Your UNRIVALLED top 12 list of Valentine’s Day beauty products

Feb 8, 2019

We absolutely ADORE Valentine's Day, not only because celebrating romance usually gives us an excuse to pamper ourselves, but because it's a wonderful time of the year for cosmetics shopping.

Why buy roses or chocolates when you can get the best beauty products around?

We've decided to curate a list of our top 12 makeup, skincare and cosmetic goods for this year's Valentine's Day; whether it's for a hot date, a dinner for the gals or even a cosy night in with Netflix and a furry friend.

From your favourite smouldering red lipstick to sparkling pink eye-shadows and rose-scented perfume; 'tis the season for LOVE in beauty-land.

1. Charlotte Tilbury 'Hot Lips' red lipstick in Carina's Love.

Inspired by Chinese actress Carina Lau, this bold and sexy red lippy inspires confidence in any woman who wears it. It's siren red and has light-diffusing pigments that create a luminous finish for a full-bodied effect.

In Chinese culture, the colour red is representative of good fortune and joy, so it's positively perfect for Valentine's Day, right?

There's a great reason why Charlotte Tilbury is a globally renowned brand, and their matte lipstick range stands by their statement of good-quality products for women.

The creamy formula, protection from UV damage and seamless finish are just three reasons why this lipstick makes our top 12. Enjoy it in all it's glory, gals.

2. L'Occitane Romantic Rose collection

For Valentine's Day, it's only too important to smell and feel your best. We've found the ideal scent for the eve: ROSE. French powerhouse brand L'Occitane have gifted us with a set, that we all both need and deserve.

The gorgeous and elegant fragrance set includes: Rose Eau de Toilette, Rose Shower Gel, Rose Body Lotion and Rose Hand Cream.

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L'Occitane 'Romantic Rose' collection is priced at €69 from the L'Occitane website.

3. Too Faced 'better than sex' mascara

The 'Better Than Sex Mascara' Hourglass-Shaped Brush is genuinely revolutionary.

Formed by discovering the bust-waist-hip ratio of an iconic silver screen Blonde Bombshell, the brush has the ideal silhouette that separates lashes for voluminous perfection.

The collagen-fuelled mascara formula give you redefined lashes which stretch to unreal lengths, for romantic dinner date eyes.

4. CND nails

Nail brand CND Vinylux have just debuted their new range, featuring stunning pinks, dark berry, ravishing reds and blush tones to show off your romantic side.

Mambo Beat, Rose Bud, Hot Pop Pink, Tinted Love, Wildfire and Dark Lava are ideal for a hot date, or pretty much anything the night has in store; There's a colour for every kind of date.

For Valentine's Day, why not treat yourself to a some gorgeous new shades from the iconic brand? You'll feel pampered and date-ready in no time.

Buy: *CND*
Price: €11.95 (Shellac and Vinylux)

5. L'Oreal Paris Go Purple shampoo

For anyone with platinum blonde, highlighted, silver, bleached hair and all shades in between, the L'Oreal Paris Go Purple shampoo is a TOTAL WINNER.

Finding the best purple shampoo to keep the brassiness out of light-coloured hair can be tricky, but thankfully L'Oreal Paris have solved that problem just in time for Valentine's Day.

Tried and tested by us, we can guarantee that this stuff genuinely works. Any yellow tones are washed out, leaving your hair looking bright and rejuvenated. Yes girls.

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L'Oreal Paris Go Purple shampoo is priced at €8.95 from all major retailers now.

6. Dermalogica intensive moisture balance

Promising to deliver nourishment beyond the skin's surface, the Dermalogica intensive moisture balance cream is 100 percent professional grade.

It's vegan, gluten-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free and uses NO artificial colours or flavouring; it's legit eco-friendly while clearing up all those dry skin worries. We'll take 10, please?

7. Rimmel London Wonder'Luxe mascara

Finally we have discovered the best clump-free mascara in town, with four oils to it's lash-loving Wonder collection.

For volumised, thick and full lashes, with maximum volume; Rimmel's your go-to product.

Rimmel has even infused argan oil into it's four-oil complex, as well as Maracuja oil, Marula oil and Camellia oil for conditioning and protection from hair splitting.

Argan oil is renowned for nourishing properties, so mascara won't have to damage those eyelashes anymore. Thank GAWD.

Buy: *Littlewoods Ireland*
Price: €10.90

8. Sculpted by Aimee Connolly: The 4-in-1 lip liner pen

Why have one Valentine's Day lip liner when you could have four, stunning shades?

Grab yourself the Nude or the Pink edition, whichever you're in the mood for will light up your night. Each edition has four beautiful shades, from 'Buff', 'Bare', and 'Peach' to 'Rose', 'Blush' and 'Rouge', you're in for a treat.

Line the perfect pout with makeup guru Aimee Connolly, she's only gone and made the holy grail of lip liners.

