Spring Cleaning

A NOTE FROM LILY

“Emerging from the recent chilly months, my skin is dull and in dire need of TLC. To tackle this head-on, a combination of brightening skincare and glow-inducing makeup is firmly on the April agenda. Victoria Beckham’s cleansing duo and Noble Panacea’s high-tech overnight peel get surefire results, while Dior’s Glow Maximizer will inject a high dose of shimmer into a lifeless complexion. And for hair in need of a zhuzh, look to Chāmpo for its easy, amazingly effective products. Finally, what could be more revitalising for our vitamin-D-depleated spirits than mood-boosting scent, whether in candle, fragrance or hand-wash form. Before you know it, you’ll have a spring in your step and a gorgeous glow from head to toe.”

100 Acres Signature Botanical Hand Wash

Crafted in small batches in the Cotswolds, 100 Acres products are inspired by the rolling hills, orchards and herb gardens of the great British countryside. Each formula boasts an intoxicating combination of botanical oils: the hand wash combines lemon myrtle with geranium and chamomile, and the result is fresh and wonderfully mood-boosting. It makes for the chicest sink companion in my London kitchen, yet would look equally at home in a country cottage or grand stately home.

Chanel Le Vernis in 179 Lagune

This season’s nail agenda is all about pearlescent tones. The spring/summer shows saw a metallic bubblegum hue at Mirror Palais and chrome french tips at Prabal Gurung. But I’m particularly enamoured by Chanel’s twinkling blue shade – there’s something wonderfully ’90s about it, delivering a more refined iteration of Lindsay Lohan’s iconic frosted tips in The Parent Trap.

Sweed Miracle Powder

This brand is not about an agenda-setting colour palette or avant-garde packaging. Instead, Sweed produces a tightly curated edit of makeup that, put simply, just works. A single sweep of its Cloud Mascara lifts lashes to astonishing heights, while the butter-soft lipstick comes in just a few ultra-flattering shades. However, its pièce de résistance is the Miracle Powder: lightly buff across the face for a seamless, filter-effect finish.

Victoria Beckham Daily Cleansing Protocol

Wash away the chilly cobwebs with the help of Victoria Beckham’s duo of luxurious and highly effective cleansers, created with close friend and best-in-the-biz facialist, Melanie Grand. First up is the oil: massage it in to melt away makeup and leave skin silky smooth. In the evenings, follow with the exfoliating gel cleanser. This uses lactic acid to gently slough away dead skin cells, revealing a clean, nourished complexion that is the perfect canvas for the skincare that follows.

Trudon Versailles Garden In Spring Scented Candle

As the former candle manufacturer to the French royal family, Trudon’s candles once filled the Palace of Versailles. Four hundred years on, the brand is paying homage to its regal past with a candle inspired by Louis XIV’s favourite feature of Versailles – its gardens. The scent brims with springtime blooms, and when lit its fresh aroma of peony, rosemary and honeysuckle fills the house. The result is a candle quietly literally fit for a king.

111 SKIN Wrinkle Erasing Retinol Patches

I will try just about anything to blur my deep-set nasolabial folds (sigh), so when 111Skin (the brand founded by renowned plastic surgeon Dr Yannis Alexandrides) cooked up a patch targeting this very area, my attention was swiftly piqued. The patches look similar to a blister plasters, but are covered with tiny “needles” that dissolve when the patch is smoothed over the skin, ensuring quicker and deeper absorption of the retinol cocktail within. The kit also comes with a patch for forehead lines. Leave on overnight for maximum wrinkle-softening results.

IRÄYE The Shaping Body Cream with Gua-Sha

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MDL) is the massage technique adored by beauty lovers for its ability to sculpt limbs and combat cellulite. Skincare brand IRÄYE has cleverly harnessed this concept by creating a line of products that can topically stimulate the lymphatic system. The brand has partnered with Flavia Morellato, the most in-demand MLD expert, to create a giant gua-sha massage tool to further enhance the draining and toxin-flushing properties of the cream.

Dior Forever Glow Maximizer

This gem of a multi-tasker takes the concept of ‘glowing skin’ to dazzling new heights. The Rosy shade gives a shimmering, pinched-cheeks effect; a few pumps of Gold added to your foundation delivers pure radiance, while a sweep of Bronze across the cheekbones adds a flattering sun-kissed glaze to a lacklustre complexion. Smoothed over lids, this liquid highlighter also instantly elevates an everyday eye look.

MECCA COSMETICA To Save Face Brightening Sun Serum SPF50+

When it comes to sun cream, you can’t go wrong with an Australian brand. Thanks to the country’s staggering rates of skin cancer, their sunscreens are viewed as medical products and are strictly regulated by the government, ensuring the quality is exceptionally high. Look out for broad-spectrum protection (safeguarding skin from both UVA and UVB rays) and an SPF of 50. MECCA COSMETICA’s latest formula is lightweight, sits easily under makeup and is packed with age-defying skincare ingredients.

Ultra Violette Queen Screen Bronzing Super Glow Drops

Under normal circumstances, mixing makeup into sunscreen is one of beauty’s cardinal sins, as you’re ultimately diluting the protection offered and exposing skin to harmful UV rays. However, the cult beauty brand has developed a formula specifically designed to mix with any product, including sunscreen. A few glistening drops added into serum, sun cream or foundation will pep up sallow skin with a sun-kissed sheen.

Noble Panacea The Exceptional Overnight Chronobiology Peel

When a skincare brand founded by a Nobel Prize-winning chemist launches a new product, I pay close attention. Using futuristic micro-dosing technology, this overnight peel delivers active ingredients to the skin at specific times throughout the night. Between 11am and 4am, when skin cell turnover is optimised, the exfoliating acids are realised. Then, post 4am when the skin is most permeable, the calming and soothing ingredients are dispensed. Expect to wake up with smoother and noticeably more refined skin.

Chāmpo Leave-in Perfecting Cream

Introducing a multi-purpose delight from Ayurvedic haircare brand, Chāmpo. Part leave-in mask, part shine-enhancing finishing formula, it expertly tempers frizz, combats damage and adds volume. The result? A seriously glossy, expensive-looking head of hair. Plus, thanks to its blend of essential oils (including geranium, jatamansi and neroli), it smells seriously delicious.

Ouai Hair Gloss

To revive dull winter hair beyond recognition, look to Ouai, the brainchild of celebrity hair stylist (and Kardashian confidant) Jen Atkins. This five-minute power mask (that can be used as well as, or instead of, a conditioner) transforms hair with otherworldly shine. I’ve been using it once a week and have been met with a flurry of compliments.

Monika Blunder Beauty Cover Foundation/Concealer

I am all about hybrid makeup: why have two different products taking up precious bathroom space if one that can do both jobs brilliantly. Within this unassuming glass jar is a product that does just that – a solid balm that acts as a concealer and foundation. Press under eyes to disguise pesky dark circles, or buff across the face for all-over coverage. Plus, a darker shade makes for a fabulous contouring cream.

The Perfumer’s Story by Azzi Sequoia Wood eau de parfum

Step into spring with this statement-making scent. Fresh florals are coupled with deep resinous woods and the result is a confidence-boosting mix that is both powerful and sensual. Brand founder Azzi Glasser is one of the most exciting names in British perfumery; she has worked closely with the likes of Helena Bonham Carter and Orlando Bloom, and you can expect to see Kaia Gerber and her boyfriend Austin Butler hanging out in her studio, too.