14 new beauty products I've DMed to friends this week
Also the predictably stale return of the Victoria's Secret show, and what's worth buying in the Sephora sale
ICYMI we now have a subscriber chat! I’ve been fielding a lot of requests for reviews on specific products, recommendations for different treatments and just general beauty advice, so this is where you can start threads, post all your questions for the group or just lurk the legwork of others.
Wanna know how to get your hands on a Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Australia? If anyone’s successfully duped the Kérastase Elixir Ultime hair oil? Or perhaps you’re wondering whether skincare brands claiming bakuchiol is a natural alternative to vitamin A are completely full of sh*t? This is the place to ask, share and revel in the intel.
I’ll also be regularly dropping news of big beauty sales, share exclusive subscriber-only discount codes, and run some really fkn good giveaways. So, if you’re down for all that, get on the Substack app or web and have at it.
I’m a particularly difficult sell when it comes to beauty. Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me – it’s true! Sure, I’m exposed to more product launches than the average person, but this profession has actually served to desensitise me to a lot of the hype.
I’m lucky enough to try scores of makeup, skincare, haircare, bodycare and fragrance, but it takes a lot for something to hold my attention – and even more for it to transcend my ‘trial tray’ and land a permanent spot in my routine.
So when I actually recommend something to my friends, they take it v. seriously. It might seem like I’m fairly liberal with my recs (particularly if we’re friends on TikTok) but in reality, they’ve just really racked up over the last decade.
Scroll on for a bunch of my new obsessions, that’ve successfully made it off my desk and into DMs with friends.
1. SumaNurica Purifying Enzyme Cleansing Balm, $109 at Myer
I do enjoy a cleansing balm, but I’m not really fanatical about all that many. They just do their job or they don’t, y’know? Except for this one, which is so lush to use. It’s really light where a lot of balms are hard work, as it gently liquifies upon contact with the skin to dissolve all traces of makeup. I also like that it can be rinsed, rather than removed with a muslin cloth.
2. Kosas Blush is Life Baked Dimensional and Brightening Blush, $48 at MECCA
Cream blush has more than had its moment, but this new formula reminded me why I’ll always be a powder girl at heart – it lasts! This ultra-fine, non-cakey blush cancels all negative connotations about powder; it’s natural, it’s blendable, it’s lifting and luminous. I have the shade Swoon, which is a pinky-mauve.
3. Maison Francis Kurkdjian APOM Eau de Parfum, $333 at MECCA
A few letters ago, you may recall that I attended a redeemable fragrance service at MECCA, The Fragrance Lounge.
Anyway, it was here I first experienced the new MFK scent, APOM (short for A Part Of Me), and I’ve been obsessed ever since. It’s an upscale, elegant amber with notes of lavender, orange blossom and vanilla with white musk and ylang-ylang. I know it sounds like a chaotic mix, but spritz it on the skin and tell me it isn’t stunning.
4. MERIT Beauty The Dress Code Set (Limited Edition), $94 at MERIT
We know I love the MERIT lipsticks, but this new set of limited edition shades? Chef’s kiss. I’ve only pictured one here, but it’s actually a set of three lip colours in exclusive shades – there’s a matte (Black Tie, a deep burgundy), a satin (Bespoke, a medium pink-brown) and my fave, the exclusive ultra-plush Signature Lip Blush finish (Du Jour, a soft mauve). You’re also saving $28 by getting them in the set.
5. Heartwood King of Woods Indian Sandalwood Hand + Body Wash, $65 at Heartwood
I love Heartwood’s Indian Sandalwood collection, particularly their candle but mostly their hand and body wash. The scent is so day-spa-coded (because yeah, they do have one of those) and for a rinse-off, it really, really lasts on the skin – like, I can smell it as I type this and it’s been hours. Also it’s 500 mls, which is always appreciated.
6. Maybelline Super Stay Teddy Tint Long Lasting Matte Lip Tint, $15.99 at Chemist Warehouse
I cannot fault this lip product, except perhaps for its name – it is not a tint, lol. Well I suppose it is, in that the formula is really soft and lightweight, but as it’s part of the Super Stay family, it is extremely durable. It will not come off, from the minute you put it on until the moment your cleanser manages to melt it off. I love the shade Keep It Cozy, a warm brown hue that even my boyfriend complimented me on (and it’s like, do you know how good things have to be for the men to notice?).
7. Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara, $48 at Charlotte Tilbury
The last Charlotte Tilbury mascara I tried didn’t fare so well with my oily lids, but this gives me exactly what I’m asking it for: lifted, separated, OTT lashes with no transfer. If you prefer a more natural lash effect, it might not be for you but it’s perfect for those with a penchant for ocular theatrics.
