Sally Foran: The best new beauty releases for January

In her first new beauty round-up of the year, Sally Foran picks some of January's top skincare, makeup and hair releases

New Year, new releases! Here are the Beauty Editor's top picks

1. Óige By Agnes

1. Óige By Agnes

This advanced anti-ageing and brightening peptide serum delivers visible results, containing almost every anti-ageing ingredient under the sun! It combines peptides — including one of my all-time favourites, Argireline, to reduce fine lines and support firmness — along with niacinamide and tranexamic acid to brighten and even skin tone, two types of hyaluronic acid for deep hydration, antioxidants to protect against environmental stressors, gentle exfoliants to promote cell renewal, and soothing agents to calm and strengthen the skin barrier. All housed in a luxurious, lightweight, fast-absorbing, silky-smooth serum.

Suitable for all skin types, particularly those concerned with early signs of ageing, uneven tone, or dehydration.

€50, faceyogabyagnes.ie

2. Gisou Honey Glaze Collagen Therapy Lip Mask

2. Gisou Honey Glaze Collagen Therapy Lip Mask

My lips have not only become drier with age but also thinner, so I’m never without a lip mask. This is an all-in-one treatment that intensely hydrates, visibly repairs, and provides glazed shine. With its rich, buttery texture that cushions and nourishes, and a decadent honey buttercream scent, this luxurious mask delivers both instant lip therapy and lasting care. 

The formula features Mirsalehi honey and bee-garden oil blend, collagen active, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides, and comes with a custom honey spatula for effortless application

€26, Brown Thomas

3. Benefit The Porefessional Degunker Blackhead and Pore Cleansing System

3. Benefit The Porefessional Degunker Blackhead and Pore Cleansing System

This genius creation is a two-step treatment designed to break down pore-clogging oil, debris, and blackheads for visibly cleaner, smoother skin. Its alkaline pH formula loosens buildup, while ingredients like kaolin clay purify pores, plum seed oil softens skin, beta hydroxy acids hydrate, and bisabolol soothes. The built-in extraction tool enhances removal for instant, and oh-so-satisfying, results. In consumer testing, most users reported easier extraction, fewer visible blackheads, and clearer, smoother skin. It’s easy to use too: Simply apply to targeted areas, wait 15–30 minutes, rinse, then glide the tool over skin to remove debris.

€42.50, Arnotts

4. Dermalogica’s Phyto Nature E2 (E Squared)

4. Dermalogica’s Phyto Nature E2 (E Squared)

This is a clinically proven, next-generation exosome serum that combines regenerative exosome technology with gentle pumpkin enzyme exfoliation to accelerate skin renewal and visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just two weeks. Its silky, weightless leave-on formula pairs plant-based exosomes with pumpkin enzyme, phyto glycogen, prickly pear, and bio-fermented acetyl glucosamine to smooth, brighten, hydrate, and support daily resurfacing, claiming to reveal skin that looks up to six years younger in eight weeks.

€176, dermalogica.ie

5. Aveeno Skin Relief Repairing Ointment

5. Aveeno Skin Relief Ointment €12.99

This is designed to provide targeted, intense moisturisation for dry and rough skin. It soothes, protects, and helps repair the skin’s moisture barrier, delivering relief from discomfort. 

Containing a soothing triple oat complex to support essential skin elements, including hyaluronic acid and ceramides, shea butter for velvety soft, smooth skin, and glycerin for hydration and healing of dry, rough areas, it provides 72-hour moisturisation from first use. Suitable for the face and body, it’s fast-absorbing, fragrance-free, and free from petrolatum, lanolin, mineral oil, and dyes.

€12.99, Meaghers Pharmacy

6. Armani Beauty Skin Tint

6. Armani Beauty Skin Tint

Skin-tint releases show no signs of slowing down, and I’m thrilled to see Armani launch one, as they make incredible foundations. This is a lightweight, skincare-infused complexion enhancer designed to recreate a radiant golden-hour glow and celebrate natural, luminous skin.

Formulated with a 92% silk-like serum base, it delivers instant radiance with buildable low-to-medium coverage and a comfortable, weightless feel. The formula also offers 24-hour hydration and long wear, supported by skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, white lily, and vitamin CG, which help improve luminosity, target dullness, dark spots, and redness, and control excess sebum.

€42, Brown Thomas

7. Eleven Australia’s Heat Styling Protection Spray

7. Eleven Australia’s Heat Styling Protection Spray

I always use a heat-protection spray — it really makes all the difference, especially if your hair is bleached and fine like mine. This is a lightweight, everyday heat protectant designed to make blow-drying, curling, and straightening faster, easier, and healthier. Suitable for both wet and dry hair, it shields strands from heat while reducing frizz, adding shine, and

helping styles last longer.

It can also speed up blow-dry time, enhance curls, and deliver smooth, glossy straightening results — genius. It has a gorgeous, fresh, fruity fragrance with notes of citrus, jasmine, peach, vanilla, and white woods, so your hair will smell as good as it looks.

€26, zolobeauty.ie

8. The Ordinary Lash Curl Finisher

8. The Ordinary Lash Curl Finisher

The beauty world has, in recent years, shifted toward natural, minimal makeup — highlighted by aesthetics like the “clean girl” movement — with consumers favouring subtle enhancement over heavy foundation and dramatic lashes.

In response, The Ordinary has launched a transparent, anhydrous styling gel designed to lift and define lashes without mascara, perfect for no-makeup days or if you want to avoid chemical treatments. It features clinically backed film-formers to create a flexible mesh that holds curl all day, plus squalane to hydrate lashes. Its temporary curling technology reshapes lashes safely and washes off easily. Application couldn’t be easier: Curl your lashes, apply the gel, and simply remove with cleanser at night.

€22, theordinary.com