Getting to try out the newest beauty products is definitely the best part of being Who What Wear UK’s beauty editor. Beauty writers are some of the first people to try out new products, sometimes weeks or even months before they come out. When a package arrives at the Who What Wear UK office, everyone gets really excited. It could be the newest high-tech skincare, the best hairstyling tools, or the most sought-after makeup and fragrance launches.
Between me and our network of beauty experts, we test almost every new product that comes out, from bronzers to the best moisturisers and cleansers. But with so many new drops coming out every week, each one claiming to be better than the last, how can anyone know what’s good? Even as a beauty editor, it can be hard to choose from all the options we have now.
Eleanor Vousden the beauty editor for Who What Wear UK, took this selfie.
To cut through the noise, I’ve tested the newest products and launches to see if they’re really worth your hard-earned money. It’s so disappointing to spend money on a beauty product that doesn’t work. This month, I spent some time testing, trying out, and keeping an eye on every new product that came my way so that I could put all of the best ones in one easy-to-find place. So, if you want to know which of the best new beauty products made this picky editor happy this month, you’ve come to the right place.
Keep scrolling to see the 10 best new beauty products that came out last month.
The best new beauty products for February
1. Signature Lip Blush from Merit Beauty
Signature Lip Blush
MERIT Beauty
Lip Blush with a Signature
Merit Beauty’s Signature Lip Blush is by far my favourite new product this month. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a lipstick. It’s more like a sheer tinted lip balm with a blurred matte finish that wraps your lips in a soft-focus cocoon. It’s easier to wear than regular lipstick, which I think is too fussy and high-maintenance. You can put it on without a mirror and get a just-bitten look. All of the colours are easy to wear, but my two favourites are Archival and Bespoke, which I’m wearing below. By the way, Hailey Bieber also likes this colour. Good job, Merit Beauty.
Eleanor is wearing Merit Signature Lip Blush in Bespoke.
2. Moisture Rescue Mask from Living Proof
Moisture Rescue Mask from Living Proof
Proof of Life
Mask for Moisture Rescue
If you’re like me, your hair might be a little frizzy after a long winter. Living Proof’s new Moisture Rescue Mask came out just in time to bring my hair back to life for spring. One of the best things about it is that you only have to leave it on for five minutes (who has time to leave a hair mask on for more than 20 minutes?), but it also deeply hydrates your hair, making it shiny, bouncy, and smooth. This is a great hair mask if you need a new one. My hair colour even looks brighter!
3. Softline Lip Liner from Summer Fridays
Toffee Summer Fridays Softline Lip Liner
Fridays in the summer
I reviewed and professed my love for the new Summer Fridays Softline Lip Liners this month, and they’ve become one of my favourite lip liners ever. Most lip liners tend to leave my lips feeling dry but these don’t, and they’re also long-lasting. They’re infused with hyaluronic acid spheres, coconut and jojoba oils, and plant waxes to keep lips hydrated and enhance their staying power. The formula glides on smoothly, making it easy to blend and diffuse—perfect for sculpting or contouring. You get just the right amount of time to soften and blur the edges before it sets in place. My personal favourite is Toffee for everyday sculpting, or Brownie for a ’90s-inspired lip (which I’m wearing below).
Eleanor wearing summer fridays lip liner in brownie
4. GHD Speed Ionic Hair Dryer
ghdhair
GHD Hair
When I heard that GHD was bringing out a new hair dryer, I just knew it was going to be good. But what I didn’t anticipate was that it could genuinely dry my long, thick hair in less than 10 minutes. Drying my hair is one of those chores I utterly despair of when I wash my hair, but this aptly-named Speed hair dryer makes it so much faster. What’s also genius is the halo technology, which blasts the air with a cooling halo around the central airflow, meaning less heat damage to the roots and scalp.
5. Eve Lom Time Retreat Smoothing Eye Complex
Smoothing Eye Complex
EVE LOM
As a beauty editor, there aren’t many eye creams that I trust. Most of them are a waste of money, but this new one from Eve Lom is one that I can wholeheartedly recommend. It contains ingredients that actually make a difference to concerns such as lines and dark circles, including plumping peptides de-puffing caffeine and liposome encapsulated retinol to revitalise the eyes. The cooling applicator also makes it a total joy to use, helping to cool and de-puff tired eyes.
6. Vaseline Gluta-Hya Lip Serum Gloss
Vaseline Gluta-Hya Lip Serum Gloss Rosy Pink 10ml
Vaseline
Trust me, this unassuming lip gloss rivals its luxury counterparts, and comes in at under £10. With the skin-softening texture of a serum and the shine of a gloss, this tinted lip balm drenches lips in hydrating hyaluronic acid, plumping peptides and protective SPF 15, whilst delivering a pretty wash of sheer colour. There are four shades to choose from, including berry-toned plum and cherry, as well as a rosy pink and peachy pink.
7. Dior Cuir Saddle
Dior Cuir Saddle Eau de Parfum
Dior
Key notes Leather, suede, musk, white florals, amberwood
It’s been a brilliant month for new perfumes, but Dior’s new Cuir Saddle is a firm favourite. I’m not normally drawn to leather perfumes, but this gentle suede perfume has changed my mind, captivated my nose and has me smelling my wrists all day long. Inspired by Dior’s iconic Saddle bag that sits close to the body, the scent draws on the leather and soft suede of the bag and skin-like musk that lingers close to the body. The result is a beautifully soft skin scent that becomes like a second skin as you wear it throughout the day. It’s soft, suede-like and soft. And of course, incredibly expensive-smelling.
Dior Cuir Saddle perfume bottle in a leather bag
8. L’Oréal Paris Infallible Brow Lamination Gel
L’Oréal Paris Brow Gel for Up to 24h Hold Infallible Brow Lamination Gel Shade Clear 15g
L’Oréal Paris
As someone who has tried hundreds of brow gels, I can honestly tell you that most of them are terrible even the expensive ones. It might be a grand statement but I think this might be the best brow gel I’ve ever tried. And the fact that it’s an affordable buy makes me even happier. The clear gel coaxes brow hairs into place with long-lasting hold. It doesn’t flake or go gunky, and your brows still feel natural to the touch. It’s great to finish your brows to set them into place, but you can also layer it up if you want a full-on brow lamination look too.
9. Byoma Bio-Collagen Radiance Facial Mask
Byoma Bio-Collagen Radiance Facial Mask 60ml
Byoma
Bio-Collagen Radiance Facial Mask
I’ve long thought that peel-off face masks were a bit of a gimmick they give me flashbacks to the drugstore ones of the 2000s but this one changed my mind, as it’s basically a fast-track to glass skin. The pink mask gradually turns clear after 20 minutes, peeling away to unveil skin that looks unbelievably glowy and hydrated. It contains ceramides to maintain the skin barrier, as well as cica bio-collagen and astaxanthin a powerful antioxidant to improve hydration elasticity and luminosity whilst reducing redness and irritation.
The Byoma Bio-Collagen Radiance Face Mask texture
10. E.l.f Soft Glam Satin Concealer
E.l.f Soft Glam Satin Concealer
E.L.F
You’d be forgiven for thinking that you have to spend tonnes on good makeup, but E.l.f has once again proved that efficacious products needn’t make your bank account cry. This concealer comes in at more or less the same price as a matcha latte. Lightweight yet deliciously hydrating it melts into skin to brighten dark circles dial down redness and softly blur spots without ever feeling heavy or cakey. The coverage sits firmly in that sweet spot medium but beautifully buildable, so you can customise from a second-skin finish to something a little more polished.
Januarys’s Best New Beauty Products
1. Manucurist Xtrem Flash Gel Top Coat
Xtrem Flash Gel Top Coat
Manucurist
Before its release this month, I secretly tested the Manucurist Xtrem Top Coat, and I have to say I’m very impressed. It’s the next best thing to a gel manicure, but it doesn’t have the same ingredients as gel formulas. This makes it great if you’ve developed an allergy to gel formulas or just want something that’s easier to take off. It works with the Manucurist LED Lamp and the Manucurist Green Flash LED Nail Polishes to keep your manicure chip-free for up to 21 days. I find that my manicure can easily last about two weeks, and it looks and feels just like a regular gel manicure on my nails. Thank goodness it’s much easier to take off than a regular gel manicure, so it’s a great alternative to try.
