Straight up genius: the best hair and makeup products to buy now

From a formidable foundation to a cordless hair straightener, these are the products our columnist now can’t live without

I can’t think of a single Dior product I would have included in a previous “best of the year” roundup. This time, I’ve struggled to shave my choices down to two.

No longer coasting on Parisian heritage and luxury packaging, Dior is on a gold run of terrific launches. Having never much liked this company’s foundations, I found I wore the exceptionally good Dior Forever Natural Nude (17 shades, £39) more than any other base last year (and I may well do the same in 2022). Sheer and ungreasy, it succeeds where most other long-lasting foundations fail: by keeping my skin hydrated and looking like great skin – not like makeup. My preference is for a light-coverage foundation with a full-coverage concealer, and Dior’s Forever Skin Correct (27 shades, £27) became my constant companion last year. If you find concealer too dry, cakey or just ineffectual, this magic wand of lasting, creamy camouflage for dark circles, spots and discoloration is the answer to all your prayers. It is pure brilliance.

I apply it daily using my favourite brush of last (and possibly any) year: Beauty Pie’s Pro-Angled Concealer Brush (£9.31). The new Beauty Pie Plus programme (which replaces the old buyers’ club subscription model with an annual membership fee of £59) makes signing up a much simpler and more cost-effective decision.

To date, I have acquired five of these fat, perfectly contoured brushes, so I am never without a clean one to hand. They make a doss of under-eye cover-ups.

 

Another 2021 beauty tool that I could no longer be without is GHD’s Unplugged cordless hair straightener. I readily admit that £299 is extremely steep for any hair gadget, especially one that I could hide in a pencil case, but if you can’t go anywhere without a hair iron, this will change your life.

Approved for taking on flights, this tiny, ceramic-coated straightener is carried cordless and heats up in seconds to bring you shiny, swishy hair on the move.

I was sceptical about its performance next to my at-home device, but can confirm that it does the job every bit as well (albeit only with regular charging, so I stick to my plug-in straightener at home). The tool comes in a heat-protective case, so I can pack it, still warm, having just done my hair, and know it won’t damage my bag.

I never knew I needed it until I could no longer be without it.