Even if your bathroom shelf is packed to the rafters, it’s the products you keep coming back to – and miss when they’re finished – that turn out to be the timeless keepers. If you had to slim down your desert island beauty shortlist to just 9 or 10 products for spring, which of your favourites would squeeze the rest off the shelf?
I had a quick think about this last week and here are nine that immediately sprang to mind – all tried, tested and 100% recommended (and all nine brands here – but not necessarily the actual products I’ve chosen – were winners in our 2018 Awards on 2nd March).
And an important reminder: this is not a sponsored post. None of these brands has paid me to write about them, they don’t even know this post is happening until it’s out in social media. Like our Awards – sponsor and ad-free.
And…quickly squeezing this in here! For all those who’ve been asking about the 2018 Mama & Baby Awards – yes, they’re open for entries now! They opened this week and close on 11 May (the awards will take place on Thursday 21 June).
Click here for the ONLINE ENTRY FORM & DETAILS
Right, here we go…
Row by row, starting L to R from the top, here are my nine stand-outs:
1. ZONE FACE LIFT FACIAL ELIXIR by reflexologist ZIGGIE BERGMAN (NEW)
First, in Ziggie’s own words: “This Amethyst Crystal-Infused Elixir hydrates and tightens your skin and has been shown to significantly reduce fine lines and wrinkles. The magical blend of sacred plants is applied as a 60-seconds-a day skin and spirit lifting ritual, that smudges the aura and turns the mundane into the magical. Studying with Native American shaman and healers in New Mexico, I saw the power of plants to heal the body and spirit and it has been a dream to apply this power to rejuvenate the skin and beautify the face”
“I set out to create a product that harnesses the magical properties of
sacred plants…to “spiritually” lift the face and spirit”
Ziggie Bergman
I literally adore this elixir. Rich yet quick to absorb, it’s proved itself to be an overnight success for me. When you finally get down to the bottom of the bottle (sob!) you can keep the two amethyst crystals Ziggie’s infused into the oil. A friend came over when I was testing this for the awards and she instantly connected with it too so I gave her some to take home. There’s something magical about this product – packed with oils like White Poppy, White Sage, Prickly Pear, Peach, Orange, Camelina, Avocado, Rose and Geranium – and more.
It sort of beckons you back every night for mini facial massage (it comes with a little card with facial reflexology notes on it). It’s like a reminder to take time out for yourself…inhale the aroma, let the the good oils nourish your cells while you run through your “I am grateful for….” list in your head at the end of another day. It’s a wind your mind down product, perfect before bed. You don’t have to do the massage bit, I didn’t initially although I do, now.
The scent is grounding, a little bit “Santa Fe”. It reminds me of the hawk-filled brilliant blue skies and star-spangled crisp nights there, when I went on a Thelma and Louise road trip to New Mexico many autumns ago…wide open sunny days and chilly wood-smoked nights…pinon incense cones and juniper and patchouli in the air.
Ziggie Bergman’s bespoke facial reflexology technique is something I’d study if I could leave everything and escape for a few months. I haven’t had a treatment with her, but apparently she works magic and her technique is said to take years off your face. I’m 99% sure I’m never having Botox or any kind of invasive intervention so this route appeals much more to me.
I’d say Zone Face Lift Facial Elixir is a keeper.
Calming and comforting, with just the right blend of oils for a facial massage, it’s brilliant before bed.
Zone Face Lift Facial Elixir £75 – details, full ingredients and available HERE
Winner – Best Facial Oil, 2018 Beauty Shortlist Awards
2. GENTLE CREAM CLEANSER BY MV ORGANIC SKINCARE
“Everything about celebrity-loved Australian artisan brand MV ORGANIC SKINCARE
literally “breathes” pure and nature-inspired…”
Everything about celebrity-loved Australian artisan brand MV ORGANIC SKINCARE literally “breathes” pure and nature-inspired and ethical. This creamy cleanser (which you remove with a warm cloth) is super-kind to skin. Designed for all skin types I’d say it particularly excels on normal to drier or more mature skin. I think if I had an issue with acne/breakouts/hormonal acne, though, this wouldn’t be my first choice. My skin is normal-dry. If you have sensitive, normal or dry/very dry skin you’d find this a joy to use and the founder Sharon has tremendous integrity. I love her honesty.
MV ended up sweeping the board at the Beauty Shortlist Awards this year, topping their individual product wins with a “Best Natural/Organic Skincare Brand – Australia” main brand category win. No mean feat.
You can find MV at Cult Beauty and Naturisimo in the UK.
