July’s Jubilations

from OX Magazine - July 2020

Andrez Harriott: What Humanity Can Be

SOPHIE ELKAN

Dear Dahlia Happily, the words ‘prestige vegan brand’ are now able to coexist unremarkably in a sentence, such has been the determination of the beauty industry to provide for a market which has grown exponentially in the past couple of years. However, if I’m being brutally honest, secure in the knowledge that this Korean brand is approved ‘cruelty-free’ I can acknowledge that what really quickens my heartbeat is admiring the pretty, marbled rose-gold edged packaging, swatching the highly pigmented colours, and marvelling at the innovative and – it has to be said – fabulously bougie product selection.

Take, for example, the octagonal Dual Palette which manages to house a twosided, take-anywhere nigh-on-full face of makeup. Th e diminutive casing contains two complementarily-toned eye shadows on one side and a multi-balm on the other, designed to work together to create a number of customisable looks. Th en consider the delight of a product named the Velvet Lip Mousse Tint. Yes please, to a stubby little pot of deeply rich lip colour, whisper-light, which blots onto the lip making your mouth look thoroughly kissed. Th e range also includes lipsticks, balms, blenders, a commendable brow-sculpting pencil and a rather wonderful water-based liquid eyeshadow. I have been living in slides and trainers since March, so my ‘shu-perhero’ has been found in the form of Shoe-Pourri, a blend of aromatherapy oils designed to be sprayed inside your shoe to dissipate malodourous emissions. I love a pun, and so must also make mention of the brand’s fi rst launch product: Poo Pourri. Please picture the scene… back in preCovid times I met the PR for the brand at a very swanky London hotel. Out of her bag came a selection of desirable, prestige goodies and then a small, prettily decorated bottle of what appeared to be a scent. And it was, but designed to be sprayed in the loo, prior to ‘dropping the kids off at the pool’, shall we say? I was overcome with (puerile) delight and spent the rest of the meeting failing to hold back the giggles. Joking aside, both work very well – in shoe and loo. £7.99 each, available from Amazon,

BRANDS

Ocado and poopourri.co.uk

feelunique.com/brands/Dear-Dahlia

I would urge anyone interested in permanent teeth whitening to consult with a dentist, but for a quick-fi x on a special occasion, White Glo’s Bright Nights Dissolving Whitening Films are a pretty safe bet. £4.99,

whiteglo.co.uk

Chok Beauty are a new brand seeking to simplify skincare with the aim of enabling their customers to achieve glass-looking skin. Th ey take inspiration from Korea (‘chok chok’ means moist in Korean) and their Iconic Skin Perfector works the facial muscles to improve circulation and renewal. As well as giving skin a sonic workout during cleansing, this multi-use device houses a stainless steel disc with a red-light ring at its centre. Th is works in a number of ways: fi rst, for eradicating makeup; a really nifty detachable ring around the disc can be used to secure a cotton pad doused in makeup remover for turbo-charged removal. But there’s more; the disc gently heats and pulses, and a couple of minutes spent working the device across your face allows the red light to penetrate the surface layer and act on reducing infl ammation, blemishes and fi ne lines. Th e heat opens up the pores, so it can also be used to boost the penetration of a sheet mask or even your daily serum.

I’m trying to word this carefully and fi nd a balance between explaining the theory and its real-life functionality. In all honesty, I’ve been really impressed with the results of hometesting. Th e ergonomic design makes it super comfortable to use and I like how my skin feels after use. Hyperbole aside, I cannot claim my skin is now glass-like but it has a beautiful, glowy lustre and certainly feels more radiant and lifted. £99, chokbeauty.com Mio Skincare’s Clay Away Purifying Body Cleanser is a beautifully versatile shower wash which functions perfectly as a daily cleanser for the body but the fun really starts when it is employed as a full body mask. Smear the clay-based cream over dry skin and wait for a minute or two, whilst the shower is coming to temperature. It won’t set hard, like a clay-based face mask, but you should notice a subtle change in the colour and texture before stepping under warm water and rinsing. Known antioxidants, witch hazel and matcha tea help with clarifying skin and balancing any impurities £21, mioskincare.co.uk

THREE OF THE BEST: HAIRCARE Paul Mitchell have been creating luxury haircare products for 40 years and have commemorated this achievement by giving a makeover to their original shampoo and conditioner. If this wasn’t reason enough to revisit this excellent brand, then be assured that the quality of the product remains superlative. Th e Everyday Shampoo (No 1 in the range) is a classic all-rounder, the Clarifying Shampoo (No 2) promises to remove build-up and leave hair light and clean, and the thick, blue leave-in Conditioner works its magic to restore softness to sun-blasted locks, thanks to Mitchell’s hero ingredient, awapuhi. Th is Hawaiian plant, also known as ‘shampoo ginger’, helps prevent moisture loss and boost volume and texture. From £8.25, lookfantastic.com

Only Curls London have a mission: to encourage ‘curly girls’ everywhere to ditch the chemicals and the straighteners and embrace their natural curls. Their product range includes a whole host of curl-loving accessories including silk pillowcases, to reduce frizz and a choice of pretty, colourful, wide toothed combs. My own waves were emphasised when I tested the range, and my tester, who had natural curly hair, was seriously impressed. “You don’t have to use a lot of product and they’re really lightweight, which meant less residue and more volume. The Curl Creme really helped define my hair – and they smell very nice!” The range is replete in natural oils including avocado, argan and kukui and all products are free from sulphates and silicones. Only Curls Full Size Collection £64, onlycurls.com

Maria Nila are the go-to brand for millennial/Gen Z colour choice (Pearl millennial/Gen Z colour choice (Pearl Silver and Pink Pop sound particularly Silver and Pink Pop sound particularly enticing). Th eir shampoos and enticing). Th eir shampoos and conditioners have been formulated conditioners have been formulated to meet any number of needs and to meet any number of needs and each contains the brand’s signature each contains the brand’s signature Colour Guard Complex. If you’ve Colour Guard Complex. If you’ve been colouring at home, though, I’d been colouring at home, though, I’d specifi cally recommend the Luminous specifi cally recommend the Luminous Colour option, which works to rebuild Colour option, which works to rebuild and strengthen follicles whilst guarding and strengthen follicles whilst guarding against loss of vibrancy. For summer against loss of vibrancy. For summer 2020 they have packaged up their pretty 2020 they have packaged up their pretty products in a (vegan, recycled mesh) bag products in a (vegan, recycled mesh) bag of tailored goodies containing one fullof tailored goodies containing one fullsize and one travel-size of each for the size and one travel-size of each for the bargain price of £42 – a saving of £32 bargain price of £42 – a saving of £32 on the RRP. on the RRP.