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Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix
The muscles of the face are the only ones in the entire body that are directly attached to skin, so it’s no surprise to learn that, according to Estée Lauder Research, increased repetitive movements—like blinking more as a result of staying up later—accelerates signs of eye ageing. To help remedy this, Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex supports skin’s natural nightly repair process to reduce the look of under-eye lines, crow’s feet, glabellar ‘11’ lines, and dark circles, while also stimulating collagen production for improved elasticity and firmness. It’s 360° Mesh Matrix Technology then cushions the delicate eye area against micro movements. Apply this eye concentrate with the accompanying cryo-steel wand to cool puffy eyes and boost microcirculation.
Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex, $120, available at Tangs
2 / 21
Aromatica Rosemary Scalp Scaling Shampoo
This shampoo brought to you by K-Beauty brand has the power to take itchy, greasy scalp and transform it into clean, light and voluminous hair. Its reviving rosemary scent coupled with herbal pine leaf and ginger extracts helps to clarify and exfoliate the scalp without stripping or irritating it—which is what some scaling shampoos have the tendency to do. Strengthening biotin and panthenol conditions hair from the roots to ends, restoring tresses to their natural glory.
Aromatica Rosemary Scalp Scaling Shampoo, $24.50, available at Shopee
3 / 21
Aveda Nutriplenish Shampoo
Scalp. Normal one day, itchy and irritated the next. For scalp that’s as temperamental and sensitive as the skin on our faces, we’ve found Aveda’s vegan Nutriplenish™ Shampoo Light Moisture and Conditioner range to be especially restorative. It’s perfect for fine to normal hair with dryness, it cleanses and replenishes dry scalp and hair with 94 per cent naturally derived ingredients including mango butter, oat extract, certified organic coconut oil, and omega-5-rich organic pomegranate oil for dry, depleted hair.
Aveda Nutriplenish Shampoo, $51, available at Sephora
4 / 21
Bring Green Teatree Cica Soothing Toner
At just $18.50—$14 if you can score this at Guardian on sale—this pH-friendly toner by K-Beauty brand, Bring Green for sensitive skin types is a godsend. Tea tree, known for its antibacterial and sebum-regulating properties helps to remove excess oil while exfoliating dirt and dead skin cells from the face. This in turn, boosts skin clarity and improves the appearance of whiteheads and blackheads common in acne-prone skin. But never at the expense of stripping the skin. The toner is formulated with 3 per cent centella asiatica extract to calm irritation, inflammation and boost wound healing. We’re on our second bottle, if that tells you anything…
Bring Green Teatree Cica Soothing Toner, $18.50, available at Guardian
5 / 21
Naturium Tranexamic Acid
Lighten, brighten, and fade the look of dark spots and hyperpigmentation with Naturium’s skin retexturising leave-on acid. Formulated with 5% tranexamic as well as kojic acid, niacinamide and licorice, this gentle yet potent blend is great for improving discolouration on all skin types and tones.
Naturium Topical Acid 5% for Dark Spots and Melasma with Kojic Acid, $49.53, available at Amazon
6 / 21
Dr Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol+Ferulic range
If you’re into pro-youth skin solutions that erase fine lines, wrinkles, refine texture and more, it’s likely you’re no stranger to retinol. The anti-ageing vitamin A-derived active remains the gold standard for improving the complexion, but it’s worth noting that the skin does pay the price in redness, irritation, flaking and dryness. Not so with Dr Dennis Gross‘ new Advanced Retinol+Ferulic range, which is potent and clinically proven to boost skin texture, zero-in on breakouts and enlarged pores and fine lines—all while being gentle on sensitive skin.
Take the Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Texture Renewal Serum, for instance. It improves the skin’s collagen-building properties while reducing the appearance of blemishes with its Phyto-Retinol blend comprised of retinol, bakuchiol, rambutan and ferulic acid. Alongside these clarity and radiance-inducing ingredients are powerful hydrators such as squalane and hyaluronic acid. Or, for targeted care, the Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum which reduces the look of wrinkles and crepiness to firm, hydate the eye area. It also doubles as an eye primer before make-up.
Of course, you can cherry pick the products from this collection to incorporate into your existing regime, but we’ve found this entire line helpful for a complete skin overhaul.
Dr Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol+Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum, $105; Advanced Retinol+Ferulic Texture Renewal Serum, $108; Advanced Retinol+Ferulic Overnight Wrinkle Treatment, $123; Advanced Retinol+Ferulic Overnight Texture Renewal Peel, $112, available at Sephora
7 / 21
Rationale The Vitality Collection #2 The Hydragel
Tried one hydrating gel, tried them all—right? Not exactly. At least not with the case of Rationale. Perfect for those with surface-oily skin that also happens to be dehydrated deep within, this hydragel forms a protective barrier over skin, shielding it against lifestyle stressors by forming an ultrafine mesh of ceramic microspheres across the skin. It can be used in the day and night, and contains minerals, enzymes, bioactive vitamins C, A (retinol), and curiously—melanin to not only promote elastin production but refine skin texture while delivering hydration and antioxidants that slow down the signs of premature fine lines and wrinkles.
Rationale The Vitality Collection #2 The Hydragel, $184, available at Rationale
8 / 21
La Prairie Platinum Rare Haute Rejuvenation Protocol
Ten days of commitment is what you’ll need to regenerate your skin if graced with La Prairie’s Platinum Rare Haute-Rejuvenation Protocol. Our skin’s cellular activities slow down with age, ultimately affecting its structural integrity meaning a loss in firmness, elasticity and volume in skin tissue. This time-suspending system is designed to help the skin regenerate itself with its Platinum Multi-Peptide and Exclusive Cellular Complex to stimulate the renewal of stem cells within the skin. The outcome of reanimated skin cells: a complexion that appears radiant, smoother and firmer than ever.
La Prairie Platinum Rare Haute Rejuvenation Protocol, $2,960, available at Metro
9 / 21
Anastasia Beverly Hills Magic Touch Concealer
Make-up queens know Anastasia Beverly Hills’ formulas are superior, and their new Magic Touch Concealer certainly lives up to the hype (TikTok, we see you). Enhanced with plant-based glycerin to lock in moisture, and licorice root with skin-soothing properties, this creamy, highly pigmented formula glides on seamlessly, delivering full coverage without any caking, cracking or settling into fine lines. This all-in-one concealer works just as well as a contour and highlight, with 16 shades available to accentuate and sculpt your face.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Magic Touch Concealer, $47, available at Sephora
10 / 21
Tom Ford Lip Lacquer Luxe Matte
Liquid lipsticks and glosses abound, but Tom Ford Beauty’s Lip Lacquer Luxe Matte’s just hits different. Infused with soja seed extract, nourishing Brazilian murumuru butter and chamomilla flower oil, its velvety smooth texture drapes the lips in rich colour and comfort. And if you love matte lipsticks but hate how they dehydrate your pout: this liquid lip is non-drying even after hours of wear. Our pick? Night mauve: a sophisticated, sensual plum described by Tom Ford himself as being a “charismatic temptation you can’t ignore.”
Tom Ford Lip Lacquer Luxe Matte, $81, available at Sephora
11 / 21
PSA Gifted Acai & Sea Buckthorn Vitamin C Glow Oil
The sister brand of Allies of Skin, PSA prides itself in skincare that’s effortless, efficacious and easy on the wallet. Its latest product—the 10th since launching last year—is the new Gifted Acai & Sea Buckthorn Vitamin C Glow Oil. Bid farewell to dehydration and dullness with this rich but lightweight elixir that’s packed with five percent vitamin C, two percent vitamin E, and acai, sea buckthorn, raspberry and squalane oil that together, will deeply moisturise, brighten, work on dark spots and uneven skin tone and texture, and support rejuvenation for firmer skin, all while providing optimum antioxidant protection against those feisty free radicals.
