This year has been a stellar one for innovation in the beauty industry – from exciting new tech, to reinvented versions of our favourite make-up products, to the fun new brands entering the market. As the year draws to a close, the British Vogue beauty team has whittled down its annual list of the very best beauty products from the past year.
Below, discover British Vogue’s best beauty finds of the year.
At a glance:
- The essential foundation: Dior Forever Skin Perfect Stick Foundation £48
- The cosy candle: Discothèque Flaming Colossus Scented Candle £54
- The perfect blush: Rhode Pocket Blush £24
- The fun lip balm: Starface Starbalm £5.99
- The heavenly perfume: Jo Malone Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense £160
Jessica Diner, Global Beauty & Wellness Director
In many ways, 2024 has been the year of Rhode: first came the Lip Tint phone cases (which I now cannot be without), a slice of beauty marketing genius that had everyone wondering why no one had thought of it before. Then came Pocket Blush, which I now wear every single day (in shade Piggy, in case you are wondering). It’s soft like butter, sheer in texture, and stays on all day. I am a fully committed Rhodie, because far from being a brand built on hype, these are products that actually deliver.
This was also the year that fashion fragrances came back with a vengeance, with new iterations launched by the likes of Bottega Veneta and Fendi. I have taken to wearing Carbone by Balmain Beauty for evening events. Conceived by creative director Olivier Rousteing, the collection was revealed to much fanfare at his spring/summer 2025 show (the perfume bottles were realised as earrings, shoes, cuffs and even handbags), to really drive home the message that the fragrance line and fashion house are one. Carbone is a musky, creamy, woody and moreish scent – the kind you don’t want to tell too many people so it can become your secret signature fragrance. Oh, whoops…
Stick foundations used to have a bit of a bad rap for being too thick and cloying on the skin – no more. This iteration from Dior glides on to skin seamlessly, to deliver a luminous glow with a touch of medium coverage. When buffed in with a brush it literally makes skin look like the best version of itself. Consider this a modern-day make-up icon.
Make-up artist Hannah Murray’s personal approach to product application is very ’90s: smudged eyeliner, separated lashes, flawless skin. So it makes perfect sense that her first dedicated make-up collection for Bobbi Brown (where she has been global artistic director for the past four years) should be called Polished Grunge. With seven double-ended smoky eye pens and three lip and cheek oils – all of which are actually amazing in their own right – for me, this Cream Glow Highlighter is the jewel in the collection crown, it makes the skin absolutely gleam. Dab it on with fingers as a final step, for the ultimate polished finish.
Full disclosure: La Pyae Apothecary’s founder, Kathleen Baird-Murray, is one of Vogue’s valued contributing beauty editors. As one of my long-standing colleagues, I was always going to like anything she created, but I didn’t anticipate just how much I would love her debut fragrance, Catch Me If I Fall. Inspired by the metaphorical village life requires – friends, family, the people who are there to catch you when you fall – as well as the literal village in Myanmar she traces her roots to, it’s a creamy, woody floral with notes of neroli, jasmine, freesia, iris, musk, cedar and sandalwood. I honestly haven’t been able to stop wearing it, and judging by the number of people who have stopped me to ask what perfume I am wearing, I won’t be the only one.
Hannah Coates, Beauty & Wellness Editor
There is nothing quite like finding the perfect base, and this year I fell hard for Lisa Eldridge’s Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint. It is the real deal. Lightweight but offering decent coverage, it creates luminous, dewy skin, but without too much shine. I also love the squeezy egg packaging and pipette delivery system, because it’s fun and slots into even the smallest of make-up bags. Eldridge does it again – I’m excited to see what she has in store for us next year.
If you, like me, suffer with a dry, flaky or itchy scalp, you’ll know how difficult it is to find formulas that work. I have tried everything, and had almost come to the conclusion that my scalp issues were something I was simply going to have to learn to live with. That is until I tried Vichy’s Dercos Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, which has been so effective that I bought three bottles in the Boots Black Friday sale. After using it during every hair wash for a week, I noticed a considerable reduction in flakes and itchiness, and over time, it vanished completely. With selenium disulfide and salicylic acid, it does smell a little less than fragrant, but I can’t recommend it enough – it’s saved me!
Baths are my favourite nightly ritual, so I’m always looking for ways to supercharge the H20. Muihood’s Mugworth Bath Soaks are brilliant – housed in pouches which you drop into the bath, the herbs inside infuse into the water and help to release tension, encourage blood flow and relax muscles. The perfect muscle-melting treat at the end of a long day.
