Find out what the beauty desk have been up to this week
The beauty desk have been known to suffer from the odd acute case of FOMO. After the last bank holiday, when tales of this vineyard in Italy and that hammam in Morocco abounded in the office, we decided to do the May Day weekend justice. Instead of hopping on a busy plane to get to France, we jumped in a BMW 2 Series (motor enthusiasts, this model positively purrs to life) and sped through the euro tunnel to Champagne, where we imbibed a touch of the fizzy stuff before continuing on to Chateau de Vault de Lugny in Burgundy, which is every bit as grand as it sounds. We - obvs - posted photos to our instagram, so head there if you want to see more of the trip - we know you're here for the beauty...
THE GLOSS: We always want to know what Lipstick Queen Poppy King is smearing on her lips so we can follow suit. As she’s decreed gloss to be the way forward, we’re now diligently slathering on this Hello Sailor Lipgloss (due out in August, £22). Don’t be put off by the blue hue - it turns pink on the lips, leaving only a touch of topaz shimmer behind to make teeth look whiter.
THE MATTE: … But if matte lips are your thing, crack on: there are plenty of new gloss-free lip lacquers hitting the shelves in the coming months. Our favourite of the crop is MAC's collaboration with dress designer extraordinaire Giambattista Valli - the five shades are bold and brilliant.
THE NEW BASE: Foundation hasn’t changed much over the years, has it? Fine, there have been new technologies (high point: pigment suspended in oils) and mineral bases have taken off, but basically there have been no game-changing formulas released in years. Until now: Cover FX have added Custom Drops, £36, to their skin-perfecting range. A liquid pigment that can be added to oil, SPF, serum or used to beef up a foundation’s coverage, we are ALL OVER this new development.
THE HAIR PICK-ME-UP: Forget pastels for now and embrace the twinkly magic a slightly metallic tint lends hair. We’re loving the latest Swedish import Maria Nila’s 100% vegan Bright Copper Colour Refresh, £21.95, to add a bit of interest to our highlights.
THE SERUM: Sunday Riley’s Good Genes, £85, is ambitiously named but, true to form, the botanical brand have lived up to their promise: if your genes haven’t given you glossy, healthy skin, this serum is your best bet. Packed with lemongrass to boost circulation (hello glow), liquorice to brighten and blast away pigmentation, lactic acid to diminish wrinkles and a whole lot of other skin goodness, this is our go-to for better skin at the moment.