Five New Beauty Launches: A Closer Look

Last week I tried out five new beauty launches; ranging from palettes to eyeliner stamps (yep – things got messy) and among them were some absolute gems, along with some complete duds. It’s a mixed bag and if you’d like to see everything in action then scroll down to the bottom of this post to watch the almost 30 minute long video. What’s it with me and ridiculously long videos lately? It’s detailed – that’s for sure!

If words are more your bag then I’ve popped some brief reviews below along with some swatches and pictures so you can see everything closer up and true to colour. I actually really enjoyed putting this one together as there were some really novel items in the line-up and some things that I would have never pushed myself to try if I hadn’t forced myself to do it on camera. I even ended up quite liking the aforementioned eyeliner stamp – speaking of which…

THE VAMP STAMP ‘VAVAVOOM STAMP’: I’ve seen this in action on Facebook and Instagram and I have to say that I didn’t really think this one would be for me. However, it actually does work – it just takes a while to get the hang of it (a.k.a – make sure you have some baby wipes on hand). If you’re an eyeliner noob like me, then this might be worth looking into. Sure, it means you have to apply it and remove it a million and one times to get them even, but at least when you have them positioned correctly they look crisp and precise (and let me tell you – my eyeliner never looks like that!). My only niggle is that the sizing is rather huge for my hooded lids, so if they released a smaller one in the future then I’d be all over it.

CHANEL LES BEIGES HEALTHY GLOW GEL TOUCH FOUNDATION: This base is the definition of dewy. In fact dewy doesn’t even cover it – this stuff is in a whole league of it’s own! Think extremely glossy base in a cushion format, with light coverage that’s great if you’re having an alright skin day or lack any level of hydration in your skin. The formula once on your skin makes it look like you’ve been keeping up with your eight hours of sleep a night and your eight glasses of water a day, as it does exactly what it says on the tin. The only issue here is the price. Despite me loving the finish, it’s a real whack to the wallet and I feel like there’s better out there on the market with a much more reasonable price tag.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY INSANT LOOK IN A PALETTE: There are three new palettes on the block from Charlotte Tilbury and this one – Beauty Glow – is the warmest and most summer suitable one from the line. It features three eyeshadows, two cheek colours, one bronzer and one highlighter – although on my fairer skintone, one of the blush colours definitely works better as an eyeshadow (it’s a stunning copper and actually one of my favourite colours out of the palette). It’s a multi-functional little compact and despite me being a bit underwhelmed when I first used it, it actually ended up being on my favourite things that I tested out. The eyeshadows blended well and worked nicely together and I did feel like the end result was a bronze-y look that I’d easily get a tonne of wear out of over the warmer months. A great one for travel and a good one to pick up if you’ve been eyeing it up since it’s release.

LANCÔME MATTE SHAKER: I asked in a previous video what lip product you lot wanted to see put to the test and these came back as the runaway winner. I can see why as they’re the perfect antidote to the matte lip trend in that instead of a thick and crusty liquid lipstick formula, these promise a matte finish but in a medium that doesn’t make your lips look like a cat’s behind. They definitely succeed in that and leave a shine-free stain on the lips, that’s comfortable and that hangs around for a decent length of time (although it does need re-applying, especially after food consumption). I gave the shades Vintage Beige and Energy Peach a go and although I liked both, I’d like to see some nude colours added to the collection and then I’d be all over them.

OAUI DRY SHAMPOO FOAM: Out of all the things that I tested out in this video, I have to say that (SPOILER ALERT!), this was the thing that I was most excited to try, but most disappointed with. Whilst it’s a novel idea, I just don’t feel like a dry shampoo formula is best delivered in a damp medium – I’m pro-spray. It was fun to use and reminded me of slicking back my ponytails with mousse in the ’90’s, but it was  also messy and time-consuming. On the plus side it did smell fresh and perfume my hair for the next 12 hours with a much nicer whiff that what it had previously, but it just didn’t tackle my greasy (4 day – ewwww!) roots as good as a can of the stuff does. I’ll be sticking to the old school and much cheaper formulas, for now.

Photos by Lauren Shipley

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