The Duty-Free Beauty Buys That Are So Good, They'll Have You Sprinting To The Gate
Even when your flight is on final call, let's face it, there's always time for a last-minute beauty dash through duty-free. It starts innocently enough; a quick grab of the face wash you forgot to pack or a discounted fragrance, but often spirals into a basket full of serums you don't actually need and lipsticks that look suspiciously like one you already own. That's where we come in, with years of expertise and beauty know-how, to help you zero in on the best beauty buys at duty-free that are worth splurging your hard-earned cash (and precious carry-on space) on.
Rushing through the seemingly endless beauty aisles at the airport can feel a bit overwhelming, so to save yourself hours of spritzing and swatching, it's best to go through security with a pre-planned list of exactly what beauty products and fragrances you need to restock in your cupboard. From cult-favourites like Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair and Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream, to the La Mer moisturiser celebrity MUAs are obsessed with, duty-free is the best place to stock up on those luxury beauty must-haves we'd typically try to save on.
So, if you've got a trip coming up soon and the main question on your mind is what to buy at the airport (guilty!), we've curated an edit of all the products you definitely should make room in your carry-on for. 1.
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Ever since I tried this product, it has been a constant in my beauty stash. Although I love to try other night serums and treatments, I always find myself coming back to Estée Lauder's ANR thanks to its effective and frankly, reliable formula. 2.
Chloé Eau de Parfum For Her
If there's one perfume I'm always drawn to for a quick spritz before a flight, it's Chloé. The delicious, floral fragrance is especially perfect for summer holidays. 3.
La Mer Moisturising Soft Cream
If there's ever a time to treat yourself, it's when a product is tax-free. La Mer's Moisturiser is a firm favourite of many MUAs as the super-rich texture helps to transform skin. Packed with hardworking ingredients, it restores moisture and creates a radiant base for make-up. 4.
DIOR Backstage Face & Body Foundation
Flying to a hot destination? Why not pick up one of my all-time favourite foundations for summer – Dior's Face and Body Foundation. Not only does it offer hydrating, light coverage, but it also makes the skin look plump and glowy without feeling cakey. It's created with hyaluronic acid, is water and heat-resistant, and sits perfectly on the skin all day long. 5.
MAC Lipstick
If ever there was a brand known for its iconic lipsticks, it's MAC, so why not treat yourself to a brand-new shade just before your holiday? 6.
Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
Duty-free is stocked with the very best in skincare, so you can pick up your faves at a discounted price. Clinique's Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm is perfect for those with sensitive skin looking to gently melt off make-up and impurities. 7.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant
Fewer products have earned cult-status quite like the Eight Hour Cream by Elizabeth Arden, which has a longstanding love affair with beauty editors and skincare lovers alike. This multipurpose cream is ideal for solving dryness and irritation, not to mention it makes the best hydrating lip balm.
Georgia Scott is a beauty product writer for Bauer Media, writing for Grazia. Georgia specialises in beauty writing and spends her days hunting for the latest trending beauty products to get her hands on and review.
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Graziadaily
4 days ago
- Graziadaily
The Duty-Free Beauty Buys That Are So Good, They'll Have You Sprinting To The Gate
@Getty Images: Photo by Niceguy/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Even when your flight is on final call, let's face it, there's always time for a last-minute beauty dash through duty-free. It starts innocently enough; a quick grab of the face wash you forgot to pack or a discounted fragrance, but often spirals into a basket full of serums you don't actually need and lipsticks that look suspiciously like one you already own. That's where we come in, with years of expertise and beauty know-how, to help you zero in on the best beauty buys at duty-free that are worth splurging your hard-earned cash (and precious carry-on space) on. Rushing through the seemingly endless beauty aisles at the airport can feel a bit overwhelming, so to save yourself hours of spritzing and swatching, it's best to go through security with a pre-planned list of exactly what beauty products and fragrances you need to restock in your cupboard. From cult-favourites like Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair and Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream, to the La Mer moisturiser celebrity MUAs are obsessed with, duty-free is the best place to stock up on those luxury beauty must-haves we'd typically try to save on. So, if you've got a trip coming up soon and the main question on your mind is what to buy at the airport (guilty!), we've curated an edit of all the products you definitely should make room in your carry-on for. 1. