Thoughtful (Beauty) Shopper: The April Edition
April’s best Irish and sustainable beauty buys, from Stoneybatter’s clean formulations to Galway’s newest fragrance
Clean Living
Doing a ‘beauty detox’ has become the trending story of this year, and Stoneybatter-based natural skincare company Oxmantown has done just that on its own range, refining it back to just fourteen core products. There are now nine products in their Facial range, and four in the body range with a single Perfume Oil making it easier to navigate. They have also introduced a vitamin-rich body oil (€30) with seabuckthorn, lavender and bergamot and new Replenishing Bath Salts with Himalayan and Epsom salts as well as essential oils of geranium, mandarin, lavender and bergamot (€28). As well as being a homegrown business, the range has also just been certified by the Vegan Society & Leaping Bunny as Cruelty-Free. oxmantownskincare.ie
The Long Game
New to Spake NK here is The Dewy Skin Cream created by the Tatcha Institute in Tokyo, where scientists combine Japanese botanicals with clinical ingredients to distil their tradition of longevity into a topical form. Created using purple rice, a grain loved in Japan for promoting longevity and vitality, there is also a special blend of red and brown algae to support the skin barrier while hyaluronic acid boosts the skin's hydration. Meanwhile, traditional Japanese botanical extracts including ginseng, wild thyme, sweet marjoram and squalane aim to give that dewy glow. Gentle and unctuous, it is refreshingly free from too many actives making it easy on the skin and seriously moisturising. €79 from SpaceNK Grafton Street and spacenk.com
Vitamin Skin
Award-winning Irish skincare brand Skingredients has just launched two new Retinol products, Retinol 0.6% + B3 Serum and Retinol 1% + B3 Serum. Four years in the making, and tested on 40 panellists, it promises up to ten benefits thanks to its unique combination of vitamin A (pure retinol), B3+ (niacinamide), hyaluronic acid and humectants. Working on everything from reducing lines and wrinkles, increasing collagen production, reducing dark spots and pigmentation, as well as evening skin tone and radiance. Possibly one of the biggest differentiators is its delivery system which helps to protect retinol from degradation and oxidation. The two products are designed to work together, so for those unused to Retinol, you start with the lower dosage, twice weekly, then three times per week and so on until you are at five times per week. Retinol 0.6% + B3 Serum, 30ml, €49, Retinol 1% + B3 Serum, 30ml, €55. Skingredients.com and selected stockists nationwide.
Scents of decadence
Galway-based perfumer Cloon Keen has been producing sophisticated, luxurious scents for the last two decades, and its latest fragrance, Báinín, is little different. Taking its name from the homespun wool that is traditionally knitted through Aran jumpers, and pronounced ‘bawneen’, its translation means ‘little white’ after the ivory-coloured skeins of wool. With top notes of bergamot, lemon oils and neroli, heart notes of wood accord and jasmine and base notes of musk and cedarwood, this light scent (€130 for 75ml) is comforting yet fresh. Tried and tested, it’s one worth adding to your beauty shelf – its slick bottle alone is a worthy sight. Launching April 15 at cloonkeen.com.
Kind of blue
Chanel’s spring makeup collection is distinctive for its blue and watery theme, as chosen by their global makeup creative partner Valentina Li. Featuring a blue highlighter that is elevated by subtle pearlescence, an eye palette, an eyeliner in Bleu Abysse and our personal favourite, the nail shade in Lagune, €32. There is also a palette of coral tones, Roses Coquillage, €70, with orange hues and embossed with a design inspired by ripples on the water’s surface and a new Baume Essential in Mermaid Glow, €45, which you can apply to the eyelids, the inner corner of the eyes, and the lips for some extra radiance. Available from Brown Thomas and chanel.com
Pocket rocket
Triple Bond Complex is a new weekly, no-rinse, leave-in treatment from Living Profff that gives cult buy K18 a run for its money. Clinically proven to rebuild and repair hair from the cortex to cuticle, it features a breakthrough, patent-pending molecule that builds out the strands from within, fortifying their core strength, and repairing them but also creating new bonds for stronger hair. An encapsulated cellular oil protects against thermal, UV damage and colour fading, while a biomimetic emollient blend works to replenish the lost lipids on the hair surface. This is all topped off with a cuticle sealing agent to smooth and soften the hair for easy manageability. In short, it's a little hair miracle in a bottle, and all you have to do is apply a few pumps to shampoo hair once a week to get the benefits. Triple Bond Complex, €48, available at M&S, Space NK and Look Fantastic.
