Beauty

The beauty object: Estee Lauder Disney Collection



Estee Lauder Disney compact

I just wrote my first piece for Stylist, discussing the allure of aesthetically pleasing beauty and personal care objects that appeal to all our senses. One thing I wasn’t able to mention there was the new Estee Lauder X Disney Collection collaboration that launches on Monday.

Fun fact: I’m a big Mickey Mouse fan, thanks to the Americana craze that dominated the 80s when I was a teen. (more…)



Face Values: creativity and intuition with the artist Shira Barzilay



Shira Barzilay Koketit

We really lucked out getting the artist Shira Barzilay (aka Koketit) to create special artworks to illustrate my beauty book, Face Values. Her linear ‘doodle poetry’ added a beautiful gentle dimension to the text-heavy sections and she interpreted our themes spontaneously, just letting her imagination lead. I was so impressed and enthralled with her work and – as always – keen to know how the magic happens. So, I’m very glad she indulged me with this Q&A. Do check out her work on IG if you don’t know it already @koketit and enjoy learning more about her creative process and artistic intuition below… (more…)



Introducing my new beauty book: Face Values



Face Values - The New Beauty Rituals and Skincare Secrets Book by Navaz Batliwalla

It’s book publication day tomorrow! My second book, Face Values: The New Beauty Rituals and Skincare Secrets is a departure from fashion, diving into the world of beauty and skin care rituals, and the identity stories that accompany them.

Without giving too much away, this is a really celebratory book, that I hope draws you into the lives (and beauty cabinets!) of some truly inspiring people. I have interviewed fragrance experts, skin care founders, therapists, make-up artists and pioneering retailers, as well as beauty trailblazers whose style and taste are both relatable and aspirational. (more…)



YSL Nu is the latest in the line of anti-flawless make-up ranges for Gen Z (but Gen X might enjoy it too)



YSL Nu make-up line for Gen Z

YSL Nu*, the new make-up-meets-skincare hybrid from YSL Beauty is one of the best (dare I say ‘authentic’) iterations of the current ‘real skin’ beauty ranges I’ve seen yet. While the photography adheres to the ‘Glossier’ playbook (think extreme close-ups, racially diverse casting, un-perfect skin) it’s also clearly unretouched and the lighting is fairly unforgiving. Yet the images are striking and the cast cool enough to make this a compelling sell.

According to Hypebae, these five items were created with Gen Z for Gen Z. (more…)