While Karl Lagerfeld attempts to bring back the disheveled beard, Benefit introduces brow ‘try on’ technology.
Just browsing
If the plethora of eyebrow makeup laid out before you at a Benefit counter freaks you out but you aren’t completely adverse to tweaking your natural set, it’s worth checking out the brand’s new website addition.
Benefitcosmetics.com’s brow ‘try on’ technology uses your phone or laptop camera to snap an image of your face, then updates it, varying your own brows with a selection of shapes, widths and colours, so you can see if that lush, bushy set would be better slimmed down, or vice versa.
It’s impressive how realistic it looks, and of course, suggests products that might help you achieve each look. It’s also handy if you’re considering a semi-permanent option like feathering—not (yet!) offered by Benefit—and want to get a feel for which shape suits.
Hair’s proof
When it comes to breaking beauty news, there’s not usually too much up for discussion from men’s fashion week. It was quite notable when we kept seeing groomed moustaches and goatees on the faces of models walking the runways in Paris this week, the refined facial hair more Johnny Depp than Jason Momoa.
But then Karl Lagerfeld turned up at the Dior Homme show sporting a surprising new accessory, a snow white beard (albeit slightly more disheveled than runway versions). Given he hasn’t sported facial hair since the 70s, we’re calling it a trend.
Tried and tested: Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wear Weightless foundation
The new year marks the arrival of a bunch of new long-wear foundations on counters, generally with full coverage but a focus on providing more a dimensional ‘real skin’ finish.
One of the first, Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Water Fresh Foundation, $69 is a more modern, fresh-faced version of Estee Lauder classic Double Wear, went on sale last week. Others from NARS, Fenty Beauty, Dior, L’Oreal, Tarte and more are on their way, but we were lucky enough to have the new Bobbi Brown version, Skin Long-Wear Weightless foundation, $86, applied by Olivia Wild, Bobbi’s local Training Manager last week.
First impressions? The comfort and staying power is really impressive, the finish still matte but less cakey than previous long-wear versions. Great for oilier skin, it’s said to last for 16 hours, and certainly held up for eight easily on us. It’s a good long-lasting base to wear with a trifecta of blush and highlight as it’ll help them go the distance and in turn they’ll provide a bit of depth to the velvet-finish foundation.
With 30 shades, there’s a fairly good representation there. And while not everyone will find the right skin tone it’s something many cosmetic companies are working on improving this year.
2018: The year of the sheet mask 2.0
In a bid to upgrade an invention that has made huge inroads in the skincare industry, companies are looking for the next big thing in sheet masking. Charcoal, algae and even ones with loose gemstones to apply over top for that next level selfie have recently arrived. Also on their way? Hair sheet masks.
If you’ve ever popped a shower cap over your hair while letting a traditional hair mask do it’s thing you’ll be saying ‘duh’, but pre-packaged caps loaded with nourishing hair serum are popping up internationally. It’s only a matter of time until they reach shelves here.
