The first month of 2023 is bringing along with it a few firsts in the worlds of skincare, makeup and even home fragrances. Cue Chanel Beauty, which reveals 14 new red shades for its iconic Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick range as part of its Spring/Summer’23 collection. Meanwhile, the inaugural series of candles and diffusers from Paul Smith is now available in Singapore. Keep on scrolling for more beauty releases.
Finding the right shade of red lipstick gets much easier at Chanel. The brand’s popular Rouge Allure Velvet range has now grown to cover 20 different versions of the colour to suit various skin tones, making this the most inclusive expansion of the line ever. Besides the original six shades like Rouge Vie 58, Libre 62 and Abstrait 69 which most customers are well-acquainted with, the newer colours include a delicate beige hue called Intemporelle 60, a soft pink shade called Eternelle 64 and fiery red named Rouge Charnel 56. New colours aside, one aspect of the lippies remains: The highly pigmented bullet lipstick is formulated with shea butter and castor that allows it to glide seamlessly over your lips.
Available at all Chanel Beauty boutiques, counters and on the Chanel Beauty e-shop
Spring is officially two more months away but Gucci Beauty’s latest perfume is already making us think of invigorating blooms. Titled A Reason To Love, the eau de parfum from The Alchemist Garden collection – it’s Gucci’s line of luxury fragrances by Spanish master perfumer Alberto Morillas – is a luscious bouquet of Damascena rose, spicy oud accord, and notes of Tolu balsam, peony and cardamom.
Like past creations from the line, the scent can be layered together with other fragrances to accentuate different components. For instance, when paired with the Fading Autumn perfume water, the oud accord becomes that much more pronounced. If you’re one for sweet scents, then pairing it with A Song For the Rose eau de parfum will intensify the honeyed rose notes of this scent.
Available at the Gucci Beauty flagship store and online
If you’re travelling to colder climes in the next few weeks, then ceramide-packed products should be your BFF as they help to strengthen your skin’s barrier when the mercury drops. One product to consider is Chanel Beauty’s recently released moisturiser, Nº1 De Chanel Rich Revitalizing Cream. Powered by ceramides derived from the red camellia flower, the moisturiser also contains hydrating camellia oil and a yeast extract found in the camellia’s microbiota, all of which work in tandem to reinforce your skin.
Available at all Chanel Beauty boutiques, counters and on the Chanel Beauty e-shop
The former head of Dior’s millinery atelier, Mitzah Bricard was also one of Monsieur Dior’s most adored muses. Flash forward to this month, and Mitzah is the name of a limited-edition collection of makeup and fragrances made for those who are into elegant and bold colours.
In the mix are 15 products that include the Forever Perfect Cushion and Dior Forever Skin Glow Cushion foundation compacts; a 10-shade eyeshadow palette with matte and satin finishes; and three fragrances from the La Collection Privee Christian Dior line that come with their own dedicated travel-size cases. And as a fitting nod to Bricard’s penchant for incorporating leopard prints in her clothing, the products will be dressed up with accents of leopard prints on the packaging.
Available at all Dior Beauty boutiques, counters and on the Dior Beauty online boutique. The La Collection Privee Travel Case Mitzah Edition is exclusively available at the La Collection Privee Ion Orchard store and via the Dior Beauty online boutique
Inject a bit of colour and personality into your home with Paul Smith’s debut home fragrance collection. First unveiled in early 2022, the collection of single-wick 24og jar candles and 250 ml reed diffusers, has finally hit stores here. There are a total of four scents – each named after the designer’s idiomatic characters and traits – that are packaged in polished coloured glass holders.
Cue Botanist (it contains notes of Haitian vetiver, moss and lemon in remembrance of the designer’s first Nottingham shop); Bookworm (with hints of Jamaican pimento berry, grapefruit and cedarwood that recalls the papers and books in his office); Early Bird (packed with notes of Indonesian patchouli oil, iris and rain accord to recreate the smell of rain falling outside Paul’s London shop); and Daydreamer (a blend of French lavender oil, clary sage and verbena that is inspired by summer holidays spent frolicking in herb gardens).
Available at Paul Smith boutiques at Voco Orchard Singapore and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
British makeup maven Charlotte Tilbury, renowned for her cult classic Pillow Talk Beauty Light Wand highlighter and Flawless Filter Foundation, has expanded her beauty empire with the release of her pressed powder highlighter. Named the Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter, the makeup artist – often called the Queen of Glow – unveils seven shades of this skin-blurring and illuminating highlighter that is infused with smoothing emollients which are said to provide an effortless glide.
Available at Sephora and Sephora.sg
In search of vegan options for your skincare? Together with Mitologics, a French biotechnology start-up, French brand Yves Rocher brings together the very best of what the land and sea have to offer with its new Elixir Botanique skincare range. The key ingredients here are organically-grown Nasturtium and Tetraselmis Micro-Algae. The former revitalises cells by boosting oxygenation while the latter is often used to remove pollutants from the air by capturing carbon dioxide. These two powerhouse ingredients are disseminated into a daily and night serum; repairing antipollution care and recovery sleeping care cream; roll-on eye cream; and a multi-protection UV shield SPF 50+ cream. All the products claim to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles within a month of usage.
Available at all Yves Rocher stores
If there’s one celeb-founded beauty brand that’s doing it right, it is Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty which is known for it’s wide shade range of foundation and concealers, and high-impact liquid highlighters. Having grown an avid fan base for products aplenty, especially for its liquid blush, the brand has released its first powder highlighter product that many in the beauty community are raving about. The dome-shaped highlighter is said to give skin a glow-from-within dew, while the formulation is one that is talc-free and made up of prismatic micro shimmers for a high-impact luminosity without the heavy feeling. Not to mention that it is entirely cruelty-free, vegan and non-comedogenic.
Available exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.sg
Japanese fine jewellery house Mikimoto has released a product that will nourish and illuminate the decolletage, neck and hands where one’s jewellery is often seen on. Called Mikimoto Neck-Decollete and Hand Cream, this is the brand’s first-ever venture into the skincare segment. The cream contains extracts of pearl collagen derived from the rare Akoya pearl (the most sought-after saltwater-cultured pearl for jewellery) and the rare protein of Pearl Conchiolin that can only be found within five percent of all individual pearls.
Available at the brand’s boutiques at Takashimaya D.S. and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Homegrown beauty brand est.lab has come up with LumiGlow Enzyme Cleansing Pods, its first ever waterless enzyme exfoliating cleanser that also acts as a makeup remover. Designed to remove any impurities from the face, the pods are especially helpful for those with sensitive skin as it gently exfoliates the top layer of dead skin cells, unlike traditional physical exfoliants. The four key ingredients that form the pods are all abundant in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. The latter include pineapple extract (contains anti-inflammatory properties and eats away at dead skin cells to reveal a clearer complexion); mango extract (to neutralise free radicals & oxidative stress caused by UV and environmental pollution); Georgia peach extract (to keep the skin nourished and hydrated); and lemon extract (the citric acid offers brightening and antibacterial properties).
Available at all Estetica Beauty studios and e-shop