Beauty: Why it’s cool to be kind 

Clean, green and glamorous – these three launches are game-changers

I’d like to champion a few clearer-conscience beauty buys this week and the first of them is a new vegan red lipstick from Hourglass and its Confession range. If your first reaction to that is, ‘Hang on! I’m pretty sure Hourglass Confession already has red lippies’, you’d be right.

But this is a true red called Red 0 (£39, hourglasscosmetics.com) which delivers a classic hue of intense colour in a luscious creamy texture that is incredibly hard to create without the traditional use of carmine. Carmine, in case you don’t know, is the crimson dye used for cosmetics that is made of crushed female cochineal insects; approximately 1,000 are used for a single lipstick bullet. 

But in partnership with Unilever Research & Development, Hourglass has spent three years conducting 175 colour experiments, tested 36 pigment combinations, and developed 19 full formulations before arriving at Red 0. It uses a patent-pending blend of two vegan red pigments and is a wonderfully rich formula with a long-lasting satin finish. It also comes in an appropriately glamorous red case but you can refill it with any of the other shade cartridges from the range, too. A great lipstick in every way.

 

For eyes, Kjaer Weis, a great proponent of refillable and eco-aware beauty, has just launched its first eyeshadow quad: The Quadrant (£33 and Red Edition case, £4, contentbeautywellbeing.com). Made with organic ingredients, the finely milled powders come in two shade options – Wanderer for neutrals and Spellbound for a gentle smoky eye using grey rather than harsher black. And if you opt for the Red Edition packaging it’s fully compostable (once you remove the magnets) or can simply be refilled.

 

Finally, while I love a scented candle, isn’t it time all brands offered refills? There’s a limit to how many jars I can turn into make-up organisers in the bathroom and frankly it’s a scandalous waste to keep throwing them out even if they are recyclable. London-based Sister & Co now offers its beautifully illustrated natural coconut and rapeseed wax candles (£26, sisterandcompany.co.uk) as a Clean Candle Refill for £21.

 

@edwinaingschambers

  

 

MY NEW BODY BOOSTER 

Sunday Riley is the latest skincare line to be upping its bodycare game. The new Charcoal Smoothie Jelly Body Scrub (£32, spacenk.com) gives skin both a deep cleanse and a gentle exfoliation, leaving it smooth and glowing. It’s a lovely rich creamy texture to use and contains coconut water and avocado oil to also keep skin hydrated as you cleanse. A top treat for the bath or shower.

 

 

FOR AN A-LIST SOAK

Another treat for the bathroom is The Honest Company Gently Nourishing Bubble Bath with sweet almond (£7.99, boots.com). Launched late last year by Hollywood actress Jessica Alba, this gives a gentle bubble – not super frothy – and can be used for both adults and babies.