the best products by luxury brands

Whether or not we consider ourselves ‘post-pandemic’, there is a big appetite for buying luxury products again, and sales of premium beauty products are on the rise. According to the NPD Group, sales of prestige products increased by 11 per cent in the UK in the first half of 2021, against the same period last year. This rings true to the Lipstick Index theory, coined by Leonard Lauder in 2001 – which argued that during times of recession and hardship, we turn to beauty products as our little indulgences.

As far as luxury beauty products go, we are spoilt for choice with the excellent offering from the fashion houses. Louis Vuitton’s perfumes are some of my absolute favourites. Not only are the apothecary bottles completely stunning, as you’d expect, but the blends are so good that I dare you to try to stop at one spray. I’ve worn the lively, aquatic California Dream all summer, which I can imagine Nicole Kidman wearing, all long hair and floaty dresses in a posh coastal town, sipping a glass of something chilled. The brand’s latest offering is just as good. Spell On You, with its heart of iris, is a mesmerising must for all floral lovers.

Also this month, Loewe is adding to its home collection (which currently includes lust-worthy candlesticks) with room sprays and – wait for it – soap on a rope. Yes, these are the most luxurious soaps I’ve ever seen, in the brand’s signature scents Tomato Leaves, Liquorice and Scents of Marihuana. While I can’t quite bring myself to invest in one of the brand’s gorgeous woven basket bags, I will happily take my fashion fix in the form of a beautiful handmade soap.

And if you want to spruce up your make-up bag for the autumn, try one of Louboutin’s new refillable sheer lipsticks from Selfridges (launching on Wednesday). Pick your favourite shade, choose between a yellow, nude or signature red case, and add some charms to personalise it. You’ll feel like a kid in a candy store, albeit a very fancy one. The texture of the lipsticks is really quite something, too – they feel incredibly moisturising and balmy, while providing good colour pay-off. Over to the right are some of my other fashion-house new-season favourites, all investment pieces in their own special ways.

Buys to try