9 To-Die-For Beauty Products and an Iconic Beauty Experience That I Loved in September

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September is always an exciting time for beauty. We’ve got the spring-summer runways (which for Australians actually coincide with… spring and summer), new season launches, and of course, Halloween.

This year our summer is set to be a little moodier with La Niña refusing to rack off, but honestly? That’s only added more edge to the beauty launches and trends we’ve been seeing trickle through, from baddie beauty to “ugly” fashion week looks that pushed the envelope.

So, here are 10 products and experiences that took me by surprise in September.

Hair Extensions by Emilly Hadrill Hair and Extensions

This is not so much a product as a phenomenon, but in September I got hair extensions, the most surprising event of 2022.

They are one: life-changingly iconic and two: require a total hair routine revamp. This has triggered a confrontation with my high-maintenance haircare routine (proper extension care recommends twice weekly washing, and I wash my hair pretty much whenever I leave the house).

In an effort to extend my wash time, I turned to some new products, which kick off my September favourites.

For more details on my hair extensions, you can check out my review here and peruse some incredible before and afters at Emilly Hadrill Hair and Extensions here.

Coco &  Eve, Bond Building Pre-Shampoo Treatment 

My ends are typically fried because I heat-style my hair with total abandon every time I wash it which is… every time I leave the house. They’ve reached peak fry recently as my beloved hair extensions require me to curl them (with my equally beloved ghd, Curve Wand).

So, when the very Olaplex-sounding Coco & Eve, Bond Building Pre-Shampoo Treatment ($38) landed on my desk, describing itself as “clinically proven to reduce hair breakage by 85%”, I snapped it up. 

I pop the treatment on my ends while they’re dry, do some yoga or feed my cat, and then wash out. This stuff works — my frizzy, abandoned Barbie-looking strands are smooth and soft, ready for another tangle with heat styling. I’m waving adieu to fried ends for spring.

R + Co Bleu, Vapor Lotion to Powder Dry Shampoo 

Prepare yourself for a lifehack. Lotion-to-powder dry shampoos are basically scalp deodorants. A gross way to plug an $89 hair product? Maybe, but let me explain. I use this lotion on wet hair, working it in the scalp pre-blowdry, meanwhile, the brand’s BLEU, Molecule Complex repairs and strengthens root bonds.

By using Vapor Lotion to Powder Dry Shampoo ($89) first thing, I’m strengthening my roots, balancing my scalp, and preventing oil from coming through before it starts. Using the product this way has helped me cut down my hair washing to once every three or four days, which is a colossal improvement. 

R+Co Rainless Dry Cleansing Conditioner

Once I’ve prepped my roots, I style with R+Co Rainless, Dry Cleansing Conditioner, ($49). This aerosol conditioner is perfect for dry styling and refreshing. I love to have it on hand for post-work drinks as it creates a freshly washed finish with none of the starchiness usually associated with dry shampoos.

The formula contains Banana Extract, Lemon Balm, Black Currant Seed Oil and Ginko Biloba (all ingredients I’d like to see in my morning smoothie), which keeps strands soft and shiny. Every R+Co hair product has a special fragrance. Rainless is “relative paradise” and contains notes of Sicilian lemon, tangerine, eucalyptus, tree moss and crisp amber. Refreshing and lush, I wish it were a perfume.

Verso, Super Elixir Oil Serum

Verso is one of my long-term favourite vitamin A brands, so I knocked over my desktop jumping to try their new Super Elixir Oil Serum ($279). This serum debuts the skincare range’s freshly patented Near 1 Molecule. This new active combines vitamin A with niacinamide, targeting pigmentation and dullness on multiple levels by accelerating skin cell turnover and inhibiting the production of melanin.

I’ve been using this alone every second night and have found my complexion looking brighter and more refined. Because this is an oil serum, the potent actives are contained in a soothing squalane and Vitamin E base that counteracts the potentially irritating effects of vitamin A. I’ve found I’m able to use Verso Super Elixir far more frequently than traditional retinols and am loving the results.

