make-up

What should I buy from Chanel Beauty?



Boy de Chanel beauty and make-up

A friend WhatsApped me to ask what beauty products she should get from Chanel.

This friend is well-versed in beauty so I was surprised she asked me, but actually I really do rate Chanel beauty. It manages to be of the moment, yet never bandwagon-y or too out there. Even when Lucia Pica debuted with her all-red collection, she executed it in an incredibly elegant way. And I’ve honestly never met a Chanel skincare product that didn’t agree with me. Here are the staples I recommended that I use all the time… (more…)



Business of beauty: First look at Hermès make-up



Hermes make-up launches with lipstick

First look at Hermès make-up – and it’s very covetable.

Back in March 2019, Hermès announced it would be launching beauty this year. By some sort of spooky telepathy, I happened to email the PR yesterday to check in on the launch date. It’s launching in March, she said. And that was it. Today, WSJ has a bit more news. Hermès is launching Rouge Hermès, a line of 24 refillable lipsticks, in two finishes, a satin and a matte. They will be lightly fragranced with a custom blended scent created by Hermès perfumer, Christine Nagel.

I’m loving the traditional-meets-modern vibe. On the one hand it’s a classic bullet lipstick, not an ‘ink’, oil, or liquid. On the other, it’s an eco-conscious refillable concept in the vein of La Bouche Rouge (more…)



Retail safari: inside the Glossier London pop-up (updated)



Glossier retail store design

I finally made it to the Glossier London pop-up in Covent Garden. It’s been open for seven weeks and it closes on 9th Feb* at the end of the year, but I wanted to get the Christmas crowds out of the way. And the wait was worth it. Glossier is as famous for its pop-ups as its cult-like community and influential cool-luxe aesthetic. Having started out as an e-commerce brand, it has slowly built a strategy of opening pop-ups in key markets to test our products, meet its customers and build hype around the brand.

With still only 36 products in the line, the five-year-old old brand is still small, but the appeal is huge. (more…)



There’s a Pat McGrath Star Wars lip balm about to land [upated]



Star Wars Pat Mcgrath Lip Fetish Balm in Flesh 3

How much is too much for a lip balm? These limited edition Pat McGrath Labs X Star Wars (Star Wars!) R2-D2 Lip Fetish balms* are crazy extravagant – and of course I want one badly. They land on Friday 13th December (£35) at Selfridges* and patmcgrath.com* as part of an entire collection in collaboration with the Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker film. [UPDATE: They’ve landed!] (more…)