Social media is the world stage for beauty brands and can make a popular product overnight. Add the weight of expert advice, and you have a cult beauty buy. So, we have cut through the beauty buzz to deliver the iconic buys of 2022. From innovation and (of course) performance, in our humble opinion, these are the future classics to invest in for your beauty routine, says editor Trudi Brewer.
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the skincare icons
Good skincare keeps your complexion healthy, hydrated, and happy. Below are the 2022 skincare winners for us.
ALPHA-H MELTING MOMENT CLEANSING BALM WITH WILD ORANGE LEAF EXTRACT, $71.
Every good word you have read about this delicious balm-to-oil is true. Our style director is addicted to its melt-on-the-skin feel and how it effortlessly removes every scrap of makeup and sunscreen, with its clever waterless formula boosted with actives and antioxidants. Oh, and did we mention it smells divine?
AVÈNE HYDRANCE AQUA-GEL
NIGHT HYDRATING SLEEPING MASK, $60.
Whipped in a base of soothing, Avène thermal spring water, with at blend of skin-loving plant oils, it’s also stacked with that potent hydrator hyaluronic acid. Designed to be slathered the skin before bed and it’s one of the nicest sleeping masks we’ve used.
ESSANO VISIBLE REPAIR FACIAL ELIXIR, $50.
It’s not only a hero beauty buy here, but the Visible Repair is now a top selling in the US too. The star in the collection is this facial elixir and we rate it big time. Stacked with Lapagyl, bakuchiol, and skin-brightening vitamin C. it corrects those signs of ageing like dark spots and fine lines - without breaking the bank.
Q & A Hyaluronic Acid Gel Cleanser, $17.
If you start the day with a hydrating cleanser, your skin is off to a brilliant start with this gel-then-creamy cleanser. Two kinds of hyaluronic acid floods the skin with moisture, while coco bataine, balances oil production, and the aloe vera soothes. This is the ideal cleanser to keep in your shower to bolster your daily routine.
TRINNY LONDON SKIN PERFECTOR SPF30 BFF CREAM, $82.
Our editor is a die-hard Trinny London fan, and this sheer luminous glow-giver features in her daily routine. It’s loaded with an essential SPF, yet it’s BB-like benefits blend seamlessly and now that Trinny London is available online in NZ, it’s on your doorstep in days - yes.
Pictured here Light.
Asap SPF50+ Hydrating Defence, $75.
Created as a three-in-one primer, moisturiser and SPF, with brilliant antioxidant ingredients to boot. Namely, niacinamide, turmeric and hyaluronic acid, that are whipped in a beige-coloured, lightweight formula with light-reflecting mineral screens that double as a light makeup - it’s genius.
SUNDAY RILEY C.E.O AFTERGLOW BRIGHTENING VITAMIN C CREAM, $110.
A glow-giver in a jar. It’s supercharged with a stable vitamin C and stacked with sodium hyaluronate designed to revitalise your skin. In a lush-looking yellow this gel-like cream melts into your skin giving it an essential antioxidant boost. As well as protecting your skin, you will be sporting a glow in days.
Shiseido Ultimune Infusing Power Concentrate, $199.
Technically a pre serum it set’s up your skin to be healthy and resilient. One bottle Ultimune sells every 15 seconds somewhere in the world. So to the 2022 tweaked version, Ultimune, 3.0. bolstered with antioxidants and clever technology. Add the delicate floral blend of rose and lotus scent and dreamy, hydrating that has us hooked.
The Body Care icons
The best body care products will make the daily chore of grooming into a luxurious ritual. From moisturising your skin from the inside out, the most significant change in this category is the clean ingredients and eco-scents.
Only Good Dream Natural Body Wash, $16.
Our environment is increasingly under siege, but the one thing you can do to help is to switch to natural body wash., which ultimately washes down the drain. This 100 per cent natural buy that is stacked with rapeseed, sweet almond and olive oils keeps your skin clean and nourished as well as the planet. It’s a no-brainer.
