When you’re shopping for the potions to make your skin glow, how do you know what you can cheap out on and what’s worth spending the big bucks? I’ve been a Beauty Editor for years and even I get a little overwhelmed when graced with the dizzying amount of choice on offer in the world of luxury skincare. So to try to make sure you don’t waste your hard earned dosh, I tested a mountain of products to let you know which ones are worth splashing your extra cash on.
Below are the luxury beauty products that I gravitate towards whenever I really want to treat myself.
Ellus & Krue
If you haven’t heard of Ellus & Krue yet, that’s because they’re so shiny and new; they launched March 2020. The Australian beauty brand is setting the skincare world abuzz with its scientific, results-focused approach to natural skincare that protects and repairs.
I am a particular fan of their Hydro Gel Cleanser ($70, available from Ellus & Krue), which features aloe vera and cucumber extracts and helps remove makeup and impurities without damaging the skin’s moisture barrier. Better still, it also hydrates like no one’s business. Follow that up with the Detoxifying Exfoliant ($80), a super-fine pumice exfoliant that removes dead skin cells to reveal your skin’s natural radiance, and you’re glowing!
Better still, a percentage of each purchase supports the Cancer and Aging Research Foundation.
La Mer
When I think “pure luxury”, my mind always wanders to La Mer. Beloved by celebrities such as Beyonce, Blake Lively, Chrissy Teigan and Kim Kardashian, this is the ultimate luxe skincare staple. Each product features the brand’s trademarked “Miracle Broth”, a fermented sea kelp mixture that’s been called a miracle worker and is known for its cell renewing properties.
The brand’s hardest working product The Concentrate ($285-$790, available from various stockists), known for its ability to visibly soothe, strengthen and protect skin, has been reformulated in 2020 and it’s a winner. Now featuring Lime Tea Concentrate, the new formula helps neutralise free radicals caused by pollution, helping to prevent visible signs of aging before they begin. Not to mention it feels dreamy on the skin.
And look, no mention of La Mer would be complete without a recommendation to try the iconic Creme De La Mer ($125-$680). I recently tried the signature product for the first time and let me tell you, nothing makes me feel more like a queen than popping on my “creme” at the end of a hard day. Hello soft, supple skin!
Eve Lom
I’ve had my first Eve Lom ($37-$177, available at Mecca) experience and I am in lurve. The Eve Lom Cleanser is a luxe game changer, that removes makeup and tones skin at the same time. And let me tell you: this product deserves its place in the beauty hall of fame. This cleanser is quite thick, resembling more of a balm, and it both cleanses and exfoliates to allow skin cell regeneration and reveal a more radiant complexion. The scent of this product is divine and transports me instantly to a luxurious day spa.
While not as quick as a foaming cleanser, the Eve Lom cleanser definitely does a better job. Massage the product into dry skin, then soak the accompanying muslin cloth in hot water, squeeze, and place it over my product-covered face to open my pores. Then repeat, and finally wipe away the cleanser. Then finally place the cloth in cold water and then onto your face to close the pores up. It takes time, but time is beauty in this case. It’s amazing and really feels like you’re indulging in self-care to use it.
Kate Somerville
For stressed, irritated, red or recovering skin, there is no better investment than Kate Somerville’s DeliKate Recovery Cream ($128, available from Mecca). Look, when you’re stressed, your skin is also stressed (thanks iso!), so you need to give it a little more care during this time. Enter the DeliKate Recovery Cream, or as I like to call it “my calm down cream”; when my skin was losing it thanks to being stuck at home and quite stressed out, the DeliKate cream helped my skin out of its rough period. And by rough, I mean literally… winter skin and iso stress made my skin dry and irritated and Kate Sommerville came to the rescue.
Aspect Skincare
Vitamin A aka retinol has long held a position in my beauty cupboard for its ability to do it ALL. I’m talking cell turnover, skin smoothing, clearing pores, promoting skin elasticity… the list goes on. So when I heard about their Aspect Dr Exfol A Plus ($135, various stockists), a product that had retinol in it AND a some cheeky lactic acid to smooth out the skin texture and exfoliate away my dead skin cells, I jumped at it. I love this stuff and would buy it again and again and again, no matter the price tag. (OK maybe the price does matter, but at the moment the price is right.
Dr Dennis Gross
While we’re talking exfoliation, let’s chat peels, specifically the easiest one you will ever do with the most bang for your buck. Dr Dennis Gross’s Alpha Beta Daily Peel ($27-$240, available at Mecca) is as easy as one, two… that’s it, there is no three. Pads pre-soaked in skincare goodies mean all you have to do is swipe on the peel, then swipe on the neutraliser. Ingredients such as AHA and BHA acids get rid of dead skin cells and brighten the complexion, resveratrol protects against free radical damage and pollution, and retinol is a powerhouse anti-aging ingredient to tone your skin and reduce the look of fine lines. My skin feels so amazing after using these babies it’s hard not to spend all my money on them and hoard them by the box full.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
