Product Watch: The best of this year’s hair, skincare and make-up launches
Clarins is embracing all things springtime with a new makeup line dominated by petal pink and chlorophyll green. The Garden Escape Eyeshadow Palette, €41, is the collection centrepiece, filled with six floral-toned shadows to bring you soft, spring eyes and can be applied dry for a soft nuance of colour or wet for a sophisticated edge.
Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil, €19, has a gel-like formula that softens lips with oils of plum and jojoba and adds just a hint of raspberry or honey-gold. Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector, €19, and Joli Rouge Brilliant Sheer Lipstick, €21.50, offer colour and hydration with more substantial textures.
Both are available a shade of pink, red or orange to flatter every complexion. Blush Prodige in Sweet Rose, €33, gives a gentle flush to the cheeks.
Clinique makes some excellent night creams, chief among them its Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Cream, €54, which has a formula far superior to that of similar, pricier products from competitors. How does this new night-time addition to its anti-aging Repairwear line compare? Well, the name is misleading in that tightening of the skin will be as temporary as it is with any topical product.
The formula is rich in emollients and proven antioxidants, supports collagen production and helps repair skin’s natural moisture barrier. The reason I would not choose this cream over a tube of Super Rescue is the jar packaging, which exposes the cream to destabilising oxygen, bacteria, etc. from the moment it’s open.
Jar packaging’s detrimental effect on beneficial ingredients is understood in the skincare industry and even set out in guidelines on cosmetic stability published by Cosmetics Europe, the European trade association. Nonetheless, brands continue to cater to women who prefer jars, and if you’re one of them you’ll want to plump for this cream too!
Chanel gives us Parisian dreams this month with a romantic new makeup line. Bright lips with minimal eye makeup are a quintessentially Parisian look, so it is no surprise that there’s a whole arsenal of lippy available.
Chanel’s Rouge Allure Lipstick, €33, provides shine and strong colour with Insaisissable, a bright strawberry or Badine, a rosy pink. Give lips a radiant-matte finish with Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick, €32, in La Pétillante, an intense coral, or La Romanesque, an elegant violet.
Coco Shine Lipstick-Gloss, €31, is hot for spring in Désinvolte, a vibrant red and berry-pink Étourdie.
Two intense shades of Levres Scintillantes Gloss, €27, bring the drama. Fleur d`Eau is a natural coral while Crazy Fuchsia turns deep magenta on the lips. If you are still hooked on 2014’s liner-as-lipstick trend try Le Crayon Levres, €22, in Rose Délicat, a light red, or Capucine, a flattering coral.
The floral-embossed Jardin de Chanel Blush in Camèlia Rose, €43, gives cheeks a pretty rose glow with a pink shimmer.
Glossy and metallic eye looks remain on-trend next season so the Smashbox Double Exposure Palette is a great new year’s buy. This 14-shade palette is comprised of the brand’s signature fine-milled, non-flake powders with specially-coated pigments that appear multi-dimensional when wet.
The daytime mattes, sheers and shimmers transform into intense, sparkly evening shades with a dampening of the double-ended brush.
The brand pitches the compact as 28 shades for the price of 14, but even if you’re not one for experimentation, the dry colour range has something for any occasion.
Ojon is my favourite brand for treating dry and heat-damaged hair. The Miskito-inspired products are rich in essential fatty acids, mildly-fragranced and free from alcohol and detergent.
Moisture Therapy, as the name suggests, is an emergency treatment for parched lengths. The formula includes generous quantities of blue agave nectar, babassu oil and jojoba, all of which smell naturally gorgeous and are proven humectants (moisture-locks) and antioxidants.
To make the most of the ingredients, comb through damp hair and wear a warm towel-turban for as long as you can manage.
Start your skincare regime right this season with a comprehensive, comforting cleanse. Elemis Pro Radiance is a luxurious salon favourite that removes every trace of makeup without dryness or residue.
Even glittery and waterproof products cannot adhere when faced with this shea-buttery blend. The ingredients suit normal-to-dry skin that is not sensitive, as there is a substantial amount of fragrance on the list.
The brand’s claim that the formula has anti-ageing properties isn’t strictly true. Proven antioxidants are few and while it does contain some great emollients these are only on the skin long enough to facilitate a supple post-cleanse feeling.
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