Product watch: Last minute beauty gifts
Le Vernis No18 Rouge Noir, €23.50, Chanel’s best-selling nail lacquer, turned 20 this year.
The nail colour was first spotted on models at the Autumn/Winter 1994 show, though fashion journalists noted Coco Chanel’s enthusiasm for garnet tones as early as 1926.
‘Rouge Noir Absolument’ is a limited-edition collection of 13 products inspired by the black-cherry shade. Like No 5 Eau de Parfum, Rouge Noir is a long-time hero product for Chanel and a single bottle makes a charming stocking-filler.
Rouge Noir’s red base gives a nod to the festive period, while the dark overtones and glossy finish look high-fashion.
Le Volume de Chanel Rouge Noir, a deep raspberry mascara, looks wonderfully chic over black mascara.
The original nail polish has two new companions in Rose Fusion, a pink-toned red, and a gold-flecked lamé top coat.
It makes a sexy shade of Le Crayon Khôl, €21.50, and Illusion d’Ombre Long-Wear Luminous Eye Shadow, €30.50.
Rouge Allure Intense Long-Wear Luminous Lip Colour in Vaporeuse, €32.50, creates a very vampish pout.
Top of my Christmas wish list is the Creation Exclusive Signe Particulier, €52, a palette of four silky powder-shadows in grey, gold, ice-pink and, of course, rouge noir.
I know, I know, lots of people blanch at the idea of running a motorised tool over your face like you’re sanding a teak cabinet, but this one is a sophisticated gift that suits all skin types.
It also comes with an impressive range of extras and features.
Clarisonic calls this iteration of their famous sonic brush “Smart” because it employs RFID technology, which detects how often the attached brush head has been used and when it needs to be changed.
Unhygienic overuse of old heads was one of the customer issues that prompted Clarisonic’s research into an RFID enhancement, according to RFID Journal. Smart brush heads for the face and body are supplied, though this brush works with any of the brand’s attachments.
The “user interface” (the double-press button on the handle that selects one of the device’s four speeds) has been redesigned to indicate the intensity you’re working at at all times.
The interface also indicates battery life, which is longer for this model than its sister Mia and Aria brushes.
Clarisonic makes the memorable claim that the Smart Profile “cleanses 11 times better than hands,” as a result of a new turbo boost to the standard 200-350 oscillations per second.
That figure is pulled from a brand-funded clinical study but if you’re sceptical, there’s no shortage of glowing testimonials from beauty editors and bloggers that found this device life-changing.
The kit comes with a Refining Skin Polish for the body and a Refreshing Gel facial cleanser, both antioxidant-rich, gentle products that suit even very sensitive skin.
Palettes with unusable elements — a weird shade of blush, unflattering lipstick — are really annoying, so a compilation of BareMinerals best bronzer, highlighter, eye shadows, cheek colours is ideal for those in search of a makeup gift.
‘The Regal Wardrobe’ boasts BareMinerals Ready Bronzer in ‘The Skinny Dip,’ a perfect shade for winter-fair skin.
Two shades of Ready Blush create layer to create a natural flush.
A selection of eight Ready Eye Shadows combine into neutral daytime and smoky evening-looks.
A dusting of Ready Luminizer gives cheekbones a seasonal shimmer.
This ultra-luxurious face oil is a gorgeous gift for anyone with normal to dry skin, despite being recommended for mature ladies.
The formula’s high antioxidant content doesn’t discriminate.
What I like best about this product is the number of beneficial oils in the mix.
Skincare oils are one or two-trick ponies far too often.
This bulbous purple bottle decants at least twelve, including soothing Vitamin E and avocado extracts.
Plum and camellia oils are sources of Omega 3 and 6 that protect and replenish skin’s natural moisture barrier.
The most prevalent ingredient is phytosqualane, the plant equivalent of a lipid that occurs naturally in the skin, keeping it plump and soft.
Like skin’s own ceramides and tryglycerides, our natural squalane reserves are depleted by sun damage. Used under broad-spectrum SPF25 or higher, products like this one help to restore them over time.
Black Rose Precious is Sisley’s only face oil, which seems like surprising restraint from one of the first brands in Europe to use essential and botanical oils in skincare.
It has long been a hit with beauty editors and makeup artists.
Massaging three or four drops into bare skin boosts radiance and prepares skin perfectly for makeup application or additional skincare.
Tom Ford — designer sexpot extraordinaire —doesn’t really do “cute,” but the ‘Lips & Boys’ option to wear a lipstick with your man’s name is very sweet.
It can an also be challenging, especially if that man’s called Casey (a silvery white), Rory (yellow gold) or Stavros (steel, of course), though most shades are wearable.
Tom Ford’s husband, the writer Richard Grey, lends his name to a sophisticated chocolate, and ‘Drake,’ a metallic aubergine, joined the gang in September. Best-sellers Collin, Giacomo and Holden are universally-flattering nudes.
Hydrating, plumping ingredients including soya extract, murumuru butter and chamomile make for an incredibly smooth application.
This Christmas, Tom Ford counters offer a set of 10 Lips & Boys lipsticks in a chic gold-monogrammed box.
It is nice to choose shades that represent men in a friend’s life, but the best-sellers packed within are safe bets too.
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