Beauty

Skin, hair and colour: routines, ingredients and the houses behind them.

  1. Vitamin C serum dropper bottles on backlit slices of orangeVitamin C Serum: How to Choose and Use ItWhat vitamin C does for skin, which form to look for on the label, why the bottle matters, how to spot oxidation, and how to use it each morning under sunscreen.Beauty Rituals
  2. A woman in a towel touching her face at a round mirror in the eveningRetinol: How to Start, How Often, and What to Pair It WithRetinol is a form of vitamin A. How to start it slowly at night, how often to use it, what not to layer with it at first, and why sunscreen comes with it.Beauty Rituals
  3. Close-up of a woman massaging serum into her faceNiacinamide: What It Is and Who It SuitsNiacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 used for the look of pores, uneven tone and skin that feels balanced. What it does, how to pair it, and how to read the percentage on the label.Beauty Rituals
  4. A woman holding a serum dropper, a drop falling into her palmHyaluronic Acid: What It Does for Skin and How to Use ItHyaluronic acid draws water to the skin and helps hold it there. What the names on the label mean, serum, cream or mask, and how to layer it.Beauty Rituals
  5. A smiling woman with curly hair using a hair dryer in a sunny bathroomHow to Choose a Hair Dryer for Your Hair TypeWhat wattage and airflow really mean, why the cool shot matters, when to use a concentrator or a diffuser, and how to choose a hair dryer for fine, thick or curly hair.Ellie Recommends
  6. Close-up of concealer being blended under a woman's eyeConcealer: How to Choose the Right Shade and FormulaA touch lighter under the eyes, an exact match on a blemish. How to read your undertone, choose a texture, use a colour corrector and apply concealer so it looks like skin.Ellie Recommends
  7. A woman around fifty in a white robe applying face creamCollagen in Skincare: What It Can and Cannot DoCollagen in a cream, serum or mask moisturises and smooths at the surface. What it can and cannot do, and where peptides, retinol and vitamin C fit.Beauty Rituals
  8. A woman reading the ingredients on a tube of skin cream in a shopVegan, Cruelty-Free or Leaping Bunny: What Beauty Credentials MeanVegan is about ingredients, cruelty-free is about testing, and Leaping Bunny and PETA-Approved are the certifications behind it. What each label means, and how a product earns one.Ellie Recommends
  9. A woman in her fifties applying toner with a cotton pad to her faceAHA and BHA: Exfoliating Acids ExplainedWhat AHAs and BHA do, how glycolic, lactic, mandelic and salicylic acid differ, and how to begin: slowly, in the evening, with SPF every morning.Beauty Rituals
  10. Dior perfume bottles beside a round mirror on a pale dressing tableDior Perfume: The House's Fragrance Lines and How to ChooseDior's fragrance lines explained, from the warm Poison family to fresh floral classics, with eau de parfum and eau de toilette in plain words, gift advice and layering.Brand Stories
  11. A woman in a white robe applying a hair mask from a jar to her long dark hairKérastase: Choosing Shampoo, Hair Masks and Serums for Your HairHow to choose Kérastase shampoo, conditioner, hair mask and serum by hair need, build a three-step routine, and put together a gift from one range.Brand Stories
  12. A woman applies vitamin C serum to her cheek with a glass dropper, in bright natural daylight.Sesderma and Instituto Español: A Summer Vitamin C RitualA summer routine in two halves: vitamin C on the face in the morning, and a body ritual for after the shower.Beauty Rituals
  13. A woman parting her hair and applying a few drops of serum to her scalp with a glass dropperCaffeine for the Scalp: Plantur 39 and How a Tonic Fits InWhere a leave-in scalp tonic belongs in a hair routine, and how the Plantur 39 shampoo and tonic are used together.Beauty Rituals
  14. A woman in a white robe gently touching her cheek in front of a bathroom mirrorLa Roche-Posay: A Sensitive-Skin Routine, Step by StepHow a sensitive-skin routine is built with La Roche-Posay: what to use, in what order, and how often.Beauty Rituals
  15. A woman with her eyes closed spraying a fine facial mist onto her face, against a dark green backgroundSensitive and Dry Skin in an Irish Climate: Eucerin and AvèneA face, body and hand routine for skin that is dry in winter and easily reactive the rest of the year.Beauty Rituals
  16. A woman in a black sequinned top spraying scent from a cut-crystal atomiser with a coral bulb, against a black backgroundGuerlain: The House and Its ClassicsWhat Guerlain keeps in production, how its three classic fragrances differ, and where to start with the house.Brand Stories
  17. A compact of pressed face powder and a soft make-up brush on a beige background with a sweep of loose powderGlam of Sweden: A Swedish House of Everyday Make-UpGlam of Sweden has no single icon, which changes how you buy it. Where the range is strongest, and how to choose.Brand Stories
  18. A bath filling with water in a bathroom lit by burning candles, with soap and a brush at the edgeAn Evening Ritual at Home: Rituals' Relaxation SetsAn evening ritual is a sequence, not a product. How the Rituals relaxation sets are built, and which to choose.Ellie Recommends