Beauty oils help create a pretty slick new look
AFTER years of advertisements declaring oils the enemy, we’ve embraced them again. It’s about time, too.
“Ageing, stress and other harsh elements of daily life take their toll on skin,” says Benedicte Le Bris, director of research and development at L’Occitane. “To help smooth the skin and improve suppleness, it’s important to use an appropriate, stimulating technique.
“The oil application is, therefore, particularly relevant, promoting micro-circulation and visibly transforming the texture of the skin.”
It’s not just your skin that benefits, either — the second wave of oil products includes innovative cleansers, serums, hair treatments and lip oils.
Get ready for the prettiest oil slick imaginable...
Oil is an excellent moisturiser — there’s a reason baby oil has been a bestseller for decades — but did you know it can be an effective cleanser, too?
Light, and easy-to-dispense, drop by drop (so you won’t be a greasy mess), Superfacialist Vitamin C+ Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil dissolves make-up and lathers-up on contact with water, and the milky lotion rinses off easily.
Packed with sunflower, sesame, melon and orange oils, to name just a few, Kinvara’s Absolute Cleansing Face Oil is a treat for tired skin. Apply a few pumps to remove grim, mascara and makeup and enjoy the glowing results.
Oil on your lips — sounds incongruous, doesn’t it? But these new pout-enhancers are formulated to feel like a gloss. A thick, oozing gel infused with hazelnut and mirabelle oils, Clarins’s new, luscious lip treat performs a minor miracle — it moisturises like a balm, but gives a glossy finish. Choose the iridescent, amber ‘honey’ shade to enhance your natural lip colour, or ‘raspberry’ for a hint of punchy pink.
Yves Saint Laurent’s latest lippy uses high-tech chemistry to infuse a blend of five oils with particles of pigment.
Available in eight mango-scented shades (we love Cherry Ma Cherie), the Volupte Tint-in-Oil moisturises, as well as delivering long-lasting colour and shine.
Reap the anti-ageing benefits of plant oils by massaging a few drops into your face twice a day, after cleansing, before your usual moisturiser.
Check out Origins Plantscription Anti-aging power serum. The antioxidant complex comes with 20 plant extract form around the world. It packs a powerful punch, though it is pricey.
A quick shake and Sanctuary Spa’s anti-ageing hybrid is ready for action, blending the trio of oils with an intensely rejuvenating serum. Combined, the citrus-scented emulsion soaks into skin quick-smart, leaving it plumped and so hydrated that you might even be able to dispense of your moisturiser.
L’Occitane’s Divine Youth Oil is the latest addition to their popular Immortelle line, a blend of seven omega-rich oils. For a once-a-week booster treatment, after applying the oil place a warm towel over your face and let it soak in deeply, while you relax.
Argan oil is a mega-selling hair repair phenomenon.
Now Wella’s SP Luxe Oil adds jojoba and almond to the mix, resulting in a nourishing treatment that won’t weigh your locks down.
Aveda’s Dry Remedy Oil is a small, but mighty, solution that uses buriti oil, derived from a Brazilian palm tree, to fight frizz.
Just make sure you warm the oil in your palms before applying to hair, to ensure even distribution — on either wet or dry hair — and avoid your roots.
Hot on the heels of the long-awaited first oil from the tanning pros at St. Tropez comes a pigment-infused formula, especially for the face. Because the tanning component is suspended in oil (give it a thorough shake before you start), you get bronzing and moisturising benefits, but none of that off-putting, fake-tan smell, just a fresh whiff of lemongrass and grapefruit essential oils.
* St.Tropez Self-Tan Luxe Facial Oil (available March).
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