2 min car makeup for busy girls & 4 HG French pharmacy products

+ I tried the new Merit tinted mineral SPF (!)

Hi and happy Monday,

Sorry to send this late but it's technically Sunday where I am at the time of writing (Switzerland). I'm in Montreux just outside Geneva on a very last min work trip for a new brand launching later in the year. You'll read all about it in RUSSH when the time comes but for now I can't believe how beautiful it is here, like perfect-postcard-desktop-background kind of beautiful. Scenic snaps and my hotel vanity situation below, just for fun.

I flew here Friday, and before that it was Australian Fashion Week. I also went to a breakfast hosted by Merit Beauty for Substack creatives because Ali from the PR team was in town. I bought some Merit products a few years ago when I was in the US and really, really liked them. I actually used to work for Katherine Power, the founder — I was a writer at Byrdie and Who What Wear (this is before she sold them to another publisher).

I knew at the time they were thinking of creating a beauty brand so I was excited when Merit came to be. It launched in Australia last year and I feel like it's all anyone talked about. Even friends not in the industry were asking me if it was worth buying. I was surprised how much visibility it had, but I also get it because it resonates with the Australian approach to beauty. It's very fresh, light, foolproof makeup. A little bit Westman Atelier coded but more intuitive (because Gucci Westman is a makeup artist, after all). Also, some trivia for you — Katherine is a longtime fan of LA aesthetician Biba de Sousa who consulted on the Merit products to ensure they were safe for sensitive and acne-prone skin. You can read my previous Substack interview with Biba here.

Anyway breakfast was divine. We got a preview of a new product (launching August, very unexpected) and also got to take home the new tinted mineral SPF, it's called The Uniform. I have been using it here in Switzerland and thus have written a little review for you below.

In the spirit of quick/easy makeup and international beauty, I have two topics this week:

1. My top 4 must have at all times French beauty products (because I'm staying on the Swiss side of Lake Geneva but the other side is France - staring right at it while I write this Substack).

2. And a two min car makeup routine for busy girls, because I literally do my make up in the car more often than I do my make up in the house. Inspired by my general lack of ability to be on time to any event, ever.

FRENCH PHARMACY: THE BEST OF

I love French pharmacy products because they’re incomparable when it comes to care for sensitive skin, as well as undoing the damage caused by the environment and hard water. Also, they're cheap.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast: viral, cult… whatever. I was late to this party but it really is one of the best thick moisturisers and I’ve gone through tubes of it. For some reason, I find I prefer the texture of it when it comes out of the bigger bottle. Obviously it's not any different, but I'm just being honest. You can also buy it as an SPF 50 version in Europe. It's like 9 euro (or 10 Swiss francs as I discovered this morning). It's very thick and dewy, but I find it extremely comforting and it never, ever breaks me out.

Avene Cicalfate: this is mostly a healing and protective salve; Swiss Army knife skincare. It's packed full of zinc, like Sudocream but actually formulated for your face (not a baby's bum). I use it when I'm red, irritated, or have a break out.

Bioderma Atoderm Mist: the French pharmacy answer to glazing milk (better, imo). It's super creamy and cushions your skin before you put on serum and moisturiser. Sometimes in the winter it's the only thing I need to add to my routine for extra nourishment.

Avene Thermal Spring Water: There’s two products that have been in my skincare routine since the very beginning, and this is one of them (the other is the Dermalogica Microfoliant). It can be used to dampen your skin, your beauty blender, freshen up your makeup (just mist it on and push in with a sponge or fluffy brush) and is full of minerals for calmer skin. I only buy it 30-40% off.

Merci!

And if you want more, my skincare holy grail google doc is linked here

2 min car makeup (i.e. no mess)

Anyone who knows me personally will attest to the fact I have embarrassingly poor time management skills and sometimes live half way between my car and the office. This means I often get changed and do my face in the driver’s seat (a sunshade will even give it an air of privacy, much like a change room).

Loose powders and liquids obviously don’t fly in this environment, especially as I share my car with my husband who is a clean freak. But I have a lightning fast routine for gorgeous skin that doesn’t leave evidence — you hardly even need to get your hands dirty.

Complexion — I have two options for you: the Merit minimalist complexion stick, or Kosas Revealer Concealer. Merit is like a pencil, just scribble it on and blend with a fluffy brush. I think the coverage is light to medium (like a 5 out of 10). Kosas is technically a concealer but I use it all over and think it offers more coverage, but it’s still super creamy and fresh. Both can be layered under the eyes et.

Cheeks + lips — CHANEL No 1 de CHANEL Lip to Cheek pays dividends. It’s the perfect dewy blush, and works equally well on the lips. You can dip a sponge or brush into the pot, or use your fingers. My favourite shades are lively rosewood and berry boost for more of a sunburnt vibe. I also LOVE the Rationale Beautiful Lips hue all over. If you don’t want dewy-ness, use the Benefit Benetint instead.

Brows — there’s only time for one more real step, so it has to be brows. You could sub for mascara, if you wanted. Right now I love the Hourglass brow crayon, and my FAVOURITE Rimmel gel to keep them fluffy.

All over glow — wind the window down and spray on the Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist. I love highlighter but sometimes prefer this as it gives all over plumpness as opposed to just the cheekbones. I just think it makes the skin look youthful and moisturised.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Merit The Uniform tinted SPF

Merit aren’t paying me to write this but I know it’s a hot topic, I’m here to serve. The Uniform is a tinted physical sunscreen. The SPF is 45 (decent) and it’s made with zinc oxide. It also comes in 15 shades include those for POC (as it should, but doing so with zinc oxide is actually very hard because zinc in its raw form is a chalky white powder, hence why a lot of zinc sunscreens are ghostly and feel like glue).

Idk how Merit did it, but they did. It launches in two days.

I have shade 22. The coverage is light but I can tell I have something on. It’s fresh but not wet or greasy. It also doesn’t really mattify like so many other zinc products.

Compared to the Merit complexion stick, it’s lighter in terms of coverage. Maybe you could use it all over, and the stick as a concealer? OR maybe you prefer liquids over sticks/vice versa. Anyway it’s probably the best tinted mineral I’ve ever used.

If it was hot or I was outside, I’d probably put another sunscreen underneath.

Before + after…

HEADLINES/SAVES

• Cassandra Grey of Violet Grey finally launched a perfume under the brand Madame Grey called ‘The One That Got Away’ and its +1100 USD which I think is a bit ridiculous (still desperately want it though). There’s only 1100 bottles made, and its being sold alongside an auction house type curation of vintage fine jewellery. Devastatingly chic but for a very specific woman. The perfumer is Jérôme Epinette — also behind most of Ariana Grade’s catalogue, some Boy Smells perfumes and multiple Byredo hits like Bal D’Afrique, Velvet Haze and La Tulipe.

• New tinted Emma Lewisham bronze mineral SPF launching next week

• Nick Axelrod Welk of ITG, Necessaire and Homecourt launched a skincare brand, Reframe Beauty, with Savannah James (LeBron James wife).

• I thought this piece on the perfumes politicians wear from Dazed was funny and interesting

• Model Bambi Northwood-Blythe told me for a RUSSH interview she prefers lip balm as an eyebrow gel (we all know she has the best brows in the country, too).

Have a beautiful week xxxx