thanks to new cream bronzer textures at both Nars and Rose Inc and quench parched complexions with hyaluronic acid in all different molecular weights over at Dr Dennis Gross and Perricone MD.
For all this and more besides, see our edit of the hottest beauty drops you need on your radar.
Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments
Already a bestseller from the brand, the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments are some of the most nourishing lip balms on the market – and they’ve been given a revamp. The pout perfecting product now features a new ingredient: cranberry seed oil. This is sourced and upcycled from the food and wine industries and repurposed with vitamin E and omegas to give long-lasting hydration throughout the day. There are 12 shades including three new hues as well as the return of the beloved Plum berry tint.
Buy now £19.50, Fresh
Boy Smells Marble Fruit Candle
Housed in Boy Smells’ signature minimal vessel design, there’s a new kid on the label’s candle scent block and it goes by the name of Marble Fruit. This summer-ready aroma combines the fresh and fruity notes of nectarine and pear with florals and is anchored by the heady woody base of warm musk. If you shop before the end of July, 15 per cent of sales go to the brand’s partnership with GLSEN who organise initiatives to support the LGBTQIA+ community.
Buy now £42.00, Osmology
Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks
When you’ve been starring at screens for the best part of 12 hours, you will want to call in the big guns to revive the periorbital area. Enter Murad and the brand’s latest launch – the Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks. Unlike traditional retinol-based products, you can use these day or night, but are best for when the sun goes down and should always be followed by SPF. They deliver a hit of the anti-ageing powerhouse directly to the area where lines are most often a concern to firm and refresh. The mask is infused with the brand’s signature Tri-Active Technology which is both fast-acting and kind on the delicate area. This is combined with blue agave and passionfruit extracts, known for its firming and glow-giving results respectively.
Buy now £40.00, John Lewis
Granado Pharmácias
If you’ve not got a trip to Rio de Janeiro on the agenda, fear not as the city’s ultimate skin and fragrance destination is launching in the UK to bring the best of Brazilian beauty to our bathroom cabinets.
Located in downtown Rio, the apothecary was entitled the Official Pharmacy of the Imperial Family of Brazil – a testament to the heritage of the brand. Using natural origin formulas and plants, herbs and flowers originally grown on the founder’s farm located almost two hours out from Copacabana, the label’s natural remedies dates back to 1870. This is the brand’s first foray on British soil and comes with a collection of perfumes, body care and home fragrance to Liberty’s hallowed beauty halls.
Buy now £58.00, Liberty
The Unseen Beauty x Schwarzkopf COLOUR ALCHEMY
Changing up the hair colouring game, The Unseen has teamed up with Schwarzkopf to create a styling product that is perfect for festival season.
The game-changing formula is the world’s first holographic temporary colour which adapts to heat and light. This is done through a patented structured light technology that results in iridescence and quick changing hues.
There are five shades available and it works on all hair colours including those with the very darkest without needing any pre lightening or bleaching so shouldn’t cause damage.
Buy now £66.00, The Unseen Beauty
Glossier No. 1 Pencil
Fans of Glossier’s now discontinued Colorslide will be delighted to hear that the brand is back with a collection of pigmented eyeliner pencils with even better colour pay off than its predecessor.
The No. 1 Pencil gives better control, and is also water-resistant, buildable and long-lasting whether you are looking to create sharp lines or blend it out for a full lid look. It glides across the eyes without tugging for effortless application in one fell swoop.
There are 10 demi-matte hues; Ink (black), Frame (brown), Kiln (orange), Ochre (yellow), Fresco (dark forest green), Patina (grey-blue), Lapis (dark blue), Rococo (aubergine), Muse (lavender) and Canvas (white).
Buy now £14.00, Glossier
NARS Laguna Bronzing Cream
NARS already boasts some of the best bronzers on the market (and even featured in our review) – and now the cosmetics powerhouse has taken it to the next level. After popular demand, the bestselling Laguna hue is now available in a cream formula with a smooth, velvety texture that sits effortlessly on the skin. It comes in five shades, ranging from light bronze to deep bronze with either warm or neutral undertones and has the subtle scent of the brand’s signature French Polynesia Monoï de Tahiti Oil.
