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11 best new beauty products
We round up the latest beauty goodies to hit the shelves
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Your support makes all the difference.Every week it seems there's a new beauty product launched – from serums and concealers to primers and highlighters – so here are some of our recent favourites.
1. Bobbi Brown Instant Confidence Stick: £26 for 3g, Bobbi Brown
We only write about products that deliver results here at IndyBest, and this rather ambitiously named line smoother is making some serious claims. Instant confidence this is not – however if you like a blurry softening effect on fine lines, or you shine up by lunchtime and need to keep oil under control, then definitely add this to your beauty arsenal. Lightweight, clear and breathable, just glide it on before make-up (concentrating on fine lines and wrinkles), or touch up during the day to absorb oil and keep shine at bay.
2. Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Serum: £85 for 30ml, Elemis
As we age, skin regenerates more slowly and needs a little helping hand to slough away the dry, dulling skin cells that make skin thicker and uneven in tone. Harsh facial peels aren't to everyone's taste – particularly if you have sensitive skin – but there's no denying they do reveal younger, more radiant skin underneath. This serum, used daily under your moisturiser, gently but efficiently breaks down dead skin cells, encourages cell renewal to speed up and reduces pore size. Packed with vitamins and gentle flower acids, it's a non-abrasive resurfacer that's even ok with easily irritated skin tones. It's not cheap, but as with almost all Elemis products it delivers astonishing results.
3. Laura Mercier Candleglow Concealer and Highlighter: £25, Space.NK
This is a lightweight, sheer coverage, multi-tasking make-up kit essential. Choose a shade matching your skin tone to conceal dark shadows under the eye, a shade darker for contouring, or a shade lighter to illuminate and highlight cheekbones, cupid's bow or brow bone.
4. Clarisonic Mia Fit: £170, Clarisonic
Sonic skin cleansing was invented by Clarisonic back in 2004, and it’s sold over 10 million of its anti-ageing, radiance-boosting cleansing devices. The brand new Mia Fit has the power of a full-sized Clarisonic, in a more convenient, compact travel-size. Anyone who's tried a sonic cleanser would struggle to go back to hands and a face cloth – this is effective cleansing at its most luxurious.
5. Sisley Intensive Serum with Tropical Resins: £103 for 30ml, John Lewis
People with oily, shiny complexions can find a serum is just one layer too many for keeping oil levels under control. Many serums are rich anti-agers and too much for combination skin tones. But this brand new offering from Sisley is designed for exactly these skin types – lightweight to wear with a velvety matte finish, it unclogs pores, helps reduce imperfections and shiny zones, and helps purify and rebalance the complexion. It’s expensive, but delivers on every level and is worth the outlay if your skin is prone to blemishes.
6. Marc Jacobs Glow Stick Glistening Illuminator: £28, Harrods
If the summer glow is starting to fade and you need to start faking it for winter, then this easy-to-use portable radiance booster is a make-up kit must-have. Pearly gold and silver pigments ensure it suits both warm and cooler skin tones. For a lustrous, healthy-looking glow, simply highlight and lift cheekbones with a quick swipe up from the apples to the temples. Seriously covetable packaging, too.
7. Alchemy Oils Amla Hair Remedy: £27 for 100ml, Alchemy Oils
Inject some moisture back into post-summer locks with one of Alchemy's two new hair oils. Amla is from the Indian gooseberry and a renowned hair tonic that stimulates the follicle to encourage hair growth, while the Grapefruit Hair Remedy (£24) contains nourishing coconut and avocado oils to prevent hair breakage and split ends. Apply from root to tips and leave on for at least 30 minutes – we left each one on overnight and woke up to some seriously shiny hair the morning after. It’s a great new offering from an independent British brand which packs in nutritious oils and leaves out all the chemical nasties.
8. Pixie Lott Pastel Hair Chalks Collection: £4.99 for six shades, Superdrug
Get instant dip-dyed ends or add the hint of soft pastel under your hair with these easy-to-use and easy-to-wash-out chalks. Apply to wet or dry hair (colour stays in longer on blonde hair if you apply it wet) and then simply seal it in with hairspray. It seems to last one or two shampoos depending on how porous your hair is – colour-treated locks will be more porous.
9. M&S Autograph Black Lash Primer: £10 for 7ml, Marks & Spencer
There are plenty of mascara bases on the market that promise perfect lashes, but this new primer from Autograph really does deliver. And it can be used with any other brand of mascara – it doesn't have to be Autograph. Simply apply one coat before your usual mascara and you'll notice fuller, thicker lashes immediately. If you prefer a more natural look, simply use it alone as a lash tint.
10. Ruby Red Face Oil: £38 for 30ml, Harvey Nichols
Here’s another award-winnning British brand that is developing and producing products in the UK which are free from chemical nasties, and packed with high quality, natural plant ingredients, many of them organic. Soothing rose and chamomile in this rich, potent, yet easily absorbed oil make it a great skin saver for undoing all that summer sun damage. A high dose of anti-ageing vitamin E and nourishing argan, grapeseed and jojoba oils gives the collagen in your skin a real boost.
11. Murad InstaMatte Oil-Control Mask: £35 for 100ml, Murad
If you struggle to keep your pores clear and skin shine-free all day, this is a must-buy and can be used as a morning cleanser as well as a simple three-minute mask. InstaMatte regulates excessive oil production, dissolves oil, uses salicylic acid to keep pores clear and astringent grapefruit to tighten and refine pores. It's mattifying, but not drying and clears congestion while preventing blemish breakouts.
Verdict
The Sisley serum delivers real results on blemish-prone skin, Laura Mercier Candleglow is a multi tasking must-have for enhancing and concealing, and the Elemis resurfacer is one of the best anti-agers we've tested in a long time. But the Bobbi Brown Instant Confidence Stick is brilliantly innovative and works like a dream.