Beauty’s favourite bloom is back. These are the fragrances worth noting
This latest take on the rose is delicate and very refined
Do you remember those Tocca dresses? They were big in the mid-90s – pretty, feminine and colourful little things that were the antithesis to 80s power dressing and formed part of the return of the dress (again).
Well, now the label’s clothing is only sold in Japan – but the good news is that the fragrance line is once again available on these shores. The range of eau de parfums – called Tocca Girls (£68, harveynichols.com) – is as charming as the frocks ever were: delicate and very refined. My favourite is Giulietta – a standout with notes of Bulgarian rose, ylang-ylang, apple, lilac and cedarwood.
Also producing their own take on the rose this summer…
Elizabeth Arden White Tea Wild Rose eau de toilette (£36, elizabetharden.co.uk). Here wild rose is teamed with redcurrant, peony, pear, amber and, of course, white tea for a slightly fruitier element.
Jo Loves Rose Petal 25 eau de parfum (from £70, joloves.com) is just like nuzzling your nose into a rose. It’s totally feel-good and transports you to sunny summer days spent basking in an English country garden.
The lip balm that changed my life
Sensai Cellular Performance Total Lip Treatment
I can’t remember a time when my lips weren’t on the dry side. It’s a reason why I don’t often wear lipstick – it can all too easily highlight the cracks. Consequently, lip balms have always been plentiful in my life – stuffed in pockets and bags so I won’t be caught looking too dehydrated. But they’re stopgaps rather than solutions, with constant reapplication the name of the game.
Then I tried the Sensai Cellular Performance Total Lip Treatment (£75, harrods.com) and life changed. It isn’t new. In fact, I’d say this product has become the stuff of recent beauty legend (it launched in 2004). But, because of the price, I hadn’t tried it. Now that I have, I fear it will be hard to find a way back. It really has transformed the state of my lips and it works on the surrounding fine lines, too. It’s no cure, mind you – stop using it and everything will revert to type. But it’s a decided push in the right direction. Key ingredients include mandarin tree extract to boost collagen and koishimaru silk extract to maintain the skin’s hyaluronic acid levels.
I find one application at bedtime – it isn’t sticky or gloopy but more of a silky serum texture – is enough to perform a minor-miracle level of rejuvenation by rehydrating, plumping and resurfacing. It’s fantastic stuff. And truly, you don’t even need a full pump, so you can eke out a pot for months and still remain chap-free. When I first got it, I had to apply morning and evening – and still do sometimes if I feel I need a boost. If you want to apply lipstick afterwards, you can but I’d suggest waiting a while for it to soak in.
Alternatively, at the start of the year Ameliorate came out with its own Intensive Lip Treatment at a fraction of the price (£15, ameliorate.com). And truth be told, it’s also a winner. It’s feels less like luxury skincare than the Sensai but still delivers serious moisture-boosting care without any reapplication during the day.
Chanel Rouge Coco Flash Lipstick
For colour, I’m currently reaching for Chanel Rouge Coco Flash Lipstick (£31, chanel.com) in Rush, a perky pinkish coral. The texture feels like a balm and gives the finish of a shimmery oil, which works well over a serum base.
If you prefer to stick with a good old lip balm, I would recommend the Bioderma Atoderm Moisturising Stick (£5.50, lookfantastic.com). It has shea butter and avocado oil to help soothe and, as balms go, I find it to be a great caregiver to chapped lips. But it’s something that you do need to keep reapplying throughout the day.
Ameliorate Intensive Lip Treatment, Bioderma Atoderm Moisturising Stick
Fenty Beauty Pro Kiss’r Lip-Loving Scrubstick
Lip scrubs have lately become a special beauty category of their own, but I find that those resembling a mini pot of body scrub can be a bit messy – I also seem to always end up swallowing some of it. Not so with the rather swanky new offering from Fenty Beauty: the Pro Kiss’r Lip-Loving Scrubstick (£15, boots.com). It works – and looks – much like a lipstick but contains apricot seeds to gently exfoliate away dead skin, leaving a good base for your preferred treatment option. Simply wipe off when finished.
Give your lashes some curl power
Chanel eyelash curlers
I’m not sure I’d claim that anyone needs Chanel eyelash curlers (£28, chanel.com) but I expect most people will want them (including my good self). Especially since Shu Uemura pulled out of the UK market, leaving a hole for the nation’s most-loved lash transformers. In all honesty, they work just like any other (good) pair and are made from stainless steel, but they come stamped with the brand name, which, rightly or wrongly, makes them feel that bit more plush.
Want to pack up the packaging?
If you’re confused about how best to dispose of and recycle all your beauty product packaging then Yolanda Cooper, founder of natural and sustainable haircare brand We Are Paradoxx, wants to help. Describing herself as an ‘accidental activist’, as part of her campaign she hopes to inspire everyone to reduce the impact of their beauty waste. Visit her website plasticfreebeauty.org.