5 minute read
BEAUTY
Christmas is coming - here’s our look at some of the best Advent Calendar and gifts sets available locally and online. Beauty-ful buys for all.
Noted. Aromas will have an air of familiarity around their fragrances – and it’s entirely intentional. For those who want to deliver this Christmas, but need a cost effective solution, the designer dupe company offers a wide selection of fragrances inspired by designer perfumes. Siena is Noted’s alternative to Daisy, with all of the bouquet you expect in the original spray – a floral-woody fragrance with a mellow sweetness. Strawberry, violet and musk are among the fruity and floral notes. RRP: £19.99 (50ml) Get it: notedaromas.co.uk Holland& Barrett has 25 days of conscious natural beauty products together with home accessories including a candle and essential oils in its Advent Calendar.
Favourites from H&Bs own brands Pip & Pod and VitaSkin sit alongside big names including Dr Organic, Q&A, Evolve and many more, and everything in the calendar is vegan. RRP: £55 (worth nearly £200) Get it: At branches in centre:mk and Grosvenor Centre, Northampton
Winter weather plays havoc with our skin, but Aveda has just the thing; a Cherry Almond Softening Body Care Trio. The set will smooth things over with its hand & body wash, body lotion and hand relief moisturizing crème. Know someone who is feeling a bit ‘rough’? This is the perfect thing to pop in their seasonal stocking. RRP: £35 (worth £50) Get it: aveda.co.uk or Harrods Beauty in centre:mk Christmas comes early with the arrival of the Origins Advent Calendar, which brings together 24 iconic essentials for face and body – including its #1 anti-ageing Plantscription Multi-Powered Youth Serum, radiance-boosting GinZing Serum, Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash and Ginger Souffle Whipped Body Cream. Perfectly sized to take on your hols too! RRP: £99 (worth £164) Get it: origins.co.uk Bumble and Bumble’s new All About Repair set will work from the cortex to the cuticle. It’s a powerhouse collection of a gift with everything necessary to build new bonds, and soften and shine. Suitable for all hair types, it comes with a shampoo, conditioner, treatment and styling cream. Helping to banish hairy-scary in favour of lovely locks. RRP: £54 Get it: bumbleandbumble.co.uk
Sisley’s signature scent Eau du Soir has received a swish new limited edition packaging for Christmas, and this time the brand called upon French-American artist Sydney Albertini to decorate its beautiful bottle.
Sydney has drawn inspiration from her series of charcoal drawings of abstract figures and faces, with the theme ‘reveal more by hiding.’ It’s a simply beautiful collaboration – a fine melding of art and fragrance. RRP: £205 Get it: sisley-paris.com or Harrods Beauty in centre:mk
Sisley’s Black Rose Duo Coffret Set unites the Skin Infusion Cream, Eye Contour Fluid and Beautifying Emulsion, to help restore the elasticity of more youthful skin, while intensively moisturising. Giving the gift of salon sorted skin is easy with sensational Sisley, and don’t forget the lips! Sisley’s Nutritive Lip Balm offers a sensory protective film, and light notes of almond will scent the lips. ‘Weather’ rain or shine, Sisley will keep you looking fine. RRP: £239 (coffret set) £59 (Nutritive lip balm) Get it: sisley-paris.com or Harrods Beauty in centre:mk
Hair today, gone tomorrow
Excess body hair can occur for many reasons and if it does, can make you miserable. Julie La Vallin, of Complete Skin offers a pain free and long-term treatment that promises to end the misery for many.
Intense Pulsed Light, IPL, a pain free, long term hair removal treatment can transform the lives of women and men who have an issue with hair growth.
The relentless pressure on all of us to conform to impossible grooming standards can often make us reject any invading thoughts about treatments which can make a huge difference to lives.
For some women it could a symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS. Other women may be seeing changes as they enter the peri-menopause stage or menopause with extreme hormone changes resulting in excess facial and body hair.
Julie La Vallin, of Complete Skin, based in Fenny Stratford, Milton Keynes, said: “Lucky us! Unlike so many other symptoms of the menopause that women have to contend with, excessive hair is at least something that can be easily dealt with swiftly and discreetly.”
Men are also seeing the benefits of hair removal treatments with growing demand for the salon’s bespoke services.
“There has been a welcome shift in the world of male grooming during recent years and IPL hair removal is incredibly popular amongst men whether it’s to deal with a hirsute back, achieve smooth legs for serious cyclists or a complete top to toe removal. We welcome all to our discreet clinic.
“You don’t have to be suffering to undertake IPL hair removal. A wish to make a positive change to your life is a personal decision. It is for each client to make under any circumstances whether they are cultural, aesthetic, sporting or simply personal preference.
“At Complete Skin we are here for the individual not the herd. IPL offers pain-free, long-term hair removal for us all and a genuine freedom for many. You can be sure of the absolute best results available in the market today. At Complete Skin we use state-of-the-art technology with the industry leading Z-light laser machine.
