Latest news with #LaMer
Graziadaily
5 hours ago
- Graziadaily
The Duty-Free Beauty Buys That Are So Good, They'll Have You Sprinting To The Gate
@Getty Images: Photo by Niceguy/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Even when your flight is on final call, let's face it, there's always time for a last-minute beauty dash through duty-free. It starts innocently enough; a quick grab of the face wash you forgot to pack or a discounted fragrance, but often spirals into a basket full of serums you don't actually need and lipsticks that look suspiciously like one you already own. That's where we come in, with years of expertise and beauty know-how, to help you zero in on the best beauty buys at duty-free that are worth splurging your hard-earned cash (and precious carry-on space) on. Rushing through the seemingly endless beauty aisles at the airport can feel a bit overwhelming, so to save yourself hours of spritzing and swatching, it's best to go through security with a pre-planned list of exactly what beauty products and fragrances you need to restock in your cupboard. From cult-favourites like Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair and Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream, to the La Mer moisturiser celebrity MUAs are obsessed with, duty-free is the best place to stock up on those luxury beauty must-haves we'd typically try to save on. So, if you've got a trip coming up soon and the main question on your mind is what to buy at the airport (guilty!), we've curated an edit of all the products you definitely should make room in your carry-on for. 1. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Ever since I tried this product, it has been a constant in my beauty stash. Although I love to try other night serums and treatments, I always find myself coming back to Estée Lauder's ANR thanks to its effective and frankly, reliable formula. 2. Chloé Eau de Parfum For Her If there's one perfume I'm always drawn to for a quick spritz before a flight, it's Chloé. The delicious, floral fragrance is especially perfect for summer holidays. 3. La Mer Moisturising Soft Cream If there's ever a time to treat yourself, it's when a product is tax-free. La Mer's Moisturiser is a firm favourite of many MUAs as the super-rich texture helps to transform skin. Packed with hardworking ingredients, it restores moisture and creates a radiant base for make-up. 4. DIOR Backstage Face & Body Foundation Flying to a hot destination? Why not pick up one of my all-time favourite foundations for summer – Dior's Face and Body Foundation. Not only does it offer hydrating, light coverage, but it also makes the skin look plump and glowy without feeling cakey. It's created with hyaluronic acid, is water and heat-resistant, and sits perfectly on the skin all day long. 5. MAC Lipstick If ever there was a brand known for its iconic lipsticks, it's MAC, so why not treat yourself to a brand-new shade just before your holiday? 6. Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm Duty-free is stocked with the very best in skincare, so you can pick up your faves at a discounted price. Clinique's Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm is perfect for those with sensitive skin looking to gently melt off make-up and impurities. 7. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant Fewer products have earned cult-status quite like the Eight Hour Cream by Elizabeth Arden, which has a longstanding love affair with beauty editors and skincare lovers alike. This multipurpose cream is ideal for solving dryness and irritation, not to mention it makes the best hydrating lip balm. Georgia Scott is a beauty product writer for Bauer Media, writing for Grazia. Georgia specialises in beauty writing and spends her days hunting for the latest trending beauty products to get her hands on and review.
