1. A Lip Mask

Lip Masks are going to be a thing for 2015, I’m convinced of it! If you can resist the urge to lick your lips while wearing a lip mask, then you should reap the ultra hydrating benefits for an intense infusion of moisture. The Japanese Choosy Lip Masks above are £2.99 each from Ebay (HERE), but there are several brands hopping on this trend, including Kaplan MD, £37, at Cult Beauty (HERE) and Jamela 24 Carat Lip Masks (£46) HERE. If you buy the solid gel lip ‘sheets’, you can’t talk or eat while it’s on and you have to lie down otherwise it falls off! The lip mask that’s currently getting rave reviews is Bite Agave Lip Mask ($26) – a thick cream application that you use overnight. Currently, Bite isn’t available readily in the UK so it’s a Sephora or Ebay order.

 

Ladival IRD

2. Infrared Blocking Sun Care

I’ve a feeling that Ladival IRB is going to be huge next summer. Bottom line is that it’s next generation sunscreen that’s taken advantage of new technology that can separate infrared-A rays from the other sun rays to see what effects they have on the skin. It’s so complicated, I have nearly torn my hair out trying to find a way to explain this, so I will stick to the absolute basics. Infrared-A rays can’t be blocked on the skin’s surface in the way that UV rays can, so it needs a very specific formula to do so. Standard sun creams protect against UVA and UVB but infrared accounts for 37% of damage. Years in the making (research provided by the University of Dusseldorf), Ladival IRB will be the sunscreen to watch in 2015 when it launches later in the year.

3. Cleansing Powder

One of the newest cleansing powders on the market is Rodin Olio Lussio Facial Cleansing Powder – it’s pricy at £50 at Liberty (not on-line yet) but there are other versions available. If you haven’t tried a cleansing powder yet, you might want to start with a more budget friendly option such as Nude Fizzy Facial Wash (£38) HERE or DHC Face Wash Powder (£9.50) HERE. Cleansing powders, like BB creams, are an Asian import that we’re just scratching the surface of at the moment. You can expect many brands to be looking at a powder version of cleanser. Usually, they’re rice bran based with enzymatic action that smooths the skin – you add a tiny splash of water to make a paste that you then apply to the face. I like them for oilier skin types and wouldn’t recommend for very dry skin. I’ve been a fan of Givenchy Hydra Sparkling One Minute Glow Powder (£29.50) HERE for a while and have used it on and off all year, but it’s more of a brightening exfoliator than an actual cleanser.

Ma Cherie

4. A Negusi ‘Bed Hair’ Spray

I have the brilliant blog at Ratzillacosme (HERE) to thank for this emerging trend. But, how to explain?! Okay.. a Negusi spray isn’t a leave-in conditioner as such, but you use it in your hair in the morning so that re-styling is quicker and easier – a fragranced ‘reviving’ spray, if you like. It tamps down frizz and fly aways. We have similar products in the UK but not many of them – Tigi Bed Head Spoil Me is one to try. It’s £14.95 HERE. Otherwise, it’s an Ebay or GMarket search for Shiseido Ma Cherie Perfect Shower Spray, above, if you want the real Asian experience.

Pur Minerals

5. Cushion Foundation

There’s no doubt that Cushion Foundations are coming – the race is on to see which brand gets them to the UK market first! A cushion foundation is a new way to dispense foundation using a pre-soaked ‘sponge’ within a compact. A cushion foundation’s main bonus is portability – a liquid foundation in a solid form – but formulas vary from mousse texture to skincare ingredients. Our best hope, in the UK, is Pur Minerals (above) – the range is currently stocked in M&S and therefore easily available – we just have to wait for them to stock this particular item. If you can’t wait for the UK market to catch up, the cushion foundation that has had consistently positive reviews is Laneige Snow BB Cushion and it’s easily available on Ebay for around £20.

6. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been drifting around 2014 as a trend already, but you know it’s going to avalanche when coconut water brands start to produce and market their own solid oil. VitaCoco is swift on the coconut oil trend and what’s interesting is that they’re pointing it firmly at the beauty market as well as the food market. Use it for moisturising and conditioning hair and skin – and you only need a tiny amount. I’ve had a go at oil pulling (omg..never again), but it’s one of my top trends to try this year. It’s currently HERE for £5.09.

Shiseido softener

7. A DIY Lotion Mask

This is a bit fiddly, but a fun Asian trend to try. Although DIY Lotion Masks aren’t new at all, they’re not very well known in the UK and as the Asian market opens up to us even further, I’m guessing this could become a micro-trend. Japan and Korea use beauty ‘lotions’ or essences which are somewhere between a water and a cream – a bit heavier than a micellar and usually opaque. They’re an extra step in skincare, generally used after cleansing and before moisturising and help your hydration products to work more effectively (allegedly!). I love versions of essence from Shiseido and L’Occitane, and the liquidity of the formula means ingredients are rapidly absorbed.

You’ll need some (ideally) square, layered cotton wool pads (try Muji) that you saturate with essence. Once the pads are wet, you can start peeling them apart so they’re very, very thin layers which you then place on your skin. After that, it’s a simple matter of lying back and relaxing until the pads have dried out a bit, before you remove the pads to reveal softer skin. It really does work in the sense that your complexion feels like velvet and there’s a noticable difference when you put your moisturiser on afterwards. Expect a great skin day from this trend. A great product to try this with is Shiseido Pureness Balancing Softener (Alcohol Free), £24.50 HERE.

8. Marsala

Well, Pantone certainly pulled a tricky shade for beauty lovers to name as their colour of the year! Marsala is the shade where everything can go badly wrong from start to finish, whether it’s an eye shadow, a blush or a lip colour. This tone of red-wine-soaked, heathered pink is so close to a bruise colour that you’ll need to either embrace the Corrinne Roitfeld ‘tired-all-the-time’ eyes and exacerbate with smudgy kohl or use it carefully with other shades to accent rather than to be a main feature. I’ve highlighted MUFE Satin Ash as we have both the brand and the trend to look forward to in the UK in 2015. Ir’s perfect for ‘byojaku face’ – yes, it’s really a thing – a look that makes you appear ill.

Shabon Roller

9. Skincare Ingredient Fuelled Soap

All the indications are that skincare soaps are on their way, big time. Soap bar cleansers are not new exactly, but are enjoying a revival in more sophisticated forms, but the real emerging trend is ‘beauty bars’ – soap like bars with more than just a cleansing action.  Current kings of soap cleansing are Erno Lazlo and Clinique, but Perricone has Glycolic Bars (£56) to exfoliate, cleanse and reduce pores. Clarins Beauty Soap is simpler, with shea butter and organic hazelnut oil, but they’re all fuel for beauty areas that aren’t tapped to their full potential. I blogged the Non F Shabon Roller soap from Victoria Health before Christmas HERE but the high foam element is key to fusing the Asian cleansing trend with serious skincare.

10. Lip Oils

As soon as I tried the YSL Tint-In-Oils, I was in love with the formula. Heading up the trend for tinted oils are Clarins and YSL, but bear in mind that YSL is part of L’Oreal who cascade their formulas – I’d be very surprised if we don’t see a L’Oreal Paris and a Body Shop version really soon. Lip oils glide onto the lip in the softest possible way throwing a little bit of colour as they go. They’re lighter and less sticky than gloss but feel softening as balm. I imagine that every other beauty brand has thrown away their 2015 schedule to get working on a similar version. If you love an interesting texture and a light and glowy tint, then take your pick from either Clarins or YSL for now. Neither has launched yet so they’re both a treat in store for 2015!