I know I’ve been paying less attention to fashion over the last few months, but really, it’s ALL about beauty currently as far as retail is concerned. As I write this, retail figures have had their biggest fall for seven years, much of which is related to fashion, but I know that beauty is on the up, frequently encroaching on floor space previously occupied by clothes. It seems we can’t get enough of nail/ hair/ skin/ brow bars and these are being wiggled into stores wherever there’s a space or poorly performing category.
Perhaps not surprisingly we’re seeing a lot of new innovation and fancy ideas land on our desks. Including Nails Inc’s ‘Wellness’ nail polish…ahem, I’m all for the uplifting power if a good mani, but Mindful Manicure? Really? The most bizarre idea I’ve been offered (which I’ll be kind and not name) featured herby tea which required freezing and dabbing onto the skin a number of times daily, via a neon-hued rubbery device. Life is too short.
Here are a some of the best sane beauty favs we’ve tried and loved this spring.
Firstly, our friends over at The Perfume Society, who already do an excellent value fragrance discovery box which I’ve mentioned previously, have branched into beauty this month and have produced a Scented Skincare Collection discover box (well actually, bag) of deliciously scented, sample sized lotions. Both Jo Fairley and Lorna McKay from TPS are proper experts, being esteemed within the industry for their knowledge. I doubt there are many people around with more experience in beauty than the pair of them so I was excited to try this selection, I knew it’d be good.
Of the ten samples, I particularly loved This Works Sleep Plus Troubleshooter, which improves your elbows and knees as you sleep, I might end up buying a full size bottle of this as it’s excellent. Balance Me’s Restore and Replenish face cream, which I know Jane’s tried and loved, is great and Rosalena’s bioactive Rock & Rose face oil is wonderful to apply at the end of a stressy day. Everything is good, and properly useful for a grown up gal. The bag’s total value is £75.00 but is yours for £22.00, how can you resist? Buy here
MV Organic Skincare is another brand I’ve mentioned before and the more I use the organic, deliciously scented product, the more my skin improves. Founder Sharon McGlinchey hosted a fantastic supper recently (the Sound Cloud one) where she further explained her passion for natural, gentle skincare and it’s clear from the devoted attendees, once you are a MV girl, you are never going anywhere else. Sharon has just launched two skin tonic new body oils, which smell so good you can wear them as scents, although they are meant to improve and restore your skin. The Relaxing Body Oil is a cloud of gentle chamomile and the Aromatic Body Oil is uplifting and gently herby. I’ve had lots of compliments on my skin’s condition recently and I reckon MV has a lot to do with it, in particular the Rose Plus Booster.
I have always been a bit meh over neck creams. Do we really need a different formula for our neck when it’s so closely attached to our face? That was my mindset as I approached my trial of Omorovicza’s Firming Neck Cream which, as you will see from the completely wiped clean tub in the picture above, swiftly changed. This is really good, after two months of applying, I have a much nicer neck. Our neck skin is thinner and needs a lighter cream to absorb thoroughly. Yes, I rolled my eyes at this too whenever I read it on reviews before, but listen, it works. I’m buying another pot. And the Moor Cream Cleanser, which I was given at the same time to try, is also excellent. Omorovicza is increasingly my ‘go to’ brand to recommend to women who want a good quality, performance skincare.
And finally another all naturals brand (also no alcohol, no water, no synthetics) that will delight anyone who wants to buy British, well Cornish in fact. Inlight is a brand that anyone who has been living in/visiting Cornwall over the last decade or so will know well, like a luxury insider secret. It’s 100% certified organic and made entirely from Cornish grown botanicals, which the brand founder Dr Mariano Spiezia is certain have magical qualities due to the special vibes emanating from the local rocks and soils.
Mariano combines his scientific knowledge (he’s a homeopath and medical herbalist as well as being a doctor) with these empowered botanicals and some ancient alchemy to create a range of skincare products that are deliciously rich. I had to fight the urge to lick them when I was testing the Super-food mask and the Chocolate Mask (made with Rococo sourced nibs). It’s a very concentrated product, which takes a bit of getting used to as it’s tempting to whack on loads, but I tried the Age Defying Line Softener while at Dungeness recently and it coped well with the blustery sea air and the Super-Food mask plumps deliciously.
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