March signals the end of winter, and there are plenty of fresh new beauty launches to put a spring in your step.
Whether you’re looking for an intelligent bronzer to warm up your complexion, or wish to switch your heavy-duty foundation for a lightweight skin tint, we’ve rounded up the crème de la crème of the beauty world for you.
Beauty aficionados know that Townhouse is the go-to salon for chic nail art, and now it’s joined forces with iconic Parisian skincare brand Sisley on an exclusive collaboration to celebrate the Black Rose Collection. The ultra-indulgent manicure combines the use of Sisley’s signature skincare – including the Restorative Hand Cream and Black Rose Precious Face Oil, used as a hydrating cuticle oil – with Townhouse’s sleek nail art. Pick from two designs: a cool take on the Double Frenchie, or a swirling wave design, both using shades inspired by Sisley’s chic packaging. Post-treatment customers receive a complimentary exclusive Sisley make-up bag, brimming with travel-sized samples – perfect for your next trip.
Hair maestro Adam Reed has just launched a new vegan haircare line, ARKIVE, so you can recreate the in-salon magic in your own home. The 11-strong collection of products covers all of your hair needs; whether it’s day-to-day maintenance or event-ready polish. I was instantly sold on the All Day Everyday Shampoo. Laced with baobab oil and proteins for superior shine and strength, it lathers well, and leaves hair squeaky clean and soft.
Stila’s new Empire of Light collection is inspired by the play of light on water, and the mesmeric liquid eye shadows are my hero product. With serious colour pay off, the highly pigmented formula of micro-fine glitter particles creates a multi-dimensional shimmer. Much easier to work with than powder formulas, these shadows blend effortlessly with superb staying power. I’ll be using shades Ocean, Playa, and Kitten Kaleidoscope to create a soft smokey eye to compliment holiday skin.
Elie Saab has extended the Girl Of Now fragrance family with a new fruity, fun, and floral iteration, Girl Of Now Lovely. The bottle itself sparks joy, even before the first spritz, thanks to the crome green petals and pretty pink juice bottled inside. The scent blooms with sparkling mandarin, juicy pear, and tangy blackcurrant, and is delectably sweet thanks to frangipani, almond, and creamy tonka bean. Spritz yourself happy.
Launching on 7 March.
If there’s one product you can bank on, it’s an ELEMIS moisturiser, and this one is the daytime counterpart to the brand’s much loved Pro-Collagen Overnight Matrix. The texture is wonderfully springy, bringing instant bounce to skin upon application. Perfect for long days spent in front of your laptop, it's laden with Japanese artemisia capillaris, to help protect against the effects of blue light, whilst a cocktail of skin-loving ingredients promotes a revitalised and radiant complexion.
Carol Bamford has launched a trio of candles inspired by the notion of travel. The hand-carved inscribed alabaster vessels are a chic, minimalist addition to any mantelpiece/bedside table/bathscape, and the lid will keep your candle in tip-top condition between uses. We’re rather enamoured with Pelargonium: a bracing, refreshing scent of grapefruit, mint, geranium leaf, basil, and black pepper. Light to blow away the cobwebs on gloomy days.
Hermès’ ever-extending beauty offering is kryptonite for Beauty Editors and the latest drop, Plein Air, is no exception. Inspired by the liberation of being outside, this collection – comprising a skin balm, finishing powders, application brush, and blotting papers – is a celebration of natural beauty. The radiant glow powder case may look like an objet d’art, but contains the silkiest luminous powder to be applied to the cheekbones, temples, bridge of the nose, and Cupid’s bow, delivering a subtle radiance.
If you've been a little over zealous with the tweezers, Nautucain’s brow growth serum is your new best friend. Brimming with the brand’s patented growth-promoting MKMS24 – a hormone-free formula using stem-cell technology from bamboo, thyme, and lentils – this serum increases the hair-growth cycle to unveil noticeably thicker brows in six weeks. I’ve been using it religiously for three weeks and already I am admiring fuller brows, meaning I can skip my trusty eyebrow pencil.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has added to her Rose Inc product line of skin-centric makeup essentials with a radiant skin tint. On those days when my skin is playing ball, I will be applying this skincare-make-up hybrid which delivers sheer coverage, blurring imperfections without masking skin. Simply pump onto your hand and swirl through a foundation brush to activate the pigment spheres, which are suspended in the serum. Laden with squalene to hydrate, and sodium hyaluronate to plump and smooth, complexions have a luminous glow all day long.
I will admit, I was slightly hesitant to apply this liquid bronzer. The hue looked particularly dark; however, a little goes a long way, and when applied under my cheekbones and the top of my forehead I looked well-rested, with a warmed complexion – the look every good bronzer should achieve. The weightless liquid is comprised of a novel concoction of snow mushroom, reishi mushroom, and hyaluronic acid for a smooth application that actively plumps skin. The addition of vegan collagen has a lovely firming effect too.
A new addition to the brand’s iconic Diamond Extreme range, this decadent serum feels reassuringly expensive upon application. It’s rich but sinks in seamlessly, without even a whisper of oily residue, and my skin felt instantly smoothed and hydrated from the first application. Formulated with Natura Bissé's Smart Energy Complex – featuring plankton and peony root extract – it works to revitalise skin, minimise the appearance of fine lines, firm, and redefine facial contours. What’s not to love?
In celebration of the iconic Santa Maria Novella's 800th Anniversary, the Maison has just unveiled ‘I PROFUMI DEL MONDO’: a capsule of five room diffusers with heavenly, transporting scents inspired by the five continents. Our personal favourite is Europa. It's a woody and complex concoction, spike with sweet orange, bergamot, rose, and notes of red wine. Close your eyes and you can almost imagine yourself in a delicous sun-soaked piazza, no passport required.
Any avid CF reader will know from perusing our Beauty Haul Diaries column how important it is to nail your in-flight skincare regime, and the new Radiance Protection Face Mist from German skincare brand Royal Fern is going straight into my hand-luggage. Boasting the patented Royal Fern Complex – an antioxidative which helps to reduce inflammation and contributes to overall healthy skin – it is the perfect pick-me-up to refresh skin mid-flight. This travel-friendly spray is also comprised of hyaluronic acid to moisturise, and butterfly ginger to protect against blue light, UV, and pollution. In short: keep it forever within hand’s reach.
Launching 15th May.
Image credit: Bamford
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