Buy: www.aimeeconnolly.com
Price: €29.99

9. Garnier Ultimate Blends almond crush shampoo and conditioner

Garnier Ultimate Blends are launching up to 98 percent natural origin haircare, and we could NOT be more excited about it.

Your hair will feel cleansed, nourished and weightless using their almond crush shampoo and conditioner, which is made with a blend of organic almond milk and agave sap.

The gentle formula is a complete game-changer; did we mention it's 100 percent vegan?

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Garnier Ultimate Blends almond crush shampoo and conditioner are priced at €4.95 each and are available from all major retailers.

10. La Roche Posay Lipikar Cleansing Oil AP+

La Roche Posay have long been one of our go-to skincare brands, and their new cleansing oil for dry skin will save the day for those of you who are PLAGUED with this skin type.

It's a soap-free, paraben-free and alcohol-free pH neutral shower oil that gives your skin the lipids it needs to reconstruct the skin barrier,

Skin with atopic tendencies or extreme dryness will CRAVE this product, it also soothes that feeling of tightness many of us know and hate.

11. Anastasia Beverley Hills Modern Renaissance eyeshadow palette

From white shades like 'Tempera' and 'Vermeer' to baby pink 'Bijon Fresco', bold raspberry 'Love Letter' and 'Venetian Red', even brown shades like 'Red Ochre' and 'Cyrprus Umber', we're dazzled by these Renaissance-inspired tones.

The range is gorgeous; this collection of matte and metallic eye-shadows is PERFECT for creating dazzling cosmetic effects this Valentine's Day.

Anastasia Beverley Hills always create the best products, which means they sell out fast. Grab yours now online from Cult Beauty to avoid disappointment.

12. Bioderma Sensibio Foaming Gel

Leading French brand Bioderma has introduced the new Sensibio foaming gel, and all we can say is: WOW.

The gel is specifically created to soothe and hydrate your skin to ensure it's free of trapped oil and impurities.

It's mild but cleansing active ingredients calm irritations and will leave your skin feeling squeaky clean just in time for your Valentine's Day make-up regime.

Buy: *Cloud10 Beauty* or select pharmacies nationwide
Price: €13

That concludes the round-up of our top 12 ultimate Valentine's Day beauty products: tried and tested.

You'll be getting a faster heartbeat and butterflies in your stomach just looking at these gems, let alone using them. They'll melt your heart, and self-love is all about treating yourselves, right?

Feature image: YouTube

Oily and blemish-prone? This range has an 89 per cent success rate

Jun 15, 2017

by Amber Saunders

At one point or another, everyone will suffer from blemishes.

Whether it's in your teens, 20s, 30s or beyond, breaking out can seriously damage your confidence and put a dent in your self-esteem.

However, this skincare range for oily and blemish-prone skin has a huge success rate, and it might just be skincare secret we've all been waiting on.

La Roche-Posay's award-winning Effaclar range is being extended this year, adding two new treatments to its line.

The line promises to provide a correcting and hydrating product in one, and since 2014 has garnered rave reviews.

Here's what's new to the Effaclar collection:

Effaclar Purifying Mask – €15

Promises to: Unclog pores, control shine and cleanse deep impurities.

This mask will offer an immediate clean-feel finish, and won't cause your skin to dry out, like many other masks do.

La Roche-Posay conducted a survey and found that 69 per cent of users saw a reduction in excess sebum immediately after using this, and 85 per cent reported a reduction within four weeks.

Effaclar Duo [+] SPF 30 – €18.50

Promises to: Correct uneven skin tone, hydrate and now protect your skin

New dermatological research from La Roche-Posay claims that UV exposure can actually worsen acne by over-drying and activating sebum glands.

Effaclar Duo [+] SPF 30 will tackle your imperfections, even out your skin tone, as well as protect your skin against UVA rays, UVB rays and pollution.

In the consumer survey which La Roche-Posay carried out, 89 per cent of participants said their skin looked smoother and 83 per cent said their skin cleared after four weeks of use.

With results like that, it would be crazy to not try this range out!

Heading away? THIS is going to make SUN protection a lot easier

May 9, 2016

by Amber Saunders

It's fair to say that the Irish are a little lazy when it comes to sun safety and sun screen – and there's a lot research to prove it.

A new study carried out by La Roche-Posay and the Irish Cancer Society has found that 44% of adults only wear sunscreen in Ireland during the summer months with 37% only wearing it when the weather hits over 20 degrees.

And, 12% admit to not wearing sunscreen at all in Ireland due to a belief that they don’t need it because of our weather. Eeek.

We think that a massive reason why we're so relaxed about sun safety is that we are never really sure about how much sun we were exposing ourselves to – until now, this is.

