June
It’s mini-break time! However, with the likes of Ryan Air trying to move us towards being a luggage-free society – seriously, check-in baggage is highly discouraged and I reckon it’s only a matter of time before we’re forced to expel all the air from our lungs before we’re allowed to board the plane – how are we to be clean, fragrant and beautiful on said mini-break?
Don’t despair. Bear with me. I have searched high and low and found many small lovely things. Oh yes.
Bobbi Brown do these adorable little bottles and pots. Really, really tiny little things, that you decant your foundation and blusher and eyeshadows into, just enough to last a long weekend. They even do a mini-funnel, so you don’t spill any of your lovely foundation as you’re moving it from the bigger bottle to the smaller one (a common complaint.) Obviously it doesn’t have to be Bobbi Brown product that you carry in your lovely little Bobbi Brown mini-pots – like, you wouldn’t be arrested for fraud or anything - but frankly you’d be MAD not to. You’d want to see their Summer collection, it’s called Sandwash: gorgeous muted pastel eyes, highly efficient bronzer/blusher duos and the most fabulous lips – I’m LOVING Sandwash Rose (a gloss) and Sandwash Nude (a matte.) I feel like I’m skipping along the beach in a loose linen shirt and trousers, like I’m in Calvin Klein ad. Also, there’s a new Bobbi Brown skincare product, which has a DUAL FUNCTION - very handy in light of what we’ve been discussing – Buffing Grains for face; they can be mixed with water or any Bobbi Brown cleanser, so can function as a common-or-garden exfoliator in the daytime, but when evening rolls around and the lights are dimmed, they can operate as a make-up remover!
Now, if you are in need of SERIOUS skin-care on your mini-break – and why not? Why should standards slip even if you are in the mobile home in Ballybunion? – don’t worry. I have two wonderful solutions for you. The first is from Japanese superbrand Shiseido and it’s an Intensive Revitalizing Face Mask. Listen to this – each sheet-type mask is saturated with ‘about half a bottle of anti-aging serum, equal to 50 applications.’ (Quote from press release, not just me making it up.) You put it on when you’re going to bed (just for 15 mins, not to be worn all night) then you wake up, looking approx 39 months younger. (Not quote, that was just me doing rough assessment.) But best of all, each mask comes individually packed - small enough to fit in your pocket, if it comes to it.
Wonderful Clinique, who think of everything, have also done individually packed sheet-masks. One of the differences is Retinol – the Shiseido mask is drenched with it, which some people are mad for. But for those with more sensitive skin, maybe you’d be better off with the Clinique mask. It’s allergy-tested and oil-free – it’s been inspired by the wildly successful Moisture Surge line, which has amassed a cult-like following. There’s a mask for the face and another one just for the eye-area and after one go, my clob looked smoother and ‘plumper’ – not bad plumper, not twelve Krispy Kremes plumper, but good plumper.
(Now I know this column isn’t about Summer make-up or anything, but I just thought I’d mention Clinique’s Kiss of Bronze Summer trend. Oh, it’s lovely, so it is. Lipsticks in golds and bronzes, the iconic ‘nine-square’ blusher with different shiny sun-kissed shades and True Bronze Pressed Powder. It feels so Summery and holiday-like and if you’ve any room AT ALL in your bag, please try and fit some in.)
Sadly, going on holiday, doesn’t mean a holiday from washing ourselves and taking our make-up off (how I hate it.) Even more sadly, I have managed to track down some mini-cleansing-things, so we have no excuse. Liz Earle, the fabulous brand from the Isle of Wight, of all places, does a massive selection of dinky Ryan-Air-sized products. There’s an Overnight Kit, which contains 7 face and body skin-savers, a Holiday Beauty Essentials Kit, which needs no explanation, A Try-Me Mini Eye Kit, ditto, or you can assemble your own personal holiday kit from the comprehensive range available. The thing about Liz Earle is that the products are truly AMAZING. I mean it. The quality is immensely high, they’re free of artificial everything, organic whenever possible, they’re always winning beauty industry awards, and they’re incredibly reasonably priced! At the moment I’m MAD about her Orange Flower Body Wash, it almost makes washing myself bearable. But before you go rushing out with your purse in your hand, go back in and turn on the computer because her products are mail order. Not a pain, no, not a pain at all, because it’s so thrilling when the stuff arrives.
Another way to get our hands on mini-sizes is to keep an eye out for cosmetic companies doing giveaways with purchases. Obviously there’s always a cack lipstick and maybe a dodgy eye-shadow, but there’s usually good stuff too – little nightcreams and make-up removers and such-like. As I write, the magnificent Sisley are doing a fantastic offer in Brown Thomas – cleanser, toner, handcream, sun-glow, facial buff, All day All year, even a mini Phyto-Sculpt! Yours with 2 purchases, one of which has to be skincare and really I’d recommend just about everything they do. The Sisleya Daily Line Reducer is a miracle product, as is Global Anti-Rides. My favourite make-up removers are by Sisley and I’ve just used their new Soleil Sans Soleil on my book tour in Australia and – no small claim, this - it’s the best self-tan I’ve ever used. It’s a spray-on and it feels oily, but isn’t sticky – how do they do that?! It dried instantly and developed into an even, well-nourished-looking tan. I was really impressed. The only problem here is because I do my column so far in advance the lovely offer might be finished by the time you’re reading this. I’m sorry, I really am, but why not badger the girls for some samples anyway? So long as you don’t go back too often, you’ll probably get away with it.
To finish up, a few incredibly small, yet perfectly formed things. From innovative Stila, as part of their Good to Glow Summer collection comes clever, delicious double-jobbing products. Check out their Nail Polishes Doubles – one end features a sheer formula for the fingers, while the other end has the same shade but in a full coverage formula for the toes. Comes in pink, mocha and peach. Also see their Smudge Pot – a unique whipped gel eye liner/shadow formulation, which can be applied with a liner brush for razor-sharp precision or smudged with the fingers for a lighter application. There are already 6 excellent colours in the range but new for Summer comes copper – gorgeous! Then there’s their Sun ‘n’ highlighter, a pressed powder pan that includes both a bronzer and a highlighter (the highlighter is embedded in the bronzer in a starburst design.) There’s a cheek colour duo, there’s an eye-shadow trio, it’s as if Stila KNEW we’d be looking for efficiently-packaged, yet fabulous colours.
Finally, from Lancome comes Limited Edition Juicy Gelees – dinky little pots of jelly gloss in 7 delicious rainbow shades. Tiny, really, really tiny and so, so beautiful – like sweets… or jewels. Also from Lancome and also very beautiful, just not quite as small, are Limited Edition Juicy Tubes Plump – 8 irresistible sorbet shades in funky retro packaging, they promise to double the volume of the lips! So maybe you can justify the slightly bigger size, seeing as you’ll be getting so much more lip volume out of it.
Right, off we go.