Glow Keep the going
Winter plays havoc with your skin, so here are the new homegrown offerings that will keep yours gleaming
Between fewer hours of sunlight, central heating and cold winds, your skin is putting up with a lot during the winter months. Thankfully, these Irish-owned and developed products offer world-class defence against the elements, and make you look your most amazing.
Start off with a gentle cleanser, the foundation of every skincare routine. If you’re using wipes or an astringent make-up remover, stop and try this beautiful balm from Nunaia (1 €59, nunaia.com). It’ll remove every bit of make-up with its gel-to-oil formula, and won’t strip essential oils from your skin’s barrier. You can follow this with a wash-off cleanser for specific skincare concerns as normal, if you wish.
Next, a refining toner. This brand new one from Ella & Jo contains both alpha and beta hydroxy acids, meaning it’s working both to unclog pores and to refine them. Clear Skin Clarifying Liquid (2 €32, ellaandjo.ie) has salicylic acid, witch hazel and willow bark extract, and soothes your skin while minimising the appearance of open pores on the skin’s surface.
Then, add in a great serum. Sásta is a Microbiome Booster (3 €45, sastaskinhealth.com) and you should think of it as a topical supplement. It combines a powerful blend of prebiotic and postbiotic ingredients to optimise your skin’s well-being, protecting its defensive barrier and restore its natural pH.
If you suffer with puffy skin around the eyes or jawline, cold spheres straight from the fridge are the ultimate treat for making sure your serum is fully absorbed. They can help with lymphatic drainage by guiding excess fluids and toxins to natural removal points, and the cool tips will soothe and depuff the skin. I love the CryoSculpt ones from Sculpted By Aimee (4 €49, sculptedbyaimee.com) – they’re a great shape, stay cold and have handy handles. Even though it’s not as sunny, you cannot forget about SPF or additional moisture and hydration. Both are supplied by Skin Formulas’ Day Cream
(5 €37, skinformulas. com) which has factor 50 protection, and lots of hyaluronic acid and lovely peptides for soft, smooth skin.
This routine will suit every single skin type, avoiding flakiness, dehydration and caring for what gets most easily irritated in the winter – the outer layers of the epidermis. For 5 added winter glow, there are two great new Irish fake tans on the market appealing to different budgets. BPerfect has released a bargain version of its mega popular tan with Penneys; called YOU, it comes in three shades
(6 €11.95, nationwide). It has a nice mixed berries scent and a hydrating formula including vitamins A and E and aloe vera.
Balm Body (7 From €20, balmbody.com) is a slightly more high-end offering, from influencer Sian Walton. It’s cruelty-free and vegan, and offers a monthly subscription service so you never run out. Made in Co Wexford, the
tanning mousse and facial tanning serum are full of hyaluronic acid and mango and cocoa extracts.
Once you’re tanned, moisturised and looking fab, a touch of foundation will have you looking flawless. Luna By Lisa has released a compact companion to its award-winning original Airbrush formula. Airbrush Touch (8 €20, lunabylisa.ie) transforms from a lightweight cream to a velvety matte texture upon application and, thanks to the addition of vitamin E, won’t dry out the skin.