gift on the street

How much do you adore Australiana cult beauty brand Aesop?! I love the way they manage to innovate and be so forward-thinking with even the tiniest of things.

I have been (and still am, sometimes) intimidated to try beauty products at beauty counters. It can be frustrating to have an over-zealous assistant asking what you are looking for or if you need help when all you really want to do is browse. I’m curious by nature and I have a habit of smelling everything from hand cream to mascara (really!).

That’s why I love that Aesop have removed the middle man and actually put their testers out on to the street. They are positively encouraging you to try. It’s just a bonus that the hand and body moisturisers on offer are velvety soft, like whipped cream, and smell of childhood lollipops.

There’s a good reason to take your gloves off if ever I heard one. 

http://www.aesop.com 

Bright-Eyed = Bushy-Tailed

Following a recent beauty event at Selfridges, my friend said one of the most poignant and apt statements for any beauty lover. “I wish I had two faces, so I can be trying double the product all the time.”

I definitely wish that too. Especially now. I have discovered the equivalent of a sexy older brother to the aforementioned Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser. Enter M Lab’s anti-Ageing Brightening Cleanser. From the beautiful jet-black bottle to its heady scent, this is like Clarke Gable swooping in to steal the crown from Woody Allen, and boy does M Lab mean business. The enzymatic exfoliants and cleansing micro-beads give a perfectly thorough cleanse and left my skin feeling soft and supple. Ideal for an evening cleanse as it doesn’t leave a smidgen of eye makeup behind.

Aesop however, gentle and kind is great for a morning cleanse when you don’t want to overload your skin with any heavy product.

M Lab Anti-Ageing Brightening Cleanser, £50
Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser, £27

Fabulous Skincare...

If only all beauty boutiques were like Aesop. The gorgeous little shops are like mini apothecaries, lined with brown bottles all waiting for you to take them home. How can anyone resist?
Last weekend, I visited one. And I didn't resist.
It's the little touches that impress. The Victorian sink where you can try any of the cleansers and scrubs. The beautiful displays of all the products. And the helpful service where the consultants are never too greedy to give away their samples! One Fabulous Face Cleanser later, I was skipping home with a beautiful little linen bag filled with sumptuous samples and the said cleanser. The cleanser in question is of he gel variety, smells devine thanks to Bergamot rind, Chamomile Bud and Rosemary Leaf which make up its core ingredients. It is specially formulated for sensitive skin and it has made mine feel super soft and hydrated. Though, it's so gentle, bless it, I need something tougher to remove makeup. Needless to say, I can hardly wait until my next visit... Fabulous Face Cleanser, £27 for 200ml