Buy now £32.50, NARS
Solawave Anti-Breakout Skincare Wand with Blue Light Therapy
When a breakout appears, we all want to wave a magic wand and have it disappear – and this new launch from SolaWave is designed to do exact that. The Blue Light Wand is a compact tool that you can use from the comfort of your own home that not only works to bust blemishes but also encourages the better absorbancy and efficacy of topical skincare products. It should also boost your skin’s radiance. The device uses blue light therapy, therapeutic warmth, and vibrating massage without any microcurrents and so remains safe for all.
Buy now £116.00, Solawave
Charlotte Tilbury Glow Toner
Toners can get a bad rap by skincare enthusiasts for being a hugely drying part of the routine – but no longer. Charlotte Tilbury has launched its take on Pixi’s hugely popular product with essence-like properties to make it more hydrating. The Glow Toner is free from any acid and instead opts for peptides encapsulated in Shea butter, prickly pear cactus flower extracts and red clover flower extract to encourage natural skin turnover with a gently exfoliating effect and also minimises the appearance of pores. There’s sodium hyaluronate to plump and hydrate and vitamin B-derivative niacinamide to balance and smooth.
Buy now £40.00, Charlotte Tilbury
Dr Dennis Gross Hydrate + Plump with Marine Algae
Even if you’re not well versed in the minute of skincare ingredient lists, you will have likely heard of hyaluronic acid. The powerhouse component always goes down a treat, beloved for its ultra-hydrating properties.
It takes a starring role in Dr Dennis Gross’ Hydrate + Plump, a super serum booster that has a potent moisture-injecting effect. It is combined with watermelon extract and marine algae to smooth skin, plump and leave it feeling soft and supple.
Buy now £69.00, lookfantastic
Rose Inc Solar Collection
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s Rose Inc label has not one but two launches worth having on your radar. As part of the Solar Collection, the first is the addition of four shades of cream bronzers that transform into powder on application. It offers a warming tint while also providing a radiance boost, blurs pores and revives dull complexions with the inclusion of tourmaline and quartz, rose oil and vitamins C and E within the formula.
In the same vein, there is also the Solar Radiance Hydrating Cream Highlighter with five shades of the velvety soft formula that is buildable, lightweight and won’t settle into fine lines.
Buy now £27.00, Space NK
Drunk Elephant Wonderwild Miracle Butter
When Drunk Elephant launches a new product, the beauty world takes note – and the latest comes just in time for the summer season.
The do-everything balm can be applied to just about everywhere to nourish chapped, dry, irritated or burnt skin. Pop in your holiday washbag to maximise the restorative properties of the marula, mango, shea and cupuaçu contained within the formulation as well as the nutrients and omega-rich plant butters. The brand suggests it works best for cracked elbows, lips, dry heels and post-sun rougeness, but we think of it more akin to Elizabeth Arden’s Eight-Hour balm for any skin that needs an extra bit of love.
Buy now £33.00, Space NK
Perricone MD High Potency Hyaluronic Intensive Hydrating Serum
When the warmer weather has made your skin feel parched, you need a heavy-hitting hydration hero to plump and add moisture in abundance. That’s where this new formula from Perricone MD works its magic. While remaining lightweight, it packs a serious punch in strengthening and supporting the skin’s barrier with quick-acting and potent ingredients. It contains a complex that includes four forms of hyaluronic acid and two natural building blocks of different weights in order to tackle hydration at different skin levels. There’s also DMAE and niacinamide to boost dullness.
Buy now £79.00, lookfantastic
KORA Organics Active Algae Lightweight Moisturizer
If the attractive packaging isn’t enough to draw you in, then we’re sure the formula itself will. This lightweight moisturiser is ideal for the summer months as a second-skin way to hydrate, even and calm your complexion without feeling overloaded. The product combines anti-ageing green algae, purifying green tea, antioxidant-rich alpine rose and pure Swiss glacier water to leave you with soothed and softer skin, while also reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It is also refillable.
Buy now £51.00, Space NK
