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The Best Makeup Product Launches in 2021 in the UK

These Are the Best Makeup Launches That Launched in 2021

Nov 8 2021

As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.

Each year, beauty brands outdo themselves when it comes to makeup launches, and 2021 was no different. Even though the first half of the year (when we were still under national lockdown) didn't give us many opportunities to wear makeup (and for those of you who still wore a full face of makeup everyday to WFH, cheers to you ... seriously!), we made up for it in the latter half of 2021, with some of the new launches becoming an integral part of our makeup bags (looking at you Nars Air Matte Blush and KVD Beauty's Good Apple Foundation Balm!).

This year started off with a bang thanks to a new celebrity brand on the scene, this one courtesy of Halsey. Known for being experimental in the world of beauty, the singer-songwriter launched About-Face on 4 Jan., a range comprised of lipsticks, complexion products, eye makeup, and even beauty tools.

Over the summer, we practically squealed with joy when we found out that both Bobbi Brown's Jones Road and Mario Dedivanovic's Makeup by Mario were coming to the UK, whilst the autumn brought us gems like Lisa Eldridge's new Seamless Skin Foundation and Hermès luxurious new nail polish range (just in time for the festive season!).

Read on to get more details on the best makeup launches of 2021.

Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation

We waited almost all year for what is probably the most exciting beauty launch in the UK this year: the Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation (£44), which dropped in November at the same time as the makeup artist opened her pop-up makeup studio, House of Eldridge, in Covent Garden. Available in 40 shades, the silky formula offers buildable, medium coverage, a satin finish (so not too dewy and not too matte) and long wear — it's self setting, so depending on your skin type, you may not even need to wear powder.

Image Source: lisaeldridge.com
Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation
£44
from lisaeldridge.com
Buy Now

KVD Beauty Good Apple Skin-Perfecting Foundation Balm

It's no wonder this went viral on TikTok — we are obsessed with the KVD Beauty Good Apple Skin-Perfecting Foundation Balm (£29), which is a full coverage cream foundation that's been formulated with hydrating ingredients (like sodium hyaluronate) so that it won't look cakey or crusty on dry skin types. The best part is, the cream is so silky and (surprisingly) lightweight that it spreads over the skin like butter when you use a brush — for the past week we've been slapping it on in two minutes before our morning Zoom meetings and we haven't noticed one unsightly streak. Available in 40 shades, this is definitely a full coverage foundation — it's so pigmented it can even cover tattoos, something makeup artist Erin Parsons demonstrated on her Instagram account.

Image Source: boots.com
KVD Beauty Good Apple Skin-Perfecting Foundation Balm
£29
from boots.com
Buy Now

Monika Blunder Beauty Blunder Cover

When celebrity makeup artist Monika Blunder launched her first product in the US — a foundation/concealer cheekily named Blunder Cover — it caused a buzz in the beauty world. Luckily, when it came to the UK in June, the POPSUGAR team got to test it out, and were happy to discover that it lived up to all the hype generated across the pond.

The Monika Blunder Beauty Blunder Cover (£45) is pretty much the perfect cover-up if you prefer a "no-makeup makeup" vibe. A hybrid between a foundation and a concealer, Blunder created it because she wanted a complexion product that would be sheer enough to allow the skin's natural texture and luminosity to shine through, but pigmented and grippy enough to cover imperfections and be layered to provide more opaque coverage if necessary. Creamier than your average foundation or concealer, that creaminess is what leaves your complexion looking incredible — your skin appears hydrated and gorgeous, and not like you're wearing a stitch of makeup.

Image Source: cultbeauty.co.uk
Monika Blunder Beauty Blunder Cover
£45
from cultbeauty.co.uk
Buy Now

Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Tint

Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Tint (£35) is the newest addition to the brand's Synchro Skin range and its first tinted moisturiser launch in a while. The formula itself is pretty innovative. In addition to being made up of 70 percent skin-care ingredients, it also features something that the brand calls "ActiveForce technology", which is a proprietary complex that resists heat, humidity, oil, and motion while you wear it. This is on top of the brand's proprietary Responsive Sensory Technology (featured in all of the Synchro Skin products), which responds to your skin's condition and protects against oxidation and pollution. Those two complexes together ensure the skin tint stays looking fresh and crease-proof for up to 12 hours. Powders in the formula (including one with light-reflecting particles) also do the seemingly impossible job of keeping your skin looking glowy (but not shiny) while preventing your skin's natural oils from breaking the skin tint down. The entire POPSUGAR team tested the formula and we all agreed: it's pretty incredible.

