Welcome to Polished with Elise Wilson, the column where Daily Mail’s qualified makeup artist and hairstylist answers your beauty questions, offers expert tips, and road-tests the latest skincare and makeup trends so you don’t have to.
As a beauty editor — and, admittedly, a rather stretched millennial woman — it takes something genuinely special to make me feel wide-eyed with excitement.
But place me in a room packed with thousands of unreleased beauty products from across the globe, and suddenly I’m channelling Charlie Bucket with a golden ticket in hand.
That was exactly the mood at Sephora Australia’s highly anticipated showcase in Sydney, where beauty editors, influencers and industry insiders were invited to preview the major new products, brands and innovations set to arrive for Spring/Summer 2026.
I’ll admit I may have spent a little too long talking my way through the event to examine every single launch in detail, but a handful of standout new beauty buys instantly demanded my attention.
From a major foundation overhaul seven years in the making to cream-to-powder blushes, glossy hair treatments and the return of a makeup brand many of us have desperately missed, these are the Sephora launches I think are genuinely worth having on your radar.
Sephora has pulled off some particularly impressive coups this year, including the arrival of Hourglass and the impending launch of Merit – two names that are likely to have rival beauty retailers like Mecca looking over their shoulders at.
Of course, it’s not only the atmosphere and the hype that are the reason industry elite are falling over themselves for an invite, but also the goodie bag at the end that everyone walks out with.
‘Last week, I attended Sephora Australia’s much-hyped showcase in Sydney, where beauty editors, influencers and industry experts were given a first look at some of the biggest products, innovations and brands landing on shelves for Spring/Summer 2026’ – Daily Mail’s Beauty Expert, Elise Wilson
So, after much chatting, swatching, playing and trialling over the past week, what really does deserve a spot in your beauty cabinet? Here are my picks.
Mark Jacobs is back!
Of all the launches this year, this one delivers perhaps the biggest dose of nostalgia.
Marc Jacobs Beauty officially returned to Australia this month after disappearing from beauty counters in 2021.
Anyone who remembers the original line will understand the excitement. Its long-wearing eyeliners, Omega Bronzer and Coconut Hydrating Primer became staples in many makeup bags before the brand abruptly vanished.
Arriving at a time when pared-back ‘clean girl’ makeup has dominated our feeds for years, I am very pleased to say that OTT, camp and colourful makeup palette’s are back.
The bold silky duo chrome eyeshadows containers and liners extend well beyond your standard brown and black into shades including bright daisy yellow.
Although I don’t know if I’m bold enough to donne the electric blue mascara yet.
Marc Jacobs Beauty officially returned to Australia this month after disappearing from beauty counters in 2021
Anyone who remembers the original line will understand the excitement. Its long-wearing eyeliners, Omega Bronzer and Coconut Hydrating Primer became staples in many makeup bags before the brand abruptly vanished. Prices start at $45
Merit Beauty is finally coming to stores
If your makeup philosophy is less ‘full glam’ and more ‘please just make me look alive in under five minutes’, you probably already know Merit.
The minimalist beauty brand first arrived in Australia online in late 2024, bringing cult products including its Minimalist Complexion Stick and Flush Balm with it.
The problem was that we had to order from America and we couldn’t actually swatch any of it.
Merit will officially launch exclusively into Sephora Australia and New Zealand on September 30, with the range available across 37 stores well as online.
Oh, and almost the entire line – yes, including fragrance – is coming along for the ride.
Merit Beauty will officially launch exclusively into Sephora Australia and New Zealand on September 30, with the range available across 37 stores well as online. Yes, fragrances will be included
Hourglass has changed allegiances
This was arguably one of Sephora Australia’s biggest beauty gets of 2026.
Hourglass officially landed at the retailer in February, bringing cult products including its Veil Hydrating Skin Tint and Vanish Airbrush Concealer with it.
And yes, considering where Australian beauty shoppers traditionally bought the brand, its arrival certainly raised a few eyebrows.
One of the newer products to tempt me are the Phantom Blur Balms ($66). These feather-light lipsticks are designed to create that soft, blurred wash of colour for up to 12 hours.
Hourglass officially landed at the retailer in February. One of their latest launches are the Phantom Blur Balms ($66) – feather-light lipsticks designed to create a soft, blurred wash of colour
Fenty reinvents their cult foundation
Retiring a cult foundation is a risky business, but Fenty Beauty isn’t exactly known for playing it safe.
After phasing out the Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, the brand is launching its replacement, the Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear formula ($76), this September.
I’m told the new iteration was engineered in Japan and reportedly draws on more than seven years of customer feedback.
There are 50 shades, with a medium, buildable finish that’s designed to look like skin rather than a mask.
For application, I’d pair it with the new Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation Brush 165 ($56), which is designed specifically to buff the formula seamlessly into skin.
After phasing out the Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, Fenty is launching its replacement, the Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear formula ($76), this September
It Cosmetics take hybrid makeup up a notch
IT Cosmetics’ CC+ Cream is already one of my all-time favourite makeup bases, so naturally its latest complexion launch caught my eye.
The Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm ($65) is essentially makeup for people who want their makeup doing several jobs at once.
The four-in-one solid balm is made up of 92 per cent skincare and combines hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and biosynthetic collagen peptides with pigment.
There are 15 ‘flexible’ shades and you can apply it sheer or build it up depending on how much coverage you want.
The new It Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm ($65) is a four-in-one, light foundation made up of 92 per cent skincare and combines hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and biosynthetic collagen peptides with pigment
Cream-to-powder blush is having a moment
If the showcase made one makeup trend particularly obvious, it’s that cream-to-powder colour is coming for our beauty bags.