8. Tatcha The Kissu Lip Treatment, $66 at MECCA
This one is billed as a lip serum for ‘volume, colour and definition’, but I can’t say I agree on all counts. The colour pay-off is minimal, but the pout plumping is maximal, so I’ll allow it. Like, wow. The applicator has a tiny cushion on it, which somehow gets into the contours and transfers a similarly pillowy effect to the lips. It’s not sticky, very moisturising and I’m willing to bet big that it’ll soon be a cult hit for the brand.
9. D.S. & Durga Big Sur Eucalyptus EDP, $349 at MECCA
The brand’s best-selling Big Sur After Rain candle gets a spicy green upgrade, which had me fixating on the fragrance for hours after it settled on my wrist. The remixed scent comes from coastal Californian eucalyptus groves, but I like to think we can claim it as an ode (oud?) to Australia.
10. kit: Cold Therapy Facial Treatment, $42 at MECCA
An in-house MECCA brand that happens to be one of my absolute favourites, you can bet I put this on my skin the minute it arrived. It has a cooling effect that ‘recreates the sensation of an ice bath to soothe stressed-out skin’, and I can confirm it’s not just a novelty. I road-tested it on my boyfriend’s sensitive skin too, and he thoroughly appreciated the centella asiatica, mushroom blend and squalane (all of which I deduced from his grunt of approval).
11. Glossier Creme de You, $75 at MECCA
It’s sold out, I know – of course it is. You should definitely click ‘Notify’ for a re-stock though, because this is seriously special. It’s a body butter, but it’s not too thick and it dries really quickly, which is ideal if you’re as impatient as I am. It has the classic ‘You’ scent, but the top note of pink pepper reads much stronger to me than the original. I’ve been layering it with the fragrance and the perfume solid for top-ups.
12. ODESSE Cedar Street Solid Perfume, $39.95 (refill only) at ODESSE
Speaking of perfume solids, how unbelievably chic are they? I love them for their spill-proof packaging, which works well for a handbag, and their sustainable, refillable format. ODESSE is a Melbourne fragrance house, and their signature solid perfumes are infinitely recyclable. This Cedar Street scent is note-perfect for the warmer seasons, and with shea butter, joboba oil and vitamin E, it’s lovely and soft on pulse points.
13. Lanolips 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Banana Cream Pie, $14.95 at Lanolips
Banana is my favourite flavour – just ask my former dark master, the iGet Banana Ice vape – but I’ve found a healthier, less embarrassing oral fixation in this new ultra-nourishing balm. There are a lot of lip balms out there, but I always have a few of the 101s on hand to sort any skin situation.
14. By Terry Tea To Tan Sun Powder, $115 at MECCA
See? I’m really into powder makeup right now. I use a big fluffy brush to swirl this radiant bronzer all over to make my skin look instantly more alive. Like everything By Terry, it’s the luxe touches that set it apart – there’s a soft scent, a super-silky texture and a heap of skincare ingredients like black tea, cranberry and natural shea, as well as silica microspheres that soak up excess oil. It’s makeup on another level, as per (and price tag).
On that note, I’m also aware that quiiiite a few of these are on the exxier side, so if you’re on a budget but still want a little treat, do check out my video with Soph below for some of our Chemist Warehouse ride-or-dies.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
I know a Sephora sale hate to see us coming
The beauty retailer’s store-wide 20% off sale begins at 10pm, and right on cue, I went in and stocked up on all my MVPs… last week.
Anyway, if you’re after a few considerations for your sale cart, I added a few recs to our very first subscriber chat and there’s a bunch more linked here.
So, what’s everyone getting? (‘Nothing’ is also a very valid answer).
The Victoria’s Secret show returned
And I just… didn’t care. I really, truly tried to get into it – all my friends in media were prepping traffic-driving coverage, like it was 2017 again – but I simply couldn’t summon any interest.
It was a moment of note, to be sure. The VS Show had been on hiatus for six years, after people began to question the validity of a lingerie show that deified astonishingly unattainable bodies and ‘dude hot’ beauty tropes.
In its absence, we learned a lot more about the extremely cursed company behind it – namely the lecherous men who peddled these impossible beauty standards to generations of women, amid a series of disturbing allegations.
So when its comeback was announced, my first thought was, ‘who is actually asking for this?’ Despite recent attempts at a rebrand, the legacy of Victoria’s Secret had seemingly been tarnished beyond repair; a once-glitzy spectacle now recalled through a sleazier lens.
The very concept itself – even with the promise of greater body, age and beauty diversity – remained outdated to me. Such tokenistic casting shifts were visible in images from today’s show, but most were also interchangeable between the old era and this ‘new’ one.
I didn’t feel a sense of nostalgia, for better or worse, when I watched a few clips. I felt bored. I don’t really have a take. I just don’t care, lol… is it just me?
See you next week!
KL x
Love this list. Must try this cooling mask!
You are the reason I’m suddenly so obsessed with kit! I feel like a moron for initially dismissing it