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Health
- NZ Herald
Hands Feeling Dry, Cracked or Scaly? 14 Hand Creams To Restore Skin To Its Supple Best
These beauty editor-approved hand creams, balms and salves offer dry, dehydrated or overwashed hands some welcome reprieve. It's no secret that winter can wreak havoc on complexions. The sharp contrast between icy outdoor temperatures and soaring internal heating remains one of the primary causes of trans-epidermal water loss (or TEWL for short). The result? Skin that feels dry, dehydrated, irritated or itchy. The same can be true for hands, especially when factoring in frequent hand washing, which can lead to flare-ups in skin conditions like eczema or contact dermatitis. Thankfully, help is at hand – with a coterie of cosseting serums, creams, masks and more set to restore winter-ravaged hands to their supple best until spring makes its timely return. From the high-end luxury items worth stashing in your handbag, or the pharmaceutical favourites sure to ease symptoms of dryness or discomfort, discover every beauty editor-approved pick below. The Icons L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream, $63 A best-seller for a reason, L'Occitane's nourishing hand balm highlights a 20% concentration of shea butter to protect and restore dry to very dry skin. Recently reformulated with 96% natural origin ingredients and a new vegan status, this creamy balm envelops hands in shea butter, argan and coconut oils, which absorb quickly to restore moisture levels. The delicate aroma of sweet jasmine and ylang-ylang makes the ritual of applying hand cream a truly sensorial experience. Not to mention, each tube is crafted from 95% recycled aluminium to ensure a lighter footprint on the environment. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturising Hand Treatment, $49 The cult-favourite hand cream passed down by generations of beauty lovers, Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream Moisturising Hand Treatment features the brand's signature Eight Hour formulation to care for rough or weather-beaten hands. It works overtime to soften dry patches, alleviate cracking and restore the skin barrier, leaving hands hydrated for up to eight hours. The best part? It absorbs quickly, meaning you can apply it on the go without that dreaded sticky or greasy residue. The Luxury Beauty Buys La Mer The Hand Treatment, $219 The golden thread throughout all of La Mer's skin and body care is the addition of its patented Miracle Broth ingredient, sourced from giant sea kelp and fermented over three to four months. Together with key vitamins, minerals and nutrients, La Mer's Miracle Broth is said to transform skin to its calm, smooth and balanced best. In this luxurious hand cream, it works to deeply condition skin and soothe callouses, while alleviating redness and dryness – leaving hands soft, smooth and comfortable all winter long. Chanel Le Lift La Creme Main, $122 The luxury beauty purveyor positions this pebble-shaped hand cream as anti-ageing skincare for hands, thanks to the blend of botanical alfalfa concentration and natural liquorice extract. Together, this potent cocktail helps to firm and smooth skin, while brightening age spots for a more even-toned appearance. It's fast-absorbing and non-sticky, but gentle enough for use on even the most sensitive skin types. Plus, its unique aesthetic makes for a covetable addition to any handbag. The K-Beauty Heroes Dear Dahlia Skin Paradise Sheer Soft Hand Cream, $51 K-beauty brands continue to lead the charge when it comes to affordable yet efficacious skincare, and the same can be said for their approach to hand and body care. A Sephora exclusive, Dear Dahlia's highly moisturising hand cream contains a blend of plant-derived ingredients, including its namesake dahlia variabilis flower extract, to gently nourish dry skin. With ongoing use of its non-sticky formula, expect hands to remain hydrated and healthy-looking. Dr. Jart+Ceramidin Moisturising Hand Cream, $47 The latest product to launch from viral K-beauty brand Dr. Jart+ is this cushiony hand cream brimming with glycerin, ceramides and panthenol. The fast-absorbing formulation is said to create a glove-like moisture layer that leaves hands soft and protected from environmental aggressors. Ceramides remain buzz-worthy in beauty for their ability to fortify the skin barrier and lock in hydration, panthenol is revered for its soothing abilities, while glycerin is a tall glass of water for skin that feels dry or tight. The Fine Fragrances Glasshouse Fragrances Kyoto In Bloom Hand Cream, $38 Glasshouse Fragrances is known for drawing inspiration from notable cities to inspire its suite of luxurious scents, and now it's treading even lighter on the planet thanks to its stylish new look – a 100% aluminium hand cream tube. The new-look packaging houses scents like Kyoto In Bloom, a soft and sensual aroma which highlights zesty top notes of fresh lime, bergamot and citrus, a heart of camellia and lotus, set amongst soft, comforting notes of amber, sandalwood, musk and vanilla. The formula itself combines white turmeric and tamanu oil for hands that stay silky soft. Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia Hand & Body Lotion, $132 English Pear and Freesia remains one of Jo Malone's best-sellers and for good reason – the fresh and fruity aroma is a perfectly balanced pick for those who love a touch of sweetness without being cloying. The silky hand lotion couples coconut oil with glycerin to hydrate hands and restore supple skin texture without leaving behind any greasiness. Consider it as part of your fragrance wardrobe, delicate enough to layer well with your favourite perfume for a lasting scent trail. The Sustainability Powerhouses Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm, $50 It was Aesop's first foray into hand care, and the Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm has been a mainstay in handbags and on bedside tables ever since. Dreamed up in the back room of a Melbourne-based hair salon, what started as a rich oil to use on clients as they waited for their hair appointment evolved into the creamy balm we know and love today. Excellent for those who want instant relief from dryness, Resurrection highlights mandarin rind, rosemary leaf and cedar atlas – all of which contribute to its woody, citrussy and herbaceous aroma. Not to mention each tube is made from 100% recycled aluminium, which can be separated from its cap after use and placed in the recycling bin. Commune Seymour Hand Cream, $164 Hailing from Somerset, England, Commune's selection of botanical body care is packed with potent botanicals and natural oils ranging from coconut, jojoba, rosehip and sweet almond, alongside shea and cocoa butters. Its signature Seymour scent is said to help relax both body and mind, with ripe fruits and woody notes including geranium, grapefruit, galbanum and cypress. A beautiful addition to any bathroom sink, the British beauty brand's stylish vessel is rooted in sustainability – with recyclable aluminium bottles and a durable, reusable pump. The Pharmacy Favourites La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Hand Cream, $16 La Roche-Posay's signature cicaplast ingredient is the super soother that inspired a skincare range all of its own, including a cosseting hand cream which boosts the skin barrier of dry, damaged and overwashed hands. The dermatologist-recommended formulation features 4% niacinamide and 30% glycerin to soothe, hydrate and restore hands from damage caused by external aggressors. The richly textured product is geared towards those with sensitive or ultra-dry skin, and can even be used on children. Mixa Hand Cream Cica Repair+, $9 French pharmaceutical brand Mixa launched its range of wallet-friendly, efficacious body care in Aotearoa earlier this year, including its Cica Repair+ Hand Balm. The brand claims it resists three washes, ensuring hands remain hydrated and soft for even longer. An added benefit includes the formula's ability to repair rough or bumpy skin, making it an excellent pick for those who work with their hands or spend a lot of time outdoors. The Mask Must-Haves Margaret Dabbs London Overnight Hand Mask, $76 Breaking news: British beauty expert Margaret Dabbs' range of luxurious hand and foot care products is now available from Mecca. Consider this rose and lemon-scented Overnight Treatment Mask for dry, inflamed or ageing hands – simply smooth on to hands before you snooze. Key ingredients include buriti oil for collagen production, firmness and elasticity, plus turmeric, white water lily and calendula to fend off free radical damage and instantly relieve damaged skin. For best results, consider slipping the treatment gloves on top to allow the formulation to fully absorb into the skin. Paume Overnight Hand and Foot Hydration Mask, $69 New Zealand body care brand Paume specialises in products suited to care for hands and feet, including this multi-purpose mask that can be applied to either to help hydrate, soften and condition skin. The unscented, essential oil-free formulation harnesses shea butter, glycerin, panthenol and squalane works its magic while you sleep – zeroing in on dry or cracked hands or heels. The subtle citrus, floral aroma is sure to make applying this before bed a pleasure. More beauty The makeup artist-approved hacks for applying eyeliner to hooded eyes, 12 people who smell good share their signature scents, and more beauty news. What Perfume Are You Wearing? 12 Of Aotearoa's Coolest Creatives Share Their Favourite Fragrance. Scent has always been inherently personal, and for these 12 creatives, it's part of their identity. The Best Eyeliner Hacks For Hooded Eyes & Other Tips From A Top Makeup Artist. Blotted, blurred and lived-in, or ultra-precise and razor sharp, a swipe of black eyeliner always delivers. Here, makeup artist Leisa Welch shares her favourite liner looks to try now, plus tips on how to tailor them to suit a multitude of eye shapes. Is pH Reactive Makeup The Secret To Faking A Healthy, Natural-Looking Flush In Winter? Chameleon beauty products have ushered in a new era of makeup customisation, but how do they work exactly? And are they worth the hype? Ashleigh Cometti investigates. Indy Clinton's Bouf Haircare Has Landed In Aotearoa. Co-Founder Rachael Wilde Shares What To Expect From The Range. The beauty boss shares her excitement with beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti over her selection of cherry-red hair growth products launching in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The very worst thing about And Just Like That? The contents of Carrie Bradshaw's bathroom cabinet
