Product watch
As the year draws to a close, here are our best products of 2012.
Clinique’s Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balms and Chubby Stick Intense (both €19) have already become cult classics. The balm version comes in 16 covetable shades and the new intense formulation, which hit shelves just a couple of months ago, comes in eight shades. The first time you use one of these sticks, you can’t help but wonder what you’ve been doing messing around with sticky, gloopy lip gloss all this time. These natural-looking balms with their crayon packaging are irresistibly cute, while the formula is comfortable, the colour is buildable and the application is fool-proof. You could do it in the dark. With so many colours to choose from the only problem is deciding which one.
This serum was a revelation for me in 2012. This formula is silkily light and dissolves immediately into the skin, leaving it feeling comforted and luxuriously pampered. As with all Darphin products, it contains a lot of natural ingredients, (96% from natural origin in this product) but the main draw here is its water-retention properties, which keep the skin hydrated.
This cream really impressed me this year. It is one of the richest face creams I have ever used. It sinks into the skin and leaves it feeling moist and plump all day. It may not look like much in its medicinal packaging but it really works. If you have parched, flaky or dehydrated skin, you will feel your face quite literally sucking this product in. It contains a lychee and watermelon complex that rehydrates skin at a deep level.
This year saw the launch of a new female fragrance from the house of Chanel. Nobody does scent better than their nose, Jacques Polge, who created the fragrance Coco in 1984, updated it with Coco Mademoiselle in 2001 and returned to the fragrance this year to create this nighttime version of the original, taking inspiration from Venice. The base notes alone were enough to make you swoon — frankincense, patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla, sandalwood and vetiver. The lighter notes of pink peppercorns and grapefruit gave an iridescent, sparkling effect. And, of course, what would Chanel be without jasmine and rose, which finished this fragrance with a perfect balance between light and dark.
This is the best brow shaper I’ve come across this year. With its ‘calligraphy’ tip you can create precise looks from very fine lines to thick, bold brows. The brush and sharpener hidden in the end of the pen are neat and inventive.
Trilogy’s rosehip oil has been a celebrity and dermatologist secret for years and this year they introduced their antioxidant+ formulation. Kate Middleton’s facialist uses rosehip oil, Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan, and so is Victoria Beckham. If that’s not enough to win you over, rosehip oil is particularly good as it is a dry oil, so it doesn’t sit on the skin but sinks right in, which makes it perfect as a base for your make-up. Add a drop or two to your moisturiser to give it an intense boost.
I don’t think I know a woman who hasn’t come into contact with a Touche Éclat concealer pen at some point in her life. One sells every 10 seconds and it has been YSL’s hero product since it was first introduced 20 years ago. So when they introduced their foundation by the same name last year, there was a bit of a stampeded to try the foundation. It didn’t disappoint. Le Teint Touche Eclat is a brilliant everyday foundation that gives the same illuminating effect as the hero highlighting product. I use it every day.
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