1. ‘S’ by Shakira
Most of you probably know about my Shakira obsession. So, when her new fragrance hit UK shops, I immediately informed my boyfriend, who had been complaining that ‘I was really hard to buy for.’ (uuummm, I like everything?!) Surprise, surprise, I spent Christmas Day smelling, quite frankly, absolutely fantastic! With top notes of jasmine, middle notes of sandalwood and base notes of vanilla, amber and benzoin, this oriental-floral perfume is without a doubt the nicest smelling fragrance I have ever tried. I would definitely recommend treating yourself to this, or maybe even try Shakira’s two other scents in the same range: Eau Florale and Aquamarine.
2. EOS Lip Balm
So you might be thinking I’m slightly behind the beauty times here, but oh no- have you seen their new releases?! ‘A Ray of Holiday Sunshine’ Limited Edition Collection is exactly what the lip doctor ordered. Feeling sick and tired of this miserable January weather? This is the ideal collection to try out; flavours include St. Barth’s Sunrise (Pink Grapefruit), Indian Summer (Orange Blossom) and Aloha Hawaii (Strawberry Kiwi). EOS have enriched these particular lip balms with moisturising agents to ensure luscious lips, well in time for summer!
EOS have just released a new line called Visibly Soft, but there are currently only two flavours: Coconut Milk and Vanilla Mint. Both enriched with natural conditioning oils, moisturizing shea butter and antioxidant vitamins C & E, they moisturise lips up to three times as long as the previous balms do. Also, if you’re like me and seem to drop everything you pick up, the raised stripes on the spheres ensure better grip- a definite bonus for me!
3. LUNA mini
Maybe this isn’t strictly a new release, but at £99 I personally can only afford this after some generous donations from my family (or student finance). This is skincare unlike any other. Using T-Sonic technology and a unique silicone brush, it ensures deep, effective cleansing for the face. Not only does it feel like you’re having a professional facial, the silicone non-porous brush is resistant to bacteria, resulting in it being 35x more hygienic than standard sonic-cleansing brushes such as Clinique and Clarins brushes.
I found my skin became much brighter, clearer and my crater-like pores even became noticeably smaller. There’s also so little effort involved, which is something I need when I seem to have deadlines left, right, and centre this term. You only have to use it for 1 minute each use, it lasts 300 cleanses once fully charged and it’s super easy to travel with- making it very useful when I’m at university.
With the excitement of Christmas and New Year quickly fading into the demands of university life, treat yourself to these great beauty buys for a little January pick-me-up!