New beauty buys we’re tried and loved this week.
It’s not quite a robot styling your hair, but the inclusion of AI technology in a new hair tool has us wondering where beauty innovation will head to next.
This week there are lots of popular icons getting reformulations. We’re glad to see previous products aren’t being dumped, just made more efficient or advanced as new discoveries are made.
We’re happy to see iconic brands like La Mer and Chanel innovating for the new era too.
Here’s what’s new and notable in beauty this week:
ghd Sculpt hair styler
This week I was able to experience the brand new ghd tool. We all know the company is a whizz with new technology, it is continually researching new ways to create the styles we want with less damage. This time the keyword is not less damage, but incredibly, its claiming to cause zero damage.
The tool uses intelligent technology (hello AI!) to sense and adapt to your hair thickness and type. It makes 2,900 measurements per second, even taking in the speed and angle you’re using the tool, then keeps the temperature exact across both the plates and your hair so it never fries your strands, but styles like a dream.
For those of us that try and use heat tools sparingly it’s a major breakthrough. It has a super smooth shape and its lighter too, curling and straightening in a flash.
Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum
We do love an upgrade. This retinol has always been a trusted go-to for the serious business of improving texture and fine-lines. Now the formula has been improved with the latest discoveries, so it contains four different types of retinoids, all with different talents. There’s an encapsulated retinol for quick, deep, stable and targeted delivery, a gentle yet fast-acting retinol, a stabilised retinoid with barrier-nourishing omega-6, and a soothing, nourishing bio-retinoid booster to offset retinol’s potential for irritation.
MECCA MAX makeup brushes
Good brushes make a world of difference to the finish of your makeup. It used to be you’d have to pay an arm-and-a-leg for good ones, but not any more. MECCA MAX has just dropped a new collection with 22 different shapes and sizes. Having tested a good number of them, we can vouch for their quality. Our favourites are the Round Blush Brush, perfect for targeted, but not patchy cheek application and the Smudge & Smoulder Eye Brush, for blurring eyeliner and shadow along upper and lower lash lines.
La Mer The Concentrate
Another refresh to a classic. Those with skin that takes things personally will be pleased to hear La Mer’s The Concentrate has been revamped with sensitive skin in mind. The just-upgraded calming serum has a good dose of vitamins and minerals derived from sea kelp and helps visibly reduce redness, strengthen the skin barrier and support faster recovery. You can use it daily though it’s especially good to reach for after aesthetic treatments – it’s really that gentle. If you’re in Auckland, check out the sophisticated new La Mer counter in the just-opened Faradays department store.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu
A new chapter of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle is a notable occasion. The new Crush Absolu is the cool-girl relative of Chanel’s elegant family, all juicy and bright with notes of lychee and grapefruit floating above a floral heart and a base of vanilla, vetiver amber, and patchouli.
Marc Jacobs Beauty Born Star Cream To Powder Eyeshadow
The return of Marc Jacobs Beauty has been a hot talking point among beauty aficionados. The original formulas were top-quality and there was concern the cutesy packaging meant it would end up being a gimmicky product. Thank goodness the formulas are just as good this time round. You can get the range here from Sephora. We love the eye shadows and the bronzer.
BeauEver Luminova Prestige Neck-Jawline Sculpting Cream
Look at this packaging, it’s a thing of beauty! The neck of the swan is actually a sculpting tool similar to a Gua Sha, helping smooth the advanced formula over your neck and jawline. Together with a formula of collagen, peptides and plant extracts, this cream promises to improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and uneven tone. It’s too early to say if it delivers, but it’s certainly lovely to use!
