Fashion Brief
Browns are omnipresent – eyes, cheeks, lips… But I’ve always maintained no one looks good in brown lipstick. Spotting Kaia Gerber and co at the Moschino SS19 show, perhaps I should eat my words. The brown lip is workable for mere mortals – if you cheat a bit. Avoid the sludgy stuff and veer towards browns with red and pinkish undertones. Keep skin dewy, brows feathered and remember that homages to the noughties are not always a good thing.
Get the look
1. Milk Demi Matte Lipstick in Wavy £22, cultbeauty.com
2. Stila Lingerie Souffle Skin Perfecting Colour £30, stila.co.uk
3. Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Palette £38, urbandecay.co.uk
4. Anastasia Beverly Hills Dewy Set Setting Spray £27, anastasiabeverlyhills.co.uk
5. Beauty Edit Mayfair Brow Setter £25, spacenk.com
I can’t do without… Retinol, for smoother, brighter, more even skin
Drunk Elephant A Passioni Retinol Cream, £62, cultbeauty.co.uk
Everybody’s asking, ‘What is retinol?’ Do I need retinol? Will retinol make my face fall off?’ So today I’m talking about retinol – vitamin A. If you are over 30 (and don’t suffer from conditions such as eczema) retinol should be in your beauty arsenal. It smooths, minimises and prevents wrinkles; exfoliates dull skin; regulates oily skin; stops your pores from getting clogged up and, over time, it evens out pigmentation. Essentially it will give you the Best. Skin. Ever. Here’s the thing, there are various (confusing) strengths and so you must introduce it into your regime gradually, otherwise it irritates – hence everyone is terrified their face will eventually disintegrate. Drunk Elephant’s retinol is different: maximum results, minimal irritation. You have to stagger your use (once a week to start with), but you can use it morning and night (layer with extra hydration and wear SPF in the day). At 1%, the retinol is quite high, but it has nourishing fruit extracts, skin-firming peptides and essential fatty acids. So you get all the benefits – even skin tone, bouncier skin, dramatically diminished wrinkles and fine lines – without the fear of irritation. The only thing that might cause irritation is the price. But it’s a price worth paying.
On my radar… Beauty products with a socially conscious slant
Cleaner cleanser
Vegan, plant-based and heavy on superfoods… Not the latest restaurant, it’s the new skincare line from Clarins that is ethical and efficacious. Re-Move Micellar Cleansing Milk clears makeup and daily grime. £17, clarins.co.uk
Care for hair
We Are Paradoxx is an environmentally and socially responsible brand; products are gender neutral, 90% plastic free and work on all hair types. This brilliant mask – with kelp, argan oil and avocado for hydration and shine – is a game changer. £30, harveynichols.com
Look good, do good
Selfish Mother’s Molly Gunn (famed for the Mother T-shirt launched to help female survivors of war) has joined forces with Space NK to curate a bag of beauty essentials. £5 from every sale will be paid to national domestic abuse charity Refuge. £50, spacenk.com
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