Around The World In Beauty: North America

Merit is the epitome of quiet luxury in your makeup bag, which is why fashion editors, models and minimalists alike consistently reach for it. Founded in Los Angeles in 2021, the 'no makeup' makeup brand has quickly become synonymous with the kind of beauty looks that look expensive without trying too hard: glowing skin, softly sculpted cheeks, brushed-up brows and soft blush lips. You certainly can't go wrong when packing light with just the glow-boosting serum and volumising mascara. 

Barbados-born Rihanna ripped up the rulebook when she launched Fenty Beauty, providing a diverse range of shades for all skin tones (finally). Her 50 shades of foundation are equally loved for their matte (but not drying longwear finish), but you'll fall in love with the lightweight, colour-inclusive powders, creams and lipsticks too.

Latina makeup artist Rea Ann Silva took the humble cosmetics sponge and changed how we apply our makeup forever. By tweaking the shape and getting rid of awkward corners, her blending creation allowed even the most inexperienced beauty-lover to achieve a more natural-looking base. No wonder she's an example of an inspiring female entrepreneur to the CF team.

Arguably one of the original products to properly trend on social media due to its popularity among content creators, it was quite the occasion when American-founded Tarte Cosmetics was made available more globally. The concealer gained its legion of fans due to its long-lasting full coverage finish and the slanted-tip applicator makes brightening under-eye circles and blurring blemishes a breeze.

Conceived by fashion and beauty alumuni out of the photography studio Milk Studios in New York, Milk Makeup has grown quite the following for multi-tasking formulas that do the hard work for you. Our beauty director's biggest recommendations are the stick-based formulas, especially the sculpting sticks and blushers, which will keep your skin looking defined and flushed when travelling, even hand luggage-only.

Skinfix has been around since 2014 and its inspiration is actually even older – a 150-year-old healing balm recipe. Yet, its focus on skin repair is very 2026 (hence why it is rightly gaining renewed attention from beauty insiders). In fact, the Canadian brand is a category leader for barrier support and this hero moisturiser is absolutely packed with the nourishing ingredients that sensitive and dry complexions love, including lipids, peptides, hyaluronic acid and shea butter.

Proof that the North American skincare industry is powered by some of the market's most impressive experts, Skinceuticals’ founding chemist was the distinguished Yale-trained professor and dermatologist Dr. Sheldon Pinnell, who earned eight patents in his lifetime. The most important for the brand (and our skin) was the stabilisation of vitamin C, which gave rise to one of the best-selling vitamin C serums on the market, which beauty editors still trust to this day.

There's been such a flurry of celebrity-owned skincare brands launching of late, but beauty editors have been raving about this one from American supermodel Hailey Bieber for good reason. It's the sort of skincare that's designed to help your makeup paint on super smoothly, while providing a glossy, nourished complexion (thanks to trending ingredient, peptides), which means you need to wear less on your face anyway. 

Iranian-Canadian founder of The Ordinary, Brandon Truaxe was behind the skincare industry's ingredient-led revolution. Arguably, without his influence, most customers wouldn't know what hyaluronic acid and retinoids even were, because he was responsible for single-ingredient formulas at excitingly affordable prices that brought such education to the fore. Our beauty director's continued favourite from the company is the Azeliac Acid Suspension, which helps with her rosacea-prone complexion. 

Created by award-winning actress and activist Tracee Ellis Ross (daughter of Diana Ross), Pattern is a haircare range designed specifically for curly, coily and tight-textured hair patterns – hence the name. From caring creams and shampoos that don't strip drier hair types, to electricals with built in afro-picks to make styling easier, Ross not only educates with her brand but makes products that curly-haired women actually want to use. 

The Miracle Leave-In Treatment from It's A 10 is our beauty director's absolute hair essential for her tangly hair, and we have Puerto Rican-American, Carolyn Aronson, to thank for it. The unassuming bottle holds a host of haircare solutions (10 in fact) that include those acting as a detangler, shine-booster and de-frizzer. It's a must-pack for beach holidays, alongside the brand's expanded range of shampoos and conditioners for all hair types.

Former Goldman & Sachs banker and the youngest African-American to launch a product line at Sephora, Nancy Twine's texture-specific products target specific needs – such as wavy, coily, dry or thin – rather than broadly grouping by ethnicity. And the results speak for themselves. These (at least 90 per cent naturally derived) formulas provide really nourishing solutions to boost shine and curl definition, making wash day a more enjoyable and stress-free experience.

When beauty insiders talk about sensual scents, you'll find they tend to rate it on a scale where Black Orchid by Tom Ford is a clear reference point. That's because the fragrance – despite being launched back in 2006 – continues to have an addictive hold on our understanding of what makes a brilliant 'come a little bit closer' evening aroma, with its enveloping blend of black truffle, black orchid and patchouli.

You might be loathe to share what you’re wearing (although you'll definitely be asked) when you apply an Ellis Brooklyn scent – such is the joy of finding an unusual yet wearable fragrance like the ones on offer here. The niche, Williamsburg-located eco-friendly brand is on the cusp of world-wide acclaim, having been founded by New York Times beauty writer Bee Shapiro. In particular, you won't be able to get enough of this tropical, salty blend that changes playfully on the skin the longer you wear it.

Never did a fragrance quite monopolise the fashion world like Le Labo Santal 33. In fact, rumour has it that the runway front-row is still infused with it. Inspired by the Wild West, the clever earthy-dryness of the woods-based scent epitomises how the niche fragrance brand, founded in New York by Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Peno, shook up the traditional fragrance market. You'll still find beauty and fashion insiders alike trying to get their hands on each new Le Labo launch.