Spritz up the new season …
A NEW M-OUD Cork’s latest perfume boutique specialises in rare and precious oud, also known as agar wood, a precious oil derived from tree resin. Oud authority Alan Coakley, who worked in the Middle East for over 20 years, has brought together the finest oud-focused brands, for which he is the only Irish retailer. As more of us travel to the Far East, taste for oud scents has grown. Coakley loves oud’s “warmth and glow”: “Only two per cent of agar wood trees produce oud,” he explains. “It’s so rare.”
Try Dubai-based Ajmal, a “farm to factory” fragrance house with its own oud plantation, and Electimuss, from London, a niche house employing the most exciting perfumers. Book a consultation at Republic of Oud (walk-ins are always welcome, too) and step inside the luxurious world of oud.
NEED TO KNOW …
FRENCH FANCIES Bastille Paris perfumes are now available via Dawn Mayne’s newly revamped website, a haven of natural beauty (www.luia.eu). Try 14 Juillet, by Irish perfumer Meabh McCurtin, which has a “fireworks accord”, smokey and with a punk attitude. Bastille scents are crafted in Paris by master perfumers, with 95 per cent natural-origin ingredients. From €39, for 15ml. Start with the discovery set (€32).
REST YOUR EYES Clarins has revamped its Total Eye Lift, targeting slackening, lines and dark circles, with a clinically proven lift effect, via retinol-like technology. An airless pump means fewer preservatives and more actives; it’s refillable, too. €79; refill €63, at stockists nationwide.
FAST FIX We’re revisiting the original multitasker this month – Nars’ The Multiple, conceived in the 1990s by make-up artist François Nars as super-fast, soft focus make-up for eyes, lips and cheeks. It’s now back in twelve shades. Shame the euro price is so hefty (€47, compared with £33stg); check www.dublinandcorkdutyfree.ie for a better price.
NEW STORE Korean beauty store Sissel Lab in Stephen’s Green Centre, Dublin 2 stocks brands such as Beauty of Joseon, Skin 1004 and Dr Althea.
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