AR Beauty Beat, March 2024: Best Beauty & Grooming Releases

Jurlique has given its popular Herbal Recovery range a makeover, with a quintet of new products (comprising a serum, eye roll on, eye cream, face cream, and face oil). The range works to target the lifestyle and environmental factors that contribute to dull, tired skin, utilising a blend of holy basil, iris root, echinacea, and black elderflower to address signs of ageing and restore radiance. The Jurlique Herbal Recovery Bi-Phase Serum is a water-oil hybrid serum infused with vitamin E, kakadu plum, and dragon fruit extract (in addition to the aforementioned botanicals) that works to improve skin suppleness and texture.

A pre-wash oil that uses rosemary essential oil to stimulate the scalp and promote hair growth, in tandem with lipid-rich castor oil, tea tree to reduce scalp flakiness, biotin to nourish hair strands, and bisabolol to soothe the scalp. Suitable for sensitive scalps, it helps stimulate blood circulation in the area while reducing any irritation or itchiness.

Joining the brand’s cult-favourite BHA exfoliant is the Paula’s Choice 6% Mandelic Acid + 2% Lactic Acid Liquid Exfoliant, an AHA exfoliant that’s gentle enough for daily use. Designed to promote skin cell turnover to improve the appearance of sun damaged, textured, discoloured, and dull skin, it combines low-dose lactic acid with gentle mandelic acid to shed built-up layers of dead skin without causing irritation.

The Ordinary has reformulated its staple serum. Gone is the sticky, tacky feeling, while the hydrating and plumping benefits remain. Laden with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and panthenol, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 works to replenish hydration levels, promote lasting moisture retention, and plump dry, dehydrated skin. The new texture means it’s easy to apply and doesn’t pill under moisturiser and sunscreen.

Australian skincare brand Alpha-H has introduced the latest limited-edition iteration of its Melting Moment Cleansing Balm (a favourite here at Albert Review). The buttery soft cleansing balm has been infused with Australian Flannel Flower and boasts a new scent with notes of spicy pear, sage, and warm amber (as well as a new colour to match).

This pencil-to-powder formula combines easy application with a natural finish, simplifying the process of defining and grooming your brows. A spoolie on the back allows you to shape your arches before filling them in with the pencil. The Mecca Max Brow Guru Powder Pencil is available in five shades; ash blonde, medium brown, ash brown, warm brown, and soft black.

A nourishing lip treatment enriched with peptides, cloudberry oil, and kokum butter, the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment works to instantly smoothen lips and plump fine lines. It’s available in four delectable flavours (Cocoa Crème is our pick of the bunch).

A natural take on the plethora of lash growing serums on the market, this formula uses Resulook botanical extract, which has been clinically proven to promote hair growth, in conjunction with safflower oil, glycerin, and vitamin E, which work to nourish and moisturise the lashes and brows.

Designed to give your pout the illusion of filler (sans injections or uncomfortable tingling sensation), the Huda Beauty Faux Filler Lip Gloss melts onto the lips with a high-shine finish. Gently bluring wrinkles and fine lines upon application, it’s enriched with vitamin E and vegan collagen to promote nourished lips, while plant-derived waxes create a cushion-like, shiny formula. It’s available in seven shades, including a clear version.

Combining retinol with HPR (an advanced retinoic acid ester) and ceramides, the Elizabeth Arden Retinol + HPR Ceramide Capsules work to fortify the skin barrier while promoting cell renewal to refine skin texture and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. The formula includes phytoceramides, bisabolol, vitamin E, and oats which soothe the skin and reduce any potential irritation caused by the retinol. They’re delivered in easy-to-use biodegradable capsules, allowing for the correct dose every time.

A funkier, more youthful take on the classic lip oil, these lip oil-gloss hybrids are inspired by candy flavours (think sour watermelon, sweet cotton candy, and pina colada). The formula incorporates sunflower and jojoba seed oils to moisturise the lips while imparting a shiny, glossy finish.

French skincare brand Biologique Recherche has landed in Mecca. Lauded for its high-performance formulas and transformative results, the brand’s Lotion P50 is a favourite on the shelves of beauty editors, celebrities, and socialites alike. A veritable melange of cocktail of alpha-, beta, and poly-hydroxy acids as well as onion, horseradish, and vinegar, it isn’t exactly a beautiful sensorial experience, but one you’ll want to pursue for the skin-changing results. The brand is exclusively available via the Mecca George Street and Mecca Aesthetica stores.

Fresh has updated its popular eye cream offering. The new Fresh Black Tea Advanced Age Renewal Eye Cream is a fast-absorbing, lightweight formula that features BT Matrix, a blend of rambutan leaf and black tea shown to deliver retinol-like results while being gentle on the skin. Its skin-smoothing effects are paired with vitamin C to brighten skin tone and wild ginger extract to reduce the appearance of dark circles.

Jackfruit, beetroot, squalane, and plant-based polymers come together in the Ouai Hair Anti-Frizz Crème to create a formula that not only controls frizz but provides heat protection. It boasts an appealing scent with notes of rose de mai, violet, musk, lemon, patchouli, and sandalwood.

Providing sheer, buildable colour in a bouncy, jelly-like formula, the Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint is suitable for use on cheeks and lips. Vegan collagen, aloe, and seawater come together to refresh and cool the skin.

This vegan-friendly hair serum sees alpha keratin (a hair-identical protein) work to restore damaged hair by repairing the bonds that give hair its strength and elasticity. The formula refills each strand with keratin to smooth, soften, and protect against future damage.

Drunk Elephant’s latest moisturiser formula focuses on skin barrier repair, with a restorative complex comprising ceramides, lipids, hyaluronic acid, copper, and zinc taking centre stage. The Drunk Elephant Bora Barrier works to imbue the skin with lasting moisture while firming the skin and reducing redness.

Newly launched skincare brand Strange Luxury has debuted with its inaugural offering. The Barrier Balance Cream is a fragrance-free formula that combines the brand’s SL8 blend (laden with antioxidants like kakadu plum, Illawarra plum, Burdekin plum, pepperberries, and ripeberries) with hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and vitamin E to create a formula with a cushion-like texture that’s suitable for even the most sensitive skin types.

French favourite Nuxe gives its signature dry oil a shimmery makeover with the Huile Prodigieuse Or. Boasting the nourishing and softening properties of the original (made with a cocktail of tsubaki, camellia, hazelnut, boarge, St John’s Wort, sweet almond, and macadamia oils), it imparts the skin with a shimmery bronzed sheen.

A soft, second skin perfume, the The 7 Virtues Amber Vanilla melds gourmand vanilla with carnations, warm amber, and sandalwood, while skin-like musks enhance your natural scent.

A more potent, animalic take on the brand’s popular Silky Woods scent. The Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods Elixir sees Asutralian agarwood take centre stage, accented by notes of fig, saffron, orris, ambroxan, and syrupy balsam. A decidedly intense, sensual scent.

Sustainable skincare brand Conserving Beauty has released zit stickers with a difference. The Conserving Beauty Dissolving Zit Strips use nanoDOTE technology and dissolve into skin upon activation with water. Salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide in the formula work to reduce the appearance of blemishes and prevent future breakouts.