Ask a Beauty Editor: Eight of the best beauty product releases so far this year
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Lexi Laphor
WORDS BY SARAH TARCA AND SHERINE YOUSSEF
So far, 2024 hasn’t disappointed.
Sarah Tarca and Sherine Youssef are Australian beauty editors and the founders of Gloss Etc, a weekly newsletter dedicated to the best beauty reviews, news and tips.
For many, January doesn’t exist in the beauty calendar. This is largely because everyone (at least in the southern hemisphere) can typically be found somewhere along the coast, with their out-of-office switched on (or maybe that’s just us). Launches usually start in February, which means by now, we’ve been treated to just over half a year of exciting new product releases.
We like nosy people. Don’t be shy, head to our Beauty section for more.
As beauty editors and founders of Gloss Etc., our job is quite literally to trial hundreds of beauty products – reviewing them, weighing them up against each other and recommending only the best of the best. So for us to recommend something is saying a lot. Listed below are some of the top beauty products released this year that have not only wowed us and caused raised heartbeats from sheer excitement, but are the ones we would easily spend our own money buying.
OPI Repair Mode Nail Serum
Sherine: This did the impossible, turning my weak-ass nails into ones I’m not embarrassed to leave bare. The deceptively light serum does some serious heavy lifting, penetrating the nail to repair from the inside out, so you’re not just painting over a problem and hoping for the best. It works where it counts. For my science peeps: it recreates protein bonds via biomimicry of the nail’s natural keratin.
I used it on its own, twice a day for six days, and was quite literally transformed with nails that had less ridges and splitting, didn’t feel papery-thin, and had strong white tips.
Get it here.
Rimmel London Multi Tasker Better Than Filters Primer
View this post on Instagram
Sarah: They’re not inventing the category here: It’s a close relative of Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, but different enough to hold its own and for me, this is better — not just for that stunning price point, either. The flexible doe-foot makes it easy to apply (just scribble and blend), the coverage is a bit more than the Flawless Filter, so it actually passes as a base – but the real kicker is that they’ve nailed the shimmer intensity so you can wear it solo without giving disco ball.
Get it here.
L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron Plump Wonder Water
Sherine: The less time I have to think about or fuss with my hair, the better, so when I saw the claim that this works in eight seconds, I was already half on board. A rinse-out liquid conditioner uses very clever lamellar water technology akin to a magnet (lamelles are positively charged and attracted to negatively charged). Here, the ‘negative’ is the damaged parts of hair and so, unlike other masks and treatments that usually coat the entire hair shaft, this clings just to the damaged bits. What does that mean for my fine hair? I get smoothness, silkiness and shine without the heaviness. In eight seconds!
Get it here.
Welleco The Evening Elixir
View this post on Instagram
Sarah: I’m onto my third or fourth tub of this — and I’m literally sipping on it as I type. Most (maybe all?) sleep tonics subscribe to the ‘obliterate your taste buds’ form of sleep therapy, so they sit sad and unused in my cupboard. This, I have to hide from my family. A combination of sleep-adjacent heavy hitters like magnesium, chamomile, cacao and lavender, it also throws in some good-skin ingredients like vitamin C and niacin. This is all very nice, but the bottom line is it tastes like a bougie hot choccie and helps the wind down, so it’s a pretty perfect nightcap.
Get it here.
Thayers 80HR Liquid Moisturiser and Barrier Bestie Ultra Whip Cream
Sherine: I don’t expect much from my moisturiser – for me, it’s there to lock in serum, the workhorse of a skincare routine – but this impressed on both the texture front and price point. The former is a lotion for normal-dry skin that felt light on my face during the hell that was Sydney’s humid summer, the latter a whipped cream for dry to very dry types that coddled my winter-beaten skin without making me feel claustrophobic.
Get it here.
YogaToes
Sherine: OK, so not technically a ‘beauty’ product (but beauty-adjacent, as we like to categorise these things over on gloss etc) and not new, either, but I only recently rediscovered these gel toe stretching thingies in my beauty cupboard, so they’re new to me in 2024. Picture this: your poor feet have either been stuffed into shoes all day, spent a whole night in heels, or maybe you’re dealing with bunions, plantar fasciitis or hammer toes (I’m sorry).
Slip these on and you’ll initially experience some discomfort, but then: sweet sweet bliss as this contraption stretches and realigns toes, and delivers relief for aching feet. Random, but good. Trust me.
Get it here.
Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil
View this post on Instagram
Sarah: A lip oil in 2024? Groundbreaking, I know. Everyone has made lip oil, so in concept, it’s a little boring and it’s laced with some strong TikTok hype, which made me want to hate it. But despite all this, I couldn’t help but love it, because dammit, it’s stunning. Nine plant oils make up the mix, which means it’s big on moisture but also glides on like a proper oil – not too oily, not too runny, just the goldilocks-amount of product weight and shine, without any stick. I rest my case.
Get it here.
Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer
Sarah: Is it a cliche for me to say I love Dyson? Maybe, but I’ll wear it because their technology is the stuff of beauty editor dreams. My hair is fine and (unnaturally) blonde, which in combination with some aggressive heat styling has given me the gift of severe breakage this year.
This is where the Nural steps up: it limits the heat and scalp damage through ‘Nural TM sensors’ that reduce the heat and airflow near your head, which is excellent for me, but also me as a mother trying to dry my kid’s hair (which, I believe is a new Olympic sport). There’s also a bunch of fancy new attachments (it’s the flyaway one for me) but essentially it gives you the same excellent blow dry, minus the damage which is exactly what I want — and it’s what my hair needs.
Get it here.
For a look back at the best beauty products of 2023, head here.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