One of the big beauty announcements of the year was that Tom Hardy was to become a face of Jo Malone London. His scent of choice? The Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense, which is also known as the smell of incredibly hot man, and a scent I have since kindly gifted to my boyfriend. With notes of cypress tree, grapevine and amber, it’s woody and delicious, and smells particularly good on woollen jumpers. Wear it yourself or give it to a man – take it from me, it’s perfection.
Ranyechi Udemezue, Associate Beauty & Wellness Writer
A thin swipe of glittery eyeliner is part of my uniform. I wear it everyday and love to mix and match the colours to suit my outfit. Chanel’s 3-in-1 Stylo Ombre Et Contour Eyeshadow Pencils are my dream product. Smooth to apply and gorgeously pigmented, you’re good to go with just one layer, but I also love building up the eyeliner and transforming it into a full eyeshadow look, blending it out to create a dazzling and shimmery smoky eye.
Given that I’d resolved to pay closer attention to products that pull and leave unnecessary residue on my natural hair, Fenty’s Hair-Thickening Edge Control arrived just at the right time. Effective at keeping my edges intact, whilst simultaneously nourishing my scalp, it’s a brilliant product – so quick and easy to wash off at the end of the day. Fenty has nailed it yet again!
Over the past year, I’ve become obsessed with lip oils. I find that a good lip oil can do it all, providing shine, nourishment and colour at the same time. Gisou’s Honey Infused Lip Oil has become my essential. Not only does it smell delicious, it also provides the perfect pop of pigment, delivered via a super precise applicator. Available in seven shades, my favourite is without a doubt the new and limited edition Cherry On The Cake.
Glossier’s brand new fragrance within the You franchise came as a welcome surprise. At the heart of Rêve is toasted almond, iris and sandalwood, mixed with buttercream and ambrette. Perfect for everyday wear, it’s fresh and not too overpowering. A great base scent, it can also be layered with a complementary fragrance mist, if you want to switch things up a little.
Starface knows its target market all too well, and as a Gen-Z girlie, they got me. Arriving in a cute compact design, with fun subtle flavouring, Starbalms have become my new favourite lip balms. Nourishing and smooth to apply, they’re available in four different flavours: Very Vanilla, Magic Mint, Starfruit and Watermelon Squeeze. An affordable handbag essential.
Tracy Achonwa, Beauty Shopping Writer
Since TikTok ushered underlashing into the mainstream, there’s been a surfeit of repetitive eyelash launches. Trust Isamaya Ffrench to shake things up. Designed in collaboration with Lashify, her DIY Edge Lash extension was one of few exciting drops out this year – I was instantly enticed by the innovative, angled design. And when I tried them, they did not disappoint. They bring an editorial touch to everyday beauty looks and lift the eyes like no other false lash I have used. A must-try for those who dare to be different, apply the gossamer wisps above your waterline, and you get a feline lash look that lasts over a week.
I’m loyal to my monthly salon manicures, and it takes something truly special to tempt me away from a classic French tip. Enter Amor’s Red Temptation Quicknail kit. I first tried them in a pinch between appointments and was pleasantly surprised – they have a ruby gel finish that rivals the best professional polish jobs. The kind of mani that dances with the light to create a cat-eye effect, these nails have won me endless compliments from fellow editors since I’ve had them on – and everyone is astounded when I reveal that they are press-ons. You can apply them with the included nail glue, but there are also adhesive jelly tabs which are easy to use and minimise damage to your natural nails. An effortless DIY set that yields expensive looking results. Consider me a convert.
Any woman who’s suffered the arm ache that comes with trying to blow dry a dense afro will love the latest tool in BaByliss’s lineup. Far from your ordinary hairdryer, this three in one wand is weightless in hand and boasts brush and comb attachments that make detangling a breeze. Because those attachments sit flush against the body of the tool, it’s also easy to hit your roots with zero awkward angling involved. Standout features are the ultra care setting (which adjusts airflow and temperature to minimise damage to your curls) as well as the straightening comb, which takes my hair from wet to freshly silk-pressed in no time at all.