Image Source: shiseido.co.uk
Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Tint
£35
from shiseido.co.uk
Buy Now

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Jones Beauty

Legendary makeup artist Bobbi Brown's new beauty brand, Jones Road, finally arrived in the UK in July. The range includes both cosmetics and skin care that puts an emphasis on glowing skin and the natural, no-makeup makeup look — Brown's signature. "It has always been my philosophy that makeup should enhance your natural features, not cover them up and Jones Road does just that," Brown wrote in a blog post on her website introducing the brand. The brand uses both natural and synthetic ingredients, vetting everything that goes into the products for safety and effectiveness. "Bobbi's code of clean beauty means that all Jones Road products adhere to even more stringent standards than those set by the European Union, eliminating over 2,700 potentially toxic ingredients, including parabens, phthalates, sulphates, PEGs, cyclic silicones, BPA, and EDTA," the brand explained via press release.

We can't wait to try every single Jones Road product, but we're especially interesting in giving the concealer in the range, Jones Beauty The Face Pencil (£23), a go.

Image Source: jonesroadbeauty.com
Jones Beauty The Face Pencil
£23
from jonesroadbeauty.com
Buy Now

Glowish by Huda Beauty Multidew Skin Tint

Lightweight and buildable, the Glowish by Huda Beauty Multidew Skin Tint (£27) is the first product from Huda Kattan's new range of makeup that is geared at those who prefer a more no-makeup makeup look. The Skin Tint is available in 13 shades and contains skin-care ingredients like red bell pepper extract and rose oil to help moisturiser and protect the skin. It's also incredibly long-lasting, with a 12-hour wear claim (we've found it lasts around 7 or 8, or the entire work day).

"Most tinted moisturisers are just moisturisers with pigments, and some of them do have added polymers, which is what makes them last a little bit longer," Kattan explained of the formula over Zoom. "We added a lot of polymers in Multidew, and avoided some of the ingredients that can make tinted moisturisers a little bit more fluid and interact with the staying power, things like SPF." Because of that, you should make sure to apply your sunscreen before you put on the Multidew Skin Tint (if you need some recommendations for great face sunscreens, click here), which you can either do with your fingers, or with the Glowish Airbrush Finish Brush (£27), which is sold separately.

Image Source: cultbeauty.co.uk
Glowish by Huda Beauty Multidew Skin Tint
£27
from cultbeauty.co.uk
Buy Now
Glowish Airbrush Finish Brush
£27
from cultbeauty.co.uk
Buy Now

E.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream

With ingredients like collagen, peptides, and niacinamide in the formula, the E.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream (£14) sounds more like skin care than makeup, but we're not complaining. As if that wasn't enough, it delivers natural-looking full coverage and SPF 30 protection and is available in 20 shades.

Image Source: boots.com
E.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream
£14
from boots.com
Buy Now

The Ordinary Concealer

Four years after launching the brand's hugely successful foundation, The Ordinary is back with another base product in 2021, and this time it's a concealer. The concealer promises, "high-spreadability [through its] suspension system, which offers very high, yet buildable coverage with a real skin finish." The Ordinary Concealer (£5) launches on 19 Jan, with 36 shades following the same undertone format as the foundation. The concealer is lightweight and gives an ultranatural finish that doesn't crease or sit in fine lines. In addition to the newbie, The Ordinary is launching 15 new shades into its foundation range. What's more, in keeping with the brand's affordability, the concealer is priced at just under a fiver. What a win.

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brighten & Correct Duo

Laura Mercier created the iconic Secret Camouflage in 1996, before the days of Photoshop, because she needed a product that could conceal and even out the skin in photos without looking like makeup. Twenty-five years later, in 2021, the brand has introduced a new version of Secret Camouflage, inspired by the original, that promises to be more user friendly for us non makeup artists out there (don't worry, though, the OG compact isn't going anywhere).

Like the original, the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brighten & Correct Duo (£28) includes two shades — one for brightening and one for correcting — but instead of coming in a pan, this new version is a dual-ended pen, "which makes it a lot easier for consumers to use," makeup artist Hung Vanngo said about the product in a masterclass for the brand. Not only that, but the formula is creamier and contains more moisturising ingredients so you can use it all over your face, whether you want to brighten up undereye circles, cover up spots or pigmentation, or even out any differences in texture.