There are so many things to despise about the new season of And Just Like That, the Sex and the City spin-off, that criticising it is like shooting shoes in a barrel. (Speaking of which, why is Carrie Bradshaw's cat called Shoe? Surely it should be Manolo Pussnik or something?) But I was still pettily pleased to find a small community of freeze-framers forensically dissecting Bradshaw's bathroom cabinet, briefly revealed in episode six. Because even I – a person who hasn't exfoliated since the late queen got excited about cows – thought it was full of totally off-brand … well, brands. The dreary drugstore sunscreen, sponges and old soap felt jarring. Plus, what's with the weirdly prominent Tums? Is it product placement or is acid reflux aspirational now? Someone on Substack better versed in SATC lore than me wrote an impressively exhaustive analysis of why some products (a particular nail varnish; Pond's cold cream) made sense, but even she thought much of it was wrong. Carrie dresses like Marie Antoinette attending a rival's wedding just to sit in her mansion writing her (execrable) novel; I agree with the Redditor who commented: 'She'd be using La Mer. La Prairie Skin Caviar. That Guerlain Impériale nonsense that you'd have to remortgage your house to afford.' Maybe someone painstakingly selected every product, but it feels more like a missed opportunity, because a bathroom cabinet is far more revealing than even a fridge. I'm not a peeper – honest – but open shelves in other people's bathrooms are fascinating, from feral-looking scruffs revealed to be followers of 10-step Korean skincare routines, to Instagram princesses somehow conjuring a glazed doughnut glow from a cracked bar of Imperial Leather and an economy tub of Vaseline. A survey of my own bathroom cabinet reveals a forest of manky interdental brushes, HRT, cracked-heel balm, ibuprofen galore and, weirdly, a broken light switch, betraying the dentally challenged, desiccated, headachy, oestrogen-depleted mess behind the, ahem, polished exterior. So if And Just Like That won't give us bathroom glamour like the escapist fluff it's supposed to be, it needs to double down on realism: let's have neck retinol, vaginal oestrogen, cystitis treatments and citalopram. Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The very worst thing about And Just Like That? The contents of Carrie Bradshaw's bathroom cabinet
There are so many things to despise about the new season of And Just Like That, the Sex and the City spin-off, that criticising it is like shooting shoes in a barrel. (Speaking of which, why is Carrie Bradshaw's cat called Shoe? Surely it should be Manolo Pussnik or something?) But I was still pettily pleased to find a small community of freeze-framers forensically dissecting Bradshaw's bathroom cabinet, briefly revealed in episode six. Because even I – a person who hasn't exfoliated since the late queen got excited about cows – thought it was full of totally off-brand … well, brands. The dreary drugstore sunscreen, sponges and old soap felt jarring. Plus, what's with the weirdly prominent Tums? Is it product placement or is acid reflux aspirational now? Someone on Substack better versed in SATC lore than me wrote an impressively exhaustive analysis of why some products (a particular nail varnish; Pond's cold cream) made sense, but even she thought much of it was wrong. Carrie dresses like Marie Antoinette attending a rival's wedding just to sit in her mansion writing her (execrable) novel; I agree with the Redditor who commented: 'She'd be using La Mer. La Prairie Skin Caviar. That Guerlain Impériale nonsense that you'd have to remortgage your house to afford.' Maybe someone painstakingly selected every product, but it feels more like a missed opportunity, because a bathroom cabinet is far more revealing than even a fridge. I'm not a peeper – honest – but open shelves in other people's bathrooms are fascinating, from feral-looking scruffs revealed to be followers of 10-step Korean skincare routines, to Instagram princesses somehow conjuring a glazed doughnut glow from a cracked bar of Imperial Leather and an economy tub of Vaseline. A survey of my own bathroom cabinet reveals a forest of manky interdental brushes, HRT, cracked-heel balm, ibuprofen galore and, weirdly, a broken light switch, betraying the dentally challenged, desiccated, headachy, oestrogen-depleted mess behind the, ahem, polished exterior. So if And Just Like That won't give us bathroom glamour like the escapist fluff it's supposed to be, it needs to double down on realism: let's have neck retinol, vaginal oestrogen, cystitis treatments and citalopram. Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist
Straits Times
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Concert review: SSO scales majestic An Alpine Symphony, soars with Korngold Violin Concerto
An Alpine Symphony In Images + Korngold Violin Concerto Singapore Symphony Orchestra Esplanade Concert Hall July 18, 7.30pm The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) performing music with the accompaniment of projected visuals is not something novel. Back in 2010, the orchestra under Shui Lan's direction played Claude Debussy's La Mer (The Sