Melanie Morris finds the best beauty treats are often the ones we find for others, but really, we should gift them to ourselves.
Photography Marlene Wessels
All year we’ve been hearing about Girl Math… and Girl Dinners… and both make perfect sense, but what about something that always leaves me bewildered, and something I’m guilty of myself… Girl Rationale?
Girl Rationale, in my mind, goes a little like this: “I’ll buy it for them, but I wouldn’t dream of spending that sort of money on myself. They can have the luxury one, or, I’ll go over budget for them, but I couldn’t justify a similar indulgence on me.”
This low-balling of oneself also comes around every Christmas when any of us are asked by loved ones what we’d like as a gift. We’d rather go without than furnish the asker with a precise list of glorious, possibly a bit extravagant, and most likely ephemeral items. The sort of things we really want, that have been living in our heads all year, but feel might be a bit extra. Our reluctance to show our hand and say “Yes, I want the overpriced Dior lipstick-in-a-clutch bag set, or something from La Mer’s even more luxurious Genaissance collection,” is baffling.
And so, I’m declaring this season to be the time to defy Girl Rationale. It’s time to either speak up and share that Christmas list, or become thoroughly modern and buy one, two or more of the items ourselves. Because truthfully, if looking for selection and value in the world of beauty, this is the time of year that offers both, best. And our complexions (and general mood) will reap the benefits.
Skincare
All skin experts agree that regimes need to be adjusted as the seasons change, with most comfort, care and protection being needed in the harsh winter months. Perfect justification for splashing out on some high-performing products. I recently asked a dermatologist (off the record) if spending money on “designer” skincare, the sort with a big fashion brand-name that you might find in a department store, was worth it. Her response was if it made you feel good, and if it meant you used the product regularly and as part of a routine, it’s not going to do any harm. And I can see the logic in that. However, if it’s my own money that I’m spending, and I’m taking a leap into luxury, I’d rather invest with a specialist brand. Anything from Sisley’s skincare atelier is a treat-with-benefits and this January, I would love to start the year by treating my face to La Cure (€965); a four-week system to energise, regenerate and reset the complexion in a low-effort way, with results evolving after the first week. Use the product at night and move from bottle-to-bottle as each week progresses. That’s the sort of “New Year, New Me” regime I can jump on board with.
Other brands I’d spend my own hard-earned cash on for a treat and a reboot, would be SkinCeuticals (especially their C E Ferulic vitamin C serum, €191.95), Valmont (especially the Moisturizing with A Mask 15-minute miracle worker, €185) and one hero I’ve recently discovered thanks to the Institute of Dermatologists, the Skinbetter Science AlphaRet Overnight cream, €142, a blend of AHAs and tolerable retinoid that’s packed with other skin-beneficial ingredients such as ceramides for nourishment, niacinamide to tackle inflammation, antioxidants for protection and CoQ10 for cellular energy.
As we all know, it’s important to celebrate the little things, and just as the year is coming to a close and things get quiet, I treat myself to a La Mer Lip Balm (€75). I make sure to get it gift wrapped and always say yes to the offer of any extra samples. It’s a reminder to myself that I’ve gotten through another year and it accompanies me everywhere; turning from beautiful, new, silver-lidded treasure to something that becomes battered, scratched and a bit unsightly, but I use it, and feel the better of it, every day.
Irish options
Irish brands have upped their game in recent years and there’s plenty to buy on a “one for them, one for me” basis. Years ago, Triona McCarthy told me that the scent of grapefruit is meant to take ten pounds – or was it ten years? – off a person. And while I’ve never seen the scientific research around that claim, I wonder if the same applies to grapefruit’s tropical relation, the Pomelo. And if so, what are the benefits, beyond La Bougie’s gorgeous fresh, zesty, light-while-all-around-might-be-a-bit-clawy fragrance, of Pomelo 1830 (€60, also available as a candle and a room diffuser)?
