Throw the words ‘Beauty Pie’ into the conversation when you’re next with the girls, and chances are at least one pair of eyes will light up. (Spoiler alert: it’ll probably be your friend with the glowiest, most enviable complexion.) Yes, pretty much everyone that tries this genius members-only beauty club becomes swiftly obsessed, working their way through the expansive offerings like a maniacal beauty addict. If you’re late to the party, scroll down for everything you need to know – as well as the products the ELLE beauty team recommend you start with. Inspired by the staggering mark-ups that are commonplace in the beauty industry (a shocker: your face cream probably only cost a few quid to produce), Beauty Pie is a subscription service from industry game-changer Marcia Kilgore (not hyperbole: she’s also the woman behind Soaper Duper, Soap & Glory and Bliss Spa, so she’s definitely earned the title). Your monthly subscription grants you access to a huge collection of straight-from-the-suppliers skincare, make-up, body and now hair-care products without the luxury mark-up. Think Italian lipsticks, South-Korean microneedling patches, Swiss ‘oxygen’ facials and Japanese serums for the price of an oat-milk latte, and you’re on the right track. Unsurprisingly, the concept shook the industry when it launched in 2017, and once the masses realised how genuinely brilliant the products are, cult status quickly followed. Naturally, such feverish demand has led to several big launches selling out in seconds, so you’ll have to keep your eye on the site to grab the ones you really want to try. Demonstrating just how tapped into the beauty zeitgeist Kilgore is, the brand also boasts a strong online community. Its Instagram account is an wholly interactive space, where loyal members share reviews and Kilgore herself calls out for feedback on new launches, as well as sounding out the demand for new innovations from her dedicated PIEFAM. This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. By cutting out all the frills and flourishes that are so common in the beauty industry – think costly celebrity marketing campaigns, fancy packaging and TV ads – Kilgore has side-stepped the mark-ups to bring you great products without paying for all the shiny extras. Turns out, once you strip back all those additional costs, the price of your actual product is pleasingly small. You won’t get the heavy lipstick click-cases, frosted-glass jars or gilded foundation bottles, but it’s what’s inside that counts, remember? For example, a Beauty Pie retinol serum, produced in Switzerland, (likely, in the same factory as your big-brand favourite) costs just £8.94, despite being full of slow-release encapsulated retinol, ferulic acid and vitamin C (and free from fragrance, mineral oil and parabens). This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Your monthly subscription is what makes it all possible. There are three tiers, starting at £5 a month all the way up to £99 for the year, and each one comes with a spending limit. Thankfully, you’ll get a £100 bonus allowance on sign-up, so you can overhaul your entire bathroom cupboard for the price of a night out. While there really are endless reasons to grab that membership, scroll down to discover the eight products that beauty editors agree are the best of the best. The big one. Whether you’re a retinol regular or a nervous newcomer, this potent yet skin-friendly formula is a must-try. The vitamin A is encapsulated, which means it stays as potent as possible until it reaches your skin, and is then released gradually to avoid irritation (something that even the spenniest retinols struggle with). Combine this with vitamin C, ferulic acid and hyaluronic acid, and you’ve got yourself £11.66 extremely well spent. There’s a reason Beauty Pie has pulled hoards of people away from their big-brand signature scents. Possibly the best-value section on the site, every perfume is made in France by a renowned ‘nose’ – this one was created by the same perfumer as Le Labo’s cult Santal 33, using oils from Grasse. In our opinion, it’s the perfect spring scent: fresh, bright and slightly citrussy, but unusual enough to be memorable. Zesty lime bursts on first spritz, while the creamy fig and subtle tea base lend memorable sophistication. People will stop you in the street. Body care might not traditionally be the sexiest of beauty categories, but Beauty Pie has made this body scrub as bouji as can be. Not only does it have the perfect salt-to-oil ratio for maximum exfoliation, it’s also infused with fruit enzymes to further dissolve dull, ■■■■ skin, deep-hydrating coconut milk and real orange and tonka bean essences for a very expensive-smelling fragrance. A few minutes alone with this one, and limbs literally gleam.
K-Beauty’s sophisticated older sister, J-Beauty is big news this year. Imported from Japan, this super-concentrated cleanser applies like a gel, then emulsifies from an oil into a milk, before being easily swept away. It’s packed with antioxidants to ward off pollution, as well as moisture-magnet actives that will help your skin hold on to hydration for longer, The idea is that you use it with the rest of the range – lotion, serum and cream – for the dewy glass skin that dreams are made of. The Pie’s latest collection, Soul Providers, is perfect for frazzled minds and tired skin (so all of us right now, then). The highlight of the three-strong collection, this dreamy bath and shower oil is blended in the UK using aromatherapy-grade essential oils – think deeply soothing lavender, lifted with orange and lemon – and boosted with ashwagandha, which is said to help reduce anxiety. It easily beats most premium bath oils on the market, and costs less than half the price. Beauty Pie’s candle collection is a total hidden gem. Like the perfumes, each one is crafted in Grasse – the home of fine fragrances. This guaranteed crowd-pleaser smells like crisp cotton sheets with a hint of fresh, blooming flowers. Perfect for when you haven’t left the house all week. Each one of these clever capsules contains a perfect portion of stabilised vitamin C, alongside vitamin E for soothing hydration. The serum is lightweight and absorbs seamlessly – perfect for anyone who finds overly oily treatments suffocating. These are the capsules to go for for supreme brightening, but the hydrating hyaluronic acid and collagen-boosting resveratrol sisters are equally worth a look. Rihanna Might Be Launching Fenty Hair "best moisturiser for dry skin ")This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this.
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