Welcome to Face Value, Highsnobiety’s monthly guide to the best new beauty products and the brands behind them.
New year, new products. After a short break courtesy of the holidays, we're back with the latest and greatest from our favorite beauty brands.
From Prada's extremely stylish lip balm to Starface's "aww"-inducing Sanrio collaboration, these are the January beauty drops worth adding to cart.
Prada Beauty - Moisturizing Lip Balm
Five months after its launch, Prada Beauty is officially available in the United States. While the entire range — which spans skincare and makeup — is covetable, I'm particularly fond of the lip balm. Housed in a sleek, silver tube embossed with the Prada logo, it's both a beauty product and an accessory.
about-face - The Performer
The market is saturated with skincare-infused makeup, but it can be difficult to find a tinted moisturizer or serum that works — often, they're too oily or offer little in the way of coverage. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that about-face's The Performer strikes a balance, leaving skin hydrated while also concealing redness and discoloration. It applies like a moisturizer and acts like a foundation, minus the heavy, cake-y feeling.
Vacation - After Sun
Sunscreen brand Vacation is known for its surprisingly delicious-smelling SPF. It's so fragrant, in fact, that in 2021 the brand launched a perfume recreating the scent of a sun-soaked afternoon by the pool. It quickly became an unexpected hit among fragrance enthusiasts.
Three years later, Vacation is back with After Sun, a scent that captures an evening out post-beach day. Notes of aloe vera gel, melon, and gin will have you lusting after warmer weather.
Starface - Hello Kitty and Friends x Starface
In anticipation of Hello Kitty's 50th birthday, Sanrio is rolling out a series of high-profile collaborations this year. Already, we've seen the adorable feline (who is actually a human girl?) team up with Crocs, McDonald's, and adidas.
Now, Starface is making breakouts much cuter with a series of Sanrio pimple patches. Choose from characters including Keroppi, Badtz-Maru, and of course, Hello Kitty herself.
Flamingo - Dermaplane Razor
Shaving my face with a tiny, scalpel-like blade — AKA dermaplaning — has been a part of my skincare routine since 2018. My bathroom cabinet houses a stockpile of disposable dermaplaning razors, which have to be replenished every few months. So when body care brand Flamingo launched a reusable dermaplaning razor, I was immediately intrigued.
Flamingo's steel blade is a major upgrade: I noticed it scraping off way more hair and dead skin than I'm used to. And with a metal handle, the tool feels comfortingly weighty — a must when you're putting a blade to your face.
