Billie Bhatia
Cécred Moisturizing Deep Conditioner, £37, cecred.com
Did we need another celebrity beauty brand? Probably not, but when it’s Beyoncé’s new line, exceptions are made. The eight-piece hair care collection featuring shampoos, leave-ins and treatments caters to all hair types and textures. The star of the Cécred show is the moisturising deep conditioner which is described as “best for curly, coily, and zig-zag coiled hair”. A thick, luxurious blend of shea and murumuru butter and oils such as moringa effectively detangles hair while adding nourishment and gloss.
Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Or Florale, £22, nuxe.com
Summer beauty at home or on holiday isn’t complete without Nuxe’s famous Huile Prodigieuse — a multi-purpose oil that is so popular one sells every seven seconds. Florale, a sweetly-scented blend of 100 per cent botanical oils, now comes with mineral-origin pearly particles to create an iridescent rose-gold glow. The oil’s dry-touch finish allows it to be used on the body without feeling greasy, and also on the face to create a nourishing summer shine.
Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF50+ Brightening Sun Serum, £38, meccacosmetica.com
Having touched down in the UK last summer, Australian brand Mecca Cosmetica is expanding its suncare offering with To Save Face SPF50+ Brightening Sun Serum. A very lightweight formula with three per cent niacinamide to soften fine lines, it boosts radiance and hydrates. Ideal for those with oilier skin types or who dislike heavy creams.
Susanne Kaufmann Cooling Body Mist, £30, susannekaufmann.com
Drawing on the brand’s expertise in holistic wellness, Susanne Kaufmann’s Cooling Body Mist with menthol and horse chestnut extract, is to be spritzed over the body as a refreshing, soothing spray. The natural fragrance is derived from citronella, eucalyptus, lavender and sage oils.
Lisa Eldridge Baume Embrace Melting Lip Colour, £26, lisaeldridge.com (launches May 30)
Balmy and buttery in texture, make-up artist Lisa Eldridge’s new lip product is formulated with 87 per cent natural original ingredients such as meadowfoam seed oil to restore dry, cracked lips, and jojoba oil and pomegranate extract to plump them. Baume Embrace melts into the lips upon application, while the sheer colour serves high shine and a desirable tint.
Teo van den Broeke
Hermès H24 Herbes Vives Eau de Parfum, £83 for 50ml, hermes.com
I’m a big fan of Hermès’ masculine fragrances. The brand’s in-house perfumer Christine Nagel manages to capture the earthiness of a French garden with every flacon. This is particularly true of the brand’s most recent offering, H24 Herbes Vives. Delivering a burst of parsley, basil and coriander straight to your nostrils, the fragrance also has a slight whiff of rain on soil known as petrichor about its bouquet.
Alott Matte Hair Clay, £21, alott.co.uk
I have a lot of time for eco-aware hair care brand Alott. Vegan, cruelty free, and coming in aluminium packaging which is easier to recycle than plastic, this mattifying hair clay is the current object of my affection. Ultra-light, it doesn’t clag between strands, and unlike some other clays is just as good applied to wet hair as it is dry. The best thing about Alott’s clay, however, is that it keeps my hair in shape throughout the day, before washing out easily. Rare.
Horace Bio-Retinol + Argireline Peptide Serum, £24, Horace.com (launches May 29)
I recently started using retinol religiously, but quickly discovered that many of the stronger formulations brought me out in spots, whilst others seemed to offer none of the rejuvenating they promised. Horace’s new serum which offers an alternative to retinol based on micro-algae is different: I’ve noticed a softening of the lines around my eyes and an improvement in the firmness of my skin.
Selahatin High on the Beach toothpaste, €22, selahatin.com
You might think you’re an Aquafresh man, but that’s only because you’re yet to try Selahatin’s new luxury toothpastes. They incorporate oral health essentials such as fluoride (unlike some niche toothpastes) and have been approved by the Swedish Dental Association. I’m particularly taken with the High on the Beach formulation which, with grapefruit oil, cassia vera cinnamon and peppermint tastes like a rather quirky summer cocktail.
