Skip salons for hi-tech home treatments
As the worlds of beauty and tech collide, care regimes are expanding to include treatments previously only available via a professional. Hi-tech at-home gadgets include an A-list-approved device that lifts and tightens skin, an LED light mask that lives up to the hype and tackles a laundry list of skin issues, a spendy laser hair removal tool that is girl-maths-approved (think of all the £ you’ll save on salon appointments), a nifty eye tool that depuffs and brightens, and a clever brush that connects to your phone via an app to give you a customised deep cleanse.
1. Light Salon Boost LED face mask £395, thelight-salon.com2. Foreo Luna 3 Plus facial cleansing and massage brush £269, lookfantastic.com3. Theragun TherafacePro £375, therabody.com4. Omnilux Eye Brightener £96.80, omniluxled.com5. Philips Lumea IPL 9900 hair-removaldevice £539.39, philips.co.uk
I can’t do without… Meditative, woody scents for mindfulness and spirituality
My love of fragrance began at my grandmother’s shrine, where we were shrouded in plumes of incense, perfumed by the fresh marigolds we made garlands with. Spirituality and perfume have long been intertwined; smoky myrrh lingers at Catholic churches, palo santo is burned by shamans in South and Central American cultures to clear negativity, while rituals incorporating musky frankincense abound across the Middle East.
In our uncertain times, scents that are meditative are appealing – why wouldn’t we want to spritz perfumes that offer a sense of inner peace, such as Sacred Moss from Cosmoss (£125, 100ml, cosmossbykatemoss.com)? The Sixth (£165, 50ml, vyrao.com) blends herbs used by Benedictine monks for meditation. Vyrao founder Yasmin Sewell says the fragrance ‘enhances mindfulness and our sixth sense to help us manage the noise of everyday life and stay connected to our emotional wellbeing.’
For perfumer David Seth Moltz of Brooklyn-based DS & Durga, scent is a sensory barrier between himself and the outside world. Amber Kiso is an intense and heady amber fragrance inspired by the sacred Japanese Kiso forest, the wood of which is used to build temples. Even for the most cynical, there is no denying that these fragrances smell divine. DS & Durga Amber Kiso (100ml), £229, libertylondon.com
On my radar… Body exfoliators for a smooth sensation
Get the glow Kate Somerville’s products are the holy grail of highperformance skincare. This scrub’s acids and enzymes purge dead cells so skin feels supple and silky. Kate Somerville Exfoli-Kate Resurfacing Body Scrub, £48, sephora.co.uk
Supermodel skin Miranda Kerr, founder of Kora Organics, knows a thing or two about beauty and this luxurious exfoliator left my skin feeling baby soft and nourished after one use. Kora Organics Invigorating Body Scrub, £54, spacenk.com
Smooth operator I am a fan of this Australian brand and their gentle products. The non-abrasive walnut-shell powder here sloughs away dead skin while botanical extracts hydrate.