Celebrity Life

We’re getting right into it, with a brand new limited-edition five-pan palette from professional make-up artist Natasha Denona. A welcome follow-up to the equally stunning Mini Love Palette (which you can still purchase online here and here), the new Mini Crush Palette features five super-shimmers and buttery mattes in pink, purple and red tones. What more could you need? The Valentine’s Kit that comes with the palette and a feather-soft medium-sized blending brush.

Can you buy a perfume for the bottle? Since Gucci released the Flora Gorgeous Gardenia eau de parfum, we haven’t stopped thinking about it. Or at least I haven’t. The floral but delicately sweet scent is thanks to a blend of white gardenia with jasmine grandiflorum and pear blossom, with a brown sugar accord. And its stunning lacquered pink bottle features the Flora pattern originally created for Gucci in 1966 by artist Vittorio Accornero, re-imagined by creative director Alessandro Michele.

No V-Day look is complete without a pink or red on the lips! From Huda Beauty, this mini quad of liquid lipsticks has an expert formula that ensures a silky-smooth texture with long-lasting pigment, and also includes hyaluronic spheres, soybean and liquorice extract for additional hydration. Shades included are the light pink-beige Perfectionist, the rich pink-brown First Class, the rusty-pink Icon and universal red Miss America.

I was counting down to this launch… and for good reason. This year’s Valentine’s collection from ColourPop sees the return of the super-cute fan-favourite heart-shaped blushes (phew, that’s a lot of hyphens), as well as some other goodies. This Secret Admirer Collection includes the nine-pan Secret Admirer Palette with soft mauves, pinks and cool burgundy in metallic and matte finishes; one re-release and five brand new shades of the heart-shaped Pressed Powder Blushes; and six new shades of the creamy matte Fresh Kiss Lip Crème. Plus, a shimmering dry oil and body powder from sister brand SOL, a moisturiser and lip mask kit from Fourth Ray, a Mystery Date Hair Brush, and gold-plated heart hair clips.

Anastasia Beverly Hills just launched an entire collection of matte and satin lipsticks (18 shades in two finishes, 36 in total!) and complementing lip liners (20 shades). Formulated to deliver intense colour payoff and housed in a luxurious rose-gold component, this might be the lipstick bullet to buy for Valentine’s. All the shades look glorious but we’d pick up the shade Blackberry, a deep berry with a comfortable matte finish, along with the matching lip liner.

To celebrate its latest Eau Rose Eau de Parfum, diptyque created a limited-edition candle collection based around the fragrance’s unexpected accords: rose, chamomile, artichoke, and litchi. Each candle has a delicate floral and foliage-based design on it, making it both an aromatic and visual treat. Pick up the re-designed Roses Candle or opt for one of the newer ones (we love the look of Litchi!), and give the fragrance a look too.

NARS is celebrating Valentine’s with The Love Affair Collection — cult favourite products and the brand’s bestsellers in limited-edition gold and red-heart encasing. The line includes products you’re bound to have tried and loved before, including the Natural Radiant Longwear Cushion Foundation, Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder and Radiant Creamy Concealer. And if you’re new to NARS base products (some of the best in the game), this is the perfect heart-shaped opportunity to get colour-matched and pick up your first one.

The limited-edition Rouge Hermès spring-summer 2022 collection is here! Designed by Pierre Hard, the beauty tubes are inspired by gardens full of blooms and foliage — with the bullets featuring muted blues and greens and bright oranges and reds. The three lipsticks have a luminous, glossy finish, and come in a bright Orange Capucine, a soft almond-pink Beige d’Eau and, our Valentine’s pick, a true Rose Nymphéa pink. It’s still rolling out online and in-stores, so keep an eye out for them!

Unveiled late last year, the Young Rose Eau de Parfum is a light and fresh perfume that layers fiery Sichuan pepper with a foundation of Damascus rose. There’s no sickly sweetness to this, it’s truly a clean and universal scent — perfect for gifting to literally anyone. Other notes include ambrette seeds, orris, musk and ambroxan.

The N°1 DE CHANEL Red Camellia Revitalising Serum is for someone who loves to indulge, who loves luxurious skincare and beautiful packaging. Just look at that bottle! The lightweight gel-texture serum is infused with red camellia, harnessing its anti-aging and nourishing properties to visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles and pores and improves skin elasticity. And the collection makes every effort to be more sustainable, with 30 percent less packaging.

Just look at that imprinted heart! All the rose-gold Look of Love bullets are beautiful, but our pick is this super-romantic rosebud pink hue in a comfortable matte finish. It’s dreamy, it’s delicate, it’s Wedding Belles by Charlotte Tilbury.

This version of Chloe’s signature fragrance is heavenly: a fresh, light rose scent with citron and blackcurrant top notes, rose and neroli middle notes and a cedar base note. Woodsy and floral without being too musky and overpowering. It’s packed in a gorgeous clear bottle and is available in three sizes.

Why yes, I do worship Pat McGrath. She’s an artist! Makeup royalty, behind the scenes of editorials and runways like no one’s business! This Valentine’s Day, impress the most makeup-dedicated person in your life (even if it’s you) with this divine duo of mini lip glosses in romantic heart-shaped vials(!!). The shades Flesh Fantasy and Flesh 6 are both flattering, vibrant colours and the gel-balm formula promises to be non-sticky with the right amount of nourishment and shine. Buy it for the packaging alone.

This tinted version of Tatcha’s bestselling The Kissu Lip Mask treatment is inspired by the striking Red Camellia flower — with a smoothening and plumping formula that harnesses the nourishing properties of Japanese peach extract, squalane and camellia oil, and featuring a subtle red hue that makes it perfect for V-Day.

While all the shades of Too Faced’s Lady Bold Lipstick look promising, we’d suggest picking up the colour of the same name. Lady Bold (the shade) is the ultimate red – and is the only bullet available in red packaging (the rest come in soft pink encasing). Promising to be bold and empowering, it’s ultra-pigmented and super creamy with a lightweight and comfortable feel on the lips. And the heart shaped tip is a cute touch.