Well, it’s official, spooky season is officially over. And with its end comes the beginning of the festive season, arguably one of the most exciting times of the year for beauty! Luckily on top of that, the beginning of November heralds a new monthly instalment of the dolled-up cousin to our flagship fashion bulletin What’s In Fashion. Every month, we’re here to deliver the go-tos and lowdowns and need-to-knows of the beauty industry, the concealers worth queueing for, the weird and wonderful trends taking over TikTok, sexy new scents, nifty beauty hacks and whatever new wellness witchery Gwyn and pals are getting up to. You get the vibe. Dive into November’s edition!
SKINCARE
If there’s one (justified) criticism of the beauty industry it’s that we consume, a lot, all the time. More so even than usual in November and December, when we start thinking non-stop about Black Friday sales and Christmas shopping and New Year’s deals. DECIEM, the pioneering beauty innovator that brought us The Ordinary and NIOD, is determined to get us out of the cycle. On the first of this month, they launched their fifth annual “Slowvember” campaign, which aims to make us purchase more deliberating and mindfully over these next chaotic few weeks. What that actually looks like in practice is a 23% discount off NIOD and The Ordinary products, to discourage bulk buying, and two new launches of its hero product families on the 10th of November (Glycolic Acid 7% toning solution and Squalane Cleanser in a new 240ml side). Get shopping (responsibly)! RL
FRAGRANCE
If this year were to be stilled into a scent, it wouldn’t be one we’d want to buy, admittedly. Still, a recent launch from Loewe goes some way in masking the general stench that most of 2023 has left us with. Yes, the oh-so-chic Spanish fashion house has released the Loewe Elixirs collection, offering two of the most popular fragrances from its Botanical Rainbow line – Solo Ella and Esencia – in ultra-high concentrations. With each scent comprising 30% essential oils, it goes without saying that they pack a punch, exponentially prolonging the olfactory imprint of Solo Ella’s floral and woody notes of pear, tuberose and sandalwood, and Esencia robust profile of leather, patchouli and amber. While the world around us may not look its best right now, at least we can still make it smell good! MS
WELLNESS
For about three months now our office has been alight with discussions about the importance of lymphatic drainage and the magical wonders of ‘dry brushing’. And we’re not alone! Dry brushing has taken over the internet; with TikTok tutorials on the best way to brush your skin (towards your lymphatic system which drains in your groin and armpits, natch) and articles extolling its benefits for everything from bloating to better mental health. While it’s true that every month, week, or day the beauty world finds a new wellness cure-all to dominate all others, there are supposed anciently verified benefits to the practice – which is, exactly as it sounds, basically brushing your skin, somewhere between exfoliation and hair styling. From a traditional Ayurvedic perspective, dry brushing encourages a healthy flow of tissue fluids (known in Sanskrit as rasa dhatu) detoxifying the body and stimulating the nervous system. Just don’t make yourself too red. RL
SCIENCE
Of course, science is the basis of any cosmetics brand worth its salt, but there are few out there committing their white lab coats to the cause of making us all look our best quite like Haeckels. Indeed, in its 11 years in business, the Margate-based brand has been proving seaweed’s status as a skincare superingredient, harvesting the awesome algae from shores just a stone’s throw from its Kentish lab. At the forefront of its offering is its Algae Plump, a hyaluronic acid serum fortified with bladderwrack and niacinamide, offering an instant boost of hydration to skin of any texture and complexion. To toast its many merits, the brand has just launched its very first campaign celebrating the power of the plump, and has brought back the clamoured-after Oxygen + Algae Plump Facial at its Haeckels House spas in London and Margate — right in time for the marathon of long, boozy nights ahead! Before then, be sure to stock up — and book in! — here. MS
TRENDS
Manicures get annoying around Christmas time (and sorry but that’s where we’re at). It’s all glitter and gold and red and predictable. Not this year though. This year it’s all about ‘martini nails’. Or dirty martini nails, depending on your preference. Martinis are everywhere in bars and so it makes sense that we want our nails to match, we suppose. It’s all about green; olive green, green french manicures, green chrome, green drip. You could just say: well that is just the colour green, and green is a Christmas colour anyway, so what on earth does martini nails even mean? And to that we would say: here is a very convincing TikTok which argues otherwise. Welcome to the era of the frosted martini manicure! RL
HARDCORE
Another day – or month – another facial innovation that promises to make us look completely different forever. This month it’s the P3 facial from Harley Street’s Revere Clinic. Also known as the ‘champagne facial’, this hardcore offering is halfway between laser treatment and the vampire facial that took over Instagram a few years ago, thanks in large part to Kim Kardashian. Taking its lead from both, the P3 facial uses an “acoustic” laser to pop millions of plasma vacuoles into the dermis of your skin. The sensation that results is what gives it that ‘champagne’ nickname, essentially you’re meant to feel like a sponge with a “sparkling champagne sensation” as the facial works to stimulate collagen, tightening and glow. It claims to last twice as long as botox (six months vs three). We love science! Trigger warning for blood below. RL
COSMETICS
With the countdown to crimbo party season well underway, we’ve naturally been fretting over what our go-to beat for the season ahead – something that will carry you from awkward office dos to cosy dinners in the company of friends without looking like a total clown. Mercifully, our (and by extension your) prayers were answered with the launch of Byredo’s brand new, very timely Self-Illusion collection. Comprising the perfect palette for a subtly smoky, silver-accented eye and the only earthy red lipstick you’ll ever need, the collection offers everything you need for an effortlessly elegant beat for the festive season and beyond. Here, the collection’s mastermind – Byredo Beauty’s Creative Image and Makeup Partner, Lucia Pica – fills us in on the hyper-conceptual process behind the collection, her go-to holiday season looks, and her top tips for a five-minute beat. MS
Hi Lucia! What was the point of departure for the Self-Illusion collection?
I was having a conversation with Ben [Gorham, Byredo founder] where he was telling me about the inspiration for the brand’s perfume – Bal d’Afrique, in particular. He was inspired by discovering letters from his dad, describing a place Ben had never been to, but to which he still felt an emotional attachment. It really got me thinking about how we can experience an emotional connection to something that exists, but that we haven’t necessarily personally experienced.
So how did that translate to the final products?
I’m quite a dreamy person, and often find myself drifting into other spaces and universes, so I found myself thinking about trying to describe one of these imagined landscapes through colour. One of those places had this blueish, smokey tinge, with accents of refracted light — this ethereal but ultimately very powerful world. I imagined soft blue-greys, bright silver and gold, conveying this sense of heightened emotions.
I was also thinking about colour and its ability to convey the notion of an in-between state; the blue mascara, for example, really embodies that, with its deep grey notes. When you wear it, you still get this feeling of doing something that feels different and creative, but it’s still very chic, elegant and subtle. The red lipstick has a real earthy, terracotta undertone to it, while the pencil comes in a shimmery khaki, which creates a subtle illusion of softness and sparkle.
It sounds like quite a conceptual approach, compared to most makeup launches.
Very much so! I often like doing things that feel a bit more conceptual. It also makes me happy to see the end product, and see how we’ve somehow managed to bring a crazy thought to life! Then again, other times, I love to draw inspiration from more physical experiences; going on a journey, taking photographs, and then drawing inspiration from the colours captured there.
What do you think makes Byredo’s perspective on makeup distinct?
Everything we do is based on illustrating an internal world: emotions, memories, thoughts, experiences. There’s always a correlation between a collection and an emotional landscape or state of being. With the makeup in particular, we really pay a lot of attention to depths of colours, introducing hues that feel distinct, but also highly wearable at the same time. And that also applies to textures, choosing things that feel comfortable and of a high quality. There needs to be a sense of experience in wearing the makeup, and that extends from the moment you first put it on through to how it develops through the day. It’s really a matter of thinking about how the makeup lives with you and becomes a part of you.
What’s stood out for you this year in terms of developments or trends in the beauty space?
We saw an explosion of makeup that was all about making people look the same, this notion of achieving ‘perfection’ through contouring, concealing, highlighting… but I feel like we’re collectively loosening up around that. I think it’s become more evident individuality is the way forward. I’ve been really interested in exploring ideas around transparency and finding ways to achieve certain effects without a heavy load, for example. Rather than changing a face to fit a certain template, it’s really about adapting to an individual personality.
What are you looking forward to seeing more of in 2024? Or less of!
I’m looking forward to seeing fewer rules! And I’d love to see makeup seen more as an offering of tools to express yourself with. I’d love to see people really get intimate with the colours, really explore them, rather than just try to achieve certain trends — just to go a bit deeper into it!
Speaking of trends though… the festive party season is almost here! What look are you going for this year?
Well, I love using colours on my eyes, but I like to break it down a little. I like to use Byredo’s Fantôme vinyl liquid lipstick on the tops of my eyes, especially when going out around this time of year. It makes the makeup move around a little, which I know isn’t in line with convention, but it makes me feel more comfortable. Not too done up, but still interesting.
Sparkle, but with a bit of smudge!
Exactly! I also love a red lip (I wear lipstick everyday!) and I’m definitely more prone to exploring in winter, particularly with reds. And then I really love a subtle twist on. mascara, which you can see with the blue-grey mascara we’ve introduced here; it’s actually very discreet and works with lighter eyes as well as dark. I promise it’s not too 80s!
Lastly, what’s your go-to five-minute beat?
I actually only take about seven minutes to do mine in the mornings! I usually do it the other way around to most: first, the lipstick, then I dab a bit of that on my cheeks. I then add a bit of concealer where I need it, followed by a bit of mascara and some eyeliner through the lashes. I squeeze my eyes shut so it looks like it’s been on a little while, and then set everything with a super light, almost transparent powder. The aim is for everything to feel like you just rolled out of bed like this. You, but on a very good day!