We miss browsing Arnotts beauty hall (Ireland’s biggest) but they do have a great range online, where they have seen a big rise in skincare – up by 376 per cent last year online. And that’s set to continue this year, Arnotts report, with a focus on “simplified skincare, minimal and fuss-free make-up, a focus on the eyes and nourishing skin from the inside out with beauty supplements.” Latest arrivals include Augustinus Bader – the ultra-luxurious skincare line favoured by Victoria Beckham (try the discovery duo, €132.80) – and Dr Barbara Sturm.

Arnotts’ beauty buyers are always quick to pick up some of the best Irish brands alongside the big designer beauty names; they stock the wondrous Nunaïa skincare, for example, as well as Pestle & Mortar and Skingredients, all of which have been in big demand online.

Arnotts also report that customers are turning to ingredient-focused products such as niacinamide – which saw a search increase of 700 per cent in the past year, as well as Polyglutamic, Succinic Acid and Tranexamic, and more familiar ingredients such as vitamin C, retinol, hyaluronic acid and ceramides. Discovery kits are a way forward, especially at a time when samples are not available. Sunday Riley, Kate Somerville and Dr Barbara Sturm all have discovery and targeted skincare kits so you can see if something suits you before you commit to a full size.

With make-up, we’re buying things that make us feel more positive, from bright colours to instantly enhancing things like mascara. Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillowtalk Push Up mascara leads the way at Arnotts since launching last September, they report. There’s nothing frivolous about this. “Modern make-up is becoming less of a mask or a curative necessity, more of an act of self-care,” says MAC senior artist Fatima Thomas. www.arnotts.ie