The best beauty products from around the world

Just as fast food was born in the US, so too was the trend for quick beauty fixes. Instant gratification are buzzwords whether it’s to describe hi-tech skincare solutions or the make-up brands so prolific they are now household names across the globe.

Glamglow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment has its roots in Hollywood and is known as an on-set ‘instant facial’ thanks to a mix of minerals and clays that work to exfoliate, brighten and tighten in as little as 15 minutes (Dh320, Harvey Nichols Dubai).

Sunday Riley is the cool new ‘It’ girl of skincare. A fashion industry favourite, she blends 99 per cent pure botanicals from her native North America to create scientifically advanced skincare products. We love Luna Sleeping Night Oil, a retinol-infused soothing anti-ageing face oil (Dh505, spacenk.com).

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray wowed us with its volume-restoring post-styling hair. Keep handy as an instant fix for flat, flyaway hair or let it double up as a dry shampoo. Patented polymers absorb the natural oils that weigh hair down without any powdery white residue (Dh195, Harvey Nichols, Dubai).

Ever since make-up guru Bobbi Brown created her first Shimmer Brick in 2002, a new quintet of shimmering shades has launched every season. Designed to make skin look lit from within when dusted over cheekbones (Dh255, Harvey Nichols Dubai).

With just five pure mineral ingredients, including zinc oxide commonly found in spot creams, bareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 is a saviour when the heat causes breakouts. Using a make-up brush, buff into the skin, starting on the outside of your face swirling as you go (Dh104, Sephora).

Where European pharmacies lead, the beauty world follows. With access to more hard-working products at drugstore prices, and an emphasis on natural ingredients, heritage brands and time-honoured rituals, European women have a DIY mindset when it comes to skincare. The unspoken rule for make-up is to err on the side of understated glamour, a strong groomed brow sufficing.

Omorovicza uses cutting-edge science alongside Hungary’s 2,000-year-old love affair with mineral-rich thermal water – in its Copper Peel (around Dh274 from www.cultbeauty.co.uk). The two-phase treatment involves applying a blue copper paste topped with lactic acid – together they regulate oil production and improve the look of pores.

As one of France’s best-loved pharmacy brands, Nuxe uses the finest 98 per cent natural oils in its Huile Prodigieuse. Add the restorative camellia and hazelnut scented blend to bath water or mist directly on to parched skin and hair (Dh179, Boots).

By Terry Éclat de Teint is a cross between concealer and highlighter to brighten shadows under the eyes and anywhere you need a spot of age-defying radiance (Dh147, www.desertcart.ae).

Created by renowned Parisian make-up artist Dany Sanz, Make-up Forever has been a firm fixture in French women’s cosmetic bags for the past 25 years. Aqua Brow transforms sparse brows with its highly pigmented, smudge-proof gel that fills, defines and holds (Dh210, Sephora).

You’d be hard-pressed to find a German woman who doesn’t stock up on Dr Hauschka’s Rose Cream. Harnessing the soothing power of rose petals and rose hip it’s a must-have hydrator if you’ve got sensitive skin.

The Scandinavian verve for modern minimalist architecture is reflected in the country’s beauty products too. Simple typeface, monochromatic packaging and unisex formulas abound, making for an altogether more straightforward shopping experience.

If a niche fragrance gets you excited, acquaint yourself with Stockholm-based perfume house Byredo. We love the Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum, which deftly blends splashy citrus with smoky incense and warm amber. It’s a Mediterranean evening bottled (Dh2,649 at www.desertcart.com).

The latest innovation in sonic skin cleansing, Luna by Scandinavian brand Foreo purges your pores of every last trace of dirt. What’s more, the bristle-free design makes it less abrasive than other mechanical cleansers (Dh900, Harvey Nichols Dubai).

Those who suffer from sensitive eyes should try fragrance-free make-up brand Isadora. The Grand Volume Lash Styler boasts a specially designed brush that hugs lashes from root to tip and stretches them upwards and outwards for a fanned-out effect (Dh89, Paris Gallery)

Facialist Ole Henriksen has a cult following both in his native country of Denmark and in Hollywood. His own brand of nature-powered products marry skin-brightening vitamin C with youth-restoring antioxidants as evidenced in the deeply purifying African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser (Dh207, www.desertcart.com).

Sachajuan Ocean Mist Volume Shampoo transforms the fortunes of limp locks with an injection of marine algae to improve strand strength and oomph at the roots (Dh145, Bloomingdale’s Dubai).

Sporty and sun-kissed spring to mind when we think of Australian women, a by-product of this healthy, active lifestyle being a devotion to natural and organic products and a fuss-free beauty regime.

Founded by Aussie supermodel Miranda Kerr, Kora Organics Recovery Eye Gel (Dh253 at net-a-porter.com) harnesses a high concentration of collagen-boosting seaweed with skin-brightening vitamin C, making jet-lagged eyes a thing of the past.

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask (about Dh131 at feelunique.com) features manuka honey – a traditional remedy of the New Zealand Māori people – as its star ingredient for locking moisture in the skin.

Free from chemical nasties, O&M Frizzy Logic serum (spacenk.com) creates a barrier against humidity with a blend of cold-pressed organic argan and macadamia seed oils.

If there’s one thing Aussies are evangelical about, it’s sun protection – both high SPFs and the antioxidant serums that boost their effectiveness. Wear a thin layer of Grown Alchemist Antioxidant Treatment Serum: Rosehip & Camellia Seed (Dh125 at spacenk.com) to mop up any damaging free radicals that sneak past your SPF protection.

Aēsop’s strong apothecary aesthetic means you lust after the brand, if only to display it on your bathroom shelf. To buff away dulling dead skin cells reach for the Geranium Leaf Body Scrub (about Dh143 at cultbeauty.co.uk) twice weekly – it’s especially effective at banishing ingrown hairs if you wax.

When Korea’s BB Cream phenomenon went viral back in 2011, the world suddenly sat up and took notice of just how far ahead of the skincare game Asia was. With a penchant for the quirky side of beauty (sheet masks, anyone?) as well as serious innovation and technology, all eyes are on the East for future beauty trends and must-haves.

Herborist skincare is based on traditional Chinese medicine. The T’ai Chi Black Mask (about Dh330 at feelunique.com) has a two-step system based on yin and yang: the black charcoal mask rids skin of impurities while its white peony-infused counterpart restores radiance to flagging skin.

The Konjac Puff Sponge with Bamboo Charcoal is made from pure konjac, a plant used for over 1,500 years in Asian cleansing rituals. The net-like surface stimulates blood flow and lifts away make-up, while the bamboo charcoal helps combat acne bacteria (Dh60, Holland and Barrett).

The Deep Cleansing Oil from DHC is fast becoming a cult must-have among the beauty elite. Massaged into dry skin it dissolves all traces of make-up, including waterproof mascara, before transforming into a nourishing milk on contact with water (about Dh100 at www.dhccare.com).

Mimicking the effects of young rosy skin is Erborian Pink Perfect Crème (about Dh195 at selfridges.com), which uses kaki, a Chinese plant famed for keeping skin supple, while also imparting a subtle pink glow.

For an at-home anti-ageing treatment with little effort and speedy results, simply unfold the Benefiance Retinol Intensive Facemask from Shiseido and apply to your forehead and jaw (Dh298 , desertcart.com).