Image Source: cultbeauty.co.uk
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brighten & Correct Duo
£28
from cultbeauty.co.uk
Buy Now

E.l.f. Flawless Brightening Concealer

We are seriously impressed by the E.l.f. Flawless Brightening Concealer (£5), which costs just £5 but is as creamy and blendable as some formulas with price tags nearly triple that. It's not a full-coverage concealer (it's not promising to be), but rather meant for brightening under and around the eye area, which is why the lightweight liquid formula has a healthy dose of shimmer-free luminosity to it and has a second-skin effect when it sets. Available in 12 shades, the clickable concealer pen features a brush tip that makes it easy and fast to apply under your eyes and along the sides of your nose.

Image Source: elfcosmetics.co.uk
E.l.f. Flawless Brightening Concealer
£5
from elfcosmetics.co.uk
Buy Now

Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint SPF 30

When Milk Makeup launched its Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint SPF 30 (£39) in 2016, American beauty editors went wild for the sheer, oil-based foundation that made skin not just glow, but literally radiate light. And while the handy click pen allowed the original formula to be preservative free, the brand wanted to upgrade the fan favourite product to be even cleaner, as well as more sustainable. For instance, the broad spectrum SPF 30 is coral reef-safe, the click pen is bigger but also now refillable, cutting down on 66% of plastic waste, and it comes in a paper box instead of a plastic tube. Even better? Not only did they add more shades for a total of 14 (which yes, could still include a few more, but the formula is quite sheer), but it's also available at Selfridges so you can nab it in the UK.

Image Source: selfridges.com
Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint SPF 30
£39
from selfridges.com
Buy Now

Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara

The Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara (£9) may be a new launch for 2021 (it launched in January), but our editors are already in love with the formula. It's pretty much a lash extension in a bottle.

Image Source: boots.com
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara
£9
from boots.com
Buy Now

Benefit They're Real! Magnet Mascara

Benefit Cosmetics, the brand behind a multitude of mascaras you already know and love, is responsible for the latest (and exciting!) development in the product category. The new Benefit They're Real! Magnet Mascara (£20, originally £22) features an innovative formula that boasts extreme lengthening abilities thanks to a magnetically charged core in the brush and a magnetic mineral-enriched formula (hence the name). Basically, the magnetic brush attracts and pulls the magnetic formula up the length of your eyelashes and then extends it past your natural lash to make them longer. The core in the brush is also good for picking up the perfect amount of product, which keeps your lashes from getting clumpy and weighed down with excess formula, while the zig-zagged bristles evenly distribute the jet-black pigment onto your lashes. Want to know more? Read our full review of the new mascara here.

Image Source: qvcuk.com
Benefit They're Real! Magnet Mascara
£20
from qvcuk.com
Buy Now

Huda Beauty #BomBrows Microshade Brow Pencil

Huda Kattan may have gorgeous eyebrows, but it's only in 2021 — years after she launched her best-selling makeup brand — that she's given us a product that can help us achieve our own brow goals. The Huda Beauty #BomBrows Microshade Brow Pencil (£15) is Kattan's first ever brow product and, to no surprise, she's found a way to make a brow pencil feel new and unique. Available in eight shades (Warm Blonde, Neutral Blonde, Caramel Blonde, Light Brown, Medium Brown, Rich Brown, Black Brown, Soft Black), #BomBrows features the finest tip possible for a brow pencil at 0.9mm, which means you get incredible precision, whilst the formula itself promises to be smudge-proof, waterproof, and fade-proof for 24 hours.

"When the team & I started this journey, it was so important to me that our first ever brow product would let you create any brow shape or style you wanted," Kattan shared on Instagram after debuting the new product. "So the team & I made the THINNEST tip possible for a brow pencil (0.9mm) - literally as thin as a pin - that gives the most realistic, hair-like strokes for you to fill, style and OWN YOUR #BOMBBROWS."

Image Source: popsugar.co.uk
Huda Beauty #BomBrows Microshade Brow Pencil
£15
from popsugar.co.uk
Buy Now

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze

When the queen of brows launches a new brow product, it's time to get very excited. In January, Anastasia Soare introduces Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze (£24), a clear brow wax that is meant to mimic soap brows, minus the bar of soap.

When opening up the jar it's a bit shocking. You may not be able to tell in the photo but that the a wax is crystal clear. So clear, in fact, that you can make out every word on the label on the bottom of the packaging. This is a good thing because it doesn't add colour to your brows, it just lifts, sculpts, and holds every hair in place, allowing you to create either a feathered look, or simply slick your brow hairs down. It also doesn't disturb any makeup underneath it, which means you can fill in your brows with a pencil or powder before and it will stay put.

It's also very easy to use: You'll need a spoolie brush to use it, and then all you do is dip the wand into the wax, pick up a little pit, warm it up on the back of your hand (or the cap), and then brush it through your brows and you're good to go.

Image Source: beautybay.com
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze
£24
from beautybay.com
Buy Now

Makeup by Mario Master Metallics Eyeshadow Palette

Back in 2020, makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic known for his long-term working relationship with Kim Kardashian and many other high-profile celebrities, as well as his legacy as a top educator, launched his own makeup brand after fans practically begged him to. He chose the date as a way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his venture into beauty as a makeup artist at Sephora, whilst the brand itself encapsulates the artistry and signature style that he's become renowned for. "Everything in the brand is inspired by my techniques and by the style that I've worked on over the years," Dedivanovic said.

A year later, the brand has finally made its way across the pond courtesy Cult Beauty. Not all 21 products are going to be available right away, however, although one of the first things you can nab is the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette (£41) , which is not only a favourite of nearly every professional makeup artist who can get their hands on it, but also Dedivanovic himself. "It's inspired by human skin tones and is very universal," he explained. His inspiration comes from his very specific eye makeup technique, which he's perfected over the years. "When I do makeup on the eyes, I tend to use complexion products like concealers and foundations, and also deeper tones to smoke the eyes first almost like a primer, then I go in with shadows. So, I've created my eyeshadow palettes based off that technique," he added.

Image Source: cultbeauty.co.uk
Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette
£41
from cultbeauty.co.uk
Buy Now

Spectrum x Katie Jane Hughes The Brush Set

The Spectrum x Katie Jane Hughes The Brush Set (£160) was quite possibly the most anticipated beauty launch of the year, so it's no surprise that the comprehensive makeup brush set sold out in just two hours when it went on sale on 26 Feb. But don't worry; according to to the brand's website, another drop is coming soon. And that's good news for whoever didn't nab one the first time, because this set is worth every single bit of the hype. It contains 25 cruelty-free brushes housed in a travel case that, when opened up, becomes two brush holders that you can place on your vanity. It also comes with a microfibre towel, which you can use to wipe off your brushes as you're doing your makeup to remove pigment from the bristles without having to wash them entirely (one of KJH's great hacks).

"It is absolutely a makeup-artist-worthy brush kit in my opinion, as a working makeup artist, but I also wanted it to be something that if you're not a makeup artist and you just want to have a beautiful brush set, it's absolutely sufficient and fits that bill as well," Hughes said of the set during an Instagram Live.

Image Source: spectrumcollections.com
Spectrum x Katie Jane Hughes The Brush Set
£160
from spectrumcollections.com
Buy Now

Hourglass Cosmetics Curator Custom Palette

We're incredibly excited over this next 2021 launch, which allows you to customise your own eyeshadow palette to ensure no pan goes untouched. The Hourglass Cosmetics Curator Custom Palette (£38-£156) gives you the option of creating either a 3-pan or a 5-pan shadow palette, choosing from a range of 40 newly formulated press powder shades that come in four different finishes — matte, satin, metallic, and shimmer (you can also purchase an individual shadow if you find a colour you really love). The palettes themselves are made from tin and postconsumer recycled (PCR) plastic, whilst the individual shadow pans are made from fully recyclable aluminium. And like the rest of Hourglass's products, the powders are vegan and cruelty-free.

Image Source: hourglasscosmetics.co.uk
Hourglass Cosmetics Curator Custom Palette
£38
from hourglasscosmetics.co.uk
Buy Now

Byredo Prismic Eyeshadow Palette

Full of bold colour, the limited-edition Byredo Prismic Eyeshadow Palette doesn't feature any "safe" or neutral shades, and that's exactly why we're in love with it. Like a painter's palette, the 18-pan kit is full of in-your-face shades in a variety of finishes, including mattes, metallics, and multidimensional shimmers. And sure, many of us aren't eager to whip out yellow and purple eye shadows whilst working from home, but you'll be happy to have this palette on hand once things open up and you're in the mood to play with makeup once again.

