Beauty

 Expert colour combinations, chronic illness and an ingrained love for anything vintage.

Welcome to the most fabulous corner of the internet—Urban List's destination for the picks of the beauty crop. This month, our fave haircare has a glow up, there's new scents galore, indie brands are having a *moment* and a new immersive beauty space. 

Whether you’re a newbie or a faux-lash convert, eyelash extensions, like many beauty treatments, are definitely not something you want to scrimp on.

Consult any impassioned skincare enthusiast both IRL and on your for you page, and you’ll hear them name-drop Paula’s Choice.

Nestled along the stunning Kirra Beachfront, Native State is the Gold Coast’s premier bathhouse destination offering steam and soak experiences that are guaranteed to have you feeling in a state of zen. 

There’s something about having your nails done that motivates you. 

Looking for a way to shake up your wardrobe without costing the earth?? We've teamed up with AGL to share some top tips you can use to minimise material waste, reduce your spending and most importantly, refine your wardrobe.

Looking for 2023 to be a bit less boozy, we’ve got you! And no, you don’t have to go cold turkey (if you don’t want to). 

Nestled in the beating heart of Surfers Paradise, we’ve found the perfect place for the ultimate fun day out. Think: epic games, live sport and a total foodie nirvana. So where can you find this awesome spot? Perched on the corner of Surfers Paradise Boulevard and Cavill Mall, boasting a 100-metre frontage opposite the world-famous Surfers Paradise Beach, is Paradise Centre. Home to over 90 stores, an alfresco dining precinct and a buzzing entertainment hub, gather your crew and make tracks here stat.

Introducing the Lancôme Skin Screen — a revolutionary piece of technology catapulting us into the future of skincare.

Here’s a heap of beauty and wellness gift ideas for someone in your life who could use some ‘me time.'

Following recent events, if you have found yourself re-prioritising your self-care and wellness, we feel you. To ensure the opportunity to pause, reflect and re-assess isn’t put to waste, we’ve teamed up with Vital to try five emerging wellness trends, so you can leverage our newfound motivation. 

While it’s nice to shop up a storm in Sephora every now and then, for us, nothing beats our locally owned and operated beauty brands who are doing some seriously special things right here on our door step.

Welcome to Culture Curve—your go-to guide to what’s on the rise and slide in culture in December 2020.

We all love a good pamper at the salon, it’s the ideal opportunity to sit back and relax and let the worries of the world wash over you. But you don’t want your hair and beauty regime to come at the expense of the environment. Did you know that the Australian hairdressing industry is responsible for sending more than 1-million kilograms of aluminium foil to landfill every year? Not to mention the nasty chemicals being washed down the drain and penetrating your skin during colour sessions and treatments.

Gone are the days that we would have to choose between our skin and the planet. The future is here people, and our skin is looking oh, so bright. 

From pampering facials to radical new treatments favoured by A-list celebrities, we've hit up the best spas and clinics on the Gold Coast to find the best facials money can buy—so you can take your beauty game up a notch.

Baché De Mar’s sea cucumber collagen serums are a hit—here’s why.

If you’ve never heard of hemp beauty products before, prepare for your life to change. Or if you have but you’ve mistakenly thought they were taboo, then prepare to get schooled on this powerful and perfectly-innocent plant.

Need to get your locks sorted? Here’s our pick of the best Gold Coast hairdressers you really should know about.

If there’s anything we love more than supporting local businesses, it’s supporting sustainable local businesses. There’s no denying the importance of supporting small business, but now more than ever, we’re realising the immense benefits that come from shopping ethically as well as locally. 

Stress and anxiety can really start to take a toll on our bodies during a time when our physical and mental health has never been more important.

Here are seven mostly delicious things you probably didn’t know you can get delivered right to your door on the Gold Coast.

This is the year to plan a wellness holiday at home, so book a trip and chill out in one of these holistic beauties—the best day spas in Byron Bay. 

These six standout brands with innovative packaging ideas are here to help save the planet. 

There’s no denying Aussies are downright obsessed with Scandi culture—and rightly so. 

If the year has left you feeling a little burnt out, stressed and in need of a break, it’s time to blow out those cobwebs and adjust your gaze to events and activities that are good for the mind, body and soul. 

Gone are the days of choosing between your skin or the planet. There’s a slew of standout brands setting the beauty standard by ditching plastic packaging and nasty chemicals in favour of natural alternatives.

The Doughnut Affair is like no other doughnut you’ve experienced before.

If you’re due for a little self care and indulgence, we’ve found just the thing.

