Director’s Cut: SS19 Beauty Checklist

The beauty calendar can oftentimes be predictable: there are candles and limited editions for the holiday season or big fragrance launches around March or September, while major product updates tend to happen in tandem with new-season fashion hitting the shops in February and August. But, unlike fashion, new make-up and haircare offerings lie beyond trends. Led by consumer insights and fast-moving product development, launches are as unpredictable as they are thrilling, with brands reacting to what is exciting now. So, rather than a new-season trend report, we present a new-season product report – the essentials that will bring you up to speed with the vanguard of beauty.

First up, a special mention for lip powders – the lip colour category’s chosen application texture of late. Laura Mercier’s Lip Palette is ideal to keep on the dressing table, while Chanel’s Liquid Powder tube is better for powdering on the go. Both give light, non-drying, long-lasting colour that won’t smudge or crease like their liquid counterparts.

For something more subtle, lip balms get a luxe makeover: Givenchy’s Baume à Lèvres is the ideal sheer texture, while Dior revamps its iconic Lip Glow with six new shades, each with different lip-care benefits, and Glossier’s cult lip tint Generation G has been reformulated to be even more nourishing.

If you’re looking for a new mascara to toy with, Shiseido Controlled Chaos Mascara Ink is a beauty department favourite, with a brush that has one side of flat bristles, the other a concave wave for building graphic lashes. And Maybelline’s Snapscara is a close runner-up with a thick curved wand that gives a dramatic fanned-out effect.

Next, foundations. The common thread among the many good new arrivals is choice of finish. Hourglass has launched a liquid version of its Vanish Foundation Stick to much fanfare – choose the stick for high coverage, the liquid for buildable layers. Guerlain L’Essentiel Foundation comes with an innovative brush that can buff the formula into a matt or radiant finish. Then, customise your foundation with some drops – the industry’s current preferred method to add radiance. Rodial and Tom Ford should be your go-tos here.

And let’s not forget hair, where the focus is on targeted finishers and shine enhancers that don’t weigh down styles. L’Oréal Professionnel’s technical styling range Tecni.Art launches Ring Light, the finest mist of a gloss spray you will ever encounter, while Percy & Reed’s Finishing Polish is for more fixed high-shine styles. For coarser hair types, look no further than Charlotte Mensah’s Finishing Mist, which is infused with the brand’s signature African manketti oil and is like a glossy top coat for textured hair. Happy shopping.