Weird and wonderful beauty in London
I’m in London and it’s beauty heaven.
Rather like the intrepid explorers of the past, I decided to venture forth and discover what’s new, weird and wonderful on the beauty scene. I risked life and limb (not joking) to find and report back to Seven the strange new sights from the world’s coolest capital. (After one trek out I and some fellow travellers were trapped for an agonising three or four minutes in the carriage of an underground train, with what I can only describe as a complete lunatic who was hellbent on terrorising us!)
In Covent Garden, make up brands Shu Uemura, Benefit and M.A.C. have franchise stores crammed with amazing cosmetics. I saw dozens of females being painted and pampered with the latest products. Benefit as always had a delightful collection of products packaged in arty, retro styles, such as Dr Feelgood, a smooth velvety waxy substance that is applied to the face for a porcelain-textured complexion. I re-visited my old haunt, Screen Face, the specialist make up artists’ shop and purchased concealer and some make up brushes. I strolled along a street where there were two very smart hair salons, trendy shoe chain stores and a beauty and grooming salon just for men. Speaking of men’s grooming, the Superdrug chain is this week launching Manscara and Guyliner! Make up for men is not a new idea, but this is the first budget brand, no frills packaged manslap that I have heard of. The range is called Taxi London and also has lip balm and concealer. This is a strange new world where the differences between males and females will soon be reduced to just certain body parts. Guyliner indeed!
On the second day of this expedition, I decided a visit to Knightsbridge was in order. There were only two stores in this City that were going to provide me with what I needed to know: Harrods and Harvey Nichols. Everywhere I looked, there were beautiful Middle Eastern women dressed in long black robes, carrying expensive handbags. Almost every one of them had on perfect make up of expertly applied black liquid liner and tomato or letter box red lipstick. They looked amazing. The cosmetics department of Harvey Nichols was busy, noisy and full of ever-so-smart sales people.
After refusing several invitations to try out various products, I was approached by a very pleasant girl called Sandra, who asked me if I would like to try Lancome’s new Poudre Elephant Teint from their new Maharani Jewels collection. It must have been a sign from the make up gods. There I was, an explorer on a cosmetics safari, and this gorgeous powder blusher/bronzer compact had an elephant embossed on it! It looked good, so I allowed her to apply it to my cheeks. It was love at first sight. I don’t know if it was the soft lighting, but the colour was gorgeous. A warm, mysterious shade achieved by the fusion of the deep red coral part in the middle of the compact – in the shape of an elephant – the palest pink powder and a soft, flattering coffee coloured powder which surrounded them. The red shade can be used alone on the eye area or blended with the other colours to create different hues.
As I walked deeper into the perfumed oasis, I noticed a new skin care collection named Korner (www.kornerskincare.com), which looked impressive in its white and crystal display area. Other brands and products worth hunting down if you happen upon this store are Shu Uemura’s amazing collection of false lashes, Bliss and Laboratoire Remede body and face care, Aveda’s Singular Notes essential oil blends and Annick Goutal Fragrances. If you are searching for foundations in darker colours, try Becca cosmetics.
It was getting late and I changed course, as a visit to Harrods was essential to complete this report accurately. Within minutes of arriving there, I was swamped with some wonderful, and some downright weird, discoveries. Top of the list of pampering treats, if only I had the money, would be treatments at the store’s Urban Retreat, a calm, exceedingly professionally run oasis where one’s stresses and strains are stroked away while the best face and body treatments available are applied by highly qualified beauty and health therapists. Back downstairs on the cosmetics floor I came across an exclusive to Harrods Estee Lauder Mascara that vibrates! I kid you not. The wand jiggles back and forth automatically to separate, lengthen and curl lashes. This is probably in case you are suffering from exhaustion and cannot move your arms three millimetres to the left or right to do it for yourself. Ingenious! My eco warrior conscience was not impressed. Another exclusive to Harrods is a new skin care line named M LAB, which boasts higher concentrations of active ingredients compared to other brands. But my greatest discovery in Harrods was in the pharmacy and healthy lifestyle section. I bought two bottles of essential oil of rose absolute and a bottle of lemon for a fiver! BARGAIN!
