Our honest reviews of Victoria Beckham’s new cleansing duo, plus the latest creams, sprays and scents …
COOLING DOWN
At this time of year, face sprays come into their own. The prices are creeping up, though, and not all of them are worth the cash. I keep the Oxmantown Biome Balance Face Mist (€30 for 100ml) on my desk as I like its glass bottle and gentle, skin-balancing feel – it wakes you up in the post-coffee slump. I often return to Skingredients’ Spritz O’Clock (€25 for 100ml) too, for several reasons – it’s made in Ireland and the bottle is recyclable, and its key ingredient is softly fragrant orange blossom water, plus the spray is very diffuse and light. A recent spray I trialled is Patchology’s Skin Remedy Calm & Protect Mist (€12 for 80ml), ideal as a small, neat option to keep in your bag or for travel.
BEST BODY SPRAYS
It’s the summer of the spray, with a whole host of sweet and juicy fragrance mists in bright and playful bottles. Honestly, some of them are overly sugary and might give you a headache by lunchtime, not to mention the rest of your colleagues. But there’s no mistaking this fun approach to fragrance: you don’t need to commit in a big way, just spray and go.
Everyone knows about Sol de Janeiro, but I recommend the Phlur range – it’s stylish yet summery. My current pick is Vanilla Skin Hair & Body Fragrance (€25 for 88ml) with creamy and delicious vanilla and woody notes (there’s a deodorant to match, by the way). More recent launches include Vanilla Nectar with practically edible notes of papaya nectar, apricot, peach blossom, coconut orchid and “whipped” vanilla, or Beach Skin with coconut and tiara blossom. In fact, a barrel-load of fruit or edible notes, from strawberry to mango, peach to caramel, are represented in this youthful and joyous range. Try the Discovery Kit (€39), so that you can wear a different one every day.
Important to note: Phlur’s stick deodorants are good too – try the (weirdly named) Father Figure (€23) with its fresh figgy green scent. They are well-designed, travel-friendly and they work.
THE BEST BODY CREAM
Every time I use this body cream, I think how good it is. Blissful Body Butter is made by Innersense Organic Beauty, an American-owned, B Corp-certified brand that I originally discovered via Dawn Mayne’s excellent online store, The Clean Beauty Edit, now LUIA. Rather slobbishly, I keep a pot by the sofa, and my daughter and I put it on our legs and arms while glued to America’s Sweethearts, the compulsive Netflix show about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (where to start on how good, how brutal this documentary is, putting a spotlight on an extraordinary closeknit world that you never knew existed. And the hair!) …
The body butter is richly hydrating yet absorbs quickly into skin without stickiness, and your skin feels beautifully supple afterwards. There’s mango seed and organic shea butters in there, and it smells of orange blossom and white rose. It’s €47 for 200ml, and it’s as good as body cream gets. Important to note: I’m a devotee of their haircare products, too: try Pure Harmony Hairbath, which is gentle enough for fine hair (€32, 295ml).
THE ESSENTIALS
An item that is improving my summer: earplugs. With windows open at night, outside noise can be an issue on warm evenings (not to mention indoor noise, should you be living with a snorer). If you too have toxic neighbours who blast Coldplay into the world until 3am, this could be the best €4 you spend all summer. Boots has a range of earplugs ideal for everything from getting some sleep to flying, swimming and ultra-loud concerts. Not glamorous, but so useful. Same goes for Compeed blister plasters (from €8) – a lifesaver if you play sport or wear silly shoes.
CLEAN THINKING …
Victoria Beckham Beauty has launched 50ml versions of her excellent cleansing duo, The Daily Cleansing Protocol (€83 for 2 x 50ml). I use both of these (an oil and lactic acid gel cleanser) and love them. Yes, the smaller versions are handy for travel. But cost-wise, bear in mind that it’s better value for money to buy the larger version (€130 for 2 x 100ml). Decant yourself if you’re travelling and can’t live without – Muji’s range of tktkt or a Trinny London pot both work well and don’t leak. Better, and more environmentally friendly, to stick with larger versions and learn to decant.
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