Coworking office spaces are having a serious moment, so it only stands to reason that the same idea could work for the world of beauty. Enter The Studio Upstairs, or as we like to call it, a little slice of beauty heaven. The space, which sits high above the hustle and bustle of Burleigh’s Connor Street, is a bright, calming oasis, home to a collective of talented hairdressers, make-up artists and yogis alike.

First of all, forget everything you thought knew and had come to expect from a nail salon. Because Burleigh newbie, ERVA is the total opposite. The vegan and organic salon is welcome addition to the beauty scene in a time where we’re more conscious of what we’re putting in and on our bodies.

Let’s chat about breaking a dirty, little habit. No, we don’t mean your daily 3pm chocolate binge, we’re talking about using and abusing plastic for just about everything. The time has come to give it all up. 

Makefree May is an initiative to help raise money for the Human Kind Project; a non-for-profit organisation working with dozens of countries and over 190 world leaders to end extreme poverty, world hunger, injustices and inequality in the world’s most under privileged nations. Working with local women and girls on the ground in local communities, the Human Kind Project helps fund education and supports individuals to build financially sustainable futures for their families. 

The US cult beauty giant has just teased the world with word of a new product launch. While sister product line Glossier Play has been taking over our Instagram accounts since its own launch just a few months ago, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Glossier HQ had its hands full with the new line. But you’d be dead wrong.

The age old saying ‘prevention vs cure’ rings true in almost all scenarios; and so, it turns out, is also true in the world of cosmetic injectables.

The annual event when the world’s biggest, freshest and best beauty brands come together in New York City for one mammoth weekend to celebrate all things beauty, Beautycon is a cult movement just as much as it is a ‘trade’ event.

Whether you’ve managed to snag a ticket to Palm Springs or you’re just wanting to exude some of those Cali vibes, these are the three biggest beauty trends we’re predicting at Coachella Music Festival 2019.

If you thought there couldn’t be more buzz about the benefits of hemp derived beauty products right now, the movement just went mainstream. Cult US beauty brand Milk Makeup has released a Cannabis Hydrating Face Mask as part of their ever-expanding ‘Kush’ line.

YSL is turning heads again at this year’s Coachella Music Festival, with their extravagant beauty gas station on route 111 in Palm Springs, California.

While we all wait around for the release of her latest album to drop, Rihanna’s been busy expanding her Fenty Beauty empire and gearing up for northern hemisphere’s spring weather.

As well as creating irreversible damage to our planet, pollutants in the air such as cigarette smoke, smog, fire burn off and car emissions can all contribute to congesting our skin and ultimately, accelerate the ageing process. Yikes. 

It’s no longer a woman’s world where only ladies are carving out hours for self-indulgence—now the lads understand the pleasure of being primped and groomed. With the re-emergence of the gentleman, we’ve witnessed a renewed appreciation for traditional barbering services and an explosion of dedicated barbershops catering for the next generation of style-conscious men.

It’s one of those treatments that sounds really quite terrifying but in actual fact it’s anything but. Granted, the term ‘skin’ and ‘needling’ as a descriptive hardly sounds like an enjoyable time, and with A-List celebrities posting on Instagram their blotchy faces immediately post-treatment, it is no wonder there is a great deal of misinformation (and a great deal of fear-monering) out there about this very simple, and very effective, anti-ageing technique.

Cult icon, minimalistic millennial pink products  and an all-time favourite of influencers and beauty editors alike, Glossier has a global reputation as the curators and facilitators of natural-looking makeup. Until now…

When Lush dropped a bath bomb inspired by Ariana Grande’s ‘God Is A Woman’ music video in 2018, it sold out in minutes. The pastel-hued bath accessory went viral and has since proven so popular the vegan beauty giant has released an entire, and permanent, product line honouring the singer.

The latest technologies in skincare are pushing the envelope on traditional topical serums and creams; physically triggered and ath-beauty products are specifically designed to work with the natural heat that your skin gives off (during, or just after a workout, are ideal times for application), providing a more effective, deeper penetrating product.

While we're only just digging our teeth into Pre-Fall trends, New York Fashion Week Autumn/Winter '19 has hit, and with it brings all the newness we're about to see everywhere. While glitter, neon splashes and maxed-out 90s grunge have all carried over from SS '19, it was the emerging hair and nail decorative looks that had everyone talking in NYC.

With spring and Japan’s annual cherry blossom season approaching fast in the northern hemisphere, MAC Cosmetics has launched a pastel-hued limited-edition range, Boom Boom Bloom, just in time for the seasonal change.

Known for keeping people bronzed to perfection, Bondi Sands is a tanning staple in most bathroom cupboards. Looking to expand the brand's product range, they have just announced they are expanding beyond self-tan to include body care products.

Their camouflage concealer is some of the most revered amongst the beauty industry elite, and their setting powders are still a backstage fashion week staple, but after the news in 2018 Laura Mercier would no longer stock its products in Australia, brand loyalists everywhere were devastated.

Music’s night of nights went down less than 24 hours ago and, save for the usual drama that that went down on (and off the stage) it’s been slated as the most progressive Grammy Awards to date, with female artists leading the way in the top four categories.

Hinting at changes it would make to its famous bottle way back in 2017, Bioderma has released a very limited run of its Sensibo H20 Micelle Solution formula with a reverse pump in 500ml size.

In an unpredictable 2019 twist, the world’s most famous ‘cookie’ is taking its iconic monochromatic product and turning it into a lip balm.

The 2019 iteration of the barrette is pure decoration: think oversized, glittering and stacked to the max vs practical, and minimalistic. The more the merrier.

A decided contrast to the kawaii beauty looks and messy pastel hair, neon—particularly green neon—is the breakout colour of 2019.

Beauty mavericks Summer Fridays all but broke the internet late last year when the company announced that it would now be stocked in Australia and New Zealand.

These are the five beauty looks from the 2019 SAG Awards well worth adding to your personal arsenal.

It’s not news to us that the beauty industry has been lagging in actioning the drastic change in consumer attitudes to single use plastics. But with the conversation surrounding zero waste alternatives reaching fever pitch, the conscious collective focus is now on the fashion and beauty industries to follow suit and make sweeping reforms to the way they produce and sell their products.

Fresh for 2019 is one of the most highly anticipated beauty drops of the year—and we’re only in January. Primed for release this February are three new iterations of the iconic MAC Girl palettes, and they’re bang on the money for SS19 trends.

Fat freezing, or cryolipolysis as it’s known in the industry, is a non-surgical alternative to liposuction. While not a particularly new treatment, it has gone from niche (read: really expensive) to mainstream over the past couple of years, predominantly due to huge leaps in the technology used and subsequent (albeit, slight) price drops per treatment making it a far more affordable and realistic way to remove stubborn fat from the parts of your body that just straight up refuse to budge.

Summer is well and truly here, and your beauty routine will need to change in order to accommodate the warmer weather. If you're prone to sweat it up once the mercury tops 25 (and let's face it, our balmy climate just about guarantees it) you're going to need to keep reading for some summer beauty tips to keep you feeling, and looking, fresh.

Poised to release the world’s first completely personalised sheet face mask later this year, Neutrogena’s MaskiD app is shaping up to be the beauty launch of 2019.

Hollywood’s elite were out in force yesterday for the 76th Golden Globe Awards and while it may have been touted as one of the least interesting awards nights to date, there was still plenty of beauty looks to obsess over.

Vitamin C is at peak revival right now. Once reduced to just another daily vitamin supplement, it is now being hailed as a powerful beauty ingredient, being harnessed for its incredible anti-ageing properties.

It’s been a huge year for beauty drops. From revamped cult classics to notable newbies, we’ve pulled together the most-wanted products that have shaped our 2018.

Shimmering silvers, flashes of neon accessories and holographic highlighters are refining our palettes and these three fashion mavericks are shifting our obsession into second gear.

No, not a typo, high street mega brand Zara has just launched its first ever beauty line. And you’re going to want every last bit.

Arguably the must-have wellness ingredient of 2018, Cannabidiol, or CBD (a compound found in cannabis), has been making a lot of noise in the beauty industry. And it’s only set to intensify in 2019.

It sold out in less than 24 hours in the UK and USA, instantly becoming one of the most hyped about product launches of 2018, and now, finally Australia, we can get our hands on cult beauty brand Summer Fridays’ Jet Lag Mask without having to take out a personal loan for international postage.

If you could literally turn back time, erase the years of irresponsible sun damage, frown lines, pigmentation—would you?

From Kylie Jenner baring a makeup-free face on her Instagram, to Zoe Kravitz' no makeup makeup during her recent press tour of Fantastic Beasts, skate brand Places + Faces' models in their F/W18 campaign, and supermodel Adwoa Aboah's refusal to cover hers, everyone's rocking freckles.

Hailey, Bella and Kylie lead the charge.

It’s every beauty lovers favourite time of year—the highly anticipated MECCA holiday collection has dropped, and it’s bound to take over your Christmas wish-list this year. 

Using their considerable clout, Rimmel has recently launched an international campaign with UK artist Rita Ora fronting ‘I will not be deleted’, aiming to spark a global conversation surrounding beauty cyberbullying. With help from a number of key influencers, individual activists and A-list celebrities, the campaign’s aim is to shine a light on an issue that affects millions of women around the world.

