Best of beauty 2021: These fan favourites deserve to keep a place in your daily routine

With so much fanfare surrounding beauty launches these days – from huge advertising campaigns to YouTube video product placement, and Instagram influencer’s doing sponsored posts – it’s hard to know which supposedly ‘Holy Grail’ products truly live up to the hype.

If you bought every so-called ‘must have’ new item, you’d end up splashing a lot of cash on skincare and make-up – and a lot of it might not even be right for you and will sit languishing in your bathroom for months (or let’s be honest, years).

That’s why it’s a good idea to wait and see what other beauty buffs have to say about that latest mega-hyped foundation or skin-perfecting serum, before you take the plunge yourself. Once the dust has settled, you can see which newbies have become bestsellers and gone on to achieve genuine cult status.

Here, we run down our pick of the  best new beauty products of 2021…

Lush Lashes Black Mascara, £15.50

Better known for bath bombs, Lush is proving it’s a force to be reckoned with in the make-up department, with this incredible mascara. The jet black formula is the perfect consistency (it clings to your lashes and dries fast), while the wand’s tiny teeth separate, define and lengthen your lashes.

Glossier Ultralip in Villa, £14

Trust beauty behemoth Glossier to conquer the lip gloss game with this triple-threat lippie, which delivers moisture, colour and shine. The 2021 answer to the ever-popular Generation G matte lipstick, Ultralip is enriched with hyaluronic acid and comes in nine wearable shades.

Hourglass Curator Refillable Palette with 3 Eyeshadow Refills, £96

A more sustainable alternative to ready-made eyeshadow collections (because no-one ever uses all the shades equally, do they?), Hourglass Curator palettes are made from tin and post-consumer plastic and come in one, three and five-pan sizes. Choose from 40 high-quality shades in matte, satin, metallic and shimmer finishes to build your perfect palette.

Vita Liberata Heavenly Elixir, £17 (was £34), LookFantastic

A world-first from the much-loved tanning brand, Heavenly Elixir imparts a natural-looking bronze that develops over 72 hours (instead of the standard eight), so you can get your glow sorted well in advance of that party/holiday/weekend away, instead of faffing around at the last minute.

Vichy Capital Soleil UV-Age Daily, £15.75 (was £21), Boots

Every beauty buff knows SPF is a daily essential. But finding a sunscreen you want to wear every day? Not easy. This skin/suncare hybrid protects against pollution, UVA and UVB rays while delivering vitamin E, peptides and niacinamide, all in an ultra lightweight fluid that soaks into your skin in seconds.

Bad Habit Omzzz Acai Nightly Cleansing Balm, £18, ASOS

If you haven’t yet swapped your moisture-stripping foaming face wash for a cleansing balm, what are you waiting for? Apply this bestseller from Morphe’s spin-off skincare line directly onto dry skin, then add water and watch it melt away your make-up, leaving a clean, smooth, hydrated complexion.

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser SPF30, £33, Boots

OK, this is not strictly a new product, but Nars extended the range of its Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser from six to 16 shades in 2021, meaning more people can now discover this iconic product, which fans love for its glowy, ‘your skin but better’ coverage.

Cloud Nine The Cordless Iron Pro, £349

The beauty equivalent of a camel coat, this high-tech hair gadget is a real investment piece. The first cordless tool from Cloud Nine heats up to 170ºC, has a vibrating function for extra straightening power, and comes with lots of extras, including a faux leather box, roll bag, travel case, heat guard, charging pod, two extra plug adaptors, and (if you buy it right now) a pair of wireless ear pods.