Beauty

Compiled by PHYL CLARKE

On the line

Littlewoods Ireland has expanded its popular online shopping site to include beauty and personal care products. Along with familiar names and monthly special offers, there is a comprehensive section on beauty tools and gadgets. But what caught my eye was the inclusion of such brands as Mister Mascara and Daniel Sandler, which are difficult to find in Ireland. Mister Mascara produces excellent beauty accessories, such as this dinky little mirror (€12), which includes a built-in light – so simple and clever.

Sandler is famed for his Waterbase foundation (€32), which can be worn as a sheer tint or mixed with the concealer (included) for extra coverage.

littlewoodsireland.ie

In a lather

It all started during a road trip to Australia when Donagh Quigley and his fiancée Gemma McGowan came across a cottage industry making and selling handmade soaps that seemed to have a positive effect on Quigley’s psoriasis. Not finding an equivalent back in Ireland, they saw a gap in the market and began to make their own soaps using natural ingredients and traditional techniques. The fruits of their labour is the quaintly named Handmade Soap Company, which not only produces soap with such ingredients as grapefruit and Irish moss, but also a range of bodycare products, shaving creams and muscle salves.

In keeping with the old-fashioned aesthetic, the packaging design is straight off a travelling medicine man’s wagon and the western theme is continued on its website with a sepia-tinted photograph of the couple hamming it up for the camera. The range is available at the Kilkenny Shop, Clerys and Blarney Woollen Mills and at thehandmadesoapcompany.ie

Hands up

For me, the most important component in a hand cream is the SPF, as the skin on your hardworking hands is the most exposed to the elements. Expensive hand creams, with their luxurious textures and aromas, are a treat to use and make lovely gifts. For everyday use, though, it is hard to beat Neutrogena’s Norwegian Formula anti-ageing hand cream with SPF25.

It gives intense moisture and protection, and the price is just €6.57. So you can have a few dotted around the house, the car and the office.

Vacation value

I’m normally so tight for time at Dublin Airport that I can barely manage to pick up my coffee and Butler’s chocolate before heading down to the departure lounge. Not the best way to start a holiday, when it would be nice to look around The Loop duty-free shopping area. The fragrance section is worth checking out if you are looking for a summer spritz. There’s 16.90 off L’Eau d’Issey Summer Lady, which is down to €39.35, and Estée Lauder’s “holiday in a bottle” Bronze Goddess Soleil is on offer at €41.30, a saving of €17.70. Then there’s this YSL travel palette – for €39 – with seven harmonising shades for eyes, cheeks and lips in a chic damson pink leather pouch. Bon voyage!