The Beauty Diary by Rebekah Scanlan: Best new beauty buys, perfect for isolation
A new Coles product is proving very popular among shoppers, with stock so hard to find people are describing it as “liquid gold”.
With money on our minds more than ever, it’s never been as important to find high quality goods at affordable prices – and beauty products are no exception.
That’s why when I spotted a new haircare launch in Coles that promised to give you a salon-worthy wash for a supermarket price, I got really excited.
Monday was created by New Zealand entrepreneur and beauty enthusiast Jaimee Lupton, specifically because she was fed up with spending big on her love of beauty.
“My girlfriends and I would always say we wanted good products but didn’t want to spend all our money on them,” Ms Lupton told The Beauty Diary. “Beauty shouldn’t be expensive – it should work without breaking the bank,” she said.
With the idea to “forget everything they knew about supermarket haircare”, Monday was born and it recently hit Coles shelves across Australia.
“Monday is available at more than 810 Coles supermarkets nationally, becoming increasingly popular with our customers since it launched almost four weeks ago,” Coles Category Manager for Haircare Rebecca Tinnion said.
She added the supermarket giant was “delighted” to be offering salon-quality haircare at great value supermarket prices and didn’t foresee any availability issues for customers.
It’s certainly proving a hit with shoppers with the Coles website showing it was “temporarily out of stock”.
Beauty lovers have taken to Instagram to rave about the range of shampoo and conditioners, which come in four different formulas to tackle various hair issues. ‘Repair’ treats damaged and stressed hair while ‘Smooth’ will fix up frizz. There’s also ‘Sensitive’ for those with irritated scalps and ‘Volume’ for people like me who have limp, fine hair.
The feedback online has been overwhelmingly positive, with many declaring the $10 price tag “unbelievable value”.
Others have commented at how quickly stock has been selling out in their local stores, describing the bargain buy as “gold dust” and “liquid gold”.
Kristin Fisher – the brains behind the hugely successful Kristin Fisher Eyebrows, a brow boutique in Sydney’s Double Bay – is such a fan of the product she’s become a “muse” for the brand.
“I’ve been using it for a few months now and was lucky enough to be working with the brand throughout the production phase,” she told The Beauty Diary.
“I was hooked from day one. The shampoo is bloody amazing and it’s also SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), paraben and cruelty free. Plus the bottles are made from recycled plastic.”
Part of the new product’s appeal – especially on platforms like Instagram – Lupton says is down to the bottle’s stylish appearance, which she deliberately designed to look good on shower shelves.
“There is no doubt I wanted a product that everyone was excited to show off and felt good about buying,” she said.
And boy does it spruik up even the drabbest shower, just look at what it did for my windowless bathroom.
“That said, brands can’t just look good, they have to work. Reviews are becoming far more relevant in this digital age. If your product doesn’t work like it should you will be found out very quickly,” Ms Lupton said.
So does this supermarket find – which is only available in Coles in Australia – live up to the hype? I’ve shared my thoughts on the two Monday products as well as a few other new launches I’m loving during isolation.
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MONDAY SENSITIVE SHAMPOO
Available at Coles
Price: $10 for 359ml, $20 for 800ml
I’ve been going longer than normal between washes in isolation so when I wash my hair at the moment, it really needs it. As well as generally being grubbier, I also have a build-up of product (dry shampoo) to get rid of, so I really put this shampoo to the test. Firstly, it smells amazing. I can’t quite put my finger on what it smells like but it’s really fresh and not overpowering. It took a little while to foam up, I needed a second pump of product to get it going, but once it was off there was no stopping it. Afterwards my hair felt squeaky clean and I didn’t need a second wash to get rid of all that build-up. Very impressed.
MONDAY SENSITIVE CONDITIONER
Available at Coles
Price: $10 for 359ml, $20 for 800ml
While I’d normally go for a voluminous product for my fine hair, I’ve been leaning towards beauty products in general that are calming at the moment and wanted something that would soothe my scalp and hair. This conditioner has the same delicious scent to it and feels silky smooth as soon as I massaged it into my hair. The true test of both the shampoo and conditioner is once dried and whether it really does give you that salon finish. Even though this isn’t a volume boosting haircare product, my hair felt really bouncy when it dried. It was super soft too and I keep finding myself touching and stroking my hair. Overall I have been really impressed with these Coles finds and can see why everyone is raving about them online.
MECCA COSMETICA WEEKEND HYDRA SKIN TINT
Available at Mecca
Price: $40
I really can’t be bothered to wear make-up at the moment. It’s a totally fine side-effect of isolation until a friend Facetimes me or I have to jump into a conference call for work unexpectedly and then I’m like, “Soz about my face guys”. While I usually wear foundation, it just feels like too much of an ask of myself at the moment, so I decided to jump into MECCA’s new virtual services to ask one of their experts for a product recommendation that would make me feel like I had made an effort without actually making any. During our 15 minute Facetime chat, she recommended this and I duly added it to my basket and it arrived a few days later. I’ve been using it all week and I’m in love. I literally squeeze some into my hands and apply like a face cream and it gives me a smoother, more even complexion in a matter of seconds. It’s super blendable and the formula has “drops of activated water” that give skin an extra boost. This has been my lockdown life-saver.
CLARINS WONDER PERFECT MASCARA 4D
Available at clarins.com.au
Price: $44
For most of us, our make-up routines have gone out the window recently. I mean, who can really be bothered when you’re barely leaving the house and we’ve all figured out how to switch to mic only for our weekly Zoom conference calls. However, sometimes you just want to feel ‘nice’ and like you’ve made an effort – which is why I am loving this mascara from Clarins.
It makes my lashes look long, thick and healthy. It’s like having an instant lash lift while we’re not able to visit our beauticians. It doesn’t smudge or apply clumpy – and if you’ve found yourself feeling a little emotional recently, it has just come out in waterproof version too that uses blue lotus wax to coat your lashes with a protective film. Brilliant for those ‘I’m over isolation’ moments we’re all having.
OGX COCONUT MILK DRY SHAMPOO
Available at Coles, Woolworths, Chemist Warehouse and Priceline
Price: $20
I’ve always been a fan of dry shampoo, it’s one of my most used products, mostly because I always choose an extra 30 minutes in bed over washing my hair. This new dry shampoo is giving my iso hair life as I make the most out of that extra time in bed. It leaves my hair looking freshly washed even when I’m on day three between washes (don’t judge me) and the milky formula leaves my hair soft and silky, like it has just been washed. There are actually four different formulas of this new OGX product so you can pick one to treat your own hair needs, including Argan Oil of Morocco for a luxe finish, Cherry Blossom to extend your blow out and the one that is on my shopping list when life goes back to normal, Green Tea Fitness to freshen up between gym sessions.
DAVROE REBUILDER PROTEIN HAIR TREATMENT
Available at ozhairandbeauty.com
Price: $28.95
Sometimes your hair just needs a little bit more love and there has never been a better time to do it than now. I really love this treatment as it’s designed to strengthen weak and damaged locks not just give it a hit of extra moisture – and it really works. You use this after your shampoo and before your conditioner, applying it to hair that has had the water rung out of it. Leave it in for a few minutes and then condition as normal. Afterwards my hair felt thicker and looked so much shinier. I’ve been using once a week since isolation began, which was about five weeks ago for me, and I can really see the difference.
This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad free.
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Originally published as The Beauty Diary by Rebekah Scanlan: Best new beauty buys, perfect for isolation
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