It’s New. In May. At MECCA
April 28 | 4 minute read
Words by Kerri Gordon
Autumn Cleaning
I’ve got a bone to pick with whoever invented ‘spring cleaning’. Why are we doing our biggest tidy of the year right before we spend the least time in our homes? It makes no sense. If the sun’s out, I’m out.
Instead, I will introduce to you the newest, most optimal cleansing event: autumn cleaning. Where the house is sparkling, the linen is fresh, your skin is bright and you’re curled up on the couch in a cashmere knit with your hands cradling a cup of tea.
The timing is splendid for us southern hemispherians; our friends on the other side of the planet are dropping their spring clean staples (they haven’t yet caught up with our new regime).
For your home, may I interest you in Paul Smith’s Rose Candle? In a perfect pink vessel inspired by the brand’s famous pink wall in LA, you’ll discover a new take on rose by Grasse-born perfumer Celine Barel, loaded with geranium and bergamot for a brighter, fizzier aroma than you’d typically expect of a scent by such a name.
For your face, look to the greatest of all balm cleansers, ELEMIS’ Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, now in a green fig varietal that awakens every sense. Expect skin that’s clean, not squeaky, and olfactory transportation to a chic spa.
And, for the soul, a spritz of either Byredo’s Blanche Absolu de Parfum (a more concentrated juice of the brand’s original crisp linen-inspired ‘clean girl’ scent), or Steam by Perfumer H, a misty, morning dew, green tea-esque fragrance that’s as invigorating as it is grounding.
Hour of Powder
The cream makeup craze swept me so far off my feet, I became almost oblivious to the incredible innovations in powder. Have you seen these before and afters!? It’s time for me to clean my brushes.
Though they rose to fame in cream-stick form, Westman Atelier has dropped their iconic Baby Cheeks blush and Face Trace contour shades in new powder duos. Silky and easy to diffuse, they’re the ultimate layering companion to the original – for pairing cream with powder adds dimension and increases longevity. Hedge your bets now, because I’m certain this will become the trending cheek combo for 2025 brides.
I also must mention the new Kosas Cloud Set Translucent Loose Setting + Blurring Powders. Not only are they incredibly brightening, they possess an impressive ability to ‘melt’ into skin, leaving an airbrushed finish that’s never cakey, powdery-looking, or drying to the skin.
Trending Colours
Pantone set the literal tone for the year as Mocha Mousse, and it has resonated with fashion and beauty lovers globally. From espresso-spiked lip combos to chocolatey hair glosses—and the impending brown bomber jacket trend—Mocha’s having a moment.
Our friends at MECCA MAX have made it even easier to buck the hue with a Mocha to the MAX set, comprising four of the brand’s most loved lip, cheek and eye products in deep, caramelized shades. Lucky for me, it features my favourite shade in everything – plus it comes in a brown teddy makeup bag (for a 35 percent saving, too). It seems too good to be true, but I promise it’s not. Run.
A few months ago I had the fortune of sitting ‘round a table with ILIA founder Sasha Plavsic as she took us through the brand’s upcoming launches for 2025. I didn’t realise I’d be walking out with my new favourite eyeshadow. Enter the ILIA Eye Stylus Shadow Sticks, buttery, blendable, incredibly long-wearing cream eyeshadows available in 20 matte and shimmer shades pulled from renaissance paintings (most remarkably, my favourite painting of all time, Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus). A master of not only sensitive-skin friendly formulation, but of packaging design too, the angled tip designed by Sasha allows you to easily create a wash of all-over colour, or a sharp stroke of liner.
I Hate To Say It...
But Dyson’s newest hair dryer is so worth the impending hype. That’s the problem with innovation, right? You invest in the latest tech one year, to be superseded by the next. Considered their pro-level dryer, the Dyson Supersonic r™ is 30 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter at just 325 grams (not that the regular Supersonic was an arm workout), yet somehow manages to be the most powerful model in the history of Dyson hair dryers. It cuts down dry time, makes it easier to reach every nook and cranny of your cranium, and the best part – it uses negatively charged ions to reduce frizz caused by static by 46 percent. It’s a hair miracle.