By Joy Adenuga Eye Brushes

Makeup artist Joy Adenuga is the genius behind some of the POPSGAR team's favourite makeup brushes, like her Hey Guys Foundation Brush 002 and Big Mama Large Powder Brush 001. Well, in July, Adenuga answered our beauty prayers and is expanding with a range of eye brushes, which will be available to purchase on her website from 28 July. There will be five new brushes — 006 Liner/Brow, 007 Smudger, 008 Blender, 009 Shadow pPacer, and 010 Shadow Placer — which will be sold separately as well as in a set for £50.

Halsey's About-Face Makeup Line

Rumours of a Halsey beauty brand started flying at the start of the new year when the singer tagged @aboutfacebeauty in her recent Instagram posts without any further explanation. Then, on 4 Jan, the singer surprised us all by not only announcing the existence of her brand, but that it was now officially available for preorder (orders begin shipping on 25 Jan). The news gets even better: the brand ships to the UK.

About-Face is a fairly comprehensive makeup line with two types of highlighter, two types of eye makeup, matte liquid lipstick, a lip liner, lip gloss, liquid eye shadow, and a whole range of tools. And whilst we can't wait to try the whole lot, we especially have our eyes set on the About-Face Shadowstick ($21, approximately £16, minus shipping fees), shown here, which is a long-lasting cream shadow stick that comes in two finishes (matte and pearly) and eight vibrant shades that were made for playing around and having fun.

Image Source: aboutface.com
About-Face Shadowstick
$21
from aboutface.com
Buy Now

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots

In April, MAC expanded the number of shades of its MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots (£17.50), a formula loved by professional makeup artists for its versatility. Originally only in three neutral tones, the cream-to-powder eye shadow is now available in 24 colours that range from basics like black and white to shimmers and holographic shades, as well as some fun '70s-inspired matte hues like robin's egg blue and soft peach.

Image Source: maccosmetics.co.uk
MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots
£17.50
from maccosmetics.co.uk
Buy Now

Victoria Beckham Beauty Beauty Matte Bronzing Brick

Housed in Victoria Beckham's signature brass, tortoise-shell compact, the Victoria Beckham Beauty Beauty Matte Bronzing Brick (£52) is incredibly chic (and refillable). But this powder bronzer is more than just a pretty package. The POPSUGAR editors tried the formula before it launched and are in love with the formula, due to the silky texture and high pigment payoff, all whilst being extremely blendable (which means it's easy to avoid harsh streaks or splotches). We also love the shade range. There are six shades, but each one contains two different colours of pressed powder. They include: 01 (a light-amber duo for fair to light skin tones), 02 (a golden-tan duo for light to medium skin tones), 03 (a golden-brown duo for medium skin tones.), 04 (a golden-brown duo for dark to deep skin tones), and 05 (a deep-amber duo for deep to rich skin tones) — with each containing a lighter and darker hue. All of the POPSUGAR editors who tried the bronzer found that, thanks to the colour payoff, the shades were a perfect match for their skin tone.

Image Source: victoriabeckhambeauty.com
Victoria Beckham Beauty Beauty Matte Bronzing Brick
£52
from victoriabeckhambeauty.com
Buy Now

Glossier Solar Paint

Glossier truly has nailed it when it comes to base products. Cloudpaint, Stretch Concealer, and Futuredew have all become firm favourites, but there was always one product that us (and fans around the world) wanted next from the brand — a bronzer, and that time has finally come. In July, the brand introduced Glossier Solar Paint (£17), which in typical Glossier fashion, isn't like many bronzers we've tried before. Available in four shimmery shades, the formula is a silky gel-crème that dries down to a matte consistency with a luminous shimmer. The formula is pigmented enough to get that obvious warmth to your skin, but not too much that it's overpowering. It also has enough slip to blend before drying down, adding to its ease of use. You can read our team's full review of the bronzer here

Image Source: glossier.com
Glossier Solar Paint
£17
from glossier.com
Buy Now

Hermès Beauty Silky Blush

The Rose Hermès collection launched in May 2021 and included eight pretty shades of powder blush, including the Hermès Beauty Silky Blush in Rose Pomette (£63), shown here, which is a gorgeous, cool-toned medium pink that promises to perk up your complexion in one sweep.