Obayaty Eye Booster, £65, obayaty.com
New brand Obayaty is on a mission to make cosmetics for men which won’t make you feel embarrassed to own or use them. Housed in futuristic packaging resembling the fuselage of a rocket, this tinted eye booster harnesses caffeine, cornflower, prickly pear and hyaluronic acids to reduce puffiness around the undereye area. The inclusion of pigment, in different shades, helps cover dark circles.
Carola Long
Tata Harper Calming Crème, £107, cultbeauty.co.uk
Winter has a bad rap when it comes to irritating sensitive complexions, but summer brings with it chlorine, sun and travel. Enter Calming Crème, a soothing, redness-reducing addition to botanical beauty brand Tata Harper’s Superkind range for reactive skin (I already use the fantastic Bio-Shield Face Oil). Fragrance-free, it has been approved by US organisation the National Eczema Association.
Endless Summer gradual tan moisturiser, £44, spacenk.com
Self Glow is a new range of sunless tanning products from celebrity “tanning artist” James Read, for a realistic result that’s more beach boho than Barbie. This moisturising gradual tan for the body with naturally derived DHA (the tanning agent) gave my pale legs a light glow, without the weird digestive biscuit smell fake tan is known for.
La Roche-Posay, Anthelios UVMune 400 Dermo-Paediatrics Hydrating Lotion SPF 50, £25.90, laroche-posay.co.uk
I’m often trying out new suncreams and moisturisers with SPF, and I always come back to La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios range thanks to its non-sticky textures and reliable protection. The new sun protection formula for children now incorporates the brand’s UVMune Mexoryl 400 filter, which has high UVA protection, and it’s waterproof and suitable for sensitive skin.
Merit matte Signature Lip in Vermillion, £28, meritbeauty.com
Merit’s latest lipstick has become a go-to for an easy evening glow-up because it gives rich matte colour without drying the lips or creating an unflatteringly intense, facepaint look. Vermillion is a lovely modern orangey red.
Kati Chitrakorn
La Bonne Brosse N.04 Detangling Hair Brush, £138, labonnebrosse.com
One of the most overlooked items on my beauty dresser has been the hairbrush and that’s despite having mid-back-length hair. But I recently discovered La Bonne Brosse’s delicious offering of brushes, with N.04 being a saviour in detangling. It comes in beautiful shades like terracotta, cherry red and saffron yellow (I own this one) and is made of 100 per cent nylon fibres, unlike others on the market that tend to be made of boar bristle, making it suitable for vegans.
Glossier Invisible Shield sunscreen SPF50, £32, glossier.com
Glossier’s aptly named Invisible Shield sunscreen doesn’t feel like SPF at all. Lightweight and gel-like, it feels akin to a serum but can also double up as a primer, and leaves no white cast or residue, making it an ideal everyday all-rounder.
Augustinus Bader x Sofia Coppola, The Tinted Balm with TFC8®, £33, augustinusbader.com
I find it very difficult not to like anything that Sofia Coppola produces and her latest collaboration with Augustinus Bader is no exception. Inspired by the berry-stained lips of Nastassja Kinski in the 1979 film Tess, a film adaption by Roman Polanski of Tess of the d’Urbervilles, and a favourite lipstick that had been discontinued, the result is a trio of buildable tinted balms in sheer deep pink, bright red coral and burnt earthy plum. It’s effortless and subtle, much like Coppola herself, whose handwritten initials also appear on the side of the gold tube.
Loewe, Solo Ella Eau de Parfum, £96 for 50ml, perfumesloewe.com
A gift that has since turned into my favourite spring scent, the Solo Ella is a spicy floral fragrance that smells sensual and warm, yet there’s a lightness that makes it feel fresh rather than oud-y. With top notes of apple, pear, bitter orange and peach and base notes of Virginian cedar and amber, it makes me feel like sun rays are beaming down across my face (something that does not happen very often in London).
Ilia Beauty, The Base Face Milk, £58, iliabeauty.com
Ilia Beauty’s vegan face milk feels like a shot of moisture for skin to drink up. Ultra-light and layerable, it’s a hybrid essence-lotion, meaning that it has the feel of a toner but can be used like a moisturiser to hydrate and strengthen the skin barrier. It can be used all year round but I much prefer to splash it on in the spring and summer, rather than use a heavier lotion.