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Ever since I tried this product, it has been a constant in my beauty stash. Although I love to try other night serums and treatments, I always find myself coming back to Estée Lauder's ANR thanks to its effective and frankly, reliable formula. 2. Chloé Eau de Parfum For Her If there's one perfume I'm always drawn to for a quick spritz before a flight, it's Chloé. The delicious, floral fragrance is especially perfect for summer holidays. 3. La Mer Moisturising Soft Cream If there's ever a time to treat yourself, it's when a product is tax-free. La Mer's Moisturiser is a firm favourite of many MUAs as the super-rich texture helps to transform skin. Packed with hardworking ingredients, it restores moisture and creates a radiant base for make-up. 4. DIOR Backstage Face & Body Foundation Flying to a hot destination? Why not pick up one of my all-time favourite foundations for summer – Dior's Face and Body Foundation. Not only does it offer hydrating, light coverage, but it also makes the skin look plump and glowy without feeling cakey. It's created with hyaluronic acid, is water and heat-resistant, and sits perfectly on the skin all day long. 5. MAC Lipstick If ever there was a brand known for its iconic lipsticks, it's MAC, so why not treat yourself to a brand-new shade just before your holiday? 6. Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm Duty-free is stocked with the very best in skincare, so you can pick up your faves at a discounted price. Clinique's Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm is perfect for those with sensitive skin looking to gently melt off make-up and impurities. 7. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant Fewer products have earned cult-status quite like the Eight Hour Cream by Elizabeth Arden, which has a longstanding love affair with beauty editors and skincare lovers alike. This multipurpose cream is ideal for solving dryness and irritation, not to mention it makes the best hydrating lip balm. Georgia Scott is a beauty product writer for Bauer Media, writing for Grazia. Georgia specialises in beauty writing and spends her days hunting for the latest trending beauty products to get her hands on and review.
Times
17-07-2025
- Times
12 of the best beach holiday destinations in November
First, the bad news: November in mainland Europe sees daylight hours fast diminishing, darkness by late afternoon and days of cold winds, coats and inside-out umbrellas. On the plus side, this is almost always a month free of school holidays, meaning that planes, hotels and holidays in general tend to be quieter and more affordable than in peak times. Better still, there are plenty of good options for some warm-weather days on a dreamy beach — the ultimate antidote to your end-of-year blues. From Florida, India and East Asia, where the monsoon season is wrapping up, to Australia and the southern hemisphere's summer, here are the best options for a much-deserved beach break in November. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue This innovative beacon for architecture, fringed by family-friendly beaches, is best visited in November when the furnace-like temperatures of summer in Dubai have calmed to a pleasant 20–30C. Swap the ever-busy Jumeirah Beach for the Al Mamzar Beach Park, whose sands are framed by grassy playgrounds and BBQ spots. Switch seamlessly from shopping to sunbathing at La Mer beach; for secret skyline views of the Burj Al Arab locate Black Palace beach in Al Sufouh district. They flew in Beyoncé for the January 2023 opening of Atlantis The Royal, the 795-room sister to Atlantis The Palm. • Read our full review of Atlantis The Palm• Best things to do in Dubai• Best affordable hotels in DubaiThis Eat Pray Love superstar can get very busy, but November is the start of the rainy season in Bali and, consequently, it's quieter and rooms rates are at their lowest. Fear not, there's plenty of time to schedule sunbathing around the short afternoon downpours. Avoid the crowded beaches around Nusa Dua and Kuta completely, and swerve the black-sand beaches around Seminyak, Amed and Lovina in favour of the golden sands of the Uluwatu peninsula. And don't forget to explore the dreamy offshore islands of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida. Luxury hotel Jumeriah Bali floats like a Hindu-Javanese water temple above Dreamland beach. • Best hotels in Bali Marooned off the coast of Madagascar, Mauritius serves up spicy creole stews, hip-wiggling sega music and swoon-worthy beaches thanks to the coral reefs ringing the island, which protect its shores from strong currents and waves. Families should gravitate to the long wide sweeps of sand at Belle Mare, Mont Choisy and La Cuvette, while water sports enthusiasts will find action at Flic en Flac and Le Morne. If it's secluded perfection you seek try Gris Gris, or hop on a boat to the idyllic islands of Île aux Cerfs and Ilot Gabriel. On the less-developed east coast is the eye-catching, adult-only, five-star SALT of Palmar. • Best hotels in Mauritius• Best beaches in MauritiusThis archipelago off East Africa lays claim to some of the best and most photographed shorelines on the planet thanks to its otherworldly, sea-smoothed granite boulders fringed by dense palm trees, pearlescent sand and translucent shallows teeming with fish. The Seychelles cover girl is Anse Source d'Argent, but avoid the €10 entrance fee and Instagrammers and seek out Anse Georgette, a wide smile of sand accessed