Image Source: hermes.com
Hermès Beauty Silky Blush in Rose Pomette
£63
from hermes.com
Buy Now

Nars Air Matte Blush

Available in 8 shades, the new Nars Air Matte Blush (£26) is a sheer, matte cream blush with an innovative mousse texture. Inspired by the brand's Air Matte Lip Colour, the blushers offer the same soft-focus, diffused finish on your cheeks for a flush that looks like it's coming from within, versus caked on by makeup. Read our review of the range, as well as see how the shades look on different skin tones, here.

Image Source: cultbeauty.co.uk
Nars Air Matte Blush
£26
from cultbeauty.co.uk
Buy Now

Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Bronzer

The standout product in ABH's summer collection is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Bronzer (£32), which is available in seven shades — from Sun Kissed (for fair to light skin tones) to Cool Brown (for very complexions) to ensure that the range is inclusive of as many skin tones as possible. The creamy, lightweight formula gives skin a natural-looking sun-kissed effect, but can also double as a contouring product.

Image Source: anastasiabeverlyhills.com
Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Bronzer
£32
from anastasiabeverlyhills.com
Buy Now

Hourglass Vanish Blush Stick

Housed in this incredibly chic tube is the new Hourglass Vanish Blush Stick (£45), a cream-to-powder blush formula that has a soft, diffused finish. The pigment is buildable, which means you can layer it from a light stain to a full on flush, and is available in six shades: Adore (berry), Devoted (dusty rose), Loyal (a rosy mauve), Revel (warm-toned red), Scared (coral), and Wonder (soft peach, which is shown here).

Image Source: cultbeauty.co.uk
Hourglass Vanish Blush Stick
£45
from cultbeauty.co.uk
Buy Now

Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Drama Ink

The Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Drama Ink (£27.50) formula is quite possibly the thinnest liquid lipstick we've ever tried. But don't mistake thin for lack of quality. The lipstick, which is a water-in-oil emulsion with a semi-matte finish, packs tons of pigment so you get just as much opacity and coverage as any other liquid lipstick; the only difference is Rouge Drama Ink feels completely weightless, to the point that you forget it's even on your lips. Available in 15 shades all in a red, pink, and neutral palette.

Image Source: boots.com
Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Drama Ink
£27.50
from boots.com
Buy Now

Bobbi Brown Crushed Shine Jelly Stick

For those makeup fans who aren't feeling a full-pigmented lipstick right now, may we suggest the new Bobbi Brown Crushed Shine Jelly Stick (£25), which launches 7 Jan. We're obsessed with this limited-edition lip colour, not only because the dome-shaped bullet looks adorable, but also for how quickly and easily it perks up our lips — you can basically swipe one on without a mirror and it looks perfect. The formula is almost like a tinted balm, although with a bit more pigment and not as moisturising. That's not to say it isn't hydrating — it certainly is, they're just not as thick and slippery as a balm, which ultimately means the colours wear longer. Available in six mood-boosting shades (shown here in Cranberry), we're keeping a tube on our at-home desks from now on for when unexpected video chats get popped on our diary.

Image Source: bobbibrown.co.uk
Bobbi Brown Crushed Shine Jelly Stick
£25
from bobbibrown.co.uk
Buy Now

Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick in Girl on Fire and Queen of Sheba

In July, Huda Beauty launched two extra-special shades of its Liquid Matte Lipstick. Pre-COVID, founder Huda Kattan flew two of her UK beauty advisers — one from Harrods, the other from Selfridges — to the brand's headquarters in Dubai, where they were each able to collaborate on a limited-edition colour for their respective store. The result: Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick in Girl on Fire (£18), which is a medium red with pink undertones that is available exclusively at Selfridges, and Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick in Queen of Sheba (£18), a cool-toned pinky nude that is available exclusively at Harrods.

Image Source: selfridges.com
Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick in Girl on Fire
£18
from selfridges.com
Buy Now
Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick in Queen of Sheba
£18
from harrods.com
Buy Now

Christian Dior Rouge Dior Couture Finishes Lipstick

Dior decided to give its iconic lipstick formula a bit of a makeover in 2021 , simultaneously improving the formula and making the product a touch more sustainable. Echoing the very first lipstick created by Christian Dior, the Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick (£32) cases are now refillable, and feature an updated design. The formula now includes floral extracts to help not only improve wear, texture, and pigmentation of the lipstick, but also make sure it's kind to your lips underneath. And finally, Peter Philips — creative and image director of Christian Dior Makeup — gave the shade range a zhuzh. In addition to creating two new fabric-inspired textures, adding velvet (which is ultra-matte) and metallic to the two existing textures of matte and satin; he also readjusted the shade range: tweaking colours, adding colours, and rendering classic colours — like the iconic Rouge 999 — in different finishes.

Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom Lipstick

Another major lip launch from the iconic French fashion house, the Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom Lipstick is a luxurious formula with the pigment, shape, and wear time of a lipstick (eight hours, the brand promises) but with the high shine of a lip gloss and the hydration of a tinted balm — all packaged in a chic black tube featuring the brand's iconic interlocking Cs. Available in 20 shades, Rouge Coco Bloom launches 1 April, and we couldn't be more excited to swipe on colours like Vitalité (a vibrant cherry colour), Radiant (a medium rose tone), and Surprise (a ripe berry hue) as we head outdoors and start to see friends again — finally ditching our sweatpants for swingy dresses and summery sandals.

Image Source: Chanel

Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss

It's a lipstick! It's a lip balm! It's Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss! We're obsessed with this new lip formula because it feels like a lip balm, offers the shine of a lip gloss, and has the pigment of a lipstick — no really, it's fully opaque on first swipe. Incredibly hydrating and comfortable to wear, we envision we'll have a tube of Happikiss in our purse wherever we go — you know, whenever we can go out again. Available in 10 shades (including the classic Pillow Talk), we only hope she adds more vibrant hues in the future.

Disney Cruella Collection by MAC

To celebrate the release of the live-action film Cruella, which hit theatres on 28 May, MAC teamed up on a makeup collection inspired by the iconic 101 Dalmatians villain. There are so many amazing pieces in the range, but the one we'll be investing in is the the MAC Matte Lipstick in De Vil in the Details (£17.50), inspired by Cruella's signature lip shade (which matches her gloves and lining of her coat, of course).

Image Source: maccosmetics.co.uk
MAC Matte Lipstick in De Vil in the Details
£17.50
from maccosmetics.co.uk
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Glossier Ultralip

Glossier Ultralip (£14) is the brand's first lipstick launch since it introduced the Generation G formula back in 2016. Available in nine shades (all of which you can see here), Ultralip is a hybrid formula that boasts the hydrating capabilities of a balm, the sheen of a gloss, and the buildable colour of a lip tint, taking the pigment from sheer to saturated the more you layer it on.

Image Source: glossier.com
Glossier Ultralip
£14
from glossier.com
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Carolina Herrera Velvet Lip Liquid Lipstick

Available in 20 shades and two luxurious finishes, the Carolina Herrera Velvet Lip Liquid Lipstick (£21) is painfully chic, yet incredibly comfortable to wear — formulated with a non-stick emollient oil that keeps it from drying out your lips. Super long-lasting and incredibly pigmented, "with the new Lip Liquids, you're getting the most extreme colour punch Herrera Beauty has seen yet, in two stand-out textures: a mirror gloss Vinyl and a powdery, intensely matte Velvet," Lauren Parsons, Herrera Beauty global makeup consultant, said via press release. To top it off, quite literally, you can accessorise your lipstick with one of the three Animal Caps (£9) — either a lion, a turtle, or a beetle, depending on your preference or mood.

Image Source: harrods.com
Carolina Herrera Velvet Lip Liquid Lipstick
£21
from harrods.com
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Animal Caps
£9
from harrods.com
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Hermès Les Main Hermès

In October, Hermès dropped its most exciting beauty launch of the year: Hermès Les Main Hermès, a range of nail polishes and nail care products all with the same luxury and craftsmanship as the brand's iconic accessories. The Nail Enamels, which are named after professional technique that the brand uses for its colourful bangles (and requires years of training to learn), come in 24 sumptuous and sophisticated shades including Hermès Nail Enamel in Orange Boîte (£42), a vibrant orange lacquer that is the same colour as the brand's signature boxes. Also included in the collection is a hand cream, cuticle oil, topcoat and basecoat, and the chicest nail files we've ever seen.

Image Source: hermes.com
Hermès Nail Enamel in Orange Boîte
£42
from hermes.com
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Lottie London Freckle Tint in Deep

Lottie London launched its faux freckle pen in 2019 and it became an instant best-seller. In April 2021, the brand finally introduced a darker shade of the pen — the Lottie London Freckle Tint in Deep (£7) — that allows people with deeper complexions experience the product.

Image Source: lottie.london
Lottie London Freckle Tint in Deep
£7
from lottie.london
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