It’s New. In March. At MECCA
February 23 | 5 minute read
Words by Izzy Wight
March is the most glamorous time of the year – and I’ll tell you why! Awards season and fashion month converge in a beautiful, excessive spectacle across the world’s most stylish cities, and I get to incessantly flick between tabs looking at photos of it.
It’s a month that reminds us, between ready-to-wear shows and red carpets, that getting gussied up is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and that shouldn’t just be reserved for Hollywood’s upper echelon. Sometimes I want to wear an elaborate hairstyle and iridescent lip to my friend’s futsal tournament, and that’s a beautiful thing.
MECCA’s latest arrivals are helping me tap into that high-glamour feeling. Created by A-list hairstylists, revered makeup artists and some of the world’s most celebrated noses, here’s everything worth knowing about.
Expensive-Looking Hair
An Australian-born stylist with salons across New York and Paris, David Mallett is known for his relaxed, refined approach to hair and A-list clientele (Andie McDowell and Demi Moore, to name a few). His product line is all about achieving really good hair without a really extensive routine. The dream! Start with a one-two punch of the Hair Serum and Styling Cream for immediately soft, shiny results.
Founded by an LA hairstyling duo in the ’70s, Sebastian Professional is the ‘if you know you know’ haircare brand beloved by experts everywhere – and now, the secret’s out. Blending nine botanical extracts, the Potion 9 Super Luxe Styling Drops are a restorative saviour for dry, heat-damaged hair, while the Shaper Light might just be the most ‘non-hair spray’ hair spray I’ve ever used. Think all the hold, with none of the crunch.
Scents After Dark
And by the right one, I don’t mean your everyday fragrance. A special-occasion scent should be a head-turner; rich, sensual and complex like BYREDO’s new Night Veils Vanille Antique Extrait, or D.S. & DURGA’s Cognac Reign EDP. Both opulent, long-lasting gourmands, Vanille Antique is a smoky-sweet number with notes of warm amber, plum and cashmere, while Cognac Reign is a boozy blend of caramelised bergamot, antique wood and dark liquor. I imagine this is what the Oscars after-party smells like.
Going-Out Glam
If you’re reading this, the chances of you owning a NARS foundation are high, and for good reason. The brand's complexion offering is the stuff of legend, and the lineup of radiant, skincare-infused foundations is about to get an upgrade. With shine-control and pore-blurring powers, the Natural Matte Longwear Foundation is your shortcut to truly flawless skin – made even better when applied with one of MECCA COSMETICA’s new high-tech, vegan-bristle brushes.
Once your matte base is down, amp up the glow with one of the Kosas Shiny Objects Wet Glisten Highlighter Powders. Shimmery without leaning too far into disco ball territory, these wet-pressed powders melt into skin for a luminous finish. Magic brushed onto the cheekbones, but also great when gently pressed into eyelids, the Cupid’s bow, browbone, middle of the lips... The limit does not exist.
If you’re in the cult of Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm, you’ll love the just-landed Flushed Lip Stains. Available in five soft, buildable shades, they provide a wash of hydrating colour that lasts all day (and night!). And if you want to take your look up a notch, might I suggest something holographic? The new M·A·C Cosmetics Dazzlelips Crayons are important to me. They’re balmy, prismatic and glittery without the grit, made to be worn liberally on your eyes and lips. It’s a product that screams ‘the party has arrived.’
Skin Prep Excellence
I don’t know a lot about cars, but I do know a lot about skincare, and the ELEMIS x Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team Iconic Discovery Set is some racing merch I can get behind. The set comes with a complete routine for soft, smooth, makeup-ready skin, including the iconic Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm and Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads.
And finally, one of my very favourite French skincare brands also has a new release: the Mimétique Ctrl Eye Cream. Created by cosmetic chemist Fabienne Sebaoun, the small-but-mighty tube has 20 percent active ingredients for smoother, brighter under-eyes. Powered by the brand’s signature skin-identical SMR-C5 Complex, it provides a satisfying reset for puffy, tired-looking eyes. Your cure for the morning after.
