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The Beauty Edit

CF's Little Black Book Of Beauty

All the trending beauty heroes of 2021 so far, straight from CF’s Little Black Book Of Beauty.

From the key skincare ingredients to the niftiest cosmetic tools and most-durable make-up formulas, these are the beauty heroes you need now.


Anti-Ageing Hard Hitters

If you are serious about anti-ageing in 2021 look out for products that offer more than simply reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Pore size, texture, and age spots, are all tackled with hard-hitting formulas, for your best skin yet, at any age.

Tata Harper’s Boosted Contouring Serum has been dubbed a “facelift in a bottle”. Don’t be fooled by the compact 10ml vial: it really packs a punch with 87% active ingredients to boost collagen, transform skin texture, and diminish fine lines.

If you are looking for a product to simplify your skincare regime, U Beauty’s Resurfacing Compound is the beauty industry’s best open secret. It can condense your routine by as many as six products – yes, really. Simply apply two pumps over freshly cleansed skin and watch on as the clever formula gets to work brightening, resurfacing, tightening, and smoothing skin for dramatically noticeable results.

As we all know, anti-ageing efforts shouldn’t stop with the face. Beauty Editors wax lyrical about Augustinus Bader – the German skincare guru who’s stem-cell infused The Cream took the beauty world by storm. Equally brilliant – The Body Oil, powered by a complex of natural animo acids, vitamins, and synthesised molecules, improves skin elasticity, resilience, and mutes redness, alongside tackling pesky wrinkles.


Supercharged Vitamin C

We don’t need to tell you vitamin C is a key ingredient to look for in skincare, whether you’re dealing with hyperpigmentation, skin dullness, or sagging skin. But the latest formulas are even more effective to deliver on that signature glow, no matter your skin type or concern.

The Good C Vitamin C Serum by Dr. Barbara Sturm is a powerhouse. With a cocktail of three forms of vitamin C, plus zinc to help it absorb and hydrating hyaluronic acid, this non-sticky serum works for all skin types and is totally tingle free.

Rodial’s Vitamin C Face Soufflé delivers hydration in a pleasingly whipped texture. With just 2% vitamin C, it works hard to retexture and make skin glow from within, but is gentle enough to be used twice a day.

Natura Bissé’s C+C Vitamin Eye is your fast track to a wide-awake look and a perfect morning pick-me-up, thanks to a fresh orange scent. The quick-absorbing gel formula means it works perfectly under make-up too.


At-Home Facials

With many of us still unable to visit our favourite facialists and skincare experts, at-home spa rituals continue to satisfy our need to sculpt, sooth, and enhance. Once we are travelling again, they are also great for popping in your luggage, so there’s no need to compromise on your usual beauty rituals on-the-go.

HAYO’U’s Beauty Restorer helps force our most potent serums to sink deeper into the epidermis. The cooling rose quartz is particularly remedial for inflammation and helps with lymphatic drainage for a sculpted visage.

MZ Skin’s Light Therapy Golden Facial Treatment Device provides the same rejuvenating results as one of Dr Maryam Zamani’s in-clinic LED treatments. This device has five coloured light settings that each promote different benefits for an overall radiant complexion, whether your concerns are acne, reducing redness, anti-aging or discolouration. Simply pop it on whilst you blast out a few emails and watch the benefits roll in.

Missing FaceGym? Us too. Thankfully, The FaceGym Pro non-invasive face toning and sculpting tool, gives skin a mini-workout to lift and tighten using EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation).


A Super-Sheer Base

With many of us still working from home, we have broken up with our heavy-duty foundations: full coverage to sit at the kitchen table just feels wrong. Instead we are seeking light-weight, serum-foundation hybrids that will treat the skin and blur imperfections, whilst letting the true beauty of our skin shine through.

Ilia’s True Skin Serum Foundation has a sumptuous, velvety consistency. A cocktail of aloe leaf, rosehip, and jojoba, calms irritation and smoothes fine lines for a youthful glow. What’s more, it’s seamlessly buildable to your desired coverage.

Chanel’s Sublimage L’Essence De Teint utilises anti-oxidant rich vanilla planifolia to deliver a radiant glow and provide protection against external skin aggressors (like pollution and blue light). Apply with a soft brush for dewy skin all day long.

If you are looking for super-light coverage, turn to new kids on the block, Typology. The paraben-free Tinted Serum is formulated with squalane and aloe vera for deep, long-lasting hydration.


Mask-Proof Lipstick

We love a statement lip to pull our look together – particularly when we don’t want to commit to a full face of make-up. Sadly 2020 left our lipsticks firmly in our vanity cases, as mask-wearing ushered in an importance in dressing from the eyes up. As we re-emerge super-durable, smudge-proof formulas will be a welcome addition.

Elaluz’ Lip & Cheek Stain is a multi-tasking tool, giving a soft wash of transfer-proof colour to lips and cheeks. Infused with coconut water, guarana, prickly pear extracts, it’s super blendable and won’t budge.

Chanel Rouge Allure Laque is the brand’s first liquid lipstick and manages to deliver shine with an impressive long-lasting 12-hour wear time, complete with shine and hydration.

Gucci Beauty’s Rouge à Lèvres Mat Lipstick collection offers wearers a punchy pop of colour, made all the more alluring by a velvety matte finish you can’t help but admire. The engraved gold bullet is decadent too.


Beauty Sleep

Uber-nourishing overnight face masks seem to be overtaking the humble night cream. Like your usual all-night cream – but in overdrive – these masks are deeply hydrating. Awaken with better, plumper skin than you went to bed with. CF Tip: they also make a great in-flight mask (for when we can travel again).

We are particularly fond of KORA Organics’ Noni Glow Sleeping Mask for its ability to deliver bouncy, fresh skin by morning. Packed with silver ear mushroom, coconut milk, caviar lime and kakadu plum extracts, this lightweight gel sinks into skin like a dream, so, thankfully, there’s no residue on your pillowcase.

Votary’s Intense Overnight Mask is rich and cocooning, with scents of lavender, rose, and neroli lulling you into a restful night’s sleep. Packed with natural plant oils and hyaluronic acid to hydrate, a radiant visage by morning is a near certainty.

Thirsty, lacklustre skin will love the 111SKIN Meso Infusion Overnight Clinical Mask. This feather-light formula is densely packed with witch hazel to sooth inflammation and tone, hyaluronic acid to hydrate and deliver bounce, whilst polyglutamic acid decreases natural water loss. Expect to wake up with a dewy complexion.

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