Beauty

Beauty tips from the expert

Gene Genies

Older skin takes longer to respond and recover, alas; the springback factor gets slower as elasticity is reduced. Ten years of research into which genes are responsible for skin characteristics has given us age-fighter biolysate, which is thought to speed up the rate of recovery. Lancôme’s Génifique led the way and has been a runaway success since its release last year, with sales of two million worldwide.

The latest addition to the range is Lâncome Repair Night Cream (€70) with a high concentration of repairing and renewing ingredients. There is now a high-street version, in L’Oréal’s Youth Code, which benefits from the same research and also includes biolysate. The range is priced from €23.99.

Miuccia Prada’s unique talent for giving a classic a modern twist is eminently displayed in her new limited edition fragrance, Infusion de Tubéreuse (€67). A crisp floral that exudes spring, it’s neither too sweet nor too green. And the retro-styled bottle for the mauve-tinted scent is beyond chic.

Colour study

Maeve Grogan (pictured), a student at Mount Sackville School in Dublin, is a typical 15-year-old. We persuaded her to take her nose out of the books temporarily to check out the new collection from the teen brand, Essence. Bright, colourful and on trend, the range is fun, with prices to suit the student purse.

Maeve’s first choice was Metal Glam Cream Eyeshadows in shades called Dressed Up and So Hot (€2.49). “The purple eye shadow creates a subtle shimmer which is perfect for daytime, and the sparkly shade on top provides a little glamour. They’re also very hard wearing, staying on for most of the day.” She also rated Techno Girl Eyeliner (€2.99). “Although the liner is a little thin, it’s a lovely colour with a precise brush.” Eye Colour Boost Mascara in Showtime (€2.49) also impressed her. “It lengthens and thickens your lashes without drying them out, so they stay soft. It’s easy to remove and the purple shade is subtle but really brings out your eyes.” The XXXL Shine lip gloss she found a little sticky, but she liked the shade and found that it lasted well. Top marks went to the Colour and Go nail polish collection, which Maeve thought was “brilliant”.

The Essence range is available at Dunnes Stores, Penneys and pharmacies nationwide