via the five-star Constance Lemuria, or Anse Lazio for top-notch snorkelling and the best sunset spot on Praslin. Keep an eye out for the opening of Canopy by Hilton Mahé on Anse à la Mouche beach in 2023. • Best beaches in the Seychelles• Best things to do in the SeychellesMark Twain described Hawaii as 'the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean'. It can be an expensive getaway but, during shoulder season, crowds and prices have shrunk, temperatures remain warm with less rainfall and low humidity and it coincides with the start of humpback whale season. Iconic Waikiki Beach is worth a drive by, but adventurous travellers will love Papakolea on Big Island, a green sand beach accessible only by hiking or 4×4, or the red sand Kaihalulu on Maui's east coast. The oceanfront 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay is a carbon-neutral five-star geared entirely toward wellness. • Best hotels in HawaiiStretching for 25 miles along south-eastern Queensland, from Paradise Point to Coolangatta, this laid-back region is known for its world-class surf breaks, such as the skyscraper-backed Surfers Paradise, and immaculate sandy beaches. November marks the start of summer and the sweet spot before the crowds descend. Festival season also kicks off with music concerts and wine and food festivals, and it's the start of turtle nesting season. Families are well catered for at Coolangatta beach and Broadbeach. The four-star Sebel Twin Towns is 200m from Coolangatta beach. • Best Australia tours• Best Australian experiencesTravellers seeking a more rugged and wildlife-rich beach experience will find it on Costa Rica's coral reef-fringed beaches, which attract four species of sea turtle to its shores — including the arribadas (mass nestings) of olive ridley sea turtles on Ostional beach and green turtles at Tortuguero. November falls between the start of the dry season and the tail end of green season, so the landscape remains lush, plus you'll benefit from the perks of off-peak prices. Soak up a slice of the 'Pura Vida' on the black sands characteristic of Guanacaste and Puntarenas, or the white sands of the Nicoya Peninsula. The boutique Sendero Nosara sits inside a nature reserve steps away from the surfing waves of Playa Guiones. • Best beaches in Costa Rica• Best places to see wildlife in Costa RicaThe supermodel of the travel world is the epitome of holiday postcard perfection, with palm tree-studded islands haloed by white-sand beaches and warm azure waters — but it's not just a holiday destination reserved for honeymooners. There are Maldives resorts for everyone and November falls outside of the peak season of December to April, so you'll get more bang for your buck. It's also the beginning of manta ray season, so be sure to strap on a snorkel and glide among these gentle giants. Oaga Art Resort is a fun five-star with local art, villas with waterslides and a spa using traditional Maldivian healing. • Best overwater villas in the Maldives• Best all-inclusive hotels in the MaldivesOffering sunshine without having to spend serious money, Gran Canaria has the best beaches of the seven Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa, with 80 stretches of sand to choose from. Most of the action centres around the sunnier south and the beaches in the east and our picks are Maspalomas and Playa de Amadores. Look out for November's Fiesta de San Andres, a mix of street parties and live music to celebrate the patron saint of fishermen. Luxurious Hotel Riu Palace Meloneras is a 15-minute walk from Maspalomas beach. • Best all-inclusive hotels in Gran CanariaPeak season starts in mid-December, but locals know that Barbados is best in November, when the mercury averages around 28C and the rainfall, humidity and prices have dropped. By all means, snap photos of pink-sand Crane beach and lounge on the popular Miami beach, but also take time to explore the less-visited, cliff-concealed Bottom Bay on the southeast coast, quiet Cove Bay on the west coast for a spot of surfing, or the rugged and remote Cattlewash beach in the east. The all-inclusive O2 Beach Club and Spa resort on Dover beach has a brilliant rooftop pool. • Best all-inclusive hotels in BarbadosOman has 3,165km of coastline offering a mix of rocky and sandy beaches, but our pick for those searching for a sprinkle of adventure is under the radar bird-rich Masirah Island, 20km off the coast. In temperatures hovering around 25-28C, you can still camp on the beach and enjoy prime snorkelling. Best of all, its pristine sandy beaches are visited by sea turtles, so if you visit between September and December you could witness a hatching. The windy west coast is ideal for kitesurfers — Sur Masirah is one of the best spots. Stay at the welcoming Masira Island Resort. • Best hotels in Oman• Best places to visit in NovemberBy November, monsoon season in southern India has rained itself out and peak season — when temperatures range between 25C and 31C — is kicking off. Goa is still the go-to for many beach lovers, but you can get more beach for your buck without the crowds along the laidback Keralan coast. We recommend the ayurvedic-focussed five-star Niraamaya Retreats Surya Samudra, which is down the road from the historic port town of Vizhinjam and near one of the coast's top-rated beaches: Kovalam. • Best beaches in India• Where is hot in November? Sign up for the Times Travel Newsletter here.
