Glossy Empties! 16 brilliant beauty and wellbeing buys we’d happily buy again

VICTORIA WOODHALL

Our editorial director has gone to Iceland

York Test Premium Food Intolerance Test, £139

“Many of us are convinced we have a food intolerance and may be cutting out foods unnecessarily. This home finger-prick blood test is a useful shortcut as it scans for reactivity to 200 common foods and drinks. It won’t tell you whether you’re gluten intolerant, for example, but rather whether you react to wheat or barley. Ditto lactose intolerance – it tells you whether you react to cow’s, goats and sheep’s milk, so you can start to get a picture to take to your practitioner, or sign up for a consult with one of their therapists. My 19-year-old son was convinced he was lactose intolerant, but this allowed us to explore different reasons for his gut issues.”

Blue Lagoon Skin Science BL+ The Serum, £140

“Iceland’s Blue Lagoon is one of the wonders of the world so it’s easy to think that its skincare range, Blue Lagoon Skin Science, is simply merch to capitalise on the 3000 daily visitors. But there are scientists publishing double blind placebo-controlled trials in the labs  (I met them on a recent visit) who have proved that their anti-ageing complex, made from silica and algae in the waters, really does inhibit the breakdown of collagen, help boost new fibres and build the skin barrier. I gave this serum to a friend in her early 40s, who messaged me to say that she hadn’t ‘felt the need to have Botox’ since using it.”

Hair & Me The Drops, £34.99 per month

“‘Oooh, look at all my new hair!’ said my sister, showing me her newly fluffy hairline. She’d signed up to Hair+Me online prescription hair service and after three months the result were impressive. I duly filled out the online consult, which asked about my hair issues, medical history, lifestyle and whether I had have a preference for topicals drops or oral medication. My sister has been on oral minoxidil, but I preferred topical and was put on five per cent minoxidil drops, which arrive monthly. It’s cheaper than the minoxidil I was on before and super convenient. They can also prescribe finasteride and dutasteride, depending on your questionnaire. The drops don’t irritate as they have calming oils (not greasy) and are alcohol free.”

Elle Sera Liposomal Tripeptide Collagen, £69.99 for a 1 month supply

“If you can’t stomach giant scoops of collagen powder, these little vials of fruity flavoured marine collagen are useful. With their snap off tops and in recyclable plastic, they are always in my handbag for the days when I don’t make my regular morning collagen smoothie. The dose is small because they contain ‘nano’ collagen tripeptides (for which there is peer reviewed research for improvements in skin hydration, wrinkle depth and elasticity) wrapped in liposomal fat bubbles to help them survive the stomach. They were developed by a professor of pharmaceutics and nanomedicine at Anglia Ruskin University, who specialises in cellular absorption. This got my attention because absorption is a big hurdle – which means your daily collagen could simply end up as an expensive poo.”

SJ CORFIELD-SMITH

The eye cream of dreams? Our beauty director has seen the light

Allies Of Skin Peptide & Omegas Firming Eye Cream, £82

“I’ve never been good at sticking with eye creams. I rarely see a difference, so I give up. This one was different. After a few weeks, my under-eye area looked brighter, and my crow’s feet were noticeably softer. This is thanks to the blend of actives. Peptides help firm and plump the thin skin, while bakuchiol, a gentle retinol alternative, smooths fine lines without irritation. Vitamin C brightens dullness and dark shadows, and the omega complex strengthens the skin barrier. It has a light texture that sinks in quickly and I massage it both under and around my eyes for maximum results. It isn’t cheap, but it delivers.”

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Style Refresh Mist, £27

“Time poor but still want your hair to look freshly styled? This is a genius addition to your haircare arsenal. It’s a light mist that you spray onto dry hair, then either blow-dry in or use with a hot brush or styling tool. It takes seconds. Hair only reshapes when it’s slightly damp and the mist takes care of that, while its ingredients refresh strands, add body and bounce, and banish any lingering odours. It isn’t a dry shampoo, so it won’t clean your hair, but it’s perfect for putting the oomph and pizzazz back in without rewashing or wetting your hair down and then spending ages drying it. It has been amazing for my mid-length hair but I imagine it’s a gamechanger for restyling fringes.”

Neom Wellbeing Squeeze The Day Body Wash, £32

“This is part of a new trio of shower buys that launched earlier in the year, designed to boost your mood at a specific time of day. This is the energising version for your morning shower, but I also loved the moodier, cosier one, which is made to calm you down before bed. As you’d expect, the scent here is zingy and uplifting. But more importantly, the gel is a delight to use. It lathers up beautifully without stripping the skin, leaving it feeling genuinely soft and bouncy. And you get a chunky 500ml bottle for your money, which has lasted me months.”

Alpha-H Multi Peptide Revitalise Serum, £59.99

“Thanks to its creamy texture, this serum might be all you need under your daily SPF if your skin isn’t particularly dry. As you’d expect from Australian brand Alpha-H, which prides itself on ingredient-led skincare that delivers, it’s a powerhouse of smoothing and firming actives that also improve the longevity your skin. And there are some stellar ingredients here: peptides encourage more collagen, growth factors aid skin renewal, and amino acids boost hydration. You can use it day and night but I’ve just stuck with the mornings and six months later I’ve just pumped out the last drop.”

INGEBORG VAN LOTRINGEN

A no nonsense body lotion for our no nonsense contributing beauty editor

Aestura Atobarrier 365 Body Lotion, £29

“Skin barrier-supporting body lotions are now a dime a dozen – excellent news for our limbs. This is my favourite, though. Unscented and with a texture that sinks in immediately and leaves no oiliness, its lightness belies its immediate comfort that manages to last all day. It has all the necessary ingredients for plugging the gaps in a damaged skin barrier and is effective enough to relieve even eczema patches – plus it comes in a jumbo pump dispenser.”

Cellis Everyday Cleansing Gelée, £60

“Sixty pounds for a cleanser is frankly a price tag that’d normally put me off, but apart from being impressed by its skin-loving formula and loving its juicy gel texture, I’ve now used this every day for over a year and I’m STILL on my first bottle. That makes it the same cost per use as a £10 cleanser that lasts two months. It’s delicious, hydrating, super gentle and really does get rid of all grime and makeup (including eye makeup) in one go”.

Virtue Healing Oil, £43

“My colourist and stylist, Zoe Irwin, is forensic about hair health (she collaborates with trichologists to help clients with hair loss) and told me to use this oil to nurse a dead and brittle top layer of hair back to health. I don’t usually like hair oils (too heavy), but I’ve been religiously massaging a tiny drop of this into my ends pre-blowdry, and they’ve gone from straw-like and split to smooth and strong in a few months. There’s a strengthening protein complex in here that the brand is famous for, and it’s worked for me.”

Ingenious Collagen+ Capsules, £48 for a 2 week supply

“I’ve spent a year taking various collagen powders daily without noticeable benefits to my brittle nails, hair, skin or joints – but after a switching back to Ingenious (the first collagen supplement I ever tried), my nails have grown rock-hard and long in less than six weeks. I’m cynical about collagen supplementation (the truly independent evidence is minimal) , but these capsules have given me results (my hair grows pretty fast as well). They boast a clinically validated delivery system that prevents the collagen from getting broken down in the gut so it gets into the bloodstream intact, allowing for far smaller doses of peptides than we see in powders and drinks to have a therapeutic effect – and it does.”

FLORENCE SCORDOULIS

Our contributing editor is all over affordable K-beauty

Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream, £14.70

“For an affordable way to try PDRN — the buzzy, skin-plumping skincare ingredient derived from salmon DNA — look no further than this daily moisturiser. Anua is the cult K-beauty brand with fans including Kendall Jenner, known for simple, skin-kind formulas (the name means ‘comfortable’ in Korean). Paired with ten types of moisturising hyaluronic acid, it gives that bouncy glass-skin finish but stays light and non-greasy under makeup. The precise applicator means a little goes a long way”.

Curlsmith Frizz Rescue Finishing Serum, £19.25

“If diffusing gives your curls volume but leaves them a little frizzy, this finishing serum from the pros at Curlsmith is the fix. Smooth and scrunch a tiny amount into dry hair as the last step. It tames flyaways, adds glossiness and locks definition back in. The oil-to-gel texture is rich in hydrating argan, olive and sweet almond oils, without being sticky or greasy-looking. A good hair day in a bottle.”

The Cornish Seaweed Co Super Nutrient Detox Shampoo, £22.95

“This 100 per cent natural ingredient shampoo is a weekly detox for your scalp from the Cornish brand. Its clarifying, mineral-rich seaweed formula lifts build-up from too many styling products (hello, curly girls!) and pollution, but the nourishing jelly texture doesn’t strip the moisture. Your scalp feels instantly fresher, with a delicious peppermint scent. Apply before washing as usual. I also recommend their Curly Shampoo and Conditioner set for bouncy, soft curls.”

Olverum Bath Oil Luxury Muscle-Soothing Formula, £25.08

“This bath oil is my favourite one-step mindfulness ritual. A classic for almost a century, it blends ten botanicals to stimulate the vagus nerve, relaxing both the mind and muscles. There’s Siberian fir needle oil to open up your airways, refreshing eucalyptus and calming lavender (plus vitamin E for added skin-smoothing benefits). It’s zero-faff: no messy bath bombs, just half a capful, so it lasts ages. Bonus: it helps you sleep better, too. Bath season is back!”