New, new-ish and not new…but all wonderful for various reasons! I thought I’d put together a “spring-into-summer shortlist” of some of the best things that have landed on my desk recently, along with a few regular favourites. In case you haven’t got around to trying some of these, here’s why they’re here and why they’re worth a proper look.
TOP ROW
L to R: Tisserand’s Rose & Geranium Leaf Hand Wash £7.95, such a pretty scent, and it’s gentle, and like Tisserand’s range in general, pretty nicely priced. Robert Tisserand is a legend in the aromatherapy world and Tisserand keep launching new products which keeps things fresh! Bag this one for your bathroom – wonderfully summery.
Aurelia Probiotic Skincare – Little Treasures £12. This would be the best little gift for a girlfriend or new mum you’re staying the weekend with, you’ve got the brilliant Aromatic hand cream (which the more you use it, the better your hands get, unlike many hand creams that don’t work “continuously”) plus the Firm & Revitalise Dry Body Oil (yes dry, sigh of relief, and it’s equally heavenly, with heavenly notes of Neroli, Rose, Mandarin and Lavender). If like me you much prefer dry body oils, you can thank me later (!)
Jane Scrivner Skincare’s Nourishing Cleanser £46 (last for ages and you can use it as an intensive mask, too)
Scoop a small amount of this delectable golden balm out (it sweeps off waterproof mascara, too), massage over your face and remove with the gorgeous fluffy mitt that comes with it. It contains jojoba oil which will actually make your oily skin less oily over time – plus it boosts elastin/collagen production. Full of gorgeous oils like sweet orange and lavender and the 100ml pot should last you 2-3 months. I LOVE using this as a night balm! I do this during stressful periods, it just sorts thing everything out, really: apply, sleep and check your mirror in the morning: “Oh!? Much better.”
MIDDLE ROW
Murad’s (new) Retinol Youth Renewal Serum is quick off the start – it’s already won a couple of awards in just two short months. It contains a triple retinol “whammy”, a tri-active formula, which – without going into the full science bit here – really speeds up results. This is one amazing serum because you can expect to see results within 2 weeks. When I took it for a test drive a few weeks ago, I already noticed a difference after 7-8 days which boded well for continued use. Priced at £65 (30ml), if you have no patience and are shopping around for a new serum I really can’t recommend this one enough. It should soften forehead/worry lines and diminish any more marked lines on the face. I’ll be going back to it again soon as I think this is a keeper. (Reminder here for anyone new to The Beauty Shortlist – none of our posts or social media posts are sponsored and neither are our Awards so you can be sure these are products that genuinely float my, and our, boat).
OK… now zipping through the remaining 6 on the list:
Green People’s Age Defy SPF15 Tinted Moisturisers (love these, have you tried them? Great, fresh-looking coverage and really easy to wear in summer)
Weleda’s brand NEW trio of Tinted Lip Balms – there’s an ultra-pale shimmery shade, a useful every day nude and a slightly darker rose – all are creamy, moisturising and natural and they’re one of the new 2017 Beauty Shortlist Awards winners this year. Very new, well worth trying. £7-ish each, can’t remember the exact price off hand. (Tip: the palest shade works well on eyelids!)
Eye of Horus – Metallic Liner in Copper. Aussie brand EOH do the most divine, goddess-inspired eye makeup in purples, azures and metallic shades, I hope they’ll arrive at more retailers in the UK soon as there’s room for a more natural makeup brand in this market and not surprisingly they’ve been winners of multiple Beauty Shortlist Awards in the past few years. Give this brand a whirl soon, it’s good.
You can find EOH in the UK at Beauty Bay, here are the eye pencils so you can see the shades:
Finally, two personal favourites of mine…
Both NYR and Tropic Skincare blazed a trail in March’s Awards, scooping a lot of category wins. One range I keep coming back to is Neal’s Yard Remedies’ delightfully summery, orange-geranium blend which I literally cannot get enough of. I wear the body lotion on hot summer days instead of an EDP and there’s always one of these hand creams somewhere in my flat!
This is their Loved By Gardeners Set (Hand Wash, Hand Lotion and Hand Cream), £32.
Neal’s Yard Remedies Loved by Gardeners Set
Finally…another nice hand cream, this time by Tropic Skincare. I’d say this is one of the most consistently good beauty brands around at the moment. We waded through so many of their products (with much joy, as it turned out!) in the run up to the Beauty Shortlist Awards on 2 March and when the judges’ sheets all came in, that was the proof of the pudding. Incredibly, everyone had really rated Tropic’s entries, everyone was writing about what a wonderful discovery this brand was (the testers who hadn’t tried it before) and how gorgeous such and such product was to test. Tropic’s packaging is pretty but it’s the ingredients that shine, for me. Their skincare is a nature-inspired feast for skin. Eco, lovely to use, cruelty-free, innovative and beautifully packaged, Tropic won so many categories in the Awards that I barely remember what they were now. Bravo. Lovely brand.
My Tropic Skincare pick for May would be….?
Earlier this month there was a flurry of people asking for recommendations for a good 100% natural facial oil so if you just happen to be looking for one too, Tropic’s Organic Elixir age-defying facial oil is a great one to look at – it’s full of skin-reviving, energizing fruit and flower oils (rosehip, the great healer, is one of the stars of this show, too) and the price tag is so good too, £26. Use at night for happy skin in the morning.
Another thumbs up for Tropic is how they list their ingredients in both plain English + INCI*:
ORGANIC ELIXIR
INGREDIENTS (ENGLISH):
Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rosehip Oil, Organic Plum Kernel Oil, Organic Moringa Oil, Organic Pomegranate Oil, Kiwi Seed Oil, Vitamin E, Sunflower Seed Oil, Rosemary Extract
INGREDIENTS (INCI):
simmondsia chinensis seed oil, rosa canina fruit oil, prunus domestica seed oil, moringa oleifera seed oil, punica granatum seed oil, actinidia chinensis seed oil, tocopherol, helianthus annuus seed oil, rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract
* What’s INCI?
The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, abbreviated INCI, is a system of names for waxes, oils, pigments, chemicals, and other ingredients of soaps, cosmetics, and the like, based on scientific names and other Latin and English words
There you have it. If you decide to try any of these, or are already using them, please let us know how you get on!