Latest news with #IndyBest-approved
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meghan Markle just shared the nail varnish she wears, plus more beauty favourites
Just weeks after her divisive Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, landed on the streaming platform, Meghan Markle has officially entered another influencer era. The Duchess of Sussex launched a ShopMy storefront a few days ago with a curated list of her favourite fashion pieces and has since added her beauty essentials. While many tuned in to criticise and condemn the series (The Independent's own critic gave it one star), others obsessed over what she was wearing – including her nail varnish. Thankfully for fans, Meghan has now revealed the exact polish she wore on the show, as well as her favourite moisturiser, eye pencil, skin primer, lip balm and more. Her selections span viral brands such as Summer Fridays, Saie and Laneige, as well as classic names, including Mac, Weleda and La Roche-Posay. Keep scrolling to find out where to shop Meghan's beauty staples. CND shellac, satin slippers: £21, The Duchess of Sussex revealed that her milky pink nail varnish colour in With Love, Meghan was achieved with one coat of CND shellac in the 'satin slippers' hue and another coat in the 'romantique' shade (£22, CND is the creator of shellac nail varnishes, with the formula promising more than 14 days of wear without chipping or peeling. You will need your own at-home gel manicure kit to cure the polish. To achieve a subtle, smoky eye make-up, the Duchess has included Mac's kohl eyeliner in her beauty edit. The formula promises to have a rich colour payoff, plus a silky-smooth matte finish. The tip can be sharpened for more precise application or left a little blunter for a soft-focused look. Saie's glowy super gel regularly goes viral on TikTok, and for good reason. Now, Meghan Markle has included the radiance-boosting formula in her curated edit. A hero buy for a 'no-make-up' make-up look, the lightweight liquid has multipurpose appeal. Priming skin, highlighting and delivering dew, it can be worn alone for sheer coverage or under make-up. Giving a 'your lips but better' look, a Summer Fridays lip butter balm can be spotted in many make-up bags. Formulated with shea and murumuru seed butters, it's touted as being naturally hydrating. It's lauded for soothing and conditioning lips within seconds, and the various shades deliver a sheer wash of colour. The Duchess isn't alone in her love of Weleda's affordable skin food range – Hailey Bieber and Victoria Beckham have also raved about it. Costing less than £10, it's also an IndyBest-approved bargain, with the light version earning the title of best skincare staple it our guide to natural moisturisers for your face. A favourite for sensitive skin, La Roche-Posay's hydrating cleanser is known for its ability to cleanse without stripping the skin, yet still removing make-up effectively. The formula is enriched with glycerine and spring water to soothe and cleanse irritated skin.
The Independent
30-01-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Best mattress deals this February, from Simba, Nectar and more
Dreaming of a better night's sleep in 2025? You've come to the right place. If you've been sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress for too long, I've handpicked the best deals from the likes of Simba, Nectar, Hypnos and more. As The Independent's resident sleep expert (I've tried and tested all the best mattresses), I make it my mission to bring you the very best offers on all sizes and types of mattresses all year round. Mattresses are essential purchases but often come with a hefty price tag and do require a little research to figure out which one will suit your sleep needs. Whether you're after a hybrid, pocket-sprung or memory foam model, I've got you covered. Keep scrolling for discounts on some of my favourite tried-and-tested brands. Why you can trust IndyBest to find the best mattress deals The IndyBest team of shopping experts have been covering sales events for many years. As a sleep expert, I track the price of mattresses year-round and know how to spot a good deal from a bad one – and will only ever recommend a discount on a tried and tested brand. I've been researching the best mattress brands and testing a whole host of different options in my guide to the best, so, I'm personally recommending the ones that I think are actually worth your money. Best mattress deals February 2025 Simba hybrid luxe mattress, king: Was £1,799, now £1,385, Right now you can save a mammoth £400 on this king-size mattress from Simba. The mattress also comes IndyBest-approved, as it took the top spot in my review, where I praised the hybrid luxe for providing 'decent support', being 'breathable' and 'naturally temperature-regulating'. Nectar's hybrid mattress was chosen as the best option for medium firmness in my best mattress guide and right now there's a whopping saving to be snapped up. It's made up of eight layers of foam, micro-springs, memory