Welcome to Face Value, Highsnobiety’s monthly guide to the best new beauty products and the brands behind them.
It's time to break out those transitional beauty wardrobes — fall is finally on the horizon. Brands are prepping for the great cool-off with sweet, warm scents (a better fit for chilly temps than their fresher counterparts) and hydrating formulas to battle the dryness and flaking that cold air inevitably brings.
From Dior's first major fragrance release with Francis Kurkdjian to Topicals' ingredient-packed primer, these are the five August beauty drops worth adding to cart.
Topicals - Sealed Primer
Topicals, the buzzy skincare brand tackling chronic issues like eczema and hyperpigmentation, has launched its first makeup product: Sealed, a primer that fills in enlarged pores and acne scares to create a smooth base. It clings to foundation and concealer without feeling sticky and, as an added bonus, contains slow-release retinol and silicone to encourage cell turnover and scar healing.
Dior - L'Or de J'Adore
Francis Kurkdjian, Dior's recently appointed perfume creation director, lent his Midas touch to J'Adore, the brand's most iconic fragrance. Enter: L'Or de J'Adore, a contemporary riff on the original formula from 1999. Updating J'Adore was no small task — at a press event, Kurkdjian compared the project to "being able to touch something that is untouchable."
In conversation with Highsnobiety, the famed perfumer elaborated on the daunting assignment and the development of L'Or de J'Adore.
Rabanne - Famous Top Coat Mascara
ICYMI: Rabanne, formerly known as Paco Rabanne, now has its own makeup line. If you like creative director Julien Dossena's chainmail purses and paillette frocks, you'll love his new cosmetics collection, a range of gilded eyeshadows, glittery body spray, and metallic "serums." For a subtler pop of shine, try the line's Famous Top Coat Mascara for a dusting of silver and gold on the lashes.
Frédéric Malle - Heaven Can Wait
For perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, "smell and notes [are] words and perfume is literature." If we're to follow this logic, his latest scent, Heaven Can Wait, is certainly a love story. Warm, rich notes like clove, pimento, and vanilla mingle with powdery iris and soft musk, creating what Ellena describes as a "romantic invitation."
Earlier this month, the perfumer told Highsnobiety all about the making of Heaven Can Wait, and why he prefers fragrances that whisper rather than shout.
MAC Cosmetics - Studio Radiance Serum-Powered Foundation
Over the past year, we've seen an uptick in makeup products that contain active skincare ingredients — for example, powders formulated with SPF and concealers boosted with vitamin C. MAC Cosmetics joins in on the "skinification of makeup" with its new Serum-Powered Foundation, infused with moisturizing hyaluronic acid and jojoba oil.
Unlike other serum-like foundations on the market, this one won't slide off your face. Plus, it offers surprisingly solid coverage — just a dollop covers redness, discoloration, and breakouts.
