48th journal
fun makeup, Marc Jacobs Beauty is back and autumn skin
Hello, hi there and a very warm welcome to the 48th edition of the journal! Thank you for being here, we have some super fun beauty talk ahead of us.
Autumn is here! I’m personally very excited to pull out my jeans and my knitwear but less excited that the drop in temperature and humidity has my skin very upset. If you’re like me and looking for the right way to refresh your routine, read on for my very best tips (and a little before shot so we can update our progress together!).
Next is all about new beauty and honestly, I took a few weeks away from the newsletter and there has been a crazy number of drops, launches and sneak peeks. I didn’t quite cover them all so let me know if there’s something new that you’re super keen to hear about.
I also wax lyrical about how fun makeup is feeling at the moment, as well as my top tip to inject a little colour or shimmer into your look without feeling overwhelmed.
Enough chit chat; let’s talk beauty!
Well, It’s Autumn Now
…and you can absolutely tell by the skin on my face
As someone who just made it through a summer that felt like 7 months of humidity and sweat, I was so ready to welcome in the cooler temperatures and drier air of autumn. My jeans are back on heavy rotation, the knits are out of hiding and my skin is….not ok. Unfortunately the transition into autumn has been less of a slow burn and more of a quick shove off a cliff. The air has no moisture in it anymore and neither does my skin.
Here’s a little skin check to see that after my routine it looks quite glazed and moisturised, but you can still see that redness and inflammation on my cheeks especially that seems to be hanging around like a bad smell.
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And straight from the editing desk, here’s what my skin is currently looking like with a little makeup over the top. A tried and true skin prep & base makeup combo that is stumbling a little bit in the face of my irritated, eczema-style bumps.
Proof of skin over - here’s what I’m going to do about it!
In the last edition of the journal I spoke about just how important managing and preventing inflammation can be, so that’s top of my mind as I overhaul and strip back my routine to support my overwhelmed skin.
No new actives in my skincare: this is an obvious one but now is not the time to be stepping up the acids or trying retinol for the first time. I have been using a vitamin C serum in the morning for a while now, but I’ve backed that off a little bit and am sandwiching it with a hydrating serum.
Bring in the sensitive skin heavyweights: as someone who has dealt with skin that is prone to sensitivity, I have a handful of products that I rely on as a bit of an emergency kit and that’s exactly what I will be reaching for at the moment. I love the Avene Cicalfate Cream (actually, I should go get a top up of that) as well as the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 as that ultra comforting balm step to lather on at the end of the night. My Tower28 SOS spray is on my desk and in my handbag at all times, plus I’m digging through my stash for my Rebound Skin Milk.
Keep on top of that daily SPF: now is not the time to skimp on SPF or those top ups throughout the day. I also think it’s the time to switch out for a more hydrating formula, so I have of course opened a brand new tube of Ultra Violette Supreme Screen.
Warm, not hot water: as tempting as it is to wash your face in that steaming hot show, please don’t. Hot water can actually strip the skin of moisture and make it even harder to get back to that equilibrium.
I’ll be sharing regular updates (because why not) as I tackle keeping it simple and helping my skin to calm down before we get into winter proper. If you have a ride or die product for irritated, dry feeling skin, please comment it below!
Hello New!
A gal takes 3 weeks off and suddenly everyone is announcing everything??
Marc Jacobs Beauty
Have I already spoken about this in a newsletter? Yes I have. Is it worth mentioning again because we now know what it will look like? Absolutelyyyyyy.
Marc Jacobs is not new to the beauty game and in fact the makeup collection was so well loved, including a few true cult products. The brand closed in 2021 and I was among many sad fans who have kept their fingers crossed for a comeback and boy, did we get one.
The range will include 7 products: eyeliner, blush, bronzer, mascara, lipstick, eyeshadow and highlighter. What has most people talking though is the packaging and general vibe of the brand. In a post-Rhode, clean girl world, Marc Jacobs has embraced fun and I am absolutely here for it. Think bright colours, textured puffy elements and metallics. It will be launching 1st June in the US at Sephora, with a little birdie telling me that we will see it at Sephora Aus around September.