The Ritz-Carlton Paris is now home to the world’s first Chanel spa, and it’s basically like walking into a high-end Chanel store which has been transformed into a breathtakingly glamourous spa at the two-storey Ritz Club. Think exquisite facials, scrubs, wraps and makeovers using high-end Chanel skincare and make-up products. They also offer a signature Chanel massage, which is essentially a therapeutic guilty pleasure designed to awaken all your senses.  Just take our money.

Long gone are the days of plucking your eyebrows into obliteration. These days, it’s all about full brows to shape your face. They can be threaded, waxed, shaped, re-shaped, sculpted, tinted, trimmed or tattooed on. We’ve scouted the best brow artists on the Gold Coast to ensure your brows never take a nod to the 90s again.

The globally-recognised Leaping Bunny Certification (courtesy of Cruelty Free International) is not just given out on the fly; it’s the most highly sought-after certificate in the world for recognising companies’ dedication to an animal testing-free beauty industry.

A spray tan is similar to a Tinder date. It can be the best confidence-boosting decision you make all week, or it can go horribly wrong. We don’t want it to be the latter so have rounded up five of the best spray tan spots on the Gold Coast.  

Male grooming is booming so we've sifted the country to deliver you Australia’s best male grooming salons. This is the moment your overgrown hair follicles have been waiting for. 

The home of progressive skincare products and the addictive sounds of K-Pop, Korea is leading the way when it comes to the latest hair trends. While the runways at the S/S19 Hera Seoul Fashion Week were hot with edgy designs, it was the city’s influencers and their bold street style that caught our attention.

It may be approaching summer over here but think of those poor souls up in the northern hemisphere for a second. Nothing but dull, dreary skies for the foreseeable and only the promise of their local café serving up pumpkin spice lattes for comfort. It’s little wonder the pumpkin spice obsession has spilt (literally) over from hot beverages to beauty (?).

Welcome to Unmasked. The series where we try a bunch of weird beauty treatments to see a) whether they actually work, b) how much we can embarrass our editors. Particularly the male ones. Particularly the male ones whose skin looks like ham.

I know we’re been doing the whole no-make-up-make-up for a while but if you’re looking to hit it hard, look no further.

Originally famous for their iconic vacuums featuring patented technology (that frankly we still don’t understand), the release of Dyson's Supersonic Hairdryer certainly raised a few (perfectly manicured) eyebrows. This must-have item went on to be a global sell out—and one seriously powerful beauty tool.

The billionaire mogul behind Kylie Cosmetics has just dropped the biggest hint to date that she’s launching a line of skincare products

It’s official; the next gen of supers have arrived to take over the world. Ever since Kaia Gerber—daughter of genetically blessed supermodel, Cindy Crawford—walked her first runway late last year, all eyes have been on Lila Moss, daughter of equally genetically blessed supermodel, Kate Moss, to make her debut.

It’s a wrap for S/S 19 Fashion Week in New York, London, Paris and Milan. Among the big budget moments—Savage x Fenty’s inclusive game-changer of an inaugural show, Helena Christensen walking for Dolce & Gabbana, and Gigi Hadid’s wedding gown moment at Moschino, just to name a few—it was the avalanche of inspiring beauty moments that have left us dying to chuck out our nude palettes and swap for all things fluoro and glitter. 

Kylie Jenner took to Instagram to unveil the new Kylie Cosmetics Halloween collection, and we are so on board.

Zoe Foster Blake’s famed Go-To range has been busily flying the flag for Australian beauty products, hooking us (and the rest of the world) on a unique brand of self-deprecating realness paired with products that actually do what they say they will. (And we need say nothing about the gorgeous millennial pink packaging…).

Ess—hairstylist to Hollywood’s A List—is bringing her eponymous hair styling range to Australia, and yes, it’s a big deal. 

Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut (he can act, he can speak French, he can direct. Sigh) had its L.A premiere last night, but it was Lady Gaga, the leading lady in the upcoming music biopic that completely, unabashedly, stole the show—and not least because she is absolute fire in the film (she sings, she plays piano, she acts. SIGH).

A leading biochemist dispel myths surrounding periods, the pill and acne breakouts, and tells us how to get happy hormones.

Bobbi Brown, reigning champion of the smoky eye and natural, everyday makeup looks, is a dead-set beauty hall of famer. From coveted palettes in a plethora of wearable nudes, to the iconic shimmer brick (the OG of shimmer bricks, for those keeping score), Bobbi Brown has been a stalwart in the beauty industry for well over two decades. Why? Because ALL of their colours are totally wearable (read: they do day-to-night looks like no one else in the biz!)—and we’re all about hard-working, multi-purpose products for your $$$.

