Tried and tested

June Favourites

Cult Beauty June Beauty Favourites

It’s July (#howthehelldidthathappen?) – which means the sun is making a really rubbish effort to show its face between downpours, and things like 3-days-in-the-Algarve are creeping ever closer (causing me to panic, and declare a vow of starvation for the coming two weeks #notgoingtohappen #ilovecrispstoomuch). In the spirit of summer holidays, I scooped up this super cute striped-and-frilled bikini (Topshop), which my boyfriend loathes and I positively love so… clearly it’s a gurl thang.

Because I’m lazy, and very often ‘forget’ (can’t be bothered) to do a proper skin routine each evening, Alpha-H’s Instant Facial is changing my face for the better. It’s the less labour intensive Liquid Gold, and can be used like a toner to brighten everything up nicely. It’s also brilliantly zingy, when misted over make up – refreshing end-of-day foundation, and giving skin a kick up its…
(P.S. It’s currently out of stock – sad face – clearly y’all know a good thing when you see it. Join the waitlist to make sure you don’t blink and miss it).

In the morning, I follow the IF (I’m all about acronyms) with Zelens’ Daily Defence – an anti-ageing, broad spectrum, hydrating SPF 30 that feels totally weightless (essential for my oily visage) and is great under make up. It makes me feel very worthy – ‘thou shalt always wear sunscreen’ stylee. I am. Amen.

Bronzer – usually stuff I refuse to allow near my ghostly white face – has been sneaking its way into my make up ritual. I don’t know how it finally charmed me (I think it had something/a great deal to do with pictures of Alexa looking tanned), but Kevyn Aucoin’s Celestial Bronzing Veil (Tropical Nights) has been dusted onto evening cheekbones (fancy), to make people think I’m exotic/outdoorsy (I’m neither).

For eyebrows, I’ve conquered my fear of DipBrow (I thought it was solely for people who know what they’re doing – it’s not!) and been ‘bushing’ up my patchy ‘pillars. The mousse-esque (is it?) texture works PERFECTLY and I’m totally besotted with my brand new brows. I use Studio 10’s Double Ended Eye Define Brush (it’s got a slanty end) to colour in, then finish with Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel to comb, set and leave things looking nice and neat. This gel is DA BOMB because the tube is not see-through, so people (me) aren’t exposed to the inevitable gross brown sludge.

And having discovered the joys of The Wet Brush (about which I’ve already waxed lyrical here), I thought it was time to supplement its efforts with the ‘right’ conditioner – in this case, Sachajuan’s Leave In flavour, which I’ve been in a serious relationship with for some time (but which, I had carelessly buried within one of my too-many overflowing beauty boxes). I’m so delighted we’ve re-found each other – my hair worships this stuff, and it means I can spend less time showering (hallelujah!).

SHOP JUNE FAVOURITES >>



Verity Douglas

Verity Douglas

Content Editor

Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...