“I feel as though MV products give my face a little “re-set”
whenever I use them”
Ruth Crilly, A Model Recommends
“I feel as though MV products give my face a little “re-set” whenever I use them. They just feel very pure, calming and balancing but at the same time they are incredibly potent and effective. With my full-on, hectic life I like to know I have them as a sort of SOS remedy!” Ruth Crilly – UK Blogger A Model Recommends, Model and busy Mum
3. MOISTURE – LIGHT VERSION by DAFNA’S SKINCARE
“Madrid-based Dafna’s Skincare is one of the most consistently good skincare brands, right across the range, that springs to mind”
Big respect to the brand founders who really know their stuff and push boundaries and Madrid-based founder of Dafna’s Skincare – Dafna – is one of them. Winner of Best International Brand, Beauty Shortlist Awards 2018, Dafna’s is one of the most consistently good skincare brands, right across the range, that springs to mind. There isn’t a “dud” or slightly mediocre product in her collection because she’s an expert formulator and really understands skin.
Dafna created a “summer” version of her cult moisturiser – it’s lighter than the original “Moisture” product, and fast-absorbing, full of things you’d find in a Spanish summer garden like fig, rosemary, bitter orange, lavender. All infused into a beautiful grape seed, aloe, olive, argan, hyaluronic acid and glycerine base.
So, if you love a super-light moisturiser in sunnier months, chances are your skin will really like this too.
Need to know: 100% natural, aromatic and aromatherapeutic, Dafna’s Skincare is based on Ayurvedic principles.
You can check out Dafna’s entire(ly) beautiful range at www.dafnaskincare.com
4. SUPER BALM DAILY DEEP CLEANSER by The White Company £25
Whoooo!! This rich, luxe lemon and petitgrain emollient balm was quite the popular winner last month – multiple thumbs up!
It turns milky when mixed with water, and I like the fact that it’s squeezable (big tube – 150ml) rather than in a jar.
The White Company’s founder Chrissie is an ex beauty journalist and it’s interesting to note that she chose to collaborate with cult formulators Deciem – The Abnormal Beauty Company (good move).
This capsule collection covers the solid basics including The White Company’s Advanced Hydration Moisturiser, the Super Balm Cleanser, a serum, eye serum and lovely night oil and following the range’s Beauty Shortlist Awards wins in March, stock is apparently now limited online as you’ll see on the note on their skincare page, but there should be good availability in-store.
The stand-out feature of this cleanser is its ability to leave skin feeling comfortably squeaky clean – without any tight squeakiness – and instantly softer and smoother. Genuinely visibly, tangibly so.
It’s the sort of cleanser you can’t wait to use. For me, the lemon and petitgrain were a little addictive – zesty and clean in the morning and uplifting and clean before bed. Trinny Woodall posted a video on her Instagram page about it and I completely agree, this is a great find and a real joy to use. Something to make your skin sing in spring.
Please, White Company, could you do a travel size tube?
5. ENERGY HIGH MOODFIX MIST by TISSERAND £8.95
“Every office/bedroom/study/kitchen/handbag should have one of these”
Every office/bedroom/study/kitchen/handbag should have one of these. Tisserand have just rebranded their Wellbeing range, and one of the treats in this collection is Energy High – a delicious, spirit-boosting blend of lime, grapefruit, coriander, orange leaf and bergamot (a brilliant essential oil for lifting an “ugh!” mood). Blended into the citrus notes here are more grounding oils like juniper and cypress, adding a touch of “grounding” to the whole energy high vibe.
I’m a big fan of Tisserand’s Wellbeing collection. Robert Tisserand’s work with aromatherapy is legendary, he’s one of our real experts. This range is so affordable, the products make lovely gifts and their essential oils are mandatory, for me.
Peppermint is a great “focuser” in winter, I use it when it goes crazy around the time of the Awards, bergamot is a nice mood booster and I often carry the grapefruit around with me. Drop a few drops onto a tissue and inhale when you’re on a train or plane.
Tisserand’s own signature diffuser oil blends are lovely to dip into, too, to help boost focus, clarity, energy, mood, de-stress and induce a good night’s sleep: Mind Clear, Energy High, Total De-Stress and Sleep Better.
“Spray in the air around for you for an instant lift”
ENERGY HIGH MOODFIX MIST is £8.95 and available at Tisserand.co.uk
Discover the whole Wellbeing Collection HERE
OK…on to number six!
6. SKIN PERFECT MOISTURISER by M. PICAUT SWEDISH SKINCARE
Swedish skincare expert Mette Picaut’s range was one of the best discoveries of my year two winters ago. It’s one of those brands that’s so clean you can almost sense the wild seabuckthorn berries bowing to the wind, the pristine beaches…
“I believe in less is more when it comes to skincare products.
Nature offers us all we need”
Mette Picaut
I haven’t tried the whole range but the M. Picaut products (another Beauty Shortlist Awards winner, both last year and this March) I do know were almost instantly addictive – because it is so fresh, clean and so comfortable to wear.
Mette’s philosophy is: “I believe in less is more when it comes to skincare products. Nature offers us all we need”.
I’m a fan of Mette’s peptide-rich, sea buckthorn packed Skin Perfect Moisturiser, this is just bliss to wear on longer, lighter days and I know I’m repeating myself again but the whole clean feeling of this light cream is so alluring. Formulated for all skin types but especially good for sensitive skin, you can up the game for drier or older skin by adding a drop of M. Picaut’s Precious Oil or Mette’s Hydra Miracle Serum.
Eco escapists and green beauty fans who haven’t discovered M. Picaut yet will probably love the brand, inspired by the west coast of Sweden where Mette and her family live. It’s a breath of fresh air in a rush-rush world…
You might also like…M. Picaut’s cult Calming Cocoon Cream a deliciously rich concoction with coconut, wild yam, organic avocado and squalene (from olives) which multitasks as a facial, lip, hand and decolletage nourisher/hydrator.
“Tack”, Mette!
From the M. Picaut website: “Winning a Beauty Shortlist Award is not a walk in the park. The products are judged by multiple experts and have to emerge with an overall ranking of 10 (sometimes 9) from each judge with extremely favourable comments covering ingredients, texture, packaging, the brand’s ethics and more considerations – which is why brands that did so well, like M.Picaut, are absolute “stand-outs”.
For me personally, M. Picaut ticked the clean, green boxes wonderfully, but it was the light, fresh textures, intelligently-handpicked natural extracts and oils and the strong feel-good, comfort factor and emotional appeal that made it stand out for me – and the other judges gave it great rankings, too, which was wonderful,” says Fiona Klonarides about M Picaut Swedish Skincare.
7. NEOM ORGANICS HAPPINESS HOME MIST £18
Up to 1,200 spritzes…spray liberally to conjure up summers in Italy (when it’s 11c and cloudy in London)
A neroli, mimosa and lemon dream.
Buy HERE
8. OMOROVICZA GLAM GLOW FACE AND BODY TANNER
This is the best facial tanner out there if a healthy glow is what you’re after. Anyone who prefers a subtler, natural tan who hasn’t tried this yet I’d say, try it! This is not a “just back from 4 weeks in Hawaii” tanner.
There are other good facial tanners out there, but for me Omorovicza’s GLAM GLOW delivers such a reliably natural, healthy looking inbuilt glow it’s in a league of its own. I still haven’t come across any self-tanner which delivers that same kind of “from within” flawless glow – an even tan yes, but not half as glowy as Omorovicza’s Glam Glow (well named).
This is still my No.1 facial tanner.
I’ve used this self-tanner for a few years now, and when the other judges on our panel who haven’t tried it before give it a 10 with outstanding feedback, you know this one is a timeless winner. Best used overnight.
Results:
- Visibly radiant
- Healthy, natural glow
Awarded “Best Self Tanner” at the Beauty Shortlist Awards Awards 2018
Awarded ‘Best Lotion’ in the Self Tans category by Harper’s Bazaar.
- Restores suppleness, elasticity and tone with plum almond oil.
- Deliverslong-lasting hydration and suppleness with apple pectin.
- Leaves skin firmer, more supple and younger-looking as Healing Concentrate™ delivers minerals deep into the skin.
£35 at OMOROVICZA – PRODUCT INFO/BUY HERE
If you shop at Cult Beauty, you’ll find it here
9. VOYA – MINDFUL MOMENTS RELAXING BODY OIL
99% organic, lavender and rosemary are the stars of this well-absorbing, nourishing body oil. The ingredients read like a dream. Winner – Best Body Oil in last year’s Beauty Shortlist Awards, it was one of the entries I used right to the very end, I was still using this months after testing had ended. I’ve been making a lot of wildharvested teas, using wild growing lavender, rosemary, mint and nettle and I think purists who can’t bear anything remotely synthetic would really connect with this product.
Voya – in the same way that L’Occitane evokes a real sense of place (Provence) – has its roots in the west coast of Ireland. I’ve watched this beautiful spa brand grow and one day, maybe this year, I’ll get myself to a Voya Spa.
Voya do more body oils, as well as facial skincare, bath and sometimes candles (I wish they made more candles actually, I bought a limited edition one two Christmases ago and still remember the scent). They have a knack for harnessing the magical properties of nature within their products.
If you prefer an authentically-scented oil then this calming, uplifting lavender and rosemary-infused one is an absolute treat. It’s like a daily reminder to slow down and practise more (current buzzword) “self-care”.
Very healing oils here (rosehip, evening primrose and argan in particular) – here’s the complete ingredients list.
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil*, Himanthalia Elongata (Seaweed) Extract*, Macadamia Ternifolia (Macadamia) Seed Oil*, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil*, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil*, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil*, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil*, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Herb Oil*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil*, Tocopherol, Limonene+, Linalool+, Citral+. *Organic, +Naturally Occurs in Essential Oils+
99% Certified Organic Ingredients
Buy HERE
Coming soon…D is for Decolletage, one of 2018’s fastest-growing beauty trends. We’ve sifted out the hardest workers for “that area” most of us forget about until we hit our 40s, but not any more.