My three best beauty buys this month – stood out from the quagmire of new releases for their great performance, high quality and heart-pounding prices.
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The first little gem: elf Cosmetic’s brilliant Camo blush, a liquid blush that requires only the tiniest amount of product and delivers intense color that lasts. I honestly think most people could just buy one of these to last a lifetime – it almost needs to come with a pin head to apply, you need so little.
have used Pinky Promise here – it’s a lovely fresh cool pink. Camo Blush is £7 at elf In connection*.
Then I got a real glow on the new release from Inkey List – Bio-Active Ceramide Moisturizer – £19 here*. This is a wonderfully buttery, intensely hydrating face cream packed with ceramides (keeps the skin barrier nice and healthy and strong which in turn helps keep it hydrated and protected) and it feels really rich and expensive. But it’s not, because Inkey List keeps everything else to a minimum, including decidedly non-luxury packaging. This cream will see you through to spring if your face is dry and unhappy and tired of the winter weather. It’s not over yet folks…
There’s something else you could do for your face: start sneaking these peptides into your routine. I feel that for many of us the sudden marketing rush for peptides was just too much of a rush. We just dealt with retinoids! we were crying Where the hell do peptides fit in? What are they even doing??
To be fair, peptides are not new. They are made up of certain proteins, such as collagen and elastin, and we all know how important they are. So important that a lot of people are consuming collagen drinks and chewing collagen gum and pouring collagen on themselves and all kinds of things that honestly seem pretty crazy to me, but never say never and all that.
Anyway, peptides aren’t new and the right ones, in a good product, can really help with fine lines and wrinkles and generally support the skin and make it as plump as it can be. Luckily they’re easy to get into a skin care routine – no thought required, no downtime, no side effects. It’s not like retinoids, where you might want to be careful with the other products you use at the same time, or like strong acids where you sometimes have to be careful with sun exposure. You can simply swap a peptide serum for your usual moisturizer or find a peptide-enriched cream to use last at night or before your sunscreen in the morning.
Read: The Most Used Skin Care Products of 2023
I tend to pack in a hydrating serum and moisturizer in between my retinoid nights (I use one every other night, almost like clockwork) to get as much moisture as I can into my skin. I’ve recently been using the Olay Peptide Max serum instead of my usual one and it’s silky and smooth and easily hydrating with the serum I’ve swapped out. And I call it a bargain, at the moment, because if you have a Boots Advantage card you can get it for £25 instead of £44. Is here*. I’m not sure how long the offer is for, but it’s a good one – an easy-to-use serum that gets your peptides into your skincare routine with minimal fuss.
I’ll be back next month with three more best beauty buys – great bargains and solid, budget-friendly alternatives to some of the more expensive things you might have on your wish lists…
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