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At the affordable end, Sephora Collection’s All-In-One Cream Color Blush ($28) comes in six shades and can be worn across your eyes, cheeks and lips.
At the considerably more boujee end is Prada Touch Cream-To-Powder Blush ($85) which melts into skin before transforming into a seamless finish.
I’d love to meet someone that can justify an $85 blusher, but each to their own.
If the showcase made one makeup trend particularly obvious, it’s that cream-to-powder colour is coming for our beauty bags. At the considerably more expensive end was the new Prada Touch Cream-To-Powder Blushers ($85)
Olaplex expands range with a mist
I’m always interested in products that can make second-day hair look like you’ve made far more effort than you actually have.
I don’t know if I’m showing my age, but I was originally one of the first to review Olaplex when it launched in 2014, so receiving this new No.7 Shine Serum Oil Mist ($70) was like a walk down memory lane.
The bi-phase repair treatment combines high-shine oils including Kalahari melon seed, kukui nut and rosehip extract with a reparative serum, promising up to 96 hours of shine and hydration.
It also offers heat protection up to 232C and uses OLAPLEX’s Bond-Building Technology, with the brand claiming it helps reduce breakage by 75 per cent.
Hair giant Olaplex, has launched the No.7 Shine Serum Oil Mist ($70), which offers heat protection, bond repair and helps reduce breakage by 75 per cent
Join the discussion
Are luxury beauty brands really worth the hype and price, or are affordable products just as good?
Body mists aren’t just for the teens anymore
If you thought body mists belonged exclusively on the dressing tables of teenagers in the early 2000s, I have great news for you.
I’ve reported on this months ago, but a lighter way of wearing scent is having a comeback, and Valentino Beauty is joining in with a limited-edition collection of Hair & Body Mists ($75 ea) in four delicious scents.
For years, fragrance has been obsessed with intensity and longevity, but now we’re seeing our scent collections becoming a lot more casual – something you can mist over your hair and body throughout the day.
A lighter way of wearing scent is having a comeback, and Valentino Beauty is joining in with a limited-edition collection of Hair & Body Mists ($75 ea) in four delicious scents
Hailey Bieber fans will want this body scrub
Naturium’s Glow Getter body range already has some famous fans with its body butter appearing among Hailey Bieber’s beauty favourites, and now there’s another product joining the glowing-skin line-up.
The Glow Getter Multi-Oil Body Scrub ($33) combines sugar crystals with linoleic-rich botanical oils, 20 per cent glycerin and squalane to exfoliate while leaving skin soft and hydrated.
It also has the range’s signature vanilla-coconut scent and perfect time for getting our pins out this summer.
Hailey Bieber’s favourite body care brand Naturium, now has a Glow Getter Multi-Oil Body Scrub ($33). It combines sugar crystals with linoleic-rich botanical oils, 20 per cent glycerin and squalane
Here’s the cheat code to pillow lips
Huda Beauty’s new Liquid Matte Mousse Soft Blur Lip Cream ($43) taps directly into our ongoing obsession with blurred, soft-focus lips that are loved on the red carpet and runways.
The whipped mousse formula has a soft-matte finish and comes in eight nude shades.
Rather than creating a sharply outlined lip, you can apply it through the centre and blend it outwards for that diffused, pillowy effect Huda herself wears so well.
Huda Beauty’s new Liquid Matte Mousse Soft Blur Lip Cream ($43) taps directly into our ongoing obsession with blurred, soft-focus lips that are loved on the red carpet and runways
Makeup by Mario is adding sparkle to his collection
There’s a reason the Kardashians’ makeup has inspired approximately a million tutorials over the years, and their OG makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic has built a beauty empire off the back of that expertise.
Makeup by Mario’s eye products have developed particular cult status thanks to their wearable shades and formulas, and now his cream shadows are getting a shimmering update.
The Soft Shimmer Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadows ($45) come in eight shades and deliver the easy cream-shadow appeal of the originals with a lot more sparkle.
Makeup by Mario’s eye products have developed particular cult status thanks to their wearable shades and formulas. Now his matte favourites are getting a shimmering update with Soft Shimmer Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadows ($45)
ONE SIZE really does fit all
For those looking to enhance and not hide their features, the new One Size Ultimate Color Corrector Stains ($47) are designed to brighten, neutralise and correct discolouration for up to 12 hours without coming off.
It comes in six targeted shades whether you’re fighting dark circles, redness or uneven tone and are small enough to add to any makeup bag.
Also on my radar is the brand’s Oil Sucker Spray ($57), which isn’t brand new, but as the great name suggests, is aimed at anyone whose makeup tends to turn shiny as the day goes on.
For those looking to enhance and not hide their features, the new One Size Ultimate Color Corrector Stains ($47) are designed to brighten, neutralise and correct discolouration for up to 12 hours
K-Beauty is much easier to find now
K-beauty’s domination of Australian skincare shows no sign of slowing down, and I’m personally all for this.
Popular Korean skincare brand ANUA made its physical Sephora debut in April, bringing its barrier-focused, soothing formulas onto shelves.
This one particularly excites me because I recently visited South Korea and had the opportunity to meet the ANUA team myself, so I’ve seen first-hand just how much thought goes into the brand.
And its profile is only getting bigger, with Kendall Jenner now fronting the brand.
There were plenty more launches packed into the showcase but these were all the products and brands that had me taking mental notes as I made my way around the room.
If this showcase was any indication, Spring/Summer 2026 is shaping up to be a very expensive season for beauty lovers.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely my own and do not reflect those of any brands or companies mentioned. This content is not sponsored or endorsed in any way.