Product Watch: The best Valentine’s Day beauty products
How sheer can lip colour get? YSL goes beyond 2014’s trend for balm-lipstick hybrids with Volupté Tint in Oil, €30, a suspension of colour pigments in four antioxidant oils.
Luxurious and non-sticky, the blend provides luminous shine and deposits a flattering tint. The formula plumps and conditions lips and comes in eight shades of nude, pink and berry. Cara Delevingne wears Cherry My Cherie, a deep pink, in the ad campaign. The diamond applicator envelopes the lips in colour and allows for precise, even application.
The Tom Ford Concealing Pen, €51, does an excellent job of camouflaging without leaving skin looking dull.
The subtle, light-reflective formula hides dark circles and redness with a healthy- looking finish. The fragrance-free liquid provides medium coverage that can be layered on without looking caked or feeling tacky.
The rounded sponge is flexible enough to glide any area you are targeting and distribute product evenly. Some finger-blending is required for completely smooth coverage but this concealer enhances skin very naturally overall.
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, €43, is my favourite foundation release this season. This fragrance-free base provides medium coverage and a subtle radiant finish, easily concealing tiredness and any other flaws without looking shovelled-on.
The shade range is terrifically broad and provides options for pink, yellow and neutral undertones at each graduation. The oil-free formula suits all skin-types and is shimmer-free.
Very little product is needed per wear and the pump applicator protects against waste and oxidation. I generally expect makeup to provide more skincare ingredients and good sun protection for this price. Still, All Day Luminous performs its specific task so well that a lack of extras is forgivable.
Blossom is the latest fragrance from Jimmy Choo and joins a collection as seductive and covetable as the brand’s signature Anouk pump. Created to reflect the pampered, excited mood of preparing for a party, the perfume is an uplifting, long-lasting blend of red berries, citrus fruits, sandalwood, rose, and creamy musk.
The faceted bottle is a Valentine’s-friendly fuchsia with a diamond-inspired stopper. Jimmy Choo Blossom, €45/40ml, €75/60ml
Lancôme’s My French Palette, €55, is all you need to create pretty, natural eyes this season. Inspired by Parisian gardens, the shades include shimmery pinks, nudes, metallics, teal and chocolate. The compact comes with a precise double-ended brush and an inlay card that offers application ideas. I especially like the illustrated, limited-edition case which makes it such a lovely gift.
Set the mood with the Neom Organics Complete Bliss Scented Candle, €36. Part of the brand’s Scent to Make You Happy range, this vegetable-wax candle is fragranced with Moroccan rose, lime and black pepper oils meant to evoke “a warm afternoon in a casbah, surrounded by thousands of damask pink buds and blousy petals.”
The brand calls it an aphrodisiac that lifts your mood and stimulates the mind.
You do not need to buy anti-ageing products that target the neck and chest.
These are really facial moisturisers labelled for other parts of the body and are just as limited in that they cannot tighten skin for more than a few hours (if at all) or smooth deep wrinkles.
Exfoliation can help the crepiness.
I suggest using a fragrance and alcohol-free Alpha Hydroxy Acid lotion overnight, as this improves both texture and the skin’s moisture levels. I like DHC Renewing AHA Cream, €47.60 at feelunique.com, though Olay Regeneriste does a cheaper option.
You might also consider a professional AHA peel, which will get noticeable results fast but costs a good deal more. A nice bonus effect of AHA exfoliants is that they increase the efficacy of your serum and moisturiser. Remember to be vigilant about using broad-spectrum sun protection after exfoliating.
You are right about avoiding blue shadow, it distracts horribly from your eye colour.
Copper, terracotta and bronze are my favourite picks for blue eyes. Soft orangey tones like these are directly opposite blues on the colour wheel and the contrast makes your baby blues pop nicely. I like Stila Eye Shadow Compact, €7.19 at lookfantastic.com, in Kitten and Terracotta, or NARS Duo Eye Palette in St Paul-de-Vence, €34.
In the evening, go for smoky nudes instead of greys and charcoals on the lids.
You do not need to buy anti-ageing products that target the neck and chest. These are really facial moisturisers labelled for other parts of the body and are just as limited in that they cannot tighten skin for more than a few hours (if at all) or smooth deep wrinkles. Exfoliation can help the crepiness.
I suggest using a fragrance and alcohol-free Alpha Hydroxy Acid lotion overnight, as this improves both texture and the skin’s moisture levels. I like DHC Renewing AHA Cream, €47.60 at feelunique.com, though Olay Regeneriste does a cheaper option.
You might also consider a professional AHA peel, which will get noticeable results fast but costs a good deal more. A nice bonus effect of AHA exfoliants is that they increase the efficacy of your serum and moisturiser. Remember to be vigilant about using broad-spectrum sun protection after exfoliating.
You are right about avoiding blue shadow, it distracts horribly from your eye colour. Copper, terracotta and bronze are my favourite picks for blue eyes. Soft orangey tones like these are directly opposite blues on the colour wheel and the contrast makes your baby blues pop nicely.
I like Stila Eye Shadow Compact, €7.19 at lookfantastic.com, in Kitten and Terracotta, or NARS Duo Eye Palette in St Paul-de-Vence, €34. In the evening, go for smoky nudes instead of greys and charcoals on the lids.
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