With fresh and innovative new beauty brands landing on The Handbook beauty desk every single day, the choice of products is fast becoming overwhelming, even for us. So, we’ve done the hard work for you and filtered out the products which really are worth parting with your hard-earned cash. From fast-working exfoliators to overnight hand masks, plus skincare superstar Caroline Hirons’ first product launch, these are the products that have made our beauty editor squeal with excitement this month.
Rose Inc Micellar Makeup Remover, £19.50
This gel-cream no-rinse formula is a game-changer for removing tough smokey eyes or party makeup effortlessly. Use either alone or as a double cleanse to dissolve makeup while skin-friendly ceramides and hydrating squalane leave skin soft, plump, and ready for your next skincare step. Plus, the packaging is fully refillable. Another very considered addition to this supermodel-owned brand.
Paula’s Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum, £34
With the party season only weeks away (woohoo!), it’s important to start prepping your skin sooner rather than later to see results. If like us, your arms, legs, decolletage and back haven’t seen the light of day since your summer hols, then rush out and buy this now. This ultra-light serum with the added skin benefits of niacinamide targets patchy, uneven tone and rough, flaky texture that your regular body lotion just won’t cut.
Margaret Dabbs London Overnight Hand Mask, £30
The queen of footcare, A-list podiatrist Margaret Dabbs, has finally answered our prayers and moved her attention to hand care, with this intense hand cream that fights age spots, hydrates hands and nails and gives a powerful dose of collagen. Just smoothe all over hands, pop on a pair of gloves overnight then voila, super-soft younger-looking hands come morning. As they say, if you want to know someone’s real age, look at their hands. Use this frequently and you’ll keep them guessing.
Caroline Hirons has launched two products under her Skin Rocks brand - skincare fans should snap up the Retinoids, which promise smooth, even and radiant skin
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3INA makeup, from £12
Spain’s biggest and most well-loved colour brand, 3INA (pronounced mee-nah) has just launched in the UK exclusively in Superdrug and anyone that loves bold, multi-purpose, easy-to-use formulas needs an introduction. With a whopping 450 products, this no-rules makeup brand encourages you to play with colours and experiment with hues you may not obviously use. The brand uses a clever numbering system to make colour matching easier than ever, so you can invest in your whole look with confidence. For instance, the jet-black 900 range includes a mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick, whereas the suits-everyone dusky pink range 503 includes a lipliner, lipstick and multi-purpose stick. You simply can’t go wrong.
Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum, £90
If you’ve spent years loading your skin with products galore, or suffered from breakouts or acne, you’ve probably been left with pigmentation or even scarring and overly sensitive skin. This unique serum has been formulated specifically to give your skin a break but with all the hardworking skin ingredients. This creamy gentle formulation is free from acids and other exfoliating agents that often strip your skin or disrupt the skin barrier, but it is packed with two brightening powerhouses, that improve overall skin tone and freshen up dull winter skin. It’s that good, there were tears when this accidentally fell and smashed on our beauty editor’s bathroom floor.
First Aid Beauty Ingrown Hair Pads, £20
These single-use pads pack a punch of hardworking AHA and BHA acids that exfoliate skin to help prevent angry razor burn and painful ingrown bumps. Easy to use on bikini lines, underarm and legs, without leaving any sting or redness in their path. A year-round essential to your body care arsenal.
Skin Rocks Retinoid 1, £65
One of the skinfluencer community OGs, Caroline has been giving brutally honest opinions to her Skincare Freaks (aka followers) for well over a decade. Now she has launched her own line, starting with two retinoid products – 1, for beginners, and 2 (which is slightly pricier at £75) for those who already have retinoids in their skincare routine and are ready to increase the strength of the product they are using.
Sisley Exfoliating Enzyme Mask, £90
Exfoliation is key to a brighter, glowy, complexion, but often we skip this skincare step because of lack of time, which is why we’re arms wide open welcoming this new super-gentle exfoliator that works its magic in just one minute. Simply mix the dry powder (this texture maximises efficacy) into a rich foam using some water, apply to skin and remove 60 minutes later for incredible radiance. Admittedly an eye-watering amount of money to spend on an exfoliator but this is gold.
Hairstory Powder, £39
This unique dry shampoo/powder hybrid is like no other. It’s a translucent talc-free powder that is made of microfine vegetable and mineral particles, which is invisible to the eye, and housed in an aerosol- free bottle. Made for all hair types, it absorbs greasiness while adding volume, texture and increases the life of your up-do. Consider this your teasing brush/oil absorber/hair styler all-in-one. A Boxing Day hair essential.
MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lip Colour, £24 each
If you love a matte lip but hate the dryness it leaves behind, then stock up now on these five limited-edition shades. Highly pigmented, super-moisturising formulas in a whipped, mousse-like texture that give lips ten hours of hydration. And all housed in the most attractive packaging. Our favourite is It’s A Tie! – a flattering deep plum shade.
Glossier ‘You’ candle, £37
Santa has indeed brought us the goods this year with this brilliant candle that houses the signature and best-selling comforting scent that’s uniquely distinctive to everyone that smells it. This fresh floral candle gives off a powdery soft cosy fragrance that’s made with key notes of ambrette seeds, iris, and musk, with a vegan soy and coconut blend, and a burn time of 45 hours. Think cashmere sweaters and comforting warmth.
The products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however, The Handbook may make a small commission on some products purchased through affiliate links.
