Pre-summer staples
By Eve Oxberry
When I meet new people and tell them what I do, their first question is usually, "so do you get sent loads of products?" While I'm always at great pains to insist the majority of my time is spent hunched over a laptop or running between meetings, there's no denying that getting to try out the latest products before they hit the salon shelves is a huge perk.
And there have been some great ones recently, so I thought I'd share a few pre-summer picks that have already made it out of the office and into my bathroom cabinet.
Darphin – Melaperfect moisturiser
I'm a big Darphin fan. The moisturisers in particular just work for my skin, which can be quite reactive. So when I got sent the new Melaperfect moisturiser, due to launch at the end of May, I tried it straight away! Now in my mid-thirties, my skin is starting to show some serious signs of ageing. It's rougher and more prone to dehydration, so I love that Melaperfect will help protect it from what's fast becoming the biggest ageing concern among women – the dreaded pigmentation. It also has SPF 20, which is a huge bonus for summer as I am among the many in our industry who know they should wear SPF every day but don't make the time to add yet another product into their routine. So the inclusion in a moisturiser that is also light and smells great is a winner for me.
Decléor – Aroma Lisse 2-in1 Dark Circle & Eye Wrinkle Eraser
When I'm asked by therapists what my main skin concerns are, dark circles always comes top. With an olive skin tone, I think most of that's down to genetics, but I know the late nights don't help. So I was excited to try the newest eye product from Decléor. Launching this month, it's a little squeezy tube with a soft silicon applicator. A key ingredient is vitamin PP, which Fiona Brackenbury tells me helps strengthen capillaries - weak capillaries often being responsible for the dark circles. While this works its magic over the coming weeks, the other key ingredients - golden pigments and illuminators, have a colour correct action for more immediate brightening.
Nubar – Wildflower Blooming
OK, this one's been out a little while - it's from Nubar's Spring in the City collection - but it's now become my pre-summer staple. You can't tell from the bottle but it is a super bright - almost neon - coral, which is surprisingly flattering. It gives my sun-starved post-winter skin an instant lift and I know it'll look even better with a tan. Nubar polishes go on thinner than some others meaning I find you need three coats, but that seems to help it last longer before chipping, so it's worth the effort.