All your Sunday inspo wrapped into one handly lil' package.

Now, we’re suckers for a high-end department store where the smell of high end perfume gets you whipping out your credit card quicker than you can say overdraft but know this; your local pharmacy stocks some of the beauty industry greats that don’t cost the earth AND that work, mark my words.

Seriously though, how much time do you have because we’ve been lusting over everything all damn day.

All your Sunday inspo wrapped into one handly lil' package.

We can all dream about those dreaded bags and dark circles banishing for good but in the meantime, here’s a few tips on how you can say bye-bye to tired eyes!

In 2017, The Ordinary (part of UK parent company, Deciem) launched around the world, and quickly became the skincare launch of the year. A streamlined, paired back range, their products came without the usual frills; no fancy labelling (though their minimalistic branding has done wonders for their identity and subsequent sales), no ‘cute’ product names, just a focus on simple, hard-working products at a price point that didn’t make your eyes water, or your wallet burn a hole in your pocket.

For years, Urban Outfitters has stocked the latest brands from fashion, homewares and beauty, with their own fashion label making it near impossible to resist their effortless mix of quirky street style and minimalism. And now, this global giant is dabbling in the beauty arena, yesterday announcing that they’re set to launch their first in-house beauty label, Ohii.

Set to launch during next month’s New Fashion Week—when else(?)—iconic fashion and beauty house, YSL is levelling up once again, opening a hotel dedicated to all things YSL beauty. Seriously, we can’t make these things up…

It’s been a real rollercoaster of a week, let me tell you. Only a few days ago Urban Decay announced they would be discontinuing their original (and best-selling, iconic, can’t-live-without-it) Naked eye palette *sob*. I looked down into my almost empty palette, and I’ll be honest, it felt like breaking up with my significant other. Sad times, indeed.

Beauty junkies, this’ll make your day; cosmetic big wigs Sephora have announced a mega clearance. And it’s online right. Bloody. NOW!

Oh fake tan, you sinister bronze sun serpent. Thankfully someone has invented a soap bar that almost instantly scrubs away fake tan (without scrubbing away the top three layers of skin). 

Making waves in beauty news this week is none other than global fashion icon, Chanel. With a history steeped in breaking boundaries (Coco herself was a vanguard for gender neutral clothing way back in the 1920’s, championing trousers for women in a time of corsets and dresses—the O.G trendsetter) it should come as no surprise that this iconic French fashion house is playing in the male cosmetics market.

This week, the French beauty powerhouse released ‘Climax’ mascara, their latest wonder product, and it’s put the global beauty industry into a tailspin. Now, while mascara doesn’t necessarily have the same je ne sais quoi as, say, their orgasm lip balm that dominated NYC Fashion Week earlier this year, it’s worth noting that Nars doesn’t release a half-baked newbie. Ever. 

We’re 100% calling this the beauty look of the summer.

If there’s one thing we’re passionate about here at The Urban List (besides eating our body weight in food and knocking back delicious cocktails on the regs) it’s nailing down a skincare regime that won’t break us the hell out. So, with that in mind, we’ve rounded up all the tried and true products that have never steered us wrong.

Yeah, they got you (all of you).

Sensitive skin sucks. Nothing’s worse than having a night on the town wearing a bomb make up look, only to wake up the next day with an itchy, rashy face. A lot of makeup on the shelves today make it seem like they’re going to your best option – they all read ‘hypoallergenic’ or ‘dermatologist tested’. 

Down in this beautiful pocket of the world we’re blessed with some of the most incredible beaches and marine life, but it’s on us all do our bit to ensure the next gen can enjoy and appreciate that big, beautiful blue and its inhabitants.

Cue childhood nostalgia.

Save the date, Gold Coasters, there’s an epic beauty festival headed your way this May and you’ve got to check it out or you’ll run the risk of experiencing some serious FOMO.

It’s the question every gal asks on the daily, how the heck do I apply false lashes like a pro without covering myself with icky-sticky glue.

Did you know much-lauded Halcyon House recently opened the doors to the most breathtaking, designer day spa ever to come within loofa throwing distance of the Gold Coast?

Well, southerners, the wait is officially over. Cornerstone Stores opens this weekend and, by gosh, she’s a thing of absolute beauty! 

As insanely fun as it all may be, the post-holiday blues can leave us drained, imbalanced and endlessly sluggish.

Need a good night’s sleep in 2018? Read this first.

You wouldn't want to be caught rocking 2017 trends, now would you?