Refy Watercolour Collection
Refy Beauty is a brand that I would love to see a bit more accessible within Australia because they have some really gorgeous products and this new collection looks like it will be no exception. It’s a line of water-based blushes and bronzers that come in cushion compacts and are very K-Beauty inspired in both style and finish. They’re described as being sheer, giving you that watercolour style wash of colour across the cheeks. If you’re into a cheek stain, this is probably the product for you and it looks like the cushion compact is meant to help make the application easier. Available on the brand site.
Huda Beauty Easy Bake Intense EDP
We have a Huda Beauty fragrance?? It’s described as a more intense and rounded version of the scent of their Easy Bake Powder, which is pretty iconic. A rich, floral gourmand with wild cherry, cinnamon, white florals and vanilla bourbon it sounds like quite a sexy and sweet scent with quite the linger. It will be available to shop 3rd June at Sephora and comes in a gorgeous little bottle that of course has a similar shape to the powder itself.
Rhode Summer Collection
Technically there hasn’t been an official announcement about a Rhode summer collection, but there have certainly been enough sneak peeks and teaser posts on socials to confirm that something is coming. That something is a cream bronzer, which looks like it will be a similar formula to their Pocket Blush, along with some sort of illuminating base that is no doubt a mix with their iconic glazing milk. Some eagle eyed fans are also speculating that a new shade of the peptide lip tint will be on the way too. No doubt since it’s now been shared on the main Rhode feed, we will have a proper announcement coming soon.
Half Magic x Euphoria
The makeup collaboration we all wanted is finally here: Half Magic & Euphoria. So the brand Half Magic was founded by Donni Davy who is the lead makeup artist on Euphoria and responsible for all those incredible, dramatic, viral looks that have helped define the shows aesthetic. It’s 9 products, most of which aren’t new formulas but rather shades that embody the personality of the show and packaged up in a beautiful midnight blue/purple shiny finish. Donni herself has described it as a love letter to the show and to the fans; fans whose love of the show and her looks helped launch the brand in the first place. The entire range is now available to shop at Mecca.
Kylie Cosmetics Coconut Water Lip Stain
Apparently the MET Gala was the place to be sneek peaking and leaking new beauty launches because Hailey wasn’t the only one using unreleased products. Kylie had this incredible smokey eye, glossy skin, barely there lip that was actually the result of a number of new and yet to come Kylie Cosmetics. Since then the Coconut Water Lip Stain & the Cloud Balm have both launched, with a primer and brightening powder also on the way. The stains in particular look like that combination of flushed lip colour with an almost glossy finish that does promise to last the day. you can still shop directly from the brand site but hopefully we see them in stock at Mecca soon.
Summer Fridays Bronzers
It is absolutely not surprising to me that this year, Summer Fridays are finally releasing a bronzing balm just in time for the US summer. There are 6 shades coming out and they look to be a similar texture and formula to the blush balms, which are quite lovely. I’ve seen a few reviews and swatches online from my fellow fair skin gals and it does has have me curious to see what they look like in real life. They are also currently teasing new summer scents of their iconic lip butter balm as well, so watch this space.
If all of that felt like a bit too much to read, I do regular beauty news wrap up videos on my page; here’s the latest one.
Hooray! Fun Makeup is Back Babyyyyy
2026 is officially a return to makeup being fun and by that I mean a pendulum swing from the super minimalist, clean girl vibe that has dominated our feeds and routines for about 5 years now. Don’t get me wrong, I do love a barely there look but I am so here for a makeup look that absolutely looks like you’re wearing makeup. Last year was the year of soft matte and satin finish foundations and signalled that a full glam beat was absolutely on it’s way back. Now we have Euphoria back on our screens (bless our queen Donni Davy), Marc Jacobs Beauty coming back bursting with colour and it feels like everyone is keen to just have a bit of fun.
If you’re after a super easy way to add some colour to your makeup look, I recommend trying a coloured liner moment and you can use any existing eyeshadow you have to make that happen.
And with that, we’ve reached the end of the 48th edition of Morgan’s Skin Journal! if you’re made it this far, I hope that means you’ve enjoyed it and would consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy it. There’s so much beauty goodness to come in 2026 and I hope you join me for it. I’ll play myself out with a little song recommendation for your week 💚
September can’t come soon enough!
YES YES YES!!!!