Neither age nor time has dimmed the allure of these beauties. They were launched when we were still playing with lip gloss, but we’ve discovered them over the years and come to fully appreciate their trailblazing genius. (For more cult beauty products, check out Part 1 and Part 2.)
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SK-II Facial Treatment Mask
Before serial killer masks (as I like to call sheet masks) become a rage, there was SKII’s version leading the way. It’s a celebrity red carpet staple, and an in-flight must have. It leaves skin clear, glowing and plumped—perfect prep before a big event. Sk-ii.com
Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O (Créaline H2O)
This is the big daddy of French pharmacy staples—a cleansing water mild enough to soothe the most delicate of skins, but powerful enough to take off a day’s worth of make-up, sunscreen and other general ickiness. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say no celebrity or make-up artist is ever without it.
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Sometimes with cult beauty products you have to wonder if it’s all hype or the product is truly that good. This brown bottle pops up time and again in virtually every beauty editor’s list of faves for a reason—slap on this antioxidant-rich serum after a particularly hard day or night and you’ll wake up with skin that looks better than is possible.
Bio-Oil
The first association that comes up when you think of this product is pregnant women, but besides being great for stretch marks and scars, this non-greasy oil is great on dry limbs, elbows, cuticles, heels, or as a bath or massage oil. Bio-oil.com
Caudalie Beauty Elixir
This facial mist with clarifying and brightening ingredients like grape, rose and rosemary, is one of many modern products inspired by the famed Queen of Hungary water. Spray it on after make-up, for a mid-day boost or anytime you need a pick-me-up. Caudalie.com
SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
The Koreans may have brought global limelight to skincare essences, but this Japanese brand’s version has been in action for 35 years. It impacts spots, wrinkles and skin texture, firmness and radiance—giving you more of the good and less of the bad. Sk-ii.com
La Mer Crème de la Mer
Breathless fans of this rich moisturiser will tell you all about its aerospace physicist creator, the much-publicised ‘Miracle Broth’ (a fermented mix of sea kelp plus various vitamins, minerals and oils which is the base for all La Mer products) and why the jars need to be hand filled. As it takes a serious financial commitment to achieve fandom, you can choose to take their word for it. Cremedelamer.com
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
This mild cleanser is a dermatologist favourite and a boon for anyone struggling with skin damaged by the sun, rosacea or acne. The gentle cleansing action won’t strip skin, leaving it clean but calm. Cetaphil.com
The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care
It would be no exaggeration to say this balm is the most unrecognised product in brand’s vast lineup, but one of the best. We’ve tried—and discarded—every imaginable lip balm and nothing comes close to the goodness of this beeswax, fruit oils, and vitamin E enriched wonder.
L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
The nourishing formula contains 20 per cent shea butter to nourish and protect, but the company’s sourcing practices make this product even more exemplary. The shea nuts are grown sustainably by local women in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and the butter is manufactured directly at source, guaranteeing the producers better wages.
M.A.C Face and Body Foundation
M.A.C’s range of foundation formulations and colours are truly breathtaking (and a god-sent for Indian skin tones). But ask any M.A.C make-up artist which one’s their favourite and this one will win most often. The sheer, buildable formula makes it versatile enough to give a little coverage when your skin’s at its best, or a lot when you need extra help.
Bobbi Brown foundations
Whether you choose a Bobbi foundation in a liquid, compact, stick, powder or balm form, you’ll be guaranteed one thing—colour that seems tailor-made for Indian skin tones, without any grey or ashy undertones. Plus, fantastic coverage and long-wearing formulations that make us feel pretty in our own skin.
Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder
Since 1984, bronzer has been synonymous with Terracotta, Guerlain’s genius powder that gives a sun-kissed, sailing-in-Portofino glow to the skin. We love enhancing our temples, cheekbones and collarbones with it in summer, and pull it out during the winters when the glow has faded. A tan, after all, is a good look all year round.
