The ten new beauty arrivals that stand out and where to head for your holiday beauty buys, from hair rescue to travel stress-relievers – plus the multitasker that fits in your plastic liquids bag and is under €10 …
Main featured image via Dior Beauty. Dior Beauty is available at www.dior.com, Brown Thomas and stockists nationwide.
1 The Nature of Things is a great small Irish company, and now widely stocked around the country, from health stores to department stores. Check out their three new roll-ons if you’re about to travel – Roll On & Don’t Stress, a beautifully fragrant blend of bergamot, lemongrass and patchouli oils, could be the perfect antidote to Dublin T1. And breathe …
www.thenatureofthings.ie.
2 Two pharmacy stars to search out: first, Aveeno haircare. Having talked to trichologist Carol Johnson, I’m convinced that gentle scalp-soothing formulas are a better way to go than harsher mainstream options. There are six variations for different hair types: the Daily Moisture+ Oat Milk conditioner is an ideal holiday hair rescue for less than €10.
3 Second, CeraVe skincare is popular with all ages – my teens enthuse about their cleansers, and I’m impressed with the new Facial Moisturising Lotion with SPF50 as a daily skin-protector. Especially as it’s €16. It contains niacinamide (a great skin soother) along with UVA/UVB protection so it’s a great all-rounder for all skin types.
4 The very lovely Handmade Soap Company, who make everything in Co Meath, have just launched an entirely natural deodorant in their Anam range. It’s a push-up solid stick (in a fully compostable cardboard tubes) with natural active ingredients (it’s a blend of coconut oil, sunflower seed wax and other flower and seed oils). You can be entirely assured that it’s safe and sensitive to use. Personally I still prefer Modern Botany’s spray deodorant, just because it works so well and smells so good, but if you like a roll-on, this is as good – in every sense – as it gets, and it’s excellent for travel/festivals/camping etc. €17.95. www.thehandmadesoapcompany.ie
5 Next is a surprisingly good place for beauty. I didn’t realise how many good brands they stock – more than 150 in fact – from kings of the cleansing balm, Elemis, to He-Shi tan, Philip Kingsley haircare and Next’s own Woah skincare line, including an SPF range; I’ve tried the SPF50 facial mist (€13.50) that’s very light to spritz on over make-up, without wrecking it. Shop online at www.next.ie (free delivery for orders over €20).
6 Batiste dry shampoo, the ultimate quick-fix, needs no introduction. My teenage daughter was highly excited to get her hands on these – usually highly selective and critical of beauty products, she rates this as simply “the best”. I’d pick the Green Tea & Chamomile, scent-wise. €5.99, at pharmacies nationwide.
7 Holiday hair is a challenge – I took a mini Aveda Leave-In Conditioner to help with sea-dried ends (pick up at Brown Thomas Beauty Lounge, Clarendon Street). Try also K18’s peptide-powered leave-in repair hair mask, €25 for 15ml, www.k18hair.ie.
8 Find Emma Hardie’s new skincare range at M&S Beauty. The Lotus Flower range features a Treatment Serum, Treatment Cream (a light, gel-like texture) and targeted spot treatment, all designed for oily skin though it can also suit stressed and hormonal skin. Though the boxes are FSC-certified, they are wrapped in cellophane, and I’m not keen on the plastic packaging for the serum. Go for the spot treatment, for post-holiday breakouts: it’s a witch hazel and salicylic acid formula with a variety of fruit and flower extracts, €22. For me, the cult cleansing balm is still Hardie’s standout, though. www.emmahardie.com
9 Millie’s beauty has just opened a pop-up shop at Dundrum Town Centre, Level 2 (and it’ll be there for the rest of the year). Stock up here on Elemis, Kevin Murphy, Olaplex and more while you’re there. What with this and BT’s epic Planet Beauty, Dundrum has become a beauty destination that’s hard to beat.
10 A mention for one beauty item I took on holiday and found so useful: L’Occitane’s Almond Shower Oil. Limited to one tiny plastic bag for liquids, I took a 75ml bottle (€8) of this, as it’s been a favourite for ever, and found it brilliant as a wash for dry skin, but also to double as a moisturiser post-shower, soothing skin with a blend of grape seed, almond, bergamot and sunflower seed oils. You can use it as conditioner and shave oil too. Invest in a bigger bottle and then refill for ever. At stores nationwide and ie.loccitane.com.
