We’re adding these hair, skin and bath treats to our list of favourite homegrown beauty buys …
1 FOR WELLBEING
Aromatherapist, reiki master and therapist Maria Morgan hand-makes her Esker Felds skincare at the family dairy farm in Co Louth, using natural ingredients and pure essential oils. “What makes the Esker Fields products unique is how they make you feel – they offer an aromatic sensory experience that delights the senses,” says Morgan. “I choose all the ingredients and oils with care, for their therapeutic properties. Benefits include reducing stress and anxiety levels, aiding sleep and easing muscular aches and pains.”
Try the buttery moisturising handcream (€18), with mango butter, coconut oil, and organic shea butter. And instead of spending your money on those horrible overpriced one-use foot masks (with all the unecessary packaging), try the Esker Fields lavender & peppermint foot cream – it’s a far more sustainable and lovely to use option (€16). The rejuvenating Facial Serum, meanwhile, is a blend of organic rosehip oil, argan and macadamia oils (€30). There’s also peppermint lip balm (€7.95), excellent bath/shower gels (€17.50 – go for the Refresh & Uplift lime and grapefruit), a pillow mist and body oils. Appealing natural beauty without the mark-up. www.eskerfields.ie
2 FOR BATHING
You don’t have to brave the (still chilly) Irish sea to enjoy its benefits. Voya Indulgent Sea Marine Bath Salts captures the essence of the sea in a jar. This is a modern take on sea salts – these are satisfyingly chunky, and full of detoxifying minerals for a properly reviving and stress-relieving soak. The blend of wild Fucus Serratus seaweed, Achill sea salts, Epsom salts and Himalayan pink rock salts are infused with gently fragrant essential oils of lime and mandarin. Rich in magnesium, zinc, calcium and potassium, the detoxifying salts are perfectly reviving at the end of a tiring day, or after sport to relieve aching muscles. There are few finer gifts for anyone who’s away from home and longs for a little bit of Ireland. €39, at www.voya.ie.
3 FOR FRAGRANCE
Lucy Hagerty’s La Bougie candles, with scents such as Sage & Bitter Orange, and Blackcurrant Leaf (€30), are well-known (and half the price of designer versions). Think of her as an Irish Jo Malone London. And Hagerty has now translated some of these scents into a new range of perfumes, also made in West Cork. You can try out more than one, via the mini 10ml bottles (€18), which are great for travel, or go for a 50ml bottle (€60).
Choose from Tuscan Bergamot, Blackcurrant Leaf, Mission Fig (a leafy, juicy take on fig that stands up against far pricier designer versions) and madly summery Coconut & Hibiscus. I’d probably go for the Bergamot, personally, with its hints of sage and lavender – it’s really light, bright and sunny, with all the panache of a straw panama hat; on a blind smelling, you might think it was a Tom Ford. www.labougie.com
4 FOR HAIR
Act+Acre is a hair brand that stylists and beauty-lovers are taking note of. Heralded as “skincare for your scalp”, this good-looking brand was founded in 2019 by Northern Irish husband and wife team Helen Reavey, a trichologist and hair stylist, and Colm Mackin, who met at Ulster University. Their “Cold Processed” range includes serum, scalp detox and shampoo. Cold Processed is their patented technique for creating high-performing plant-based scalp products; their take is that avoiding traditional heat-based production helps to preserve the potency of nutrients in active ingredients. From €20.34, on www.cultbeauty.com.
5 FOR FACE
Oiche skincare is big on Irish peat, which is said to have anti-inflammatory properties thanks to the humic and fulvic acids it contains. Now, joining their range of face masks such as Midnight Dew, is Puca’s Brightening Berry Serum (€50), a blend of aloe, rose damascena flower water, orange peel oil and bilberry fruit extract. www.oiche.ie
