Editor's cut: the best of beauty right now
Each month I will be regaling you with tales of my three favourite products du jour. Or should that be du mois? In my line of work, with product after product arriving at my door in the arms of impatient couriers, it takes something truly special to stand out from the crowd. Wallflowers need not apply; this list is reserved solely for the products that stop me in my tracks. Are you ready? Here we go...
Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss Lip Balm in Pillow Talk, £25 | Charlotte Tilbury
A friend of mine wears the original Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lipstick every single day. And every single day I am jealous. But over the past couple of years I have grown tired of wearing lipstick. The maintenance got too much. (Read: I AM LAZY.) So imagine my pure, unadulterated joy when this lip balm landed on my doorstep. Super nourishing as you would expect from a lip balm, but with the colour payoff of a lipstick. The great thing is that you don't need a lip liner to stop the colour from bleeding. You don't even need to look in a mirror when applying. It suits my lazy lifestyle and I am here for it.
L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum, £24.99 | Lookfantastic
God, retinol is a tricky, tricky beast. I recommend it to everyone I meet, because I know the benefits are out-of-this-world fantastic. But I know that lots are scared off by its punchiness. Which is why I am super, duper excited to rave about this one. This is an excellent, excellent product. (To be honest, it should be, it's been in development for 22 years.) Not only do you get a really good dosage of retinol - 0.2%, which is typically the amount you get from a prescription vitamin A. But it's also formulated with hyaluronic acid, glycerin and three different types of oils - clever. These offset any drastic side effects. It's had such a positive effect on my skin, I genuinely think I look like I'm approaching my late twenties, not my mid thirties. All of that for just under £25. Come one, don't be frightened of this one.
Vieve Eye Wands, £21 each | Cult Beauty
Vieve is the brand child of Jamie Genevieve, the beauty blogger turned make-up expert. She is obsessed with make-up and makes me want to be obsessed with make-up. I could watch her make-up tutorials for hours. (In fact, I often do.) These eye wands have encouraged me to fall in love with eyeshadow again. So far my relationship with eye make-up has consisted of looking for sheer, yet shimmery muted tones and rubbing them into my sockets on special occasions. (You know funerals, smear tests, that sort of thing.) But these beauties have encouraged me, not to be more experimental per se, but to think of eyeshadow as an everyday product that elevates. I'm aware that this isn't exactly groundbreaking. There are six to chose from and they can be layered or worn alone. There's a brilliant jet black that can work as your eyeliner and a perfect concealer-y type nude that can be used as a base. They're super pigmented and blendable, before they dry down completely matte.
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