While I test every single beauty product that lands on my desk, very few actually make it to this column. That’s because I have some pretty exacting standards for what I recommend spending your hard earned money upon.
To be featured here, a product should be truly game changing and actually add something to your beauty routine. It shouldn’t just be a repeat of everything else in the market. For example, while I love Summer Friday’s new Overtime Mask, exfoliators are dime-a-dozen on beauty shelves. And while Fenty really bowled us over with the Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored, I don’t find any of the new iterations pushing the envelope in terms of either color or formula. They are gorgeous, yes. Pathbreaking? No.
There is too much clutter already – too many brands, blogs, influencers, and magazines telling us to buy at least 20 new products every day. I don’t want to simply add to the noise.
In short, to make it here here, a product should be something that I would buy myself. And each one of these nine products fit that bill. They are game changers that have truly upgraded my beauty routine. So, start scrolling and discover all the new beauty launches that are worth getting your hands on. Right now!
Flesh Beauty Flipbook, $22
For someone who’s on-the-go as much as me (or tends to carry tiny bags – definitely not me!), Flesh’s Beauty Flipbook is a makeup savior. 100 sheets, permeated with three beauty essentials: A matte medium pink blush, golden bronzer, and shimmery rose-beige highlighter. The pigments blend in beautifully both over bare skin or makeup, and will last you well into the day.
The whole thing is about the size of a deck of cards… or you can just tear off and carry a few sheets on their own. Compact, efficient, and no fear of spillage. That’s what I call a game changer! 
Nailfix & Chill Nail Polish Eraser Cream, £12.95
What if removing nail polish was not messy? What if you could do it on the go, in the subway, your office, even in the middle of a meal as soon as you noticed that first chip? What if nail polish removers did not leave your nails dry as straw? What if they didn’t smell like paint stripper?
Nailfix & Chill ticks all these boxes. The first-ever nail polish eraser “cream” comes in a tube that you can stash in your handbag. And it’s easy: Put the cream on your nails, wait a minute, and then massage it away with a cotton pad (or even tissue paper, in a pinch). The innovative solvent (no acetone!) and nourishing oil formula is super-gentle on nails and smells almost like berries.
However, it’s currently available only in the UK, so stock up if you’re headed that side of the world! #makenailpolishgreatagain
Ouai Scalp & Body Scrub, $38
We keep forgetting that scalp is skin. And like the skin elsewhere on our body, it too needs thorough cleansing every once in a while. Especially in the era of dry shampoos and so many hair serums, which can clog hair follicles, leading to scalp acne, dandruff, and even hair loss. Unfortunately though, scalp scrubs are often too gritty and abrasive.
Ouai Haircare has worked around the problem with a foaming scrub that decongests the scalp with gently exfoliating sugar crystals, which are accompanied by coconut oil and probiotics to replenish moisture, and bust bacteria.
And it doesn’t stop at the scalp: Carry on past your shoulders for complete head-to-toe exfoliation in one neat package.
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Rodin Olio Lusso Face Oil Stick, $80
My love for Rodin Olio Lusso’s Jasmine & Neroli Face Oil is well documented. I use it for everything: As a skin saver, primer, highlighter, luminiser, gloss, cuticles, flyaways, fragrance… just everything. It’s natural, toxin-free, and smells gorgeous.
And now, it’s also portable. The new Face Oil Stick distills each of the brand’s three oil variations into travel-friendly, swivel sticks, with no loss of the clean beauty cred that the brand has been known for so long. Sold!
Moroccanoil Night Body Serum, $62
Confession: Even though I have entire cupboards overflowing with lotions, oils, and body creams, there’s rarely a night when they actually get used. I am usually so exhausted by bedtime that the thought of standing around, waiting for a body product to absorb is just… blah!
So, when I heard of Moroccanoil’s new Night Body Serum, I wasn’t overtly optimistic. But the fact that it’s a “serum” should have clued me on to the USP: It’s featherweight, unlike other body potions. It absorbs immediately – like a serum for the face – and goes beyond mere hydration to soothe, smooth, strengthen, and firm the skin with nourishing oils, antioxidants, and Vitamin C.
In fact, this may be the first body product I have used that’s packed with vitamin C, the skincare wonder-ingredient. Impressive.
Origins Blooming Bold Lipstick, $20
Origins’ return to makeup is clean, sustainable, AND gorgeous. The Blooming Bold Lipsticks are packed with botanical waxes and essential oils, for a creamy, hydrating, just-bitten lip look that lasts the day. Even the pigments come from discarded flowers whose fragrance has been extracted for perfumery, making these lipsticks as sustainable as it gets. #iaminlove
Dolce & Gabbana Dolcissimo Lip Color, $42
They go on liquid, set matte, and have a velvety, long lasting finish that won’t dry out your pout thanks to the nourishing, oil-concentrated formula. And if that isn’t enough, Dolce & Gabbana’s Dolcissimo lip colors come in the most gorgeous packaging, harking back to the designer duo’s Italian roots. I am going for the Ruby and Rosebud. You? 
Night Dual-Sided Beauty Pillowcase, $100
Silk pillowcases, while lovely, are hardly a game changer any longer. But a dual-sided pillowcase? Now, you are talking.
Night’s super-soft (and machine washable) pillowcases come with 100% mulberry silk on one side, for those who have dry or dehydrated skin, or are concerned about fine lines, wrinkles, hair breakage, and extending their blowout. The other side is 100% rayon from bamboo – perfect for greasy skin or strands, as it wicks away moisture and oil.
This is the best investment if your skin – like mine – has a mind of its own and changes with the seasons!
Patchology’s Breakout Box 3-in-1 Acne Treatment Kit, $20
Once I started using acne patches – basically small, healing stickers that you place on a zit – there was no going back. I wonder why it took so long for these things of simple genius to be invented.
And Patchology takes the concept further with this 3-in-1 Acne Treatment Kit, which has the traditional hydrocolloid dots to suck out impurities, salicylic acid ones for cystic, under-the-skin acne, and blackhead nose strips. All bases covered.
Which new beauty products have you all tingly with excitement right now?
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