THE GLOSS Beauty Editor Sarah Halliwell shares her beauty news and views for September …
All products featured on thegloss.ie are selected by our editors. If you buy something through affiliate links on our site we may earn a commission.
We always talk about perfumes having the power to take you back in time, but what about other beauty items? There’s something about old familiar skincare and make-up that delivers an immediate sensorial nostalgia trip. In the recent Irish film, The Sparrow, a bereaved boy wears his mother’s lipstick as a visceral reminder of her.
I always wished they’d bring Miss Selfridge make-up back; I can recall the smell and the feel of Running Bare lipstick with absolute clarity (though such alarmingly pale, frosted lipsticks remain one of the few trends to never make a real comeback, probably because they were so entirely unflattering).
It’s a challenge to resist constantly chasing the latest trend, but some old favourites are worth revisiting; they can feel comforting. Random items such as Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey Lip Colour (at Boots, €28.50), have found their way back into the mainstream, embraced by a younger generation. It was a clever name – many of us prefer a tinted balm to a lipstick. If you like this subtle approach, try Clarins’ recent Lip Oil Balms (€31; www.clarins.ie), which are similarly soft and flattering.
I also love a lip crayon, a format that now feels like a bit of a throwback; it ties in with the idea of playing with make-up remember the Girl’s World styling heads of the 1970s? I’m wearing Powermatte High Intensity Lip Pencils (€30, at Brown Thomas) by Nars (30 years old this year) – a softer, more moisturising reinvention of the original. Treat yourself to Dragon Girl to pep up your face for autumn, and enjoy that fun, carefree approach to beauty.
In the 1980s, my London godmother’s fridge contained only champagne and Clinique. And brands with decades of expertise continue to stand up. Eighties stalwart Eve Lom cleanser has become more visible again in recent years (from €22; www.zolobeauty.com). Using it recently, I found it as unctuous and unique as ever. As Lom says: “The problem is, we are bombarded with products. Fifty years ago, it was just cleanse, tone and moisturise.” Elemis skincare, co-founded by Cork woman Noella Gabriel in 1989, still stars in spas, including Galgorm’s. And ESPA (1992) still does the best essential oil blends. We’re tapping back in to a sense of nostalgia, in a haze of CKOne … @sarahhalliwellbeauty
NEED TO KNOW:
POWER PERFUME
Make a serious impression this autumn with a statement scent. Perfumer Aurélien Guichard of Matiere Premiere creates utterly memorable scents. Breathe in blockbusting Vanilla Powder (from €155) and you realise just how powerful a scent can be. Guichard grows key ingredients on his family farm (home also to his studio), including the Rosa centifolia that features in the divine Radical Rose. And now Matiere Premiere’s new line, Extraits de Parfum, offers an even more intense take on their key ingredients. Each iteration adds a second key ingredient to the original main note – so, say, with Crystal Saffron Extrait, myrrh oil from Somalia is the “guest” ingredient. Don’t be misled by the simple packaging – this is a start-up with style, based on peak-quality ingredients. These are future classics, and the opposite of wallflowers. €350; www.matiere-premiere.com.
NEW ARRIVALS
With softly romantic, wind-chilled makeup on trend for autumn, a chic dark nail colour adds an edge. Wear rich shades of merlot, such as CND Vinylux in Fedora (€14; www.lookfantastic.ie), or delicious espresso. It’s hard to beat the mother of all dark shades, Chanel’s Rouge Noir..
ADD TO BASKET
Barcelona-based Rowse, with its focus on beautiful plant oils, is one of the loveliest lines I’ve come across in the last few years. Everything I’ve tried, from Tangerine cleansing balm (€28) to exquisite organic facial oils and the Oliveta candle, with its fresh olive and rosemary scent, is thoughtfully and sustainably made, presented in minimalist glass bottles. When you next visit Madrid, check out their chic new store in the city. www.rowse.co.
THIS MONTH WE …
LIT Diptyque’s Café candle for an instant caffeine fix – it smells like a shot of espresso. €60, at Space NK.
TRAVELLED with Vanille des Afriques perfume from this travel set by Ormonde Jayne, €215. www.ormondejayne.com.
CHATTED Chanel perfume at our reader event at Brown Thomas, with fragrance expert Alice du Parcq.
DRANK gallons of calming organic chamomile flower tea, from lovely Irish company www.intelligenttea.ie.
