How to survive a make-up break-up

BEAUTY KNOW-HOW: How to survive a make-up break-up

Illustration of the discontinued Jo Malone London’s French Lime Blossom Cologne

I confess that it was only when a friend asked me about it recently that I realised some more ‘product discontinued’ shenanigans were afoot in the beauty world. This time the victim was Jo Malone London’s French Lime Blossom Cologne. My friend and I love it, and she’d found it strange that it was permanently out of stock online. So I emailed the press office. Surely they hadn’t said sayonara to this most wondrous of fragrances, and the carefree, sunny, feminine escapism it evokes?

If you too are a fan, I have some bad news – and some good. It has indeed been taken off the regular Jo Malone London roster. Because the company seeks new inspirationall the time and launches rather a lot of fragrances each year, it has to jettison others to make room. Why you’d choose to axe such a classic, cheery offering is a mystery to me, but then I would say that.

On the good news front, the cologne is likely to make a return this summer as part of the brand’s Archive Collection at its global flagship on London’s Regent Street, where it can be purchased in person or ordered over the phone and posted.

Still, when a great beauty love is given the boot by its creator and we’re forced to break up with it, it can rankle, a fact that must have been made clear to Estée Lauder Companies (which owns Jo Malone London) when it launched its Gone But Not Forgotten service. This helps you locate discontinued products from its stable of brands for up to two years and have them sent within the UK and Northern Ireland.

Byredo is another company that has listened to pleas from customers: it has reissued (albeit for a finite time) its Unnamed Eau de Parfum. The moral of this story is that if you let brands know you’re unhappy, they might do something about it.

Alas, there are many more items I still hanker after that have never returned. John Frieda’s Sheer Blonde Spun Gold Shape And Shine Balm was a gift for easy hairstyling – its demise is one of the reasons I stopped cutting my hair short. And although I appreciate that much of this change comes about because technology moves us onward, when you’ve found your perfect match you’re not chasing an upgrade, you just want to stick. So, opposite, we suggest replacements for some of our favourite beauty gems that have ceased to be. We hope you find it helpful. 

If you loved these… 

Benefit Moon Beam This highlighter with its warm almost-apricot glow really stood out amid a host of cooler shade options. Fingers crossed that they’ll bring it back.

Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation Concealer This long-lasting base delivered full coverage while feeling light and giving lots of radiance. Only just off the books though we can’t understand why.

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Diamond Edition This skin-shimmering version of the body butter was a limited edition to celebrate the brand’s tenth birthday in 2016. Still greatly missed.

Avène Gentle Gel Cleanser A much-loved cleanser that was super-gentle for even the most sensitive of skins. Avène has a cream option but lovers of gel textures were bereft.

You may well like these…  

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand, £29, charlottetilbury.com; Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation & Concealer, £28.50, clinique.co.uk; Dove DermaSpa Summer Revived Body Lotion, £7.79, boots.com; La Roche-Posay Toleriane Softening Foaming Gel Wash, £12.50, boots.com

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand, £29, charlottetilbury.com; Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation & Concealer, £28.50, clinique.co.uk; Dove DermaSpa Summer Revived Body Lotion, £7.79, boots.com; La Roche-Posay Toleriane Softening Foaming Gel Wash, £12.50, boots.com

  • Along with Jo Malone London, the Gone But Not Forgotten service offers discontinued items by Bobbi Brown, Bumble and Bumble, Clinique, Darphin, DKNY Fragrances, Donna Karan Cosmetics, Estée Lauder, Glamglow, Lab Series, La Mer, Mac, Michael Kors Beauty, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger Toiletries and Tom Ford Beauty. For further information, call 0370 034 2709 or email gonebutnotfortgotten@estee-lauder.co.uk

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk