The Best of British Beauty
As we head towards a (hopefully) relaxing time over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in most states of Australia, shivering under our Wintery skies, we’re taking the opportunity to celebrate the Best of British Beauty. From the many (many) gorgeous British Beauty Brands available, we’ve chosen our favourites. Sit down with a nice cuppa, and read on to learn a bit about the heritage of your beauty favourites, and see some of our “best of” products picks. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.
Molton Brown
Founded in 1973, Molton Brown have built up a reputation as London’s bath, body and beauty connoisseurs. The fragrances, shower gels, body lotions, candles and hand care products blend exotic ingredients with a touch of London eccentricity for bold fragrances and bright colours that are unmistakably English. Cruelty-free, ie not tested on animals, and with the Royal Seal of Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen, Molton Brown is one of our favourite British Beauty brands. Our favourite products – the new additions to the iconic Orange and Bergamot line – Eau de Toilette and Radiant Body Oil. The fragrance is inspired by the bitter orange trees under the azure blue sky, that scent the royal courtyards of Seville, and comes alive with sun-drenched notes. The Orange & Bergamot Eau de Toilette is a fresh, natural take on the original fragrance, and is infusted with contemporary ingredients such as neroli and bright amber, and is bursting with energy and happiness. The Radiant Body Oil, with soft citrus notes, massages into your body to hydrate, and give it a lovely dewy finish, and the soft, contemporary notes compliment the Eau de Toilette, and won’t overpower it. The glass bottle makes it a must for any dressing table. Eau de Toilette 50ml and Radiant Body Oil 100ml RRP $88 each.
Charlotte Tilbury
One of the hottest makeup brands in Australia right now is Charlotte Tilbury. If you haven’t heard of the brand yet, you soon will. Created by London-born Makeup Artist Charlotte Tilbury, Charlotte’s brand is inspired by the belief that every woman wants to feel beautiful, powerful, and sexy, and that makeup gives you instant confidence to achieve this. Working with some of the world’s most famous photographers, including Annie Leibowitz and Mario Testino, on iconic magazine covers for titles such as Vogue (UK, US, and Paris), as well as Vanity Fair and GQ, the Charlotte Tilbury brand is sought after around the world. Beauty is not only for the young, but also the young at heart, and we love the Retoucher Concealer, an easy brush on formula, enriched with a Lipo-Siliconic compound, special elastomer pearls, and black tea and vitamins to create a natural healing veil of colour that blends seamlessly with your natural skin tone, so that imperfections disappear and pores, lines and wrinkles are minimised. We also love the versatile multi-tasking Wonderglow Skin Illuminator. Applied under makeup, it gives tired dull skin a dewy glow. Applied to your cheeks, it provides a make-up free dewy look, and as a day to night pick me up, it applies over cheek and brow bones for an instant pick-me-up. Retoucher Concealer 3.5ml RRP $57.00. Available in multiple shades. Wonderglow Skin Illuminator 40ml RRP $76.00.
Crabtree & Evelyn
Founded in 1972 by Cyrus Harvey, Crabtree & Evelyn has evolved from a small, family-run business – specializing in fine soaps from around the world – to an international company, well known and respected for its original fragrances, luxurious toiletries, gourmet foods – and gifts for those who enjoy a sophisticated lifestyle. Curating. Guiding. Enhancing. Fearlessly reinventing life. For over 45 years, Crabtree & Evelyn has searched the world for natural ingredients and fragrance journeys that enable their customers to live a life cultivated. The brand is inspired by the Crabapple Tree, the original species from which all cultivated apple trees have derived, and John Evelyn, the 17th century renaissance Englishman whose motto ‘Explore Everything. Keep The Best’ has provided inspiration from our founding to this day. From small beginnings, Crabtree & Evelyn, Ltd. is available in more than 65 countries, with over 5,000 locations and 210 concept stores worldwide, as well as via online. Our picks for our favourite products – from the iconic La Source range, the La Source Exfoliating Massage Bar, with the clean, crisp ocean scent, the anti-oxidant rich bar nourishes your skin whilst it cleanses, and gently exfoliates to reveal glowing skin. The rounded nubs gently massage tired muscles (a personal favourite after a hard game of netball). We also love the Lavender and Espresso Hand Therapy, richly nourishing, and gorgeously scented with the serene Lavender and Espresso scent. The shea butter and ceramide ingredients soothe and protect your hands, whilst the addition of hyaluronic acid ensures they stay hydrated for longer. Massage Bar 125g RRP $14.00. Hand Therapy 250ml RRP $46.00.
Burberry
Founded in 1856, by Thomas Burberry, the distinctly London brand was firstly a fashion brand (and remains so today), before branching out into Beauty. After inventing and patenting the hardy gaberdine fabric in the late 1800’s, it quickly became a popular choice for explorers due to it’s being breathable and weatherproof (Scott wore it when he reached the South Pole!). The iconic Burberry Trench Coat first made an appearance when being worn by the military during WWI, with the trademarked Burberry check being added as the lining in the 1920’s, and a legend was born. Given a Royal Warrant in 1990 by HRH The Prince of Wales, Burberry is now a firm British favourite. Whether you like fashion or beauty, there is no doubt the brand is a world leader. We love Burberry Cashmere Foundation – for the softest, most comfortable feeling – you almost forget you are wearing this fabulous, lightweight foundation. The soft-matte finish is buildable, and is SPF20, so it keeps your skin protected during the day. Available in 14 shades. To conjour mages of an English garden, My Burberry Blush Eau de Parfum with it’s feminine pink colour, and fruity-floral notes will have you dreaming of London in no time. Opening with notes of pomegranate and lemon, before moving into rose petal, and crisp apple, and finally warming down into jasmine and wisteria – it smells as divine as it sounds. Foundation 30ml RRP $86.00. My Burberry Blush EDP 50ml RRP $140.00. Also available in 30ml and 90ml sizes.
John Frieda
Did you know John Frieda has a British heritage? With the brand now headquartered in both London and the USA, John Frieda actually started out in London over 30 years ago, with the opening of a Salon in Cavendish St. With the brand vision reflecting on this salon heritage, John Frieda products deliver salon quality at home, with products that target specific care and style problems, for gorgeous hair. Whether you are blonde, brunette, or red, John Frieda products make your hair pop. And who has been through an Australian Summer without a John Frieda Frizz fighting product? There can’t be many of us – a John Frieda Frizz Ease products is sold every 20 seconds somewhere in Australia. With so many wonderful products to choose from, which are our favourites? If you follow us on Facebook and Instagram (if not, hit the link at the bottom of this article), you already know we love the Luxurious Volume range. Some of our other favourites include the Frizz Ease Secret Weapon Finishing Creme, which is enriched with Avocado Oil, and is formulated to reduce frizz and flyaway hair on contact. The clever formula seals moisture into your hair, to keep your hair looking stylish and eliminate flyaways during styling. For hair that is chemically treated, or a little coarser and unruly, the Frizz Ease Original 6 Effects Serum is sublime. Just one pump, rubbed through wet hair helps eliminate frizz, smooth, hydrate and tame your hair, and the formula provides both heat and humidity protection. The result – smoother, glossier hair. Both are really good for more mature hair. Secret Weapon Finishing Cream 113g, Original 6 Effects Serum 50ml RRP $16.99 each.
Rimmel London
Rimmel London certainly has heritage! The brand started as a perfumery in 1834 in Regent St London, by Eugene Rimmel and his father as The House of Rimmel. The company quickly started to produce mascaras at an affordable price for the masses, rather than as a luxury item. Rimmel became so well known for their mascara, that “rimmel” means mascara in some languages. With the mascara success came the production of pomades and mouthwashes, before morphing into the global cosmetics giant we know today. The brand, with its “Live The London Look” motto and affordable pricing is one of the most successful beauty brands in the world, and has featured campaigns with supermodels such as Kate Moss, Georgia May Jagger and Rita Ora, and Cara Delevigne. Our favourite Rimmel product is a Mascara of course! For our thinning, mature lashes, we love the Rimmel Volume Flash 10 x Mascara, which, as the name suggests, provides up to 10 times the volume to your lashes. The unique gel texture bonds quickly with your lashes, providing them with gorgeous thickness and volume, without clumping. Also wonderful for mature skin is the Wake Me Up Foundation, a light textured foundation that gives an instant natural glow in a flawless natural coverage. A vitamin moisturising complex and peptides provide an added boost for mature skin. Mascara 8ml RRP $15.50. Foundation 30ml RRP $19.95.
The Body Shop
From humble beginnings with the opening of a single store in Brighton in 1976, The Body Shop would explode onto the world stage during the 1980’s, to now have over 3,000 stores in 66 countries. Founded by Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop had at its heart, a philosophy of ethically sourced, natural beauty products. With a belief that business could enrich, not exploit, and being vegan and firmly against animal testing, The Body Shop is a positive force for change for communities around the world with their Fair Trade initiative, which benefits over 25,000 people in 21 countries. With such a positive corporate message, we love using The Body Shop products as our force for change. Amongst our favourites are the British Rose Petal-Soft Bath Foam – a bi-weekly indulgence of gorgeously soft rose-scented bath foam, which is reminiscent of relaxing in a summer rose garden (with the added benefit of leaving my skin soft and hydrated, and oh-so-delicately scented). A little goes a long way, so it lasts quite a while. We also love the British Rose Petal-Soft Gel Toner, a luxurious, thicker consistency, alcohol-free hydrating toner, delicately scented with rose, which leaves your skin wonderfully soothed and hydrated. Made with real rose petals, and enriched with Community Trade Aloe Vera from Mexico, now you can look good while doing good at the same time. Bath Foam 250ml RRP $20.00. Gel Toner 250ml RRP $24.00.
So many gorgeous products, so little time. Was your favourite on our list? If not, what is your favourite? Did you learn anything new about these gorgeous brands? Let us know in the comments below.