PSA Gifted Acai & Sea Buckthorn Vitamin C Glow Oil, $39, available at PSA
12 / 21
Rare Beauty Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream
A mission-driven beauty brand that also ticks the boxes of gorgeous make-up textures and shades, Rare Beauty has all the essential products to accentuate your features and celebrate creative expression. And just like Selena Gomez, we love a bold lip and that’s where the Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream stands out with its highly pigmented, airy-whipped, velvety-matte formula that cushions lips comfortably all day long. Think weightless, full coverage colour in 12 shades with a nourishing botanical blend that prevents pouts from drying out or cracking.
Rare Beauty Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream, $32, available at Sephora
13 / 21
AHC Age Defense Real Eye Cream for Face
Multi-taskers will love this moisturising cream that’s designed to hydrate, lift, brighten and plump both the delicate eye area and entire face. This new addition to AHC’s best selling Eye Cream for Face series (one is sold every three seconds in Korea) is powered by a Gold Peptive, a result of coating pure gold onto peptide, which is said to increase a specific type of collagen’s production by over 173 percent. This is combined with the Power Golden Thread Complex that combines collagen, vitamins, hyaluronic acids and amino acids to effectively reduce seven kinds of wrinkles, improve skin hydration levels by 123 percent, and boost skin elasticity by 14 percent after just one use.
AHC Age Defense Real Eye Cream for Face, $48, available at Shopee
14 / 21
Sunnies Face Fluffmatte
From the Philippines to the world, Sunnies Face skyrocketed into the global beauty sphere in 2018 with the launch of their first product, Fluffmatte lipsticks. This consistently best-selling collection features a weightless, modern matte texture that’s formulated with a silk-structure technology for a lip-cushioning, second-skin feel, and its shades are both universally flattering and on trend. Our picks are Baked, a gorgeous terracotta peach hue that adds a flush of health in a single swipe, and Major, a cool-toned red that will stop traffic when you remove your mask.
Sunnies Face Fluffmatte in Major, $15.99, available at Shopee
15 / 21
Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint
Want gorgeous, glowing skin that will fool everyone to think that it’s au naturel? Slip on some of Fenty Beauty’s Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint, $45. This ultimate cheat product for untraceably silky complexions, this light-to-medium coverage formula is ultra lightweight with an almost serum-like consistency that allows for thin but even distribution across your face, even just with your fingertips. Buildable with a beauty blender, this comes in 25 flexible shades with the brand’s proprietary Quickblur Complex to diffuse the look of pores and wrinkles for a smooth, filter-like finish.
Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint. $45, available at Sephora
16 / 21
Dior Vanilla Diorama
A choux. No, better than a choux. How would we describe this mouthwatering ode to the vanilla pod? The Diorama was the favourite cake of Christian Dior, created by French Michelin star pastry chef Julien Dugourd for the Monsieur himself. Dior perfumer, François Demachy thus thought it fitting to realise this in a fragrance. To perfectly interpret this gourmand perfume, Demachy married sensual vanilla with effusive shards of orange and jubilant lemon, rum and exquisite warm spices such as cardamom and pink peppercorn. To highlight its rich personality: Demachy added smooth cocoa, creamy sandalwood and dreamy patchouli.
“Vanilla is a call to the senses synonymous with instant pleasure in the collective subconscious,” says François Demachy, Dior’s Perfumer-Creator. “With Vanilla Diorama, I wanted to celebrate both this evocative power, as well as the nobility of this rare raw material. I wanted this scent to be a faithful portrait, to reveal its fragrant, nuanced beauty, and to embody its mellow aspect, heightened by joyful citrus notes, as well as its richer, more organic side, wrapped in an enveloping base. In the end, it is a ‘true,’ authentic and intense perfumer’s vanilla that emerges.”
