Beauty products that work hard (with minimal effort from you)

Body products must always be functional first, lovely second. The best of them will work hard for you while giving a pleasant sensory experience, but the results should be palpable and the work involved minimal. Most of us neglect to maintain our bodies somewhat during the wool-shrouded winter months, only to discover itchy, flaky legs, calloused feet and dull skin.

Shaveworks The Cool Fix Ingrown Hair Gel Treatment

€19.45 from lookfantastic.com

If you’re inclined to shave or wax, you’ll want something that won’t sting in order to instantly cool and soothe while really working on any ingrown hairs. This is it.

Lola’s Apothecary Delicate Romance Balancing Body & Massage Oil

£38 from lolasapothecary.com

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This rose, spice and citrus oil is very high quality with a good concentration of rosehip and argan oils. It looks divine, smells equally celestial and moisturises intensely.

La Roche Posay Lipikar Baume AP+

€25.99 for 400ml

I’ve recommended this to countless eczema sufferers since using it to clear up my own eczema several years ago. This cream is incredibly effective on problematically dry or very dry skin, and doesn’t irritate or feel like a layer of cling film.

Oh K Jasmine Hand Cream

€6.50 from boots.ie

If this Korean-inspired hand cream in its little bear pot doesn’t encourage you to reapply throughout the day, nothing will. Are there more serious and effective hand creams? Sure. But this one is functional, affordable and cheering.

St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion

€19.99 for 200ml tube

This sold out instantly when it launched, but is now easy to find. It is streak-free perfection itself for anyone who can’t be bothered with the usual effort of false tanning but is frightened of corned beef legs.

Footner Exfoliating Socks

€19.99 from boots.ie

These work after a single application. Be warned, though, your feet will peel for a week or more afterwards (which may horrify or thrill you). When the peeling is over, you will essentially have a new pair of feet, but the peeling stage will get ugly.

Omorovicza Gold Shimmer Oil

£52 at Space NK

This is (bad pun cheerfully intended) the gold standard in body shimmer oils. You can find similar products from brands such as Nuxe and The Body Shop. However, the Omorovicza oil offers an incomparable sheen, containing more of a gold dust than a glitter.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold Luxe Resurfacing Body Cloths €19.45 for pack of 25

With their exfoliating glycolic acid, these wipes treat everything from bacne and dry feet to keratosis pilaris (those bumps many of us have on the backs of upper arms). Moisturise after use and avoid using them on sore or very sensitive skin.

Laura Kennedy’s Product of the week

Warrior Botanicals Deodorant Cream

€14 from warriorbotanicals.com

Warrior Botanicals is a relatively new all-natural brand out of west Cork, founded by Reidin Battle. The packaging, while looking absolutely beautiful, is maximally recyclable and the products don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients. The deodorant creams are delightful for all but the very active or those with problem perspiration. Its dry shampoos and delicious facial mists are also lovely.