Tonnes of New Products Landed on My Desk This Month, But These 10 Were the Best

I’ve been secretly testing the Manucurist Xtrem Top Coat prior to its launch this month, and I’m seriously impressed. It’s the next best thing to a gel manicure without the usual ingredients you’d find in gel formulas (making it great if, like me, you’ve developed an allergy to gel formulas, or want something that’s easier to remove. It works alongside the Manucurist LED Lamp and the Manucurist Green Flash LED Nail Polishes to keep your manicure chip-free for up to 21 days. I’ve found my manicure can easily last around two weeks, and it looks and feels just like a regular gel manicure on my nails. Thankfully, it’s much easier to remove than a standard gel manicure, so it’s a great gel manicure alternative to try.

Another new launch I’ve been secretly testing behind the scenes is Merit’s new Signature Lip Blush. It's the lipstick to try if you’re not a lipstick person. They swipe onto the lips with a sheer matte texture, delivering just a hint of just-bitten colour for a blurred lip effect. In true Merit style, they slot straight into the “no makeup” makeup aesthetic. You can wear them sheer, or layer up for more opacity, but they feel like a lightweight lip balm on the lips. There are eight wearable shades to choose from, but I’m particularly drawn to Archival (a muted pinky brown) and Bespoke (which bestows a neutral brown veil) on days when I want to wear a hint of colour without the heaviness (and high-maintenance upkeep) of a regular lipstick.

I’ve previously sung the praises of Phlur’s Missing Person Body Oil for its incredible fragrance lasting power (it’s like wearing the fragrance from top to toe). Now, it comes in the Vanilla Skin scent, and I’m thrilled. It’s my favourite of Phlur’s perfumes and the perfume mists, with musky skin-like vanilla. It leaves a soft yet surprisingly long-lasting trail of scent in the form of the body oil, which also leaves my skin baby-soft. I’ve actually had compliments from wearing the body oil alone, attesting to just how incredible it smells and projects when you’re wearing it.

I’ve long been a fan of Medik8, which is one of the most-trusted skincare brands out there. So when I heard it was launching a niacinamide serum with peptides and NAG, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Niacinamide is brilliant for balancing oily skin, reducing enlarged pores and redness, whilst the addition of peptides and NAG helps to soothe the skin and give a glass-skin appearance. It’s all wrapped up in a lightweight gel-serum consistency that quickly absorbs, making it great underneath makeup, too.

Another brilliant launch I’ve tested this month is the L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Glass Skin Hydrogel Glow Masks. These sheet masks are designed to be worn for 90 minutes, during which they turn clear. I know, it sounds gimmicky. But, after testing them out, my skin was brimming with hydration and possessed a healthy glow that I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to achieve without having a facial. I’m stockpiling them in this pack of four for special occasions and travel when I want my skin to look its best.

Can you tell that this past month has truly been a great month for skincare launches? These hydrating toner pads from Mediheal have become a staple in my routine for keeping my skin hydrated as it toggles between central heating and freezing weather outside. They’re like miniature sheet masks, which are wafer-thin and flooded with hydrating ingredients (including 10 different types and weights of hyaluronic acid), which you can swipe on after cleansing as another layer of hydration. Alternatively, you can also leave them on the skin as a miniature mask treatment, making them great for targeting areas like the under eyes or other areas prone to dehydration. After a few minutes, my skin is hydrated and plumped once more

Speaking of hydration, I’m often asked for lip balm or lip mask recommendations at this time of year. I’ve been trying Gisou’s new lip mask, and it’s quickly become a bedside table-favourite to restore moisture overnight. With it being Gisou, it’s enriched with the same nourishing Mirsalehi honey as you’ll find in its cult hair oil. But in addition, it also contains ceramides, collagen actives and hyaluronic acid. Whipped together in a decadently thick mask, it generously cossets the lips to leave them feeling deeply nourished and plumped. I love using it as an everyday lip balm that’s long-lasting, or applying a thicker layer overnight for an intensive treatment.

Salthair has quickly become one of our favourite bodycare brands. Not just for its aesthetically pleasing packaging, but its heavenly scents and luxurious formulas that leave the skin so soft and supple. So much so, it’s reached sold-out status in many of the scents. Thankfully for us, Salthair has launched a new fragrance collection, Driftwood, which you’ll find in its body wash, deodorant, body oil and—my favourite—the Multi-Lipid Body Butter. It has notes of bergamot, sage and driftwood, making it a mysterious woody scent that’s incredibly addictive. The body butter itself feels thick to the touch as you scoop it out of the jar, yet it melts into a buttery, non-greasy texture on the skin, leaving your limbs satiny and beautifully scented. Trust me, this won’t stay in stock for long.

A new fragrance launch I was very happy to discover this month is Artifact. Featuring two scents in long-lasting extrait formulas, they’re both designed to move seamlessly with your skin chemistry throughout the day. Neo is a firm favourite, opening with a crisp, spring-like breeze of aldehydes and yuzu before drying down into cosy, skin-like musk and warming cedarwood. Hot, on the another hand, is resinous and a total joy to wear whilst its cold out, with smouldering cardamon, plum and whiskey that unfurl from your skin with a warming glow throughout the day. It’s hard to pick just one, but this set allows you to test both before redeeming the cost towards a full bottle of your favourite.

It goes without saying that Guerlain perfumes make our entire beauty team swoon, so you can imagine the excitement of learning that the heritage fragrance brand was launching candles. They have (literally and metaphorically) lit up my dark January evenings with so much joy. There are nine scents to choose from (all of which are incredible as the next), and you can even choose the candle vessel colour to suit your space, and then refill it once you’ve burned through the wax. They burn beautifully and fill the entire home with an incredible scent. If you’re stuck on which one to go for, you won’t be disappointed by Vanilla Planifolia, which is the most hypnotic vanilla my nose has come across.