Each week I share a mix of beauty launches, explainers and articles that stick in my head. It’s a slower, calmer way to keep up with beauty – and a bit of a diary of what’s going on behind the scenes at mamabella.
✈️ The best travel skincare sets and the flight rules that matter
🎁 New launches worth noting from Laneige, Cult Beauty and more
👌 The volume spray that I’m loving this week
📖 If you only read one thing: Human skin is the latest K-beauty ingredient
GHD has launched 👉 Sculpt, a £369 straightener that uses sensors and AI – a combo the brand calls Heat-Adapt technology – to adjust the temperature hitting your hair in real time, rather than sticking to one fixed heat for everyone.
GHD claims that it causes: “no statistically significant damage to hair’s internal structure” which (if true) would be a gamechanger for heat styling. I’ve broken down the full science, the testing methodology and where Sculpt sits against the rest of the range in my GHD Scuplt guide.
👉 Read the full GHD Sculpt breakdown →
Aldi’s next beauty Specialbuys are back in stores 26 July, and this time its LED Wand and LED Face Mask are joined by an LED Hairbrush for your scalp, and an LED Face Sculptor for toning and lifting your face.
At under £13 a piece, it’s a low-risk way to test whether LED fits into your routine before spending a lot more on a pricey version.
👉 Read the full Aldi LED range guide →
If you’re gearing up for your summer holidays, I’ve rounded up eight travel skincare sets covering every budget, from The Ordinary’s £9.80 Target & Treat Set through to Elemis’s £54 Superfood Essentials set, plus what’s actually worth buying if you’d rather decant your own products.
I’ve also detailed the different rules on what you can and can’t take on a plane in my beauty travel guide.
👉 Read the full travel skincare guide →
The 👉 Avant Odyssey Advent Calendar 2026 → has been announced and its a 25-day ocean-inspired countdown with 16 full-size, worth £1,029 for £109. It launches 1 September and the waitlist is open now. There’s also 10% off with code OCEAN10 once pre-orders go live.
👉 Read the full Avant advent calendar guide →
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Here are some of the beauty launches that have caught my eye this week:
Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream (£20): A moisturiser built around 10% panthenol and niacinamide which promises to strengthen the skin barrier and speed up blemish recovery. Available now at 👉 SpaceNK →
LANEIGE Lip Glowy Balm, Acai Mango Smoothie (£18): LANEIGE's glossy, tinted lip balm now has a new fruity flavour. Available now at 👉 Cult Beauty →
Cult Beauty The New Nineties Edit (worth over £140): £42 for a set built around 1990s beauty. Available now at 👉 Cult Beauty →
Glow Recipe Banana Milk Glass Balm Kit (£27): Combines the brand’s lip balm with a Banana Soufflé Moisture Cream. Available at 👉 Cult Beauty →
mdlondon recently launched a six-product range called The Numbers and I’ve been putting them to the test. My fave is the Number 2 – Volume & Shine Blow Out Spray. It costs £15 and it lifts at the roots without leaving anything stiff or sticky. Available now at 👉 mdlondon
Bloomberg has a striking piece on how South Korean clinics are injecting treatments made from donated cadaver skin into patients wanting younger skin. It’s a bit of an uncomfortable, but important read.
👉 Human Skin Is the Newest Ingredient in the K-Beauty Boom
Until next time,
Vicky xx
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