foam and a supportive base, which I found made my pressure points feel supported and spine-aligned. I also awarded it extra points for its ability to reduce motion transfer – something anyone with a wriggly sleeping partner will appreciate. Plus, if you use code ' HAPPY5 ' at checkout, you'll be able to grab an extra five per cent discount, making this double mattress just £711.55. You can currently save 40 per cent on Eve Sleep's premium hybrid mattress thanks to this end-of-year saving. A fusion of spring, foam and over 1,400 full-sized pocket springs, it's got mattress expert Ali's seal of approval. When testing this mattress, she said: 'On this, we had the best night's sleep in years. This is thanks to the hybrid premium's clever fusion of full-size springs and layer upon layer of innovative foam. The mattress boasts memory foam that isolates movement, meaning there's no motion transfer if you sleep next to a night fidget – but then again, the night fidgeting seems to have ceased anyway, and we're getting a great night's sleep all round.' Already a more affordable mattress, compared with many others, you can save nearly £300 on Dormeo's octasmart plus right now. Ideal if you're in the market for a mattress-in-a-box, it comes tightly rolled and vacuum-packed for convenient and hassle-free delivery. There's more to this model than pure ease, though. I found that it offers 'a lot of bang for your buck', with a firm and supportive design that doesn't compromise on comfort. 'As someone with occasional back and neck aches, the build gave us the support we needed, while the design's three 'body zones' reduced disturbance when sharing a bed.' Tick, tick, tick. Otty hybrid mattress, king: Was £799.99, now £674.99, If you're looking for a supportive mattress, this could be the one for you. In tester Eleanor's review of Otty's hybrid mattress, she said it 'undoubtedly falls on the firmer end' of the scale, describing it as a 'great all-rounder that most people will find comfortable'. The mattress, which is made up of a 3cm layer of temperature-controlling memory foam, followed by another 3cm of high density reflex foam, and 2,000 springs, is currently on sale with £120 off. Nectar regularly earns a spot in IndyBest's tried and tested mattress reviews. If you're looking for a memory foam option, this deal could be the one for you. The mattress features a quilted cooling cover, pressure-relieving memory foam, and seven zone support foam, which is said to provide spinal alignment while reducing motion transfer. With more than £750 off knocked off the price of a king size mattress, now's the time to invest in your sleep for 2025. When reviewing this model, I found that the Dusk hybrid 'feels as luxurious as it looks'. It had a four-layer design and I found it to be 'a great choice for those with back pain' owing to its firm feel and the 'stellar edge-to-edge support'. Right now, you can score an extra 15 per cent off with the code ' EXTRA15 ' at checkout. Hypnos supplies mattresses to hotels, including Soho House and The Corinthia, and also the royal family, so it's fair to say the luxury brand doesn't come cheap. But now, you can save nearly 40 per cent on this IndyBest-approved model. Earning a spot in Sarah's tried and tested review, she said: 'The depth (31cm) means there are lots of layers of comfort here, including a pocket-spring system, which aids weight distribution to provide edge-to-edge support and helps to encourage better spinal alignment.' Praising the soft pillow top, she added that 'it's supportive and feels like a gentle hug.' With a generous £400 of savings, Simba's Earth apex is one of the brand's most eco-friendly options with zero waste and a limited production. Reviewing it in my guide to the best mattresses, I wowed at the 'impressive multilayer system made of entirely natural materials, free of chemicals.' And, in terms of feel, I found it soft enough to comfortable and yet supportive enough for my intermittent back pain. In fact, 'after nearly four months on this mattress, [I had] not experienced a single issue.' Follow my lead and save 25 per cent today. High-quality and great-value mattresses aren't just for grown-ups. Parenting and mattress expert Zoe has written a guide to the best mattresses for kids, and one of her favourites has 30 per cent off. Zoe loved how this mattress from The Woolroom was hypoallergenic, antibacterial and chemical-free. 'An impressive 1,000 springs provide ample support across the whole mattress, and, overall, we were hugely impressed. This mattress is definitely up there with the best,' she wrote. Our tester and parenting expert Zoe loved this mattress so much that she picked it as the number one best kid's mattress. Zoe raved about the quality of this model, appreciating how clearly tailored to little sleepers it was. 'Its soft cushioned top layer and airflow comfort layer make it incredibly comfortable for little sleepers. Meanwhile, the pocket springs provide ample support for growing bodies,' she said in her review.
