August's Best New Beauty Launches Make Saying Goodbye to Summer Hurt a Little Less

Skin being more reactive than normal and leaving behind dark marks? Topicals has a solution for that. Just ask our Associate Social Media Editor, Ashlyn Delaney, who swears by the brand’s new dark spot patches. “Now that I’ve gotten older, I tend to forget that my skin doesn’t bounce back as it used to,” she says. “TL;DR: when I pick at my sensitive skin, it leaves behind dark marks. My favorite part about these topical dark spot patches is that I’ve actually seen such an improvement in my dark spots and overall skin texture. They’ve quickly become my little miracle for fading those stubborn marks.”

I love a good face washing tool, and I really believe it’s one of the few skin care devices that the general public can easily stick with. The new Bt-Sonic GEN2 Cleansing Brush from Bio-Therapeutic features three vibration speeds, a triangular brush shape for hard-to-reach areas, and interchangeable brush heads depending on your needs for the day. It’s a fantastic addition to any skincare routine or at-home spa day (which is what I’ve been using it for).

Speaking of at-home spa days, if you struggle with texture or clogged pores, this peel needs to be in your arsenal. A combination of AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs is blended with nourishing ingredients like glycerin and the brand’s proprietary NAC Y² Complex, which helps keep the peel comfortable by helping to support the skin barrier and optimizing skin repair.

I’ve been big into skin barrier health lately, so La Prairie’s Swiss Pristine Cream came at just the right time to further my obsession. The formula is lightweight but packed with skin-fortifying ingredients like the brand’s cellular complex, which helps to protect from external stressors, minerals from Swiss glaciers, and the proprietary HyPower LP52 ingredient, which activates the skin’s repair mechanisms at a cellular level.

Do you have sensitive, blemish-prone skin? Biologique Recherche’s Sérum Vivant may become your new go-to. Yeast acts as a postbiotic to help support skin balance; alongside insulin and dendritic polylysine, they work together to reduce persistent blemishes while nourishing the skin’s barrier.

As laser season approaches, you’ll likely need to have a few gentle skin care products on hand for post-procedure care. Enter: Versed’d Day Dissolve Gel Cleanser. Glycerin, a beta-glucan derivative, and hydrating prebiotics clean your skin without stripping it of moisture, making them the perfect complement to any in-office treatments you want to prolong at home.

Chantecaille’s Lion collection launched this month, and the eyeshadows, to me, are the star of the show. The color Martii, in particular, is a stunning shade of brown that is my perfect one-and-done lid color. Even better, some of the proceeds from this collection will support Lion Guardians and their conservation work protecting lions in Kenya.

Want a foundation that feels like skin care and won’t break you out? Tower 28’s Serum Foundation was a team favorite this month, with Senior Beauty Editor Samantha Holender singing its praises in a recent review. “Because I only rotate between three foundations, I’m overjoyed to have another formula and finish to play with. It feels lighter and more natural than my other go-tos, which makes it perfect for seeing me through the end of summer and into fall,” she says.

Maed is one of MC’s favorite brands (it won a Beauty Award from us just last year), so of course, the launch of the new lip liner duos had the entire team excited. The best thing about it is that the liners are dual-sided, meaning not only do you get two shades in one pencil, but you can also use said lip pencil to do a full lip combination. It’s genius.

The Dior Forever On Set Powder is ultra-blurring, super lightweight, and next-level chic, thanks to its quilted fabric cover. There are five shades to choose from, and the formula is enhanced with hyaluronic acid, so it won’t completely strip your skin of moisture while keeping your oils at bay.

There are mascaras, and then there’s this mascara from KJH Brand. The microwand helps give the lashes both volume and length, and the smudge-resistant tubing formula keeps everything in place until you’re ready to take it off with ease.

Can’t quite tolerate tretinoin but still want all the skin-firming and exfoliating properties? This retinal from Dieux will be your next best bet. Think of it as a step down from the strength of tretinoin, yet powerful enough to deliver results more quickly than retinol, all packed in a chic pump container for easy, hygienic use.

I already swear by the Serum + Radiance and glycerin body wash oils from Dove. So you can imagine my glee when the brand recently released matching body scrubs. The same benefits of the washes—increased radiance, soft, supple skin, and more—are also featured in this scrub, which will leave your skin feeling so soft you might just end up setting it to auto-renew so you never run out. Yes, it’s that serious.

Initio’s Oud for Greatness is in my top 10 perfumes that will always be in my collection, and the newest addition to the line, Oud for Grace, is slowly inching there too. Black pepper, praline, vanilla, and sandalwood combine to create the sultry amber scent this line is known for, with a little more warmth from the sweeter gourmand notes.

Bellami has solved a problem that I have long had with extensions, and I could weep with joy. The new Flex Weft 2.0 has no return hair, which is those little short tufts you see near the weft in traditional wefted extensions. Not only does this help the extensions lie flatter, but I swear those little hairs are one of the reasons my extensions get so itchy. I can't wait to actually install them, but from the first feel alone, the volume and quality are what can normally be expected from Bellami, which is to say: it’s superb.

If dry, damaged hair is currently the bane of your existence, allow Innersense to come to your rescue. “Wash day has truly never been more fun, thanks to Innersense’s Overnight Repair Serum,” Delaney says. “Formulated with Hydrolyzed Moringa Oleifera Seed Protein, it helps prevent breakage, which is especially important for me as someone who loves a protective style. After taking down my braids, I follow my usual routine and leave the serum in my hair overnight. By morning, my hair feels moisturized, nourished, and ready for the blow-drying process that tends to dry out my hair—but the shine speaks for itself.”

If you’re more concerned with density, Sisley’s Revitalizing Fortifying Super Serum Advanced Formula is a fantastic option to try. It uses ingredients like rice proteins and ginger extract to address thinning hair at the bulb, so that your strands are preserved as they grow.