Jo Loves... Summer 2020
Our Co-Editor Jo Fairley shares the products which are ‘keepers’ from those she’s been checking out, as the temperature rises…
Chanel Les Beiges Sheer Healthy Glow Tinted Moisturizer SPF30/PA++ (above)
I can’t remember the last time I wore ‘proper’ foundation now. Since lockdown, all I’ve needed is just enough to even out skintone and make me feel like I’ve made some kind of effort. The above is a product I first discovered on holiday in Dubai and it’s been my go-to summer foundation, ever since. It’s skin-quenching, for sure (hyaluronic acid in there) – but I would most definitely still apply moistuirser underneath, personally. However, this does a brilliant job of unifying my skin, making it look glow-y and healthy – as the name says – yet feels light as a feather. And hurrah for Chanel, here: the shades for this go all the way from Light to Deep (unlike many tinted moisturisers which are only available in paler tones); at Beauty Bible, we have pledged only to feature inclusive shade ranges, in future.
£37 for 30ml – buy here
Wishful Clean Genie Cleansing Butter
A cleansing BUTTER, I thought? Well, that’s a new one. But oh, what a texture. I’ve become really, really addicted to it since trying this cleanser – from the skincare arm of Instagram phenomenon Huda Kattan’s beauty empire. I have to admit to the teensiest bit of scepticism, here – because there’s so much razzmatazz around Huda, with her 2.1 Million followers, her blingtastic outfits and her immaculate maquillage. Classic ‘influencer’ stuff. But oh, this is bloody brilliant. It feels exactly like butter – but a pale aqua, slightly floral-aquatic-scented butter – and it does a completely miraculous job of melting make-up, perhaps because it’s just so pleasurable to use that you want to go on and on massaging it into skin. One caveat: avoid the eyes, won’t you? Like many products, it leaves something of a greasy film on the eyes, which I’d rather avoid. And which leads me neatly to my next summer love…
£31 for 100g – buy here
Chantecaille Eye Make-up Remover
I completely ran out of eye make-up remover in #lockdown, and to be honest, I haven’t been near a Boots or Superdrug in many, many weeks. The universe, however, happily delivered this exquisite, very delicately rose-scented and very luxurious treat, the day after I’d got to the final drop of my Bioderma. It is very luxe-priced, but a cooling, soothing treat for the eyes that removes make-up exceptionally well. When I’m feeling flush, I’ll be replenishing.
£38 for 75ml – buy here
Collection Lip Gello
Well this is the steal-of-the-century, lip-wise, as far as I’m concerned. I’m not even sure how this came into my life – but it ain’t leaving, and has proved invaluable for having on the desk during the Time of Zoom. A dab or two of this very concentrated highly-pigmented lipstick gives a real bitten-lip look and couldn’t be easier to apply: add a dab or two to lips, smack them together – the smooth, jelly-like texture makes for easy spreading – and hey, presto. The colour lasts throughout a one-hour Zoom meeting, and has a really comfy texture with it. The colour I’ve been using is Spring 5, a deep cerise, but I’m definitely up for checking out some of the others in the range.
£2.99 – buy here
Rare Tea Company Pick Me Up Tea
Full disclosure: Henrietta Lovell, Rare Tea’s founder, is my best friend. But I can put my hand on my heart and swear that even if she wasn’t, you’d find an arsenal of Rare Tea Company teas in my cupboard, from Speedy Breakfast (a blend she created especially for me, and is now a bestseller!), to Tarry Souchong, my 4 p.m. essential, power-me-through-till-dinnertime brew. The new Pick Me Up Tea has been giving me a lift during the day, though: a new blend of Cornish manuka with health-giving properties, gotu kola (used in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to promote healing), English peppermint and Sri Lankan lemongrass. It is light, refreshing, I find it cooling in the heat – and at around 28p a cup, while that doesn’t sound cheap, is a teeny fraction of the cost of a takeaway tea or coffee. Rare Tea sources direct from farmers and they need our support right now, as 80% of the tea they sell is to hotels and restaurants – which have, of course, been closed. Don’t do it because she’s my mate, though. Do it because Rare Tea is a wonderful thing, helping to support young people in the developing world through education. You get great tea; they get a degree – which certainly adds to the feel-good factor of every sip.
£13.99 for a 50g pouch – buy here
Holly Tucker Conversations of Inspiration
I have to give a shout-out to Holly Tucker, here, who’s been my morning companion on my 6 a.m. daily walks, with her Conversations of Inspiration and SME S.O.S. podcasts. A total force of nature, Ambassador for UK Creative Small Businesses, Holly has consistently had completely riveting guests on her daily Instagram broadcasts, as she seeks to keep the spirits of small business owners buoyant. Recent beauty-orientated guests include Caroline Hirons (I think Holly met her match in the human hurricane stakes, there), and our LUSH founder friend Mark Constantine, who explained how lockdown has afforded him the opportunity to look at his business and do things differently, aided by a regular 4 p.m. bath every single day. (I was honoured be interviewed by Holly a couple of times myself during the past few months.) If you have a small business yourself – perhaps a beauty start-up – you absolutely 1000% need to sign up to both her Instagram and podcast. That. Is. A. Command.
Holly’s Instagram: @hollytucker
Conversations of Inspiration podcast here
