Product watch: Your next handbag essential
Chanel’s dreamy summer makeup collection will tempt even “natural” beauties to get some colour on their faces. My favourite products are the Levres Scintillantes Glossimer, €27 each, a foursome of jelly lip glosses that are perfect for the beach. Clash bronze, lavender or copper Illusions d’Ombre Long-Wear Luminous Eye Shadow, €30, with Inimitable Waterproof Mascara, €31, in gold-glazed violet or orange. Le Vernis, €23, turns nails Crayola-bright shades of coral, lilac, orange and fuchsia. On the more subtle end of the spectrum, Le Blush Creme de Chanel in Cheeky, €34.50, is a rosy pink with bronze tint.
Benefit Cosmetics adds a facial sunscreen and a serum to its skincare range this month. Benefit Dream Screen SPF45 PA+++, €36, provides optimal broad-spectrum protection and is free from potential irritants and fragrance. The lightweight, oil-free formula suits normal-to-oily skin best and wears very well under makeup. Worn alone, it has a matte finish. For this price it would be nice to see some proven antioxidants and skin-soothers in the mix (besides the small amount of Vitamin E) but Dream Screen is still a good quality SPF option.
Benefit Instant Comeback Facial Serum, €49.50, has some good emollient and antioxidant ingredients as well as light-reflecting pigments that create a temporary glow. However, this product is far too highly fragranced for me to recommend for any skin-type.
Eylure’s handmade, affordable lashes are a Saturday night must-have for many. The brand’s summer collection offers seven new styles ranging from natural to dramatic. Highlights include Eylure Volume no.101, a full, shorter length lash that is pre-glued and perfect for first-time falsifiers. Enhance feline-look eye makeup with Eylure Exaggerate no. 202, a very full and sleek lash with an emphasis on the outer edge.
Tuberose Angelica is the latest addition to Jo Malone’s Middle East-inspired Cologne Intense collection. Tuberose is a notoriously heady, feminine heart-note (couture perfumer Roja Dove called it “the harlot of perfumery”), and can be slightly oppressive in its commercial, synthetic form. Jo Malone sourced hand-harvested Indian blooms for this seductive fragrance. Jo Malone Master Perfumer Marie Salamage balances it with top notes of fresh mandarin, angelica and pink pepper and a base of rich amber and sandalwood.
These three pressed-powder compacts are a great face-kit for carry-on luggage. Each has a semi-matte bronzer, a satin blush, and a highlighter. “Streak” has peachy and coral hues while “Native” is pink-based and “Strip” is more mauve. Each trio works for fair-to-medium skin, though the very fair should stick with Streak. There is nothing separating the powders so each compact will soon get messy with use. The powders are very smooth and easy to blend.
A swirl of Maybelline’s new mattifying pressed powder keeps you from looking a hot mess this season. The fragrance and irritant-free formula is suitable for all skin-types.
Chantecaille has created one of the few great illuminators I’ve tried this year. Liquid Lumière is a moisturising, fragrance-free cream that leaves skin feeling plumped. Light-reflecting pigments make skin look brighter and more uniform.
Available in two shades. “Brilliance” is a sheer, radiant gold that gives an all-over glow. “Luster” is a tropical sunset pink that adds a pop of colour to cheeks.
There are very few over-the-counter eyelash enhancement products worth writing about. Most are effectively clear eyeliners with hyped-but-unproven natural extracts or amino acids.
RapidLash has some chops. Latisse, the US-produced, prescription-only lotion that is clinically proven to enhance lash growth, contains the active ingredient bimatoprost.
This reportedly has some molecular similarities to isopropyl cloprostenate, the equivalent ingredient in RapidLash’s Eyelash Enhancing Serum.
There is no independent research indicating that isopropyl cloprostenate grows lashes but it is clearly related to the most effective known ingredient.
While it is important to keep expectations realistic, this is the best at-home enhancement option I’ve tried.
She’s one to watch. www.distinctmodelmanagement.com
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