14 Expensive Beauty Products I Wholeheartedly Recommend
For me, payday means one thing: It's time to treat myself. While that doesn't always mean breaking the bank (I've rounded up the best affordable beauty buys for that very reason), sometimes it does offer up a nice excuse to splash the cash. So if you're currently feeling a little flush, you're in luck. I've spent the past few weeks rounding up the best luxury beauty products out there right now. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely.
Fresh nails and cocktails make for the ultimate payday indulgence.
Disclaimer: Before you get scrolling, I'd like to note that this payday shopping list is pretty skincare-heavy. I've had a bad skin month (from hormonal breakouts to flaky patches, I've had it all going on), so this is where I'll be investing my cash for the foreseeable. However, there are some notable makeup and fragrance launches that were just too good to not include. Here are my 14 expensive—but so worth it—beauty picks for February.
SKINCARE
I was lucky enough to go for a mini facial and LED treatment at the Sarah Chapman Skinesis Clinic this month, and this was the last product to be applied to my skin. Whether you're suffering from breakouts or sensitivity, this moisturiser manages to both calm and protect your skin's natural barrier to help it recover.
This is an eye cream with a seriously hefty price tag but big promises. It's packed with algae to visibly firm your under-eye area and restore bounce which, in turn, makes your eyes look brighter. Plus it's black and will look seriously cool on your bathroom sink.
Elemis has just launched a whole host of new Superfood skin goodies (I particularly love the Berry Boost Mask), but it's this oil that I've been reaching for on bad skin days. It contains an antioxidant-boosting mix of broccoli, flaxseed and radish that act as a green smoothie for your skin to deliver a healthy glow.
I'll admit it: I normally use the same moisturiser at night as I do for the day. However, this new release from Fresh intrigued me because of the mouthwatering peachy scent. It's both calming and refreshing and feels like a real antidote to any stresses of the day.
After hacking away at a gel mani at the end of January, my nails and hands were in need of some serious TLC this month. Luckily, La Mer launched this luxurious hand serum (a rejuvenating treatment that restores your skin and nail beds) that left them baby soft.
There's been a long-held misconception that natural beauty products simply don't work or aren't chic. This luxury kit is changing all that with a carefully edited collection of natural, clean, botanicals or organic products to get you started. With contents worth £560, I like to think of this purchase as more of a bargain.
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MAKEUP
With bold eye shadow making a comeback in 2019, I've been looking for a way to embrace colour on an everyday basis. For me, this pink-toned palette is perfect, as it contains a mix of vibrant hues, pigmented neutrals and subtle shimmers for whatever eye look you could want.
I've often found that foundations that promise a hybrid of skincare and makeup can prove disappointing, often underdelivering on both counts. This luxurious foundation from Suqqu, however, delivers skin-friendly plant actives and creamy coverage for a fresh-faced complexion.
These makeup brushes are the best in the business. The brainchild of Kevyn Aucoin's apprentice, Troy Surratt, each of these brushes passes through 60 pairs of hands for a truly high-class finish. Not only is it genuinely the softest makeup brush I've ever touched but it also effortlessly diffuses powder onto your skin for a lit-from-within finish.
Put simply, this is the fanciest lip treatment I've ever used. Not only does the blend of oils truly nourish the most parched of pouts but you can also apply it with a 24-karat gold antibacterial tip that feels incredibly soothing.
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FRAGRANCE
Wear this spring-ready floral fragrance alone or layer it up with L'Occitane's new ones for a custom scent.
This new palette from masters of fragrance, Jo Malone, is the sleekest way to approach on-the-go scent. Buy your palette; then choose your two favourite solid perfumes and layer them up.
I'm a huge fan of Byredo fragrances, and this one was originally created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brand. Now, the much-loved spicy pink pepper, iris and balsam fragrance is back, and it comes with stickers so you can name it whatever you fancy.
A perfume, yes, but not as you know it. This fragrance mist is specially formulated for your hair to leave your strands smelling of a fresh blend of green apple, rose and cedarwood while boosting shine. The hair finishing touch you didn't know you were missing.
Next up, Glossier's new makeup remover is the best I've ever tried.
Mica Ricketts is a freelance beauty editor, copywriter and regular contributor to Who What Wear UK. She also writes for titles including Marie Claire Refinery 29 and Cosmopolitan, and previously worked at Who What Wear UK as Beauty Editor. With experience in both editorial and content management, she also works with beauty brands and small businesses on brand messaging and content strategy. As a busy mum of two, she is passionate about finding efficacious beauty products that can disguise all signs of tiredness with minimal effort.