With a host of new beauty launches passing across her desk each month, Citizen Femme’s beauty director Becki Murray knows what it takes for a makeup, skincare, or fragrance product to stand out from the crowd.
This month, her pick of May’s best beauty launches will revitalise your skincare routine and bring new inspiration to your makeup bag – ready for your summer travels and beyond. From Charlotte Tilbury’s glossy lip plumper to the summer fragrances you’ll want to keep spritzing, these are this month’s beauty launches that are actually worth trying.
Forget glitzy highlighters – this year, the new on-trend way to add light-reflecting shine to your summer makeup is through your lips – and Charlotte Tilbury's new lip plumper is like golden hour in a tube. The luminous, Champagne-nude gloss delivers instant volume and enviable hydration, with a cooling tingle and dewy sheen that will elevate any outft – day or night – with just the right amount of understated glamour (and no stickiness).
If you're looking for a playful summer fragrance that still feels very elegant to wear from beach to office – this Chanel fragrance is for you. A sparkling take on the iconic Chanel Chance floral, the latest iteration blends juicy raspberry with a delicate bouquet of rose, violet, and rose geranium from the fields of Grasse, resulting in a scent that’s both fresh and softly romantic. There’s something undeniably joyful about wearing it.
This Harley Street doctor-approved cream is perfect for frequent travellers as the blend of protective antioxidants and age-proofing actives cushion your skin against the drying, sensitising stress of shifting climates, from cabin air to desert heat to city pollution. The texture is light yet nurturing too, so it sinks in beautifully for a soft, healthy-looking glow that you can use both day and night.
Just a single coat of this mascara is enough to lift and lengthen your lashes, giving you an eye brightening, fanned out look that's instantly eye-catching. A must try for busy women looking for a simplified makeup routine, the clever brush design means it can get to every lash without clumping, with the deep black shade providing lots of definition without flaking throughout the day. No wonder makeup artists are already swearing by it.
Packed with brightening and depuffing actives, this eye gel is a summer essential (which won't feel heavy or greasy in the summer heat like some thicker eye creams). Formulated with vitamin C-rich Kakadu plum, plus avocado and caffeine to leave tired-looking eyes in the past, it packs a punch but is super lightweight, and even has a cooling metal tip for extra relaxation.
Consider your summer manicure sorted. Hermès new' limited edition range of shades are instantly joy-inspiring for both fingers and toes, with shades that evoke the blue sky and warm tropic nights. Our favourite though is this butter yellow shade that's set to be this season's biggest.
Glow Recipe's latest SPF is summer skin’s best friend – hydrating, protective, and undetectable in equal measure. In fact, it feels just like a refreshing moisturiser with a featherlight texture that absorbs instantly, and no white cast, just a dewy, hydrated glow. It is infused with niacinamide, watermelon seed oil, and vitamin E too, helping it to brighten and moisturise sun-stressed skin without greasiness.
Like a spa experience in a pot, this body cream puts some indulgence back into the process of nourishing dry legs and arms that have been layered under winter clothing for too long. Deeply moisturising without that heavy, sticky feel, the scent alone is actually enough reason to invest: the rich floral fragrance of cherry blossom, white flowers, amber, and vanilla is instantly cosetting.
Proof you don't need a thick night cream to wake up with glowy, refreshed skin, this serum has tons of reviews claiming it can give you smoother, more radiant skin after just one night. How does it do it? The milky-textured serum is half hydrating oil, half nourishing serum, allowing it to tackle dry texture, fine lines and dullness simultaneously, with no less than 17 moisturising, protective and radiance-boosting plant extracts.
This is 'no makeup' makeup for your pout – aka Victoria Beckham's own trick for maximum (but subtle) lip definition. The trio of new off-warm brown tones are designed to match, warm or brighten your pout and are verstaile enough as a set that you don't even need to bring multiple lipsticks with you on your travels.
Providing the freshness of airing your laundry outside with the luxurious flair that Byredo is known for, this limited edition spray can be used on all texiles (such as curtains and sofas) to keep your house smelling guest-ready every single day. Just what you need when burning a candle doesn't feel quite right during the summer.
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