With a new year just around the corner, there’s no better time to clean up your beauty routine or discover new products. Here are a few new arrivals worth a look.
If you are at all interested in natural, environmentally friendly cosmetics, you must be familiar with naturalskincare.ie, Ireland’s largest online shop for natural and organic beauty products. Recently relaunched, it now boasts a catalogue of more than 80 brands – many of which can be hard to find – including REN, Caudalie, John Masters Organics, Antipodes, Cowshed and Alorée.
In addition, they've just introduced their natural Beauty Box, a different selection of five products delivered to your door every month for €19.50. It includes a mix of full-size and mini (30ml minimum) products, as well as sachets. I love this: it's a great way to find out about and test new products and brands for a reasonable price – and I'm all for finding something other than bills in the post.
Their first box contains a full-size body lotion by Benecos, Cowshed shower gels, a Cowshed lip balm, John Masters scalp elixir and a Caudalie hand cream. I'd hope to see some face creams and cleansers thrown into the mix, maybe a mask or some make-up, in future months, but this first delivery is very promising.
Pestle & Mortar, an Irish cosmetic brand by Sonia Deasy and her husband Pádraic, launched last year with just one product: their popular Pure Hyaluronic Serum (€43), a clean and simple serum with few ingredients and a high percentage of moisture-boosting, line-smoothing hyaluronic acid. Slowly but surely they're growing their range. They just recently introduced their second product, a lovely moisturiser called Hydrate (€48).
It’s packed with peptides, jojoba, squalene and antioxidants such as green tea, pomegranate and vitamin E, leaving the skin feeling smooth, plump and hydrated. As promised, it’s lightweight and leaves a perfect, non-greasy base for make-up, and I love the mild, clean scent. It’s free from parabens, silicones, sulphates, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance and animal derivatives, and its elegant monochrome packaging makes it even more appealing. For a list of stockists, visit pestleandmortarcosmetics.com.
Childs Farm, a great range of toiletries for kids, can be found in select healthfood stores, Boots and now Lloyds pharmacies across Ireland. Made with 98 per cent natural ingredients and no parabens, SLS, mineral oils or artificial colours, these mild products are gentle enough for newborns and children with sensitive and eczema- prone skin. And they're colourful, cute and very reasonably priced: the strawberry and organic mint shampoo and conditioner and organic sweet orange hair and body wash are just €5.49 each.
In January, French favourite Nuxe is expanding its men's range with Nuxellence by Nuxe Men (€38, Arnotts and select pharmacies), a "youth and energy revealing anti-ageing fluid", or what I would call a serum. It brightens and plumps the skin and boosts moisture with hyaluronic acid, it isn't greasy or sticky and it has a very pleasant citrusy, woody scent. Apply morning or evening after shaving.
