THE BEST NEW BEAUTY BUYS FOR JANUARY

From the cold, miserable weather and dark evenings to the pressure of keeping up your new year’s resolutions, January isn’t the most uplifting of months. So it’s no surprise that many of us can experience a serious case of the January blues. But to help combat any seasonal sadness, your favourite beauty brands are here with an incredible lineup of new and exciting launches.

From a life-changing highlighter from the queen of glow herself, Charlotte Tilbury and a tantalizing new fragrance from Jo Malone London to MAC Cosmetics' first launch into skincare and the arrival of Paula’s Choice to Brown Thomas, here are the best January beauty launches worth adding to your beauty repertoire.

SHINE LIKE A STAR

Ever wondered what would happen if the rich pigment payoff of a pressed powder collided with the radiance-inducing sheen of a liquid highlighter? Well Charlotte Tilbury did and created the incredible Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter. Uniting ‘Light Flex Technology’ that grants a multi-dimensional glow, with smoothing emollients to bring you a soft-focus, satin-like finish, this covetable compact is essentially a filter in highlighter form. Despite not being on the market longer than 2 weeks, it is already a firm favourite amongst the TikTok beauty community.

BE REAL

Already beloved for their legendary line of cosmetics, MAC is now making skincare. Marking the brand’s official foray into the world of skincare, its new collection, Hyper Real, consists of three new products: a hydration serum, moisturising cream and cleansing oil. Inspired by MAC’s makeup artists’ understanding of the power of skincare in relation to makeup, the result is a collection that has been formulated to improve skin and enhance the effect of makeup, i.e make your base products look better and last longer.

SEEK SMOOTHER SKIN

The unsung hero of any routine has got to be exfoliation. Not only do they help to unclog pores and improve skin texture but they’re also the key to bright, radiant skin. New to La Mer this month, The Resurfacing Treatment is a liquid exfoliator which pairs AHA, BHA, and PHA acid with the brand’s iconic Miracle Broth. The result? A potent blend that works to delicately encourage natural cell turnover, revealing a smoother, more balanced, and even complexion.

CELEBRATE THE LUNAR NEW YEAR

The Lunar New Year, which is celebrated with vibrant festivities in nations across East and South Asia, marks the beginning the moon cycle-based calendar year. Taking place this year on January 22, tons of beauty brands are celebrating the holiday with special-edition products. Some, like Charlotte Tilbury, Estee Lauder, and Clinique, have repackaged some of their top-sellers into festive, fun packaging you can grab for a limited time only whereas other brands such as MAC and Bobbi Brown have designed entirely new products to ring in the Lunar New Year.

FALL IN LOVE WITH A NEW FRAGRANCE

Introducing Armani Privé’s latest Haute Couture fragrance: SANTAL DĀN SHĀ. Exclusive to Brown Thomas, this new scent was inspired by the serenity of Chinese Imperial palaces and their contemplative gardens. Crafted by master perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin, SANTAL DĀN SHĀ’s top notes open with fresh Bergamot which blends with warm, peppery Cardamom and is accented with a Violet Leaf accord. Of course, at the base of the fragrance, is Sandalwood creating an enveloping yet sensual note. Already being dubbed the fragrance of the year, this is one scent you’ll want to add to your fragrance collection, stat.

SET YOUR SIGHTS

What’s the best thing about Christmas? We’d argue it’s beauty gift sets. The golden ticket to present perfection, gift sets treat the lucky recipient to tons of new products as well as offering excellent value for money. Plus, they often come in beautiful boxes that you can keep and reuse. So you can imagine our delight when Westman Atelier dropped not one, not two but three new beauty gift sets earlier this month.

CHOOSE CHARCOAL

Famed for its gentle, lightweight formula and ability to remove everything from the skin, including impurities, makeup and SPF, Clinique’s Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm is one product that needs no introduction. But perhaps what does need highlighting is the brand’s latest iteration of the cleansing balm. Now featuring detoxifying Japanese charcoal, this new version will remove makeup quicker and dissolve tenacious eye and face makeup. Not stopping there, it will also detoxify and unclog pores whilst helping to clear dirt, oil, pollution, and other impurities.

BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH PAULA’S CHOICE

You’ve waited patiently and we are excited to finally announce that the beloved skincare brand, Paula’s Choice, is now stocked in Brown Thomas. Within its various different collections, like Resist, Clear, and Skin Perfecting, there are an array of products that cater to all skin types and skin concerns — from gentle exfoliators that won't irritate the most sensitive skin to rich moisturisers that those with oily skin won't be able to live without. Backed by science, environmentally conscious, never animal-tested and packed for potency, these highly-effective formulas deserve a place in your go-to routine, stat.

DISCOVER BRUSHDOC

Of all the daily chores you’re faced with, washing your makeup brushes may be the most gruelling. But unlike that pile of ironing that can wait another day, your makeup brushes need cleaning after each and every use. But the good news is the process needn’t be so laborious thanks to Brushdoc: a revolutionary tool that cleans makeup brushes and sponges in seconds, thanks to its advanced rotating technology that allows you to achieve a deep clean with minimal effort. The product itself is compact, USB-powered and easily transportable, so makeup brushes can be washed in any location meaning there is no longer any need to spend those dreaded hours at a sink. As the winners of Arnotts Pitch ‘22, founders of Brushdoc, Gary and Ciara Malone won a €10,000 business development fund and have secured the amazing opportunity retail space in Planet Beauty on Clarendon Street.

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES

Roses are to Valentine’s Day what sequins are to Christmas: a timeless classic you can’t help but love. So it’s rather fitting that the latest launch from Jo Malone London is a fragrance collection dedicated to this very scent. Celebrating the versatility of the rose, Jo Malone London has created a variety of rose-based scents, each offering a different interpretation of this iconic flower. Decorated in special-edition glass designs with tonal details, the collection includes colognes and home scents, allowing you to always enjoy the scent of freshly-cut flowers.

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Still need some help combatting the January blues? There's nothing a new bag can't fix. Discover the must-have styles in The 6 Bag Updates Your Wardrobe Needs Now.