OPI Brown to Earth, Infinite Shine 2  

This isn’t a typically summery shade, but is it a typical spring we’re in for? When I first laid eyes on OPI, Infinite Shine, “Brown to Earth” ($24) I was perplexed. It’s a cool, almost brown with mauve and greige undertones. After seeing the greys, blacks and silvers at fashion week, I actually feel like this slightly “off” colour is a total of the moody moment, and wish it came in lipstick form. 

Orly, Bonder Rubberized Base Coat 

I have very weak, brittle nails and discovered recently that this is why my at-home mani lasts about five seconds. The more your nail moves, the less polish wants to stick. Enter Orly, Bonder, Rubberized Base Coat which comes as part of the brand’s aptly named “Manicure Keeper Duo” ($29)

This innovative formula acts like “double-sided sticky tape” and essentially glues your nail polish to your nail bed. The formula which contains a higher level of “plasticizers” than most polishes, creates a seal over your cuticles while providing a flexible base for your polish so it doesn’t crack while your nails flex and bends doing tasks like washing up (sigh) and furiously texting. 

Byredo Tears in the Rain Mascara

 

In September I went on a waterproof mascara journey that ended with this outrageously expensive mascara. I’m here to tell you that if you want a natural-looking lash (it is an absolute dupe for Glossier Lash Slick) that is waterproof enough to go scuba diving in, look no further than Byredo, “Tears in the Rain,” ($79).

Lorde’s makeup artist used this one her when she was shooting “Solar Power” and required multiple dunks in the ocean, so you know it’s good. Plus, the packaging looks like it belongs in Architectural Digest.

Stila Plumping Lip Glaze in “Kitten”

I screeched when I stumbled across Stila’s iconic lip glosses on the shelves at Mecca. Long discontinued, they apparently returned to shelves in 2020. I immediately snatched up Stila, Plumping Lip Glaze in “Kitten” ($36) their OG shade, and scuttled off.

The original formula has been updated, with hydrating and plumping benefits. These come in the form of Vitamin E and “Maxi-Lip” — a mysterious but clinically tested plumping ingredient that increases lip volume and smoothness.

I find that even when the gloss is gone post-lunch, my lips still look flushed and pouty thanks to the inclusion of peppermint. In summary, Stila Lip Glazes have all the appeal of traditional lip plumper, none of the irritating cayenne pepper and will make you feel like Paris Hilton in the Bahamas circa 2005.

Synergie Skin, Vitamin B Serum

Trying to figure out your skincare wardrobe as we leave winter and enter a humid, La Niña spring? Same. This month, Synergie Skin made that component of my to-do list blessedly simple when they welcomed their “Best Sellers Edit” ($239).

Since going off the pill, my reliably dry skin has been a little chaotic, and the changing season from winter to spring never helps. Pimples and bumps I haven’t had for years have been popping up on my forehead and my T-zone has been unusually “glowy” come lunchtime.

Whenever I’m starting to feel a bit out of balance, I reach for niacinamide, and Synergie Skin’s Vitamin B Serum is one of my all-time favourites. I was first recommended Vitamin B when I struggled with acne scarring and chronically dry skin post-Roaccutane, and have loved it ever since.

This Vitamin B Serum combines an impressive 13 per cent niacinamide, along with anti-inflammatory panthenol, and barrier-strengthening lipids. It was perfect for my dry, damaged skin then and for my combo, chaotic skin now.

Currently, their “desert island essentials” kit contains three of Synergie Skin’s hero products: the balancing, pH-balanced UltraCleanse; anti-inflammatory UberZinc Moisturiser; and my personal favourite, simply iconic Vitamin B Serum. Even better, you can pick it up for 25 per cent less than the regular retail price.

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear, Care and Glow Foundation 

This is a very simple, easy-to-use foundation for when you’re short on time but want to look like a goddess, which, let’s be real, is pretty much always. With medium coverage and a soft and luminous finish, Lancôme, Teint Idole Ultra Wear Care & Glow Foundation ($69) is the serum-infused foundation that provides all-day wear and comfort. Plus, it’s easy to apply with your fingers and looks invisible on the skin, which makes it perfect for spring/summer. Most days I’ve been wearing it without powder, but if I’m working up a sweat or it’s a little steamy, I’ll add a touch.