MELVITA ORANGE BLOSSOM EXTRAORDINARY WATER £14/100ml
This popped out of my Melvita goody bag at the Natural Beauty Yearbook 2013 Who’s Who Top 25 party and I haven’t stopped using it since. French, refreshing and rather lovely, Eau Extraordinaire Fleur d’Oranger hydratante contains soy-based hyaluronic acid and fig mucilage (a viscous, soluble fibre – mucilages protect plant wounds, interestingly) plus organic glycerine and neroli essential water. Because it’s a sort of water-gel cross, if you like “quench” hydrating products you’d probably be a fan of this one. Put it on pre-moisturiser with a cotton pad or fingers to prep skin. With its subtle orange blossom flower scent it’ll remind you of summer in the south of France in deepest winter. Ecocert
DR HAUSCHKA REGENERATING NECK AND DECOLLETE CREAM £50.95/40g
When you get to ‘un certain age’, neck creams – which are pretty much off the radar when you’re young(er) – suddenly become tres important. That moment when you catch a glimpse of something crepey in the mirror – aargh, your neck! – which has enjoyed many wonderful holidays in the sun and is now paying for them. Lounging around at home with the central heating on in winter doesn’t do skin any favours, either, sadly. Time for a supercharged neck cream then. Dr. Hauschka’s is packed with too many powerful natural ingredients to list here (such as horsetail (silica), witch hazel, shea butter, coconut oil and Birch leaf extract) and it’s a no-nonsense firming, cell-renewing, ultra-protective winter skin star. The best time to start using a neck cream is yesterday. Ingredients here.
REN ROSE O12 MOISTURE DEFENCE SERUM – DRY SKIN £42/30ml
REN is one of my favourite brands because it blends cutting-edge phyto (plant) formulas with a clean, modern look and feel and if most of the exfoliators on the market make you feel like you’ve been attacked by a sandblaster, I can’t recommend REN’s Micropolish Cleanser enough. But back to winter skin drinks…this Rose O12 Moisture Defence Serum contains Cymbopogon Martini Oil (aka Palmarosa), derived from a skin-balancing Asian/Indian grass which reduces oil or helps dry skin, depending on what the imbalance is). There are two main reasons why skin acts dry – dehydration (lack of water) and lack of natural oils, and this REN serum features a really intelligent line-up and smells beautiful, too.
- Ceramides from carthame oil, Phospholipids from soybean and Essential Fatty Acids from seabuckthorn berry oil and rosehip seed oil help to repair skin
- Octacosenoic acid from ximenia oil locks moisture into the skin to restore softness, elasticity and optimum comfort
- Tocotrienols from cranberry seed oil protect the skin against oxidative damage and premature ageing
BALANCE ME EXTRA CARE WONDER EYE CREAM £20/15ml
British brand Balance Me have just launched their new Facial Expression Line Filler – a brilliant on-the-go skin plumper with a very intriguing label which reads like a dream. Cue: blackberry leaf extract, kukui, coconut and cloudberry oil, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, rose, frankincense plus calming chamomile and brightening lemon and cucumber extracts, all in one tube. If you’re looking for a non-heavy, triple-action Eye Cream to “energise” the skin around the eyes, deal with dark shadows and help tone down fine lines, this is a light-but-effective winter skin friend. Also comes in a £14/10ml size…great for small handbags and dipping into if you want to try it first.
WILLOW – LIQUID GOLD ORGANIC ROSE & ARGAN FACE OIL SERUM £42/15ml
Prediction: Willow is a brand we’ll be seeing a lot of in 2013. Interior designer Sue Stowell was inspired to create her organic range when sourcing products for a hotel spa she was working with and while Willow’s already well known for its candles and gifts, Sue has navigated the organic terrain, too, successfully getting Willow’s beauty products Soil Association certified. If you’re a member of the luxury organics club, this is (as it says on the label) just “gorgeous”. This ultra- fine, delicate oil absorbs extremely well, boosting skin with a deluxe hit of argan and rose oils and manuka honey and leaves skin with a subtle natural sheen – brilliant for skin that’s totally lost its radiance because of too much smoking, stress or too little sleep. When we’re not on deadlines, you’ll often find us lurking in Willow’s Home Fragrance ‘department‘.
