GET UNDERTHERADAR BRANDS

find cult beauty brands and niche fragrances here

Off-the-beaten-track coffee joints are so in now. Why not a beauty store like The Beauty Candy Apothecary, which is tucked away in Cluny Court? It has a carefully curated range of beauty products from cult brands like Tata Harper, Pukka and Acca Kappa, and also carries fragrances by cult perfumer, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. What we love most: the intimate ambience and the juice bar at the back of the store. The Beauty Candy Apothecary is at # 01- 05B Cluny Court, 501 Bukit Timah Road, (tel: 6314-3828).

great for all-natural, European beauty products

Nestled in laid-back Holland Village, Nordic Exposure is a small shop that stocks affordable European skincare brands. Prices range from $9.50 for a bar of soap to $69 for a moisturiser. They are mostly made in small batches (for freshness) by family-run businesses in countries like Russia, Iceland and even Latvia. We love the wide range of essential oils and the handpoured candles here. Nordic Exposure is at # 02- 07 Holland Village Shopping Centre (tel: 9295-2162).

Per-fekt Beauty Cheek Perfection Gel in Peached, $33.

This gel blush looks deceptively orange in the tube, but is actually a lovely rose- gold on our cheeks. The micro ecks of gold shimmer are so attering and gives us a faint sun- kissed glow.

Tata Harper Rejuvenating Serum, $217.

It is made from 29 organic active ingredients, such as narcissus bulb extract, many of which are cultivated on the brand’s farm in Vermont in the US. We love its skin-softening properties and the amazing scent, which comes exclusively from natural essential oils.

Soley Graedir, $35–$49.

Made with wild Icelandic plants such as yarrow and birch, and Icelandic spring water, this healing balm soothes skin that’s inflamed due to skin conditions like eczema. It reportedly even helps with minor burns.

Kivvi Chokeberries Brown Sugar Body Scrub, $28.

This all- natural fruity scrub from Latvian brand Kivvi gently gets rid of dead skin cells. Its plantoil base also softens skin and leaves it supple.