ST. TROPEZ SELF TAN LUXE WHIPPED CRÈME MOUSSE, $78
As lightweight as a chocolate soufflè, this self-tan leaves a gorgeous golden bronze on the skin stacked with skin-loving ingredients, including niacinamide, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, and echinacea. Leave it on for eight hours, and the guide colour washes off and that 100% natural-looking bronze stays on the skin for a week. It’s vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and okay for those with sensitive skin.
JEUNEORA BEAUTY SLEEP, $77.
This delicious hot chocolate super powder is stacked with adaptogens to help reduce cortisol levels and stress. In herbs and mushrooms, adaptogens are rich in vitamins A and D, antioxidants, polysaccharides, amino acids, and beta-glucans. Add the pistachio extract to keep your cholesterol in check, and this is one epic nighttime drink that lives up to its name Beauty Sleep. We mix ours with warm coconut milk just before bed.
Tronque Fully Ripe Vitamin C Body Oil, $120.
Local beauty brand Tronque has got us pampering the skin all over with this new luxe-y oil. The key ingredient vitamin C THD (50 times more potent than L-ascorbic acid) as well as a range of potent plant oils sink in within seconds boosting skin firmness, and leaving our skin gleaming. All we wish for is that this bottle could come in a litre with a pump.
BONDI SANDS GRADUAL TANNING LOTION TINTED SKIN PERFECTOR, $28.
Consider this body makeup that washes off to leave a sun-kissed glow on the skin. The brand say it’s the perfect combination of instant and long-lasting tan - that is bang on. It’s a clever non-transferable (once dry on he skin) creamy body lotion, loaded with bronze pigments, that instantly gives skin a perfecting tint, that washes off to leave a long lasting faux glow, it’s genius.
DR. LEWINN'S MARINE COLLAGEN PEPTIDE+ INNER BEAUTY LIQUID SHOT, 10 X 50ML, $60.
A concentrated shot of sustainably sourced, hydrolysed marine collagen boosted by vitamin C, anyone?
Add blueberry juice and spinach powder; this shot has everything a woman needs to feel on top of her game. It’s also dairy and gluten-free and has no artificial colours or flavours. There is also a peach variant.
The haircare icons
When it comes to hair, our following does not want to compromise on strength, shine, and ease of styling. Thankfully, we know what products will make your hair happy while streamlining your regime. Here are the winners in the hair category.
UMBERTO GIANNINI PURE BLONDE SHAMPOO, $25.
According to Umberto Giannini’s founder, modern life can cause blonde or grey hair to dull and yellow. To counter that brassy overtone blonde and grey hair gets, this shampoo offers a formula that is 93 per cent natural. Along with violet pigments, chamomile flower orange, lemon, peel oils, geranium flower oil, and lavender extracts will cool and correct every strand.
SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL BLONDME COOL BLONDES NEUTRALIZING SPRAY CONDITIONER, $38.
Consider this your toning, shine-boosting, and leave-in-conditioning spray all in one. Stacked with vitamin B5, that clever 3D bond creation technology, and violet pigments that neutralise brassiness, it will be a game-changer for blonde and brunette hair this summer.
LADY JAYNE SALON PRO RECHARGEABLE STRAIGHTENING BRUSH, $110.
A wireless, compact (fits in a small handbag, lightweight, and portable hot brush that you can use on the go - genius, right? We thought so. Its frizz-taming qualities are endless thanks to the heated fins, 37 in a double-row, coated with ceramic and ionic powders; it’s ideal for any hair type.
ALTERNA CAVIAR ANTI-AGING REPLENISHING MOISTURE CC CREAM, $54.
While this hair treatment cream did not launch in 2022, we only discovered it this year and what a difference it has made to our hair care routine. The ten benefits are moisture, shine, smoothness, softness, anti-breakage, heat protection, a light hold styling cream, UV colour priming protection, manageability, and strength - say no more.
