IT WAS SHAPING up like any other Easter, until my younger sibling “found” the Easter egg stash so carefully hidden, and decided she must sample them all. After denying ourselves for 40 days and 40 nights, her four unfortunate sisters deserved more than a half-eaten egg with only the soft-centred sweets left. I’ve been making up for it every Easter since that terrible day.
There’s going to be a lot of chocolate around this weekend, and that’s a very good thing indeed. I like to believe the theorists who say that chocolate relieves stress and promotes happiness, and for such a small financial outlay. How many things can you say that about these days?
A visit to the waxing salon is often viewed with the same enthusiasm as a visit to the dentist – we love the results, but hate the procedure. Lycon wax is different, with its soothing aloe vera and chamomile, and it’s a relatively pain-free experience. Brazilia Salons use a chocolate Lycon in their Chocolate and Hazelnut Delight treatments – an indulgent way to detoxify skin, with the added benefits of vitamin E. The Holiday Special costs € 75 and includes eyebrow, underarm, bikini and lower leg wax. Tel: 01-6750000.
Here’s another fat-free way to indulge – with White Chocolate Body Cream from spa brand SPC (€ 59). Cocoa butter is combined with sweet almond and shea butter to provide a rich but absorbent cream, for an Easter treat without the calories. Available from Arnotts or online from www.spc.co.uk.
A chocolate eyeliner is so much softer than a black, and suits every eye shade. Bobbi Brown’s award-winning gel formula is easy to apply and doesn’t budge. Chocolate Shimmer Ink (€ 22) can be used to create subtle to dramatic looks, but only if you use a good lining brush.
I like my fake tan already tinted, then I can see exactly where it is going. Rich Silken Chocolate Instant Self Tan (€ 28) from Vita Liberata, has a chocolate tint without a hint of Terry’s Chocolate Orange. It is fragrance-free, dries almost immediately and develops into a lovely shade. With its silkening and nourishing extracts, it leaves skin golden and enhanced. Available from selected pharmacies or direct from www.vitaliberata.com.
Nuxe is a fabulous skin care range, and it uses chocolate, too. Shimmering Chocolate Lip Gloss (€17) adds a sheer colour, and also works as a lip balm with SPF 15, and a botanical plumper to volumise and protect lips. From Clerys, and selected pharmacies
The conditioning properties of Vaseline have been combined with cocoa butter in two new products to leave skin glowing and smooth. Deep Conditioning Lotion (€ 4.29) and Smoothing Body Butter (€ 10.99). The lotion also comes with vitamin E and the butter with shea butter. That’s a lot of bang for your buck
Chocolate brown creates a beautiful strong neutral when worn as a nail colour. The aptly-named Chocolate Kisses from Essie (€11.99) is a high-quality lacquer that gives a dark cocoa finish. Tel: 01-4610645 for nationwide stockists.