Oil be back
Won’t it be greasy and leave you with a face full of spots?
“No,” says Joanne Smyth, product training manager in Ireland for Clarins, who adds, “Our oils contain 100% plant extracts and are very pure with a lovely texture and scent.”
These are about as far removed from anything you’ll be putting in a chip pan. “My advice is less is best with oil, and you only need a small amount, typically one or two drops, so they’re cost effective,” she reveals. But can everyone indulge? “Yes,” Joanne says, “there really is one for every skin type. For example, lotus oil is good for combination to oily as it re-educates the skin, slows down the production of oil and helps skin produce it at a more normal rate.”
For use in place of moisturiser or as a supplement to it, there’s an oil for us all. Best applied to damp skin as this helps with absorption, the aromatherapy benefits can help relax body and mind too. If you’re still formulating resolutions for 2012, then make a beauty decision to trial an oil in the next few months. Here are eight of the best.
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, €42, contains evening primrose, coriander and rosehip seed oils which dose the skin with omega oils 3, 6 and 9. Prepare to see a difference in the morning.
It’s a whopper of a price at €122, but a tiny drop goes a long way. Darphin’s 8-Flower Nectar smells divine and does equally fantastic things to skin.
Oil Arganic, €24.99, is a brilliant blend of oils that includes argan, hemp seed, avocado, rose, olive, evening primrose and orange peel oils, meaning it’s a real workhorse that can be applied to body and hair.
Liz Earle’s Superskin Concentrate, €43, is a plant powerhouse containing argan and organic rosehip oils, neroli, lavender and chamomile essential oils.
There are also antioxidants including vitamin E.
An excellent price at just €14.50, Bearna Natural Care’s argan oil contains nothing but 100% pure argan, ethically sourced from a Berber co-operative in Morocco. Use on face, body and hair.
If you’ve been intrigued by the craze for rosehip and argan oils, here are three new blends to try
Alfaparf Milano Fabulous Oil, €19.90 is a multipurpose oil which can be used on scalp and hair as well as on the body. Using prickly pear oil, which has powerful antioxidant properties, it replenishes and moisturises.
New from South Africa is Busby’s Liquid Gold Pure Tissue Oil, from €3.95, which contains an oil cocktail that includes grape seed. High levels of vitamins and omega oils help to boost and nourish the skin’s hydro-lipid layer.
More commonly used in fragrance, find sandalwood oil in Clarins’ new Santal Face Treatment Oil, €39.65, which is designed for very dry skins.
Alfaparf at salons, call 045-856490; Bearna Natural Care www.bearnanaturalcare.com; Busby’s at major pharmacies; Clarins at pharmacies and department stores;
Darphin at selected salons; Kiehl’s 35 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2; Liz Earle www.lizearle.ie; Oil Arganic www.skinlogiconline.com.
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