Award for the most unlikely makeup hero of the year, so far, goes to Chanel’s new Baume Essentiel. The transparent version. (There are two.) This is one of the most low-key radiance balms you’ll ever find; it’s so subtle – Chanel’s word is discreet, which I love – that you’d be hard-pressed, as an observer, to work out what an earth someone had done to their face. Healthy skin, a mirror-like shine but not a trace of obvious highlight to be seen.
With no shimmery bits and absolutely no glitter, I had to wonder at what this balm would actually do – surely a swipe of Vaseline would suffice, if you just wanted shiny cheekbones" But even on first application I could tell that Baume Essentiel was something special; smooth and soft, it felt like daubing my face with a lovely, moisturising skincare product rather than applying makeup. I suppose that in a way Baume Essentiel is a skincare product – albeit a targeted one, to be used sparingly. You wouldn’t want to apply it all over, but if your skin happened to be impossibly dry and you dreaded applying highlighter powders or radiance products, it would be comforting to know that this highlighter stick wasn’t going to add to your problems. Find Baume Essentiel here*

“Highlighter stick” sounds clumsy and brash, doesn’t it" I much prefer Baume Essentiel, even if I do have to check the spelling every time I write it. And it’s as far f...