8 best Tropic Skincare products, from make-up palettes to whipped body creams

Best: Overall

Designed to streamline your make-up routine into one handheld palette, the Tropic Colour palettes are ingenious. The case is slim and narrow, opening up to a full-face mirror on one side and on the other space for trays of cream and powder products that you can fully customise. We chose “eyes on you in copper”, a cream copper eyeshadow, “brow boss in hazelnut”, a brow pomade, “blush crush in coral bloom”, a cream blush, “cream contour in sienna”, a warm creamy bronzer and “make it matte setting powder”, for keeping make-up in place and touches-ups on the go.

The palette is incredibly compact, and the pans can be bought separately too; they all fit into the tray magnetically. For small pans it costs £8, medium-sized pans are £16 and large pans are £20 apiece, so you can accommodate it to your needs and budget. It’s a great way to have almost everything you need for a full face of make-up in one slimline compact that fits neatly in your handbag.

Best: Body scrub

While not, strictly speaking, an essential, this body scrub is the ultimate indulgence for your shower and if you’re keen to keep limbs baby soft, this is worth the splurge. It’s a generous sized-pot of mineral-rich sea salts that seals shut like a mason jar to avoid any spillages, and comes with a tiny wooden spoon to scoop out product, which may look gimmicky, but is a helpful way to keep it hygienic.

Using a ten-pence piece size scoop, we tried it initially on dry skin as instructed before rinsing off, but we loved applying it to damp skin also. As you rub it in, it’s a gritty texture that tackles drier areas on the elbows and knee nicely without being scratchy. Once it comes into contact with water as you rinse it off, it melts into a luxurious oil that has a zesty, refreshing scent of lemon sorbet. We’re not surprised it’s one of the brand’s bestsellers.

Best: Body cream

If you’re the type of person that can’t get out of the shower without moisturising every inch of your body, then you’ll love this. It’s a whipped buttercream texture that feels light and fluffy but leaves skin feeling like silk. It won’t absorb in seconds but does feel like a pampering treat for dry skin.

The formula is rich in apricot kernel, baobab and organic rosehip oil and scented with Madagascan vanilla extract which isn’t overpowering at all. It’s a lovely product that can easily be added into your routine and if you’re new to Tropic Skincare, this is a great entry point.

Best: Lip product

This creamy two-in-one balm both soothes and hydrates dry lips and the shade “pink guava”, our personal favourite, also adding a wash of pink colour. It’s infused with peppermint oil which gives it a refreshing, pick-me-up scent. The texture is rich but not super sticky and leaves skin soft for hours after with a slight gloss that doesn’t look greasy.

If you prefer a tinted balm over a lipstick, this is ideal, especially for under a face covering. You don’t need a brush to apply, just use your fingertip for a speedy application. It’s a real winner if you’re prone to dry, chapped lips but still want a touch of colour.

Read more: 10 best lip balms to treat and nourish dry, chapped lips

Best: Make-up brush

This dual-ended make-up brush is also one of our top picks. The versatile tool is multi-purpose and we used it for applying powder, bronzer, blusher and even blending out concealer. You can use it for foundation too, but we found it works best with lighter cream, gel and powder textures.

It cleans easily without the brush hairs, which are all vegan, moulting; the handle is also made from sustainably sourced wood. For less than £20 you get two well-made brushes that fast became an integral part of our reviewer’s make-up routine.

Best: Cleanser

This creamy cleanser works brilliantly for both a morning and second cleanse – the formula is effective at removing make-up and SPF, while also not so rich it can’t be used on a bare face. It’s very lightweight with a delicate scent of jojoba oil, green tea extract and aloe vera juice.

If you are using it to take off your make-up, we’d recommend using a lukewarm wet flannel to ensure every scrap is removed, as simply splashing it off with water won’t be enough to break down mascara. Our reviewer has combination skin and found it soothed dry areas on her cheeks while also leaving an oily T-zone feeling comfortable too, with no greasy residue left on the skin.

Best: Sleep aid

This lavender-scented pillow mist is a great helping hand if you’re struggling to get to sleep – the essential oil is known as a natural sleep aid that will make dozing off much quicker. It’s a very fine mist spray that doesn’t leave your sheets wet; we used two sprays and found that there was plenty, any more and the scent can be overwhelming.

It’s very calming and we found we continuously woke up the next morning feeling better rested, especially when during the last few weeks of lockdown, our sleep began to suffer as we got used to more social plans.

Best: Tanning product

The gloopy, dark texture of this serum was off-putting at first, but it’s designed to be mixed with your moisturiser, and actually is easier to blend in than thinner tanning serums we’ve tried. It doesn’t leave skin sticky, nor does it leave behind that strong biscuity scent that a lot of fake tans tend to have.

The first time we used two drops before bed, and in the morning woke up with a more even skin tone and subtle glow. In the following uses we increased the drops and found the perfect amount was between three and four to customise the perfect sun-kissed look on fair, Caucasian skin. There’s no streaky finish, nor does it leave skin looking patchy.