Jo Loves... Late Summer 2023
Jo Fairley shares her latest make-up finds, a sexy new toothbrush – and a great range of alcohol-free beverages, for healthier drinking…
Like many people, I’m trying to cut my alcohol intake – while still not wanting to feel like a goody-two-shoes – and oh, am I bored with being offered water as a non-alcoholic option! I discovered this range at the launch of The Wellness Foundry in Lambeth (more about them in due course), and instantly ordered a bottle online – the botanicals are so authentic, it truly feels like you’re drinking a G&T, and I’ve converted several friends to the range (who’ve also commented this is the best non-gin gin they’ve tasted); the line-up also includes an EXCELLENT faux tequila.
£16 for 70cl – buy here
delilah Farewell Creamy Concealer
Who wants a full face of make-up, in summer? Not me, that’s for sure. So this has really come into its own, lately: a chubby pencil of creamy coverage, enough to dot onto red veins and discolouration, then blend with a finger. And it twists up, cleverly, so there’s no need to sharpen (or risk scratching your skin when you get down to the nub). Yet another ‘find’, for me, in a brand that did stonkingly well in our Beauty Bible Awards, this year.
£26 – buy here
KIKO MILANO High Pigment Eyeshadow
A few years ago, I stockpiled my best-ever eyeshadow quad, from Tom Ford (Cocoa Mirage, FYI). I am ALMOST at the very end of the pan of colour that I use the most – a soft, light taupe, brilliant for smudging the darker shade so it all looks seamless. I’ve tried so many other palettes, but guess how happy I was to find this replacement in the brilliant KIKO Milano store at Oxford Circus? Almost an exact match, with great blendability and staying power. And – at a little over a fiver – it’s an absolute steal. (I don’t really love quads anyway, because at least two colours tend to go unused, while one or two get completely used up.)
£7.49 – buy here
Liberty Mercury Retrograde Survival Kit
So, how’s your Mercury Retrograde going? Yup, me too. Screens freezing. Phones ringing random people when it’s just sitting on my desk. An entire folder on my computer, slipped into a parallel universe. Altogether super-frustrating. When I spotted this, then, it tickled my fancy – although it’s much more than a bit of fun, with full sizes of Suzanne Kaufmann Bath Oil for the Senses, REN Clean Skincare Pillow Mist, Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Shampoo & Conditioner, VYRAO incense sticks – and, should I be feeling woo-woo, some crystals and even a pack of tarot cards. All slipped inside a super-useful bag adorned with a Fornasetti-esque sun design, which I’ve now deployed for make-up. Definitely cheering, the whole thing – and although a definite splurge, the contents are worth £284. Should keep me going till 15th September, when Mercury goes direct.
£80 – buy here
Maybelline Sensational Sky High Mascara
This has been a summer of bargain make-up finds, actually. Having got to the very, very last drop of my fave Benefit mascara, I urgently needed a replacement and nipped into Superdrug, where I found this. An amazingly grippy wand – I need silicone, not bristles – sweeps the inky formula onto lashes, where it stays without budging till bedtime. Honestly brilliant, and I will replenish.
£11.99 – buy here
This is the closest I’ve ever come to actively enjoying the chore of tooth-brushing. On a recent trip to The Dental Barn (literally worlds apart from any dental surgery I’ve ever visited, in an entirely good way – read my review here), I asked my dentist if she had any new toothbrush raves – and I ended up buying the Oral-B O Series 4, a distinct step up from my previous Oral-B. I like several things about it (quite apart from the sleeker design), notably the green light which tells you whether you’re exerting the perfect pressure on teeth and gums. (The protective travel case is useful, too.) It’s also sexier-looking than the previous version, and hey, anything that makes you want to use your toothbrush has got to be a good thing, eh?
£95 – buy here
Collection incrediBROW Semi-Permanent Brow Gel
I found, over the summer, that my usual eyebrow pencil – good as it is – wasn’t going the distance in the warmer weather. This had at some point made its way into the office, so I thought I’d have a go. I am a little bit wowed; it’s a really quick fix – quite literally a ‘fix’, for stray hairs – and ideal for summer-pale brows, grooming and shading the hairs, while offering a tint that doesn’t budge till you remove it at bedtime. And I absolutely cannot argue with a brow product this good, at under a fiver. Another brilliant steal.
£4.99 – buy here
