The Beauty Beat: What’s new in beauty?

Here are some new make-up launches that have caught our eye:

Confidence in a tube

Another vegan mascara joins the fray as Tarte releases Big Ego. (Does the Beyonce song ‘Ego’ immediately start playing in your head after reading that product name?) Their latest launch leaves out the usual beeswax and uses sunflower seed wax, and is said to be ultra-black and flake-free. It also contains babassu oil and glycerin, both of which hydrate and nourish the lashes. Will it give me ego-boosting lashes to ‘back it up’? We’ll have to see. (Dh110)

Loving lips

Like your beauty with a side of activism? Make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury does too. She recently announced a £1 million pledge to the charity Women for Women International from the sales of her latest Hot Lips collection, out now. The Hot Lips 2 line-up features shades that Tilbury named after women she admires, such as human rights lawyer Amal Clooney (soft, berry-pink), ‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling (soft, berry-pink) and veteran actress Susan Sarandon (tawny-orange red). The lipstick tubes are also refillable and come in five funky designs. (Dh170)

All that glitters

Shimmer lip glosses usually remind me of iridescent, two-shades too light products that leave that weird gritty feeling on the lips. However, Marc Jacobs Beauty’s shiny new release, Enamored Dazzling Gloss Lip Lacquer, promises a more sophisticated alternative, minus the gritty glitter lips. The gloss comes in six highly-saturated shades that have a hydrating formula and apparently gives the look of ‘30 coats of lacquer’. Oh la la. (Dh130)

Keep it light

Right in time for summer comes Benefit’s medium-coverage liquid foundation, Hello Happy Flawless Brightening Foundation, a lightweight natural-looking alternative to a full on base. The product also contains Photochromic Pigments that adapt to brighten skin in any lighting, flower acids to help exfoliate the skin and add radiance, and some good old hyaluronic acid that attracts moisture to the skin’s surface.

Smooth as silk

Laura Mercier has released a new line of lipsticks with a name that simply rolls off the tongue — Rouge Essentiel Silky Creme Lipstick. It promises intense colour payoff with a moisturising formula and silky creme finish. It sounds luxurious and perfect for when you want to give your lips a break from matte lipsticks. It comes in 30 colours — from vibrant pinks to deep browns — with cool and warm undertones to suit all skin tones. (Dh149)