Make-up and skincare highlights that are new on our radar…
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1 BUZZY BRAND MERIT
The US beauty brand is a big buzz right now, especially with their stylish collab with contemporary London-based womenswear brand Tove: the limited-edition set of skincare and make-up is presented in a neat little bag made from pale mink-coloured vegan silk (while stocks last). Unfortunately it’s not the easiest to buy from here – and the cost is up from £119stg to €165, plus €20 shipping; www.eu.tove-studio.com.
Merit just held a brief pop-up in London and we feel it’s a matter of time before a major store such as Liberty snaps the brand up. Meanwhile, we’ll have to stick with the UK website, where possible. Merit’s neat-looking products include the Minimalist stick foundation, £40stg (stick foundations are popular right now – see Tilbury’s just-launched version, too, €47). With fuss-free application methods – such as Flush Balm cheek colour – and flattering colours, it’s no wonder this is appealing to people who love brands like Westman Atelier but want something more affordable. I feel like the Day Glo highlighting balm (£34stg) would be especially useful for an instant glow, and I like the fact that its main ingredient is naturally hydrating squalane.
We often rather shop in real life, but the Merit website is very impressive and appealing. I like the fact they feature models who aren’t aged 19 and have actual real-life lines on their faces – yep, grown-ups use make-up too. The sets are really cool and minimalist in style; packaging is excellent. Apparently lots of markets are asking when we get our own Merit – we asked last summer – for now we’ll have to wait in line.
2 SOFT SOAP
We got sent some handmade soaps to try out this week from Kylemore Abbey, and the office unanimously sighed at the beautiful scents. From €5.95 each, they offer a little bit of west Ireland history; they’ve been made by the Benedictine community in the Abbey’s soap room since 2010. Designer brands are returning to bar soap, and these offer a lovely local take. I like the peppermint, tea tree and eucalyptus one (€8.95). www.kylemoreabbey.shop
3 NEW ARRIVALS
Glossier has landed at Space NK. And Fenty Beauty is now available at Brown Thomas: look out for the new shades of Gloss Bomb Oils (€24), and the neat lipcare duo (€38), featuring lip oil plus lip mask.
4 THE NECK OF IT
Do you bother using a neck cream? Under-40s need not reply, but those of us older than that tend to be rather more aware of our neck. So much of a neck cream’s role is reminding us we even have a neck; most of us just moisturise our face and then we’re done. Remembering to moisturise the neck and chest area is a good habit to get into – applying your moisturiser before you get dressed is a way to include these areas. But if a dedicated cream helps you to remember, then great.
One standout neck cream is by pharmacy brand Neostrata. Their Triple Firming Neck Cream features the brand’s patented, exclusive peptide technology, which features smaller-sized molecules to aid absorption, so you’re getting more effective peptides for smoother, firmer skin. It’s designed to brighten too. The key? Just stick with it – consistency is key here to see results. €80 for 80ml; www.neostrata.ie.
Trinny London is also focussing below the face with The Elevator for the neck and décolletage (this is also the name of Sisterly’s daily supplement – wonder who got there first). I don’t personally believe in a cream being able to “defy gravity”, but a good one can certainly help with firming and smoothing skin, and clinical trials show good results on smoothing lines on the neck and help to firm the jawline and sagging skin. I haven’t tried this out myself. It’s €84 for 50ml (in the UK it’s £68stg). At Brown Thomas.
5 “BUST-RAISING” SERUM
Let’s also consider below the neck. French brand Biologique Recherche have a new skincare product called Lift Buste 3D, and yes, it’s exactly as it sounds: a plumping and “resculpting” serum for bust and buttocks. When things are going south, perhaps this is an answer. There’s something optimistic about it, if I’m honest: I’m not sure I’d commit to using this regularly. That said, applying the finest French skin expertise to sagging areas is quietly appealing, and if anyone can make a serum/cream – the texture is gorgeous – that can help to firm and smooth skin that’s less than firm, it’s Biologique Recherche. Again, the very act of moisturising and paying attention to often-neglected areas will improve the situation, even if, realistically, a good bra fitter is your ultimate best bet for any bust-raising. Head to a specialist, such as Tara at Galway’s Base Skin (www.baseskin.ie), to discover more.
