Beauty buys you should be looking out for in May 2019

Chanel introduces launches to their Les Beiges collection seasonally. This May, we’re coveting this nine-colour eyeshadow palette, named The Indispensable Palette.

From beige to bronze, the shades are inspired by surfaces of the earth, from sparkly rocks to clay ground. We like how the neutral colours come in matte and shimmery shades, and are suitable for all skin tones and everyday wear. Plus, the palette is simply but impeccably designed, as with all things Chanel.

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The luxury Korean brand’s first foray into lip palette has six pink, peach and red shades to give you luscious-looking lips. Part of the Phoenix Limited Edition Collection launching this month, we love the design which features a pair of mythical birds, “Bonghwang” in Korean, that symbolise auspicious energy. Whether you’re getting it for yourself or a loved one, we’re sure this is a collectible to add to your makeup shelf.

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Anyone who knows Kiehl’s knows about their iconic product, the Calendula Herbal-Extract Alcohol-Free Toner, whose formulation has not changed since it was launched in the 1960s.

The latest addition to the Calendula line is this water cream, which has micronised calendula petals and calendula extract that delivers five skin-soothing compounds to skin once it’s applied.

The weightless formula also gives long-lasting hydration, leaves skin feeling soft and reduces redness.

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This new lotion from Dior aims to supply skin with minerals while purifying it. Why? Because blemish-prone skin dries out easily, becomes red and over-sensitive, and overproduces sebum.

This causes pores to clog up, leading to even more dilated pores. Used as a lotion or pre-lotion step, the Dior Prestige La Micro-Lotion De Rose is said to help skin remain shine-free and hydrated for 12 hours.

Rose oil, minerals, and nutrients such as aspartic acid, vitamins B3, B5 and E, and fatty acids help to strengthen skin barrier to rebalance blemish-prone skin.

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We’ve been eagerly awaiting this launch since last December, when Priyanka Chopra wed Nick Jonas. Why? Because she used this skin-perfecting powder on her big day to create fresh, glowing skin.

The powder has a perfecting pearl pigment that diffuses light and blurs out imperfections. The built-in magnetic brush also ups the convenience factor of this compact.

This is one half of the Accomplice collection launching this month (the other is the Accomplice Concealer & Touch-up Stick at $45).

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Launching on May 9 in Sephora (stores and online) and the Urban Decay store at Ngee Ann City, this entire collection comprises an eyeshadow palette, highlighter palette, four lip shades, four eyeliners, two eyeshadow brushes and a lip and cheek tint.

All the makeup shades have names inspired by the epic fantasy series, which makes this limited-edition collection a must-have for Game of Thrones fans.

Even if you’re not crazy about the show, we think the eyeshadow palette is a good investment piece at $92; you can create many different looks – with its wide range of shades from nudes and browns to blue and purple.

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Shu Uemura is a makeup artistry brand. Maison Kitsune is a French electronic music record label and fashion label. They’re both cool in their own ways.

So when they come together to collaborate on a makeup collection, you know there are few things that can get cooler than that. The overarching theme is a camouflage pattern, with a fox (Maisons Kitsune’s icon), lip and Mount Fuji prints overlapping on it.

The eyeshadow palette has pink, brown and khaki colours, so you can create a number of fun looks with it. Lipstick-wise, there are nine limited-edition shades (and seven existing, best-selling shades) for Shu Uemura’s Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte, and five limited-edition shades (and three existing, best-selling shades) of the Matte Supreme liquid lipstick – all in the limited-edition camo-print packaging.

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Known for its customisable lipstick shades and mix-and-match lipstick cases, Etude House is reformulating its lipstick formula and launching a new range of lipsticks with 60(!) shades.

There are two finishes, regular and velvet, and the range is formulated to give vivid colour payoff and stay on your lips for hours. We like the new pale pink case, which is chic and feminine, and the magnetic cap which snaps into place easily. 

What’s even more exciting is that 40 more shades are planned for the second half of the year, bringing the total collection to a whopping 100 shades. Because, really, what can be #BETTER (the hashtag for this launch) than 100 shades of lipsticks to choose from?

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After 28 years of research into flowers and their skin benefits, Mamonde’s new serum is said to help you get smooth, supple and glowing skin with polyphenols (an antioxidant-rich compound) extracted from superfood pomegranate.

The polyphenols combat free radical damage that causes premature skin ageing, while the hypoallergenic formula keeps skin healthy without stressing it out with chemicals. The serum is dermatologist-tested and suitable for people with sensitive skin, and is free of nasties like animal ingredients, mineral oil, synthetic colourants, PEG surfactant and parabens.

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If you’ve tried Hera’s Black Cushion, you would know how well it holds up in Singapore’s hot and humid weather. That’s why we’re excited to try out the cushion’s liquid foundation counterpart.

The formula is said to allow foolproof application – you can apply it with your fingers, your favourite Beauty Blender, any makeup sponge and even foundation brush, and it spread smoothly and evenly.

It gives a natural matte, 24-hour-lasting finish, and has ingredients like Alpine berry extract, Damask rose extract and hyaluronic acid to keep skin moisturised and supple. There are 12 shades (twice as many as the Black Cushion) to choose from.

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This is a lightweight toner-cream hybrid that is said to be able to moisturise skin like a rich cream, yet is as fast-absorbing as a toner. It has white tea leaf water and is rich in amino acids, which help strengthen skin barrier functions.

Besides using it as a normal toner, you can use it as a mist (you’d have to transfer it into your own mist bottle) to refresh skin and lock in moisture. You can also layer it on for added moisture, or soak a few cotton pads with it and place on your cheeks and forehead (these areas are usually dehydrated) as a DIY hydrating mask.

The formula is also hypoallergenic and suitable for sensitive skin, and the brand’s research shows that it can help skin retain moisture better than face creams for up to 24 hours. It is also free of PEG, animal-derived ingredients, triethanolamine, artificial colourants and fragrance.

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