Bobbi Brown Corrector and Creamy Concealer
Ask any girl with dark circles what her biggest make-up struggle is, and then hand her this duo to make it miraculously disappear. The corrector neutralises discolouration, the concealer matches the area to your skin tone. Powder up to make panda eyes a relic of the past.
M.A.C Strobe Cream
You know that annoying, other-worldly glow that people get when they have great skin genes or a green smoothie habit? Strobe Cream is for those of us who have neither. Put it on before your base, mix it into foundation or tap over cheekbones for ethereal skin, without ever glugging any green goo. It goes in my win-win column.
M.A.C Fluidline in Blacktrack
Indian women will forever want to walk off into the sunset with their black eyeliner, because let’s face it, it’s a match made in heaven. This long-lasting gel liner creates perfect cat-eyes and even works to tightline, and fill in the waterline. Make-up maestro Mickey Contractor is never without it and neither are we.
John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair Serum (Original Formula)
Hands up if you just had a major throwback after reading that name. This silicon-based hair serum to banish frizz was a staple for kids growing up in the 1990’s. Johnfrieda.com
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer
It feels weird at first using a treatment before you shampoo. But this ‘elasticizer’ does just what it promises—makes hair supple, bouncy and elastic, meaning it’s better able to withstand damage and breakage. Especially beneficial for hair fried by too much colour or other chemical treatments. Philipkingsley.com
Thierry Mugler Angel and Alien
Modern perfumery would not be complete without Angel, Thierry Mugler’s love-letter to excess. The gourmand fragrance pushed the boundaries of scent creation, inspired frenzied love or hate and spawned a million me-toos. Today, it’s still polarizing but as delectable. Equally impactful is the amber, wood and jasmine-infused Alien, a sensual, other-worldly Technicolor dream which is the unofficial fragrance of party girls everywhere—because it lasts all night.
Calvin Klein CK One and CK 2
Everything about the now-iconic ck one embodied cool, casual androgyny when it launched 20 years ago—the unisex scent, the clean lines of the bottle and the grungy-sexy vibe of the campaign fronted by Kate Moss. The sheer, citrus fragrance got a sibling last year with the launch of ck2, another unisex juice with spicy, woody tones. Perfect timing, since 2015 marked the comeback of androgyny and the year we began to see gender in fluid, not absolute terms.
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
It’s a little difficult to explain what makes one eyelash curler better than another—there are no ingredient lists to compare. But ever since this launched in 1991, it’s been in every celebrity and make-up artist’s kit, and was even name-dropped in The Devil Wears Prada. It widens and open lashes in a way that makes mascara seem almost optional. Shuuemura.com
Tweezerman Slant Tweezer
What makes the Slant so great is not one thing, it’s more like everything. Its perfectly aligned tips, the fact that it stays sharp literally forever, and also that it can grip onto tiny hairs you may not even be able to see yet. Don’t tweeze your eyebrows, or any other part of your face or body, without one. Tweezerman.com
YSL Touche Éclat
If you’re one of those people who uses this magic pen to conceal your under eye circles, say a prayer of thanks, because you don’t know what real panda eyes are. This cult makeup product debuted in 1992 and is a brightening pen that brings light and radiance to the face. Use it in the inner corners of your eyes, atop cheekbone and browbone, the corners of your mouth and the cupid’s bow. Then go glow. Yslbeautyus.com
Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey
This marine-floral scent’s bright but light-handed glow is summer in a bottle. The sleek lines of the bottle are an homage by the Japanese designer to the moon rising over the Eiffel Tower.
M.A.C Ruby Woo
Probably the best-known lipstick of all time, Ruby Woo’s beautifully plush ‘Retro Matte’ texture is what makes it unique. The blue-based red is said to suit every skin colour; while it nearly achieves that almost-impossible feat, it can seem a little too blue on certain Indian skin tones. If so, add an orange-red lip liner as a base for some warmth, but don’t pass it up.
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