In probably one of the most exciting developments in sun safety, sun experts La Roche-Posay has designed a world-first (Irish-designed) wearable UV monitor which tells the wearer exactly how much sun they’re exposed to, enabling them to protect themselves accordingly.

Called My UV Patch, the monitor is a transparent patch which adheres to the body. The patch contains photosensitive dyes that work with all skin tones, changing colour when exposed to UV rays to indicate varying levels of sun exposure.

The wearer simply takes a photo of the patch and uploads it to the La Roche-Posay My UV Patch mobile app, which will be available on both iOS and Android.

Oh, and did we mention this essential piece of summer kit is FREE? The patch is due to be available in Ireland from July onwards and will be distributed with advice, free of charge, from top dermatologists and GPs.

“Non-melanoma skin cancer is still the most common cancer in Ireland and we have the highest reported rates of it in Europe,” says Kevin O’Hagan, Cancer Prevention Manager with the Irish Cancer Society.

“When caught in time it’s highly treatable. This means that educating consumers on sun behaviour and UV exposure is extremely important.

“We hope that the My UV Patch skin sensor will deliver a step change in people’s awareness of UV exposure and sun protection. It is fantastic to see smart technology being used in this way to help with such an important public health issue.”

You can register for the My UV Patch at www.laroche-posay.ie.

Wrinkles vs skin cancer – a deadly choice

May 28, 2014

by Amber Saunders

With skin cancer now being the most common cancer in Ireland, La Roche-Posay looked to the US to understand what that means to society.

Shockingly, a study by the American Academy of Dermatology has revealed that using sun protection to prevent skin cancers comes second to people wanting to prevent against premature aging.

According to the research, teenagers felt more compelled to apply sunscreen if they saw a video showing that it could protect their skin from premature aging, than if they saw that it could protect against cancer.

When it comes to protecting yourself against skin cancer, it is important to apply a good suncream that will block both UVA and UVB rays. La Roche-Posay has a dedicated Anthelios sun care range that offers dermatological protection for sensitive and sun allergic skin what has the highest PPD and SPF across their range and a variety of textures to suit all skin types.

Not only does the Anthelios range offer a uniform filter distribution for optimal protection and excellent filter stability for lasting protection, it is also ultra water resistant, even after 4 swims, and is enriched with Thermal Spring Water, to soothe and provide anti-oxidant properties.

Nearly all types of skin cancers are curable if detected early so it is important to be vigilant about monitoring moles, looking for new lumps and growth or changes in existing moles.

Increasing awareness and changing behaviours will save lives.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios protection for sun sensitive skin

Apr 16, 2014

by Amber Saunders

As the summer approaches, it’s time to stock up on suncream; unfortunately, finding a cream that is suitable for your face and won’t make you breakout can be difficult.

However, to help in your battle for the perfect suncream, La Roche-Posay has launched their Anthelios range which has products for all skin types and is suitable for sun sensitive skin.

The range includes Anthelios XL Ultra-light fluid with a factor 50+ and Anthelios XL Compact-cream factor 50+. The Ultra-light fluid offers protection against high UVB and UVA rays which can cause skin damage, a grey skin tone and wrinkles. It has a non-oily, glide-on texture that is invisible on the skin and is small enough to pop in your bag and carry it around with you.

The Compact-cream also offers high UVA and UVB protection but it smoothes skin texture and creates an even complexion. It is designed for the most sensitive of skin and melts in, leaving no residue on the face.

The range is suitable for normal to dry skin, combination and oily skin so you are bound to find one right for your skin type.

Beauty Review: La Roche-Posay Rosaliac CC Creme

Feb 10, 2014

by Amber Saunders

The beloved French (affordable) luxury skincare brand La Roche-Posay have just released another product that is bound to achieve cult-status in no time. With solutions to every skin care problem thanks to its healing French thermal spring waters, you know your skin is in good hands.

Our beauty writer, Odette, got to try out their new CC Cream and here’s what she thought:

We all suffer with a bit of skin redness from time to time, especially those of us blessed (or cursed!) with paler Celtic skin. La Roche-Posay’s newest offering, specially formulated for sensitive skin, not only evens skin tone and covers up redness but also actively helps to reduce and correct it over time.

Rosaliac CC Creme comes in a universal shade that will work with almost all fair to medium skin tones, leaving you with an even and natural finish all day. There’s enough pigment that you could easily use it as a light foundation or as a great base under your regular one. Just a little translucent powder over top and you’re good to go.

It can be built up to give light-to-medium coverage while still providing a really natural, barely-there finish. And with a lovely scent, it leaves redness-prone skin corrected and your confidence boosted. Say goodbye to the rosy “glow” we love to hate!

Before and After – La Roche-Posay Rosaliac CC Creme gives such a natural finish!

la roche-posay

Effaclar Purifying Mask – €15

Effaclar Duo [+] SPF 30 – €18.50