Best Beauty Highlights of 2021 – products to make the best of ourselves

January 7, 2022

This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.

In 2021, maybe because I had more time, I made more of an effort with my make-up and tried out a few new products which I thought I would share with you. These products may not be new to the market but they were new for me and proved to be perfect make-up for older women. Of course, there are some old favourites that I am never going to chuck out of my make-up bag.

EYELASHES

FOR MORE INFO click HERE £24
Available in black & brown

I have two mascaras that I love. The first one I only discovered this year and coincidentally Grace also discovered it and we both love it – Rumi Cosmetiques Volume Care+ Mascara. Rumi Cosmetiques is a small, family-run business that was launched in February 2020. As of now, they are just a team of 3. Every customer service email, product created, order packed, etc. is done by them. But it all started with an idea of building a cosmetics brand for mature women.

This was music to our ears (and lashes) as our lashes do change with age and therefore as we look for more suitable products for our hair why not for our lashes? The first thing I learned from Rumi is that we should wear water-resistant rather than waterproof mascara as the former will not damage your lashes.

VolumeCare+ Mascara is specifically designed for thinning eyelashes & sensitive eyes. It’s a 2-in-1 solution that finds and coats every single little eyelash to make the most of them while containing active ingredients that make your natural eyelashes appear longer over time. Yes, that’s what it says on the ‘tin’ and that is exactly what it does. I would suggest if you like the Rumi mascara then try their other products too. I am currently trying out the lash serum which is making my lashes very soft. It is a specifically designed formula for mature, thinning eyelashes.

FOR MORE INFO click HERE £16

For a really strong look I love Mishel Mascara. I met Michelle, one half of this make-up duo, at This Morning TV, and since then, I have used many of their products, including eye shadows, concealer and mascara. Their mascara is incredible; I cannot say enough about how good it is. I recently did a FaceTime Live, and people kept asking me what mascara I was wearing.

Mishel mascara defines each lash but leaves them soft and not hard and spiky. It does not shed, nor does it glue lashes together. I use an eyelash curler before applying this mascara as my lashes are dead straight; however, this mascara will give your lashes a real uplift, so you may not need to curl them first.

BROWS

FOR MORE INFO click HERE
Available from Space NK for
reduced price of £13.30

My brows are challenging – they have always been dark and wild. Now I have grey hairs scattered amongst them so there are two products that I use. The first is Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows™ tinted brow gel has been reformulated to add TEXTURE, FEATHER & FULLNESS! CT have innovated this micro-precision brush to coat and define every brow hair. Even though my brows were very dark, now with the few grey hairs I use the soft brown colour as the overall finish is a much softer one, still darker than my hair colour but not too strong. There are four shades available.

FOR MORE INFO click HERE
Available from SpaceNK £23

On top I apply the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze which is a clear, malleable wax that makes my brows look fuller and fluffier. It behaves like a hairspray — or brow-spray — without any crunchiness. It helps to open up the eyes and lift the face, plus one swipe and you’re done for the day.

CONCEALER

FOR MORE INFO click HERE

As I get older I use less and less foundation however, I am in need of a little concealer particularly under my eyes. I am always looking for a concealer that does not dry out my skin, blends easily and looks natural.

The Mishel Liquid concealer is perfect so I can understand why make-up artists are favouring this concealer. It comes in three shades and has an antiaging formula with collagen, but also helps reduce puffiness. It lasts all day, doesn’t move and is just the right amount of coverage.

It also gives my under eyes a lift with its luminous quality but still looks natural.

LIPS

HIGHR is a beauty company sustainably producing lip products made with the world’s purest ingredients. They do not use any ingredient that has been found in research to be a carcinogen, endocrine disruptor, human body toxicant, microplastic, irritant or sensitiser. Anything on your lips is ingested with every wear so it is extremely important not to put ‘nasties’ on your lips.

I chose the Chateau colour, their best-selling, mid-tone universal nude as so many beauty editors were raving about this nude colour. It feels very moisturising, has a satin creme finish and lasts a long time without staining my lips. It has a mirror in the lid for re-applying. The addition of skincare faves hyaluronic acid, organic rosehip oil, and grapeseed oil, miraculously kept my lips in great condition even after I removed the lipstick. I have thrown out most of my other lipsticks as I have now found the holy grail!! Father Christmas popped their new bright red lipstick, Chiltern, in my stocking so I now have my party lipstick too. I just need a party to go to as all of ours were understandably cancelled this Christmas.

I am about to try out a couple of products from the new Beauty brand, Jones Road Beauty which is the newest range from Bobbi Brown. Plus Revitalash have a new Lash & Brow Masque Ultra Reparative Treatment that I am going to look at. So why not subscribe HERE to our newsletter so that you receive these reviews as soon as they are published.

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