Dior Vanilla Diorama, $155 for 40ml, available at Maison Christian Dior
17 / 21
Chanel’s Hydra Beauty Camellia Glow Concentrate
Chanel’s Hydra Beauty Camellia Glow Concentrate delivers skin-quenching hydration combined with the gentle exfoliation of natural-origin alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). Used as a serum step after cleansing and toning, this beauty product features patented ingredients like Camellia Alba PFA, a highly moisturising white camellia extract that reinforces and regulates skin’s ability to hydrate itself, and broad spectrum antioxidant, Blue Ginger PFA for safeguard and strengthen complexions; now boosted with a three percent concentration of three AHAs that gradually refine and resurface the skin by dissolving dead skin cells and stimulating cell regeneration. Camellia yeast extract is another new exclusive Chanel ingredient, set to replenish skin’s moisture levels by increasing the natural production of hyaluronic acid by 50 per cent.
Chanel Hydra Beauty Camellia Glow Concentrate, $129 for 15ml, available at Chanel
18 / 21
Guerlain Abeille Royale Eye R Repair Serum
For decades, Guerlain has been celebrating and encapsulating some of the world’s most effective natural healing substances in their skincare: honey and royal jelly. The new and improved Abeille Royale Eye R Repair Serum is a luscious, golden elixir that seeks to minimise the appearance of wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles by deeply hydrating, nutrifying and brightening up the entire eye area. One pump of its gold drop applicator dispenses just enough product, formulated with 94 percent naturally derived ingredients that include pure honey from Brittany, France with a blend of honeys and royal jelly exclusive to Guerlain; tensing polymers that create a supple, lifting effect; and an anti-fatigue complex with ultra-fine micro-pearlescents to instantly brighten and even out skin tone, all fused together and delivered deep into skin with BlackBee Repair technology to stimulate the skin’s key reparative processes.
Guerlain Abeille Royale Eye R Repair Serum,$156, available at Tangs
19 / 21
L’Oreal’s Lash Paradise
L’Oreal’s Lash Paradise, $22.90 is one of the mascaras that let you have your cake and eat it too. This seriously waterproof formula not only adds spectacular length and lift to even short, straight lashes, it builds into a feathery, voluminous fan of lashes, providing fullness without being clumpy. Its soft, wavy brush with over 200 bristles seeks to evenly coat your lashes from root to tip without irritating eyes or eyelids, and it curves nicely without touching or streaking during application—even on hooded eyelids.
L’Oreal’s Lash Paradise, $22.90, available at Guardian
20 / 21
Byredo Vetyver Hand Lotion
After all that essential sanitising that can really dry out your skin, nails and cuticles, give your hands the additional—and dare we say ultra sensorial—pampering they deserve with Byredo’s Vetyver Hand Lotion. Instantly and deeply moisturising without feeling sticky or greasy, this veils hands with earthy-aromatic scents of sweet angelica seeds, refreshing pomelo, floral jasmine, powdery violet and sensual cashmeran, and of course, warm and herbaceous vetyver.
Byredo Vetyver Hand Lotion, $75 for 450ml, available at Escentials
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OleHenriksen’s Dewtopia 20% Acid Night Treatment
If uneven texture, dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles keep up you at night, slick on OleHenriksen’s Dewtopia 20% Acid Night Treatment to wake up with smoother, renewed and brighter skin. This retexturising and replenishing serum works hard while you sleep, with its 20 percent acid blend of half AHAs and half PHAs to provide dead skin cell-sweeping exfoliating effect; while nourishing ingredients of birch sap, cotton water and aloe juice step in to soothe, soften and condition the skin. Together, this cradles skin with a custard-like texture, a slight tingle and a sweet lemon-y scented veil for an elevated glow in the morning.
OleHenriksen’s Dewtopia 20% Acid Night Treatment, $78 for 30ml, available at Sephora
