It’s New. In October. At MECCA.
September 30 | 5 minute read
Words by Kerri Gordon
I’VE COME TO REALISE I’M A FRAGRANCE FIEND
Somebody please call scenter’s anon, because I just can’t stop! My fragrance collection has just about doubled (if not tripled) this year. I have been hanging for the launch of Tsu Lange Yor’s Sala, and it’s finally here. I got a whiff of this incredibly beautiful scent on set with the brand while filming Behind the Beauty, and have been desperate to own a bottle ever since. It’s the perfect combination of a tropical floral like a Diptyque Do Son, and a green, humid, vegetal scent, like that of a Flamingo Estate Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle. Sure, the northern hemisphere got a Brat summer, but we’ll feel even luckier to have a Sala summer.
I was recently reminded of the icon that is Byredo’s Mojave Ghost EDP, which I’d consider to be one of the safest scents to ‘blind buy’, alongside the brand’s Bal D’Afrique EDP. Floral, woody and fruity, it’s as ubiquitous as it is unique, an almost impossible balance to achieve when it comes to perfumery. The scent has just landed in an Absolute, an intense and highly concentrated iteration of the cult classic, that lasts (and lasts, and lasts) thanks to an overdose of sandalwood. It’s a ‘one spritz and you’re set’ kind of situation.
As it turns out, I’m not the only one having a bit of a fragrance moment; hair and makeup brands are finding their way into the category too. If you’re in a ‘little treat’ kind of mood, boy do I have the newness for you. MECCA MAX have released their ‘OPTIMIST’ fragrance mists - they’re spritely to the nose (and the pocket), and are loaded with nostalgia. If traditional EDPs are more your style (and you wished your shampoo came in perfume-form) look to Arkive, whose fragrance-obsessed founder Adam Reed has created four delightfully wearable scents, inspired by his beautiful grandmother.
IT’S SMUDGY SEASON
Pardon the gore, but hay fever has hit me so hard this past week, there are days I’ve come close to clawing my eyes out. As a result, my eye makeup has looked a bit of a mess… and I’m leaning into it?
I’ve always been a fan of a creamy, smudgy eyeshadow stick and I’m relying on them more than ever before. By Terry’s Ombre Blackstar is the O.G. when it comes to this form of shadow, and they’re finally gracing us with six matte shades. For closer-to-the-lash-line precision, I’ve been reaching for the new Stila Smudge & Set Eyeliners, which give you room to blend and diffuse before becoming completely unbudgeable (‘Espresso’ is my favourite shade).
To make the smudged look appear intentional (more ‘partied-in’ than lived-in) I’ll use my finger to tap Half Magic’s Glitterpuck in the centre of my lid. If two products tip you over, Morphe has combined a creamy crayon and liquid glitter shadow together in their new, dual-ended sticks.
And I can’t forget the biggest tip EVER when it comes to a smudgy eye! Put your under-eye concealer to work. This will take the look from Revs (the infamous Melbourne nightclub) to rested. Westman Atelier’s new Vital Skincare Concealer is as good as you’d imagine it to be (this brand couldn’t flop even if it tried), acting like an eye cream to plump out crepiness while it covers, and Too Faced just dropped their Born This Way Concealer in a mini, which I’ve been keeping in my bag to clean up unwanted smudge as the day goes on.
HERE COMES THE SUN
The SunSmart app is, quite embarrassingly, my fourth most-used app, which makes me qualified to inform you that UV levels on the west coast are now consistently around 6-7. At 3 or higher, you should be protecting yourself with SPF. I know that, but try telling my sunscreen-avoidant friends.
My new strategy is to sneak sun protection into their skincare routines and makeup bags, without them really knowing. I’m thrilled to be able to do this with some incredibly innovative new arrivals.
Arabella in my team has been trialling the MECCA COSMETICA In a Good Light Illuminating Drops (with SPF30+), a discovery I made after complimenting her unbelievable “pregnancy glow”. I have since learnt that sleepless nights do not create that kind of luminosity (oops!), but these drops most certainly do.
From a coverage perspective, RMS and Naked Sundays have both come in hot with their SunCoverup and Beautyscreen tints - the former more makeup-y, the latter more skincare-y, both with SPF50+ protection.
For the SPF purists, cast your eyes over to the Go-To shelf where you’ll see two-and-a-half new ‘screens, under their ‘Nifty Fifty’ franchise. There’s a mineral SPF50, a formulation I know founder Zoe Foster Blake has spent close to a decade passionately perfecting (zinc protection without grease, cast, or thick, sticky feel? You betcha!), an SPF50 fluid, which is so lightweight you’ll forget you’re even wearing it, and their original Nifty Fifty, in a fun new vessel.
If you’re an SPF + vitamin C combo-er like me, pair any of the above with Drunk Elephant’s new, gentler C serum, C-Luma, for your best, brightest, healthiest-looking skin.