Danessa Myricks is the name to know for winning make-up formulas. This year, she launched what is most accurately described as the Optimus Prime of palettes, whose genius lies in the fact that you can stack, customise and condense the colours it holds for a curation of shadows that best suit you. The magnetised mirror in the top does double duty, serving as a lid for the pigments you want to take with you on any given occasion – a game changer for make-up artists travelling with a cumbersome kit. As for the pigments themselves, there are opulent jewel tones and the kind of shapeshifting shimmers that put your glam in a different league. I’m obsessed with the buttery textures which play well all over the face.They glide onto the eyes, lips or cheeks and deliver long-wearing, show-stopping looks.
Lauren Murdoch-Smith, contributing beauty editor
_0007_image4.jpg)
Merit already won the game of “no make-up make-up”, and now it’s going after fragrance. Retrospect L’Extrait de Parfum might have one of this year’s best bottle – you can’t help but want to spritz – but the formula is pretty great, too. It develops as you wear it, so if you mist it on in the morning, you’ll still continue to smell it by evening – but not in an overpowering, claustrophobic way. Think soft, cosy vanilla and musk notes for a second-skin scent – like cashmere in a bottle.
I’m a regular dry shampoo user – partly to break my daily hair wash habit – which means I’ve tried and tested a lot. My main criticism is they can often leave my hair feeling chalky and even uncomfortable by the middle of the day, but I was pleasantly surprised by K18’s AirWash Dry Shampoo. It’s a non-aerosol dry shampoo that reduces oil and keeps working for up to three days. For me though, it’s the texture. No chalk, just oil-free hair for that extra day.
Planning a cosy night in? Then I recommend lighting Discothèque’s Flaming Colossus. As soon as it’s lit, the honey and chocolate scent then diffuses into guaiac wood, amber and vetiver which leaves you feeling all warm and snuggly.
If, like me, you’re a die-hard Hollywood Flawless Filter fan, read on. Charlotte Tilbury’s latest base innovation delivers the oh so flattering, face illuminating liquid in a stick form. I love how it goes on seamlessly, blurs out any uneven skin texture, and leaves behind an unreal glow.
Earlier this year, super facialist Sarah Chapman expanded her skincare offering with a trio of in-clinic inspired products – A1 Vitamin A Power 1, C1 Vitamin C Power 1, and R&R Glow. A complete set of skincare products that packs the powerful active ingredients Chapman swears by. They have a new “bioavailable delivery” adapted from medicine. I’ve fallen hard.
Kathleen Baird-Murray, Contributing Beauty Editor
A new edition to the rapidly expanding Violette Fr cosmetics line, Bisou Jelly continues the long tradition of tint + lip balm and has a comforting familiarity about it. But once on, the texture feels very modern, very different – the colours are bold, there’s a slight sheen, and yet overall, you still get that blurry, soft, just-sucked-on-an-ice-lolly effect. I love a berry shade, so Aïssa, named after the French actress Aïssa Maïga is now my go-to colour.
Another vitamin C serum – does the world need one? In this case, yes, it does. My stand out skincare acquisition of the year, this gel-oil serum makes an ambitious promise: it will fade dark spots and boost brightness in just two weeks. In my case, I definitely saw an improvement, and as a result, I’m a committed Concentrate user. It also gives a wonderful glowy, almost glassy finish to the skin, and sits nicely under make-up. But then, what else did we expect from this make-up artist extraordinaire turned cosmetics brand founder?
Life can be complicated. Moussse has taken one layer of decision-making away from us with this one-cream-solves-all moisturiser. Created in a Swiss lab by cool husband and wife team Helene Chammas and Daniel Guttmann (a former beauty industry exec), it’s designed to keep skin protected, ward off sensitive reactions, redness and inflammation, and hydrate like your life depends on it. The only downside is, it’s the one item in my cabinet that everyone swipes.
Lip liners lost me somewhere around the time of MAC Spice – what could possibly compete with that shade, that texture? Until this year, when a softer, blurrier look emerged as a trend. Refy’s Blur Liner in Plum when sketched roughly around your lip line makes your lips look slightly bigger, but still in a natural way, and when applied all over the lips, this particular shade of purple-meets-berry-meets-dark brown adds a sense of matte drama. It’s not drying either, and with a layer of sheer lip balm on top, takes on a satin-y finish.
A hand cream is a hand cream is a hand cream, unless it’s a hand treatment, which, make no mistake, this innovative triple impact protocol from Orveda absolutely is. The idea is to replicate the effects of filler in our hands – no clinics or injections required. Simply massage into your hands before putting on a pair of silicone gloves and resting your hands for 10 minutes. Et voilà! Plump, hydrated and soft hands.