The Sun
09-06-2025
- The Sun
‘Excited' shoppers are scrambling to M&S to snap up their ‘10/10' beauty bag, which includes £210 of products for £35
SHOPPERS have been raving about M&S' summer beauty bag, where you can snap up £210 worth products for just £35. The bumper bag includes four full-size products and seven travel-sized ones, all at a fraction of the cost. 4 4 Numerous beauty lovers have taken to social media to rave about the deal. TikTok user @emanuelag posted how she had snapped up one, and wrote: 'Run don't walk to M&S for their summer beauty bags. 'So excited. Products worth £210 for £35. 'This is your sign to get one. 10/10.' Included in the bag is a mixture of cult-favourite buys like Color Wow's dreamcoat spray and the Dr Paw Paw skin & lip balm. There's also new launches inside like REN's SPF 50 lotion, that's the perfect size for hand luggage. Fellow beauty lovers have been gushing about the bag, with one saying: "The perfumes smell SO good." Also in Marks and Spencer's bag is the Arkive's good habit hair oil and a compact Tangle Teezer brush for brushing your hair on the go. Offering a two-step bodycare routine, there's Bloom & Blossom's ultra-nourishing moisture body cream, as well as This Works' body smoothing wash. The £4.52 beauty buy Maya Jama swears by for a fresh-faced summer look, and you can nab it on TikTok Shop You'll also find two Estée Lauder products in the beauty goody bag. The double-wear mascara is full size and claims up to 15 hours of lash definition, while the brand's revitalising supreme moisturiser is packed with peptides for reducing fine lines. To finish the bag, there are two travel-sized perfumes that are perfect to take on holiday. Discover's M&S' sweet frangipani and Floral Street's electric rhubarb. 4 4 The bag's content is worth £210 but it is currently on sale for just £35. While the bag has previously been sold online, this year it is only available to buy in store because of the ongoing cyber attack. Since the incident, the company has reportedly lost around £300 million, having paused online orders and purchases on apps until at least mid-July. What is the 2025 M&S summer beauty bag? YOU can snap up £210 worth of products for just £35 with this year's offering... This Works Perfect Body Smoothing Wash (200ml) – Luxury shower gel with PHA and fruit acids for gentle exfoliation. Scented with geranium and sweet orange. Discover's Sweet Frangipani Eau de Toilette (30ml) – Fragrance with frangipani blossom, rose, and a vanilla base. Handbag-sized. Bloom & Blossom Mission Moisture Nourishing Body Cream – Full-size body cream with mandarin, ylang ylang, and amber. Non-greasy and suitable for sensitive skin. ARKIVE The Good Habit Hybrid Oil (50ml) – Hair oil with baobab and jojoba oils. Adds shine without weight. Estée Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara – Full-size mascara with 15-hour wear, smudge-proof and resistant to humidity. REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Sensitive Support Sunscreen SPF50+ (50ml) – Broad-spectrum sunscreen with blue-light and pollution protection. Suitable for all skin types. ColorWow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray (50ml) – Anti-frizz, humidity-blocking hair spray with heat protection. Lasts up to four washes. Floral Street Electric Rhubarb Eau de Parfum (10ml) – Perfume with white florals, sandalwood, and English rhubarb. Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Creme Moisturizer – Anti-aging cream with peptides, hibiscus, moringa, and cactus stem cells. Tangle Teezer Hairbrush – Compact hairbrush for wet or dry use. Reduces breakage and works on various hair types. Dr. Paw Paw Original Balm (10ml) – Multipurpose balm for lips, skin, hair, cuticles, and more. Contains pawpaw, aloe vera, and olive oil.