The Makeup icons
From the most hydrating hybrid foundations that double as your SPF to a radiance-making primer - and, of course, it glosses. If you’ve spent any time searching best beauty buys online, these winners have enjoyed rave reviews.
JANE IREDALE GLOW TIME PRO BB CREAM, $111.
The combination of skincare and makeup, in a buildable coverage that offers all-day hydration. Expect a satin finish that looks and feels like makeup-free skin that is well protected by the SPF 25. There are14 shades.
ELIZABETH ARDEN LIP COLOR LIPSTICK, $54.
Creamy, with enough colour, pay off to drench your lips in one swipe, this lippy champions Arden’s clever ceramide anti-ageing formula good reason why you need to try one of the 22 new colours.
PAT MCGRATH LABS Skin Fetish Highlighter & Balm Duo, $92.
After binge-watching Netflix's Bridgerton, the show's lead makeup artist for season two, Erika Okvist, revealed that this radiance-making illuminator was the one product every female cast member wore. So we had to have it - and we love it. Why? It’s half-highlighter and half-nourishing skin balm - beyond magnificent anywhere on your face or body.
Kosas Wet Lip Oil Plumping Treatment Gloss, in Jaws $33.
Not only will this gloss leave a divine vinyl- looking shine, it’s also good for the skin thanks to hyaluronic acid and peptides (protein) that helps hydrate and firm the skin, finally evening primrose keeps your lips in top shape. There are 8 colours.
SHISEIDO SYNCHRO SKIN SELF-REFRESHING TINT SPF23, $69.
A natural looking, ‘breathable skin tint' with the clever 'activeforce' (also in Shiseido suncare) a technology that helps your skin resist heat, humidity, and oil. Add the wild thyme, magnesium, fatty acids, hyaluronic acid and the SPF23 - and it’s a winner.
NUDE BY NATURE PRECISION BROW MASCARA, $30
This brow gel has become our go-to. It’s the best way to keep our laminated brows in place all day thanks to the100 per cent natural ingredients include candelilla wax and pro-vitamin B5 that help nourish brow hairs (they can become dry and brittle after multiple lamination treatments). There are two shades.
Fragrance icons
We have spent this year spritzing and sniffing our way through the most popular perfumes, and while we always share the best, from floral, to fruity, woodsy, or oriental - here are the fragrance heroes from 2022.
CHLOÈ NATURELLE EAU DE PARFUM, 30ML, $125, 50M, $175.
At the heart of Chloé signature scents is a rose; with this variation there is neroli and mimosa (which smells like a blend of cut grass and honey), crisp blackcurrant buds are perfectly balanced by woody cedar. This fragrance has no filters or artificial colouring, and the sunray pleated bottle is made from recycled glass - what would we do without Chloè?
GUCCI FLORA GORGEOUS GARDENIA EAU DE PARFUM, 50ML, $182.
Combine delectable pear blossom, mandarin and a hint of red berries with white tropical flowers like jasmine, frangipani, and the star bloom, and gardenia, and you have a designer scent that every woman wants to own - thank you Gucci.
ELLIS BROOKLYN SALT EDP, $179.
Inspired by the soul-healing properties of the ocean. The blend of tropical island blooms, like ylang-ylang, Tahitian Tiare, gardenia, and magnolia dianica (some say smells like a glass of Champagne) make it a summer essential. It’s vegan and certified cruelty-free by PETA, and bloody gorgeous on warm skin.
ISSEY MYAKE L’EAU D’ISSEY EAU & MAGNOLIA, 50ML, $155.
Famous for its clean, freshness, but with the addition of magnolia petal, some would say this scent compares to the aroma of Champagne. That pure water, with citrusy bergamot and musky sandalwood, what a wonderful fragrance to farewell what was an extraordinary legacy for a brilliant designer.
The latest rosy designer scent.