There’s quite a lot to get excited about this month with a blaze of launches (both recent and brand new) coinciding with this week’s tropical nights and lemonade days heat wave.
MAKEUP
First up (note: USA only) bareMinerals’ Mineralist Sunlit (gold, copper & bronze) Eye Shadow Palette $32
Talc-free, 6 blendable shades (2 velvet mattes, 4 luminous satins), formulated for crease-proof, all day wear.
The antidote to “washed out” for those of us who’ve been spending too much time working indoors…bareMinerals’ multi-tasking glow booster GEN NUDE BLONZER £24 (blush-meets-bronzer).
3 shades: Kiss of Pink, Kiss of Copper & Kiss of Rose
Lipstick-melting temperatures call for lip gloss instead…with 15 shades of Mineralist Gloss Balm to choose from (£20).
Also from bareMinerals, and named Gloss “Balms” specifically because there’s cold-pressed seabuckthorn and plum oil in the formula for extra shine and hydration.
LOVE & ZEN …
THE NEW(EST) NO ACETONE NAIL POLISH REMOVER
When it’s time to take off that neutral polish you’ve been wearing for a while and paint the town mandarin, Nailberry’s new acetone-free Bi-Phase Nail Colour Remover (£18) is the gentler way to do it: the formula includes Alpha Hydroxy Acids (Phase 1) and Muscat Tree Rose Oil (Phase 2).
Pairing perfectly with Nailberry’s new L’Oxygené “Festival of Colour” shades…
Festival of Colour, festival of fun, festival of getting outdoors more, doing what we love more…it really feels like we could all do with more fun this summer (while respecting others’ personal space and beliefs).
OLVERUM’s NEW FACE OIL
Iconic bath oil brand Olverum launched its first ever face oil earlier this year and if you liked the scent of the bath oil and have an affinity with aromatherapy-centric facial products then this regenerating/illuminating Pure Radiance Facial Oil is one to look at.
Grounding and relaxing, this “face ritual” oil contains three of my favourite beauty oils, namely:
– cacay (absorbs fast, elasticising, loaded with Vit E and linoleic acid, cacay also helps repair the hydrolipid layer of skin which can be a casualty from over-eager cleansing or exfoliation)
– rosehip (ultra-regenerative and scar-fading)
– and the beauty industry’s “vegan retinol” darling, bakuchiol
A celebration of nature in a bottle, ripe with elderberry, clary sage, lavender, apricot and meadowfoam oils, this is a deep blend of patchouli, lavender and cardamom.
Olverum’s new oil packs quite a punch thanks to a win-win combo of skin-nourishing oils teamed with the aromatherapy element.
Use at night to help restore sun-damaged skin or protect skin from the drying effects of frosty mornings and moisture-sucking central heating later on in the year, too.
AVEDA’S NEW SHAMPURE LIMITED EDITION SOLID SHAMPOO
A lot of us will remember buying Aveda’s Shampure back in the day (definitely a financial splurge then, and still now) and looking back, we do have a lot to thank its Austrian founder Horst Rechelbacher for (eg: reminding us of nature’s importance and his activism around environmental responsibility).
The son of a herbalist mother and shoemaker/designer father, Horst was one of the earliest modern pioneers of holistic beauty. He highlighted the strong link between plants and nature and beauty and wellness, constantly reminding us of our biggest shared responsibility – protecting the planet we inhabit.
Inspired by Horst’s travel in India, Aveda was born in 1978 and acquired 21 years later by The Estee Lauder Group of Companies (but he remained a consultant until 2003).
Looking back from where we stand now the brand became an important global catalyst for turning people on to natural beauty and herbal remedies, in what was a fairly parched “desert landscape” for clean beauty back then, aside from a handful of fellow pioneers (at the time, ahead-of-their-time pioneers not the global names they are now) including:
The Body Shop, founded 1976 (UK)
Weleda founded 1921 (Switzerland)
Dr Hauschka founded 1967 (Germany)
Neal’s Yard Remedies founded 1981 (UK)
Burt’s Bees founded 1984 (USA)
Melvita 1983 (France)
In 1999, Horst published his “modern manual of nature”, the book “Aveda Rituals: A Daily Guide to Natural Health & Beauty”. It covered a lot: hair, skin, cleansing, nutrition, aromatherapy, visualisation, massage, seasonal beauty practices and setting goals and more…I was captivated by it, that beautiful book was my treasure. (You can still get an old one for under £5, but new copies are around £65-77).
So fast-forward to 2021 and Aveda’s new zero waste solid Shampure bar has arrived on the scene for a limited time only, but chances are it could become a permanent staple as the backlash against all things plastic continues. RRP £14.
MADARA’S PURE MINERAL PRO-ACTIVE SPF50 SUNSCREEN STICK
Compact enough for a handbag, reef-safe and unisex, Madara’s new UVA/UVB protective face/hands/decollete SPF50 stick is subtly-tinted (so it won’t suit all skin shades).
Moisture factor is a key element here – it’s boosted with ceramides, sea buckthorn and black cumin oil (aka nigella).
On a side note, Madara’s journey from skincare into makeup also (and SPFs) has been very interesting to watch, with a number of the brand’s innovative cosmetics winning Beauty Shortlist Awards recently, so when there’s a new Madara launch it’s always worth noting.
DIARY DATE
WHEN DO ENTRIES OPEN FOR THE 2022 BEAUTY SHORTLIST AWARDS?
Before I sign off, a quick update for those who’ve been asking when the 2022 Beauty, Wellbeing and Eco Lifestyle Awards open:
THE 2022 AWARDS ENTRY FORM will be up next month by 16 August and the press release and judging panel will be announced on 1 September.
Entries Open: Monday 16 August (officially 1 September)
Entries Close: Friday 29 October
AWARDS DAY: Wednesday 2 March
Wishing you a lovely summer wherever you are x
