Unboxing: the Best Beauty Items We Tried in January

We’re starting the new year fresh with new skincare routines that help beat the harsh and dry winter, and beauty products to keep our glow on.

Featured beauty products

Drunk Elephant

The Drunk Elephant Trunk 3.0 isn’t exactly a new product. It came out in 2019, but the fully functional mini-fridge, which can chill (even warm!) your essential skincare products is still a favourite in our office. The trunk set comes with 10 best-selling, full-sized Drunk Elephant products, including the Sweet Biome Fermented Sake Spray.

La Mer

La Mer’s eye treatment combo is a lifesaver during the harsh winter days. The Eye Concentrate is a more advanced treatment that can help reduce dark circles and fine wrinkles even before visible damage begins. A pro tip: you could keep the eye treatment applicators in the fridge for a couple of minutes before you use them to massage the eye area for a quick microcirculation boost.

Dior

The Dior Capture Totale Super Potent Rich Creme targets skin dryness with its heavily-researched science in mother cells and floral expertise. The rich creme combines bio-cellular technology with French peony oil extract.

Benefit

Our eyes and eyebrows are what most people tend to see these days, so it’s extremely pertinent that we keep our brows beautifully shaped and well-groomed. Benefit’s Brow Microfilling Pen mimics natural brow hair, comes in four versatile shades and is all-around the most essential beauty product you need these days.

Nars

Nars is celebrating Chinese New Year with a new limited-edition collection that is beautifully packaged in a rich red floral design. To bring in good fortune for the Year of the Ox, the eyeshadow palette comes in soft neutral hues with a slight shimmer. There are two new shades of lipstick: Wen Wo (a brownish neutral shade) and China Rose (with a more rosy tint).

Tatcha

Tatcha’s Dewy Sin Creme is formulated with Hadasei-3, the brand’s proprietary complex of double-fermented Uji green tea, Akita rice and Mozuku algae. The result is super rich, smoothing cream that allows your make-up to glide on without a glitch.

Laura Mercier

Also perfect for Chinese New Year is Laura Mercier’s limited-edition beauty set, wrapped up in glorious shades of red and gold. The set comes with the Flawless Lumière Radiance-Perfecting Cushion, the Rouge Essentiel Silky Crème Lipstick, and the Translucent Loose Setting Powder that comes with a puff.

YSL Beauty

“Glass skin” was a term that came from K beauty to mean skin that appears poreless, luminous, clear as glass. YSL Beauty’s Soft Polish Double Essence is extremely gentle but comes with an effective peeling effect. Used alongside the Night Reboot serum and the Perfect Plumper Cream, glass skin is at your fingertips.

Aesop

Cold winter weather is not always the culprit — sometimes, it’s the unpredictability of it, colder days and milder days, that disrupt our skin. Aesop’s latest winter skincare essentials are here to help. The selected products are gentle and nourishing on the skin, while keeping a balance, and comes in a range to suit different skin types.

Oribe

Our focus is so often on skincare and make-up, but we shouldn’t forget to care for our hair too. Available at Joyce Beauty, Oribe’s Signature Shampoo and Conditional set is a rich daily cleanser that is formulated to silken, detangle and protect.

Estée Lauder

The Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Eye Serum is part of Estée Lauder’s premium line, and comes infused with Black Diamond Truffle Extract that lifts tired eyes instantly.

Augustinus Bader

Founded by Professor Augustinus Bader, globally recognized as one of the leaders in stem cell biology, there’s no doubting the potency of the brand’s products. Its creams and oils are backed by 30 years of proprietary research, which resulted in its TFC8 complex, said to kickstart the skin’s natural abilities to rejuvenate itself. Available at Joyce Beauty.