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Let's Make-Up: the beauty products to know about this week

Images courtesy of brands
Images courtesy of brands

As news broke at the end of March that we would be spending the foreseeable ensconced in our homes, the rumour mill began churning out whispers of a 'lockdown glow-up.'

Could it be that all of this *spare* time might just deposit us at the fortified well of beauty and brightness? Maybe we'd finally be able to stop using specific brightening products as our faces naturally adopted a glow of their own volition?

Well, I don't know about you, but three months on and I'm still on the hunt for mine.

Instead of a glow up, the tempestuous state of my skin has just made me want to throw up. Breakouts here, dry patches there, you name it and I've had it.

Luckily for many of us though, a return to the office is lurking in the horizon, meaning we'll soon discover that only a scarce few have actually been the beneficiaries of any form of glow-up.

If you're still holding out hope though, then perhaps one of these newly-launched products will impart a dewiness that you can pass off as a sprinkling of lockdown luminosity once you're back al desko.

Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water

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Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water, £24, buy now

By this point, we're more than familiar with the virtues of a double cleanse. But the pre-double cleanse product I can't help but flirt with is micellar water. While I'd never recommend using it as a substitute for cleanser, I find that it works deliciously as a precursor.

Simply drench a cotton pad in Drunk Elephant's latest offering (a silky milk-like texture that's infused with skin-loving ceramides) and wipe on the face and décolletage.

Malin + Goetz Bergamot Deodorant

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Malin + Goetz Bergamot Deodorant, £19, buy now

The hunt for a natural deodorant that actually works really is exhausting work, so it pays to listen to the people that have tried the spectrum of them (me.)

Having sampled a legion of natural deodorant creams, balms and sprays, I've found that none of them have quenched the stench of body odour quite like Malin + Goetz's cult deodorants. Its newest aliminium-free iteration is infused with bergamot and worked as effectively at neutralising odour as an anti-persperant. If you do anything today, let it be adding this to your basket.

Chantecaille CBD 300 Face and Body Cream

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Chantecaille CBD 300 Face and Body Cream, £120, buy now

My skin's been positively parched for the past few months and while I'm all for a decadent body butter, after days spent sunning myself (see: hanging at odd angles out of various windows in my house), I've revelled in using a lighter and whipped moisturiser.

Chantecaille's latest CBD-infused cream has a viscous consistency which worked wonders on my chapped legs and arms. At £120, it's an investment, but given that it's formulated for both face and body, why not kill two birds with one stone?

Byredo Lil Fleur

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Byredo Lil Fleur eau de parfum, £115, buy now

When it comes to summer fragrances, you want something light, but not ignorable. Fresh, but not headache-inducing. Who else could strike this precise balance than Swedish scent supremo, Byredo? Its bottles may be ubiquitous on the 'gram but its new offering is a different ballgame altogether.

With top notes of cassis and tangerine and a heart of Damascan rose, it's a spritz-worthy scent like no other. If you're looking for a fragrance which whispers rather than shouts, then this is worth the splurge.

Pai Soapsud Island Hand Wash

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Pai Soapsud Island Hand Wash, £19, buy now

We may not be clamouring to carry the isolation into our post-pandemic lives, but one habit of lockdown we should endeavour to retain is cleanliness. Most notably of the handwashing variety. But instead of stocking up on budget basics or expensive exfoliating sorts, spend your money with independent London-based brands many of whom are crafting some seriously stellar hand washes.

My favourite is vegan veteran Pai's Soapsud Island Hand Wash, which not only smells like a blooming garden but is also bursting with omega-rich Sea Buckthorn which leaves well-washed paws nourished and softened.

Sister&Co Rose + Cardamom Lip Tonic

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Sister&Co Rose + Cardamom Lip Tonic, £10, buy now

Back by popular demand, there's a reason that Shepherds Bush-based Sister&Co has rushed to restock these nourishing and best-selling lip balms. Bursting with organic coconut oil, shea butter and avocado oil, these handbag-friendly pots of lip-loving goodness are a dream for parched pouts.

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