Taking things into a more zen space, another Co Cork-based brand, Ground, offers balms, oils and scrubs to nurture and nourish body and soul. Each of the Ground gift boxes look so pretty, and the quality of the essential ingredients ensures every item is the perfect partner in self-care. If gifting Ground, I team one of the boxes, such as The Hug (Uplifting body oil and Comfort essential oil, €35) with a Ground treatment from a spa such as The Shelbourne in Dublin, Hayfield Manor in Cork or Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare. And so, in the interest of self-gifting some self-care, perhaps this year I should do the same for me.
Gift sets
When it comes to holiday gifting, nobody does it better than Charlotte Tilbury. While some brands might fill up sets with strange lip colours, or products they might be trying desperately to curry interest in, Charlotte just goes for the belters. I don’t know a single woman whose eyes don’t light up at the sight of a mulberry and rose gold package, and I always recommend something from Charlotte’s Trinkets, Treats and Treasures to partners looking for brownie points. I also seriously self-gift here, extravagantly so.
This year, I want Charlotte’s Lucky Chest of Beauty Secrets, a 12-drawer “advent-calendar” (€200), filled with the sort of products you spend the year using, or dying to try, including the sold-out matte beauty blush wand, a collagen lip bath (lip gloss with benefits), a Pillow Talk push-up lashes, Magic Cream, Airbrush Setting Spray and Magic Serum. Warning, products are small size, but I find that cute, and handy for travel. What’s even more extravagant, but actually worth the investment if you – like me – are a Pillow Talk queen, is the Pillow Talk Dreams Come True makeup vault (€380). A 3-tier, mirrored vanity case filled with 14 full-size Pillow Talk products for eyes, face, cheeks and lips. As always, the products are a dream, but the packaging has the extra wow-factor.
And if that’s not enough CT, can I also add the new twinkling star-encrusted Rock Star Bag (€59) in partnership with Elton John’s AIDS Foundation, and the Limited Edition Beautyverse Palette of shimmering eyeshadows, €75, a mix of shades from icy unicorn pinks and mauves to matte neutrals and glittery gold.
Experiences
While it’s so easy to get caught up in products, potions and lotions, perhaps take a breather to consider a treatment or two for the quiet weeks of early 2024. There’s always added value to be had from salon and skin clinic vouchers at this time, and if not, negotiate. Hot on my personal wishlist is EmFace, a 20-minute facial treatment that uses radio frequency and mild electric current to lift and plump facial contours, tightening the skin and boosting collagen production with the end result mimicking the effect of fillers without the “puff”. A course of four weekly sessions is usually recommended (priced €750 per session, discount for packages, at The South William Clinic), there’s zero down time and results start to show after about six weeks, lasting for approximately a year.
One final gift I bought for others last year, but will be choosing for myself in 2023, is a makeup lesson with one of the beauty style advisors in Brown Thomas Dublin. Both Aidan Corcoran and Elena Costello know their products (and what suits whom) inside-out, and after a private, one-hour session with them, clients leave with a new look, a face map, a product list and renewed mojo. The €100 fee is redeemable against the goodies one inevitably buys which is a great bonus, but nothing can compare with the new skills and swagger that comes from the session. But don’t tell too many people or they’ll be even more in-demand. It’s our little secret.
While throughout the year we may well suppress all urges to buy from the top shelf, maybe this Christmas is the year to indulge. Make it special, make it a ritual, and celebrate a very beautiful 2024 to come.
IMAGE Winter 2023
The Winter issue of IMAGE is here, and festive sparkles are on our mind, from our fashion shoot full of party-ready pieces to the home of jeweller Chupi Sweetman-Durney which is full of glinting gold. Plus, we learn how to make the most of festive leftovers, and are planning a winter break to remember. Plus: * Big knits * Cool corduroy * In studio with Pearl Reddington * Audrey Hepburn’s Irish connections * Confidence at work * A Kilimanjaro adventure * Beauty gifts to give yourself * Practical magic * A ski retreat with a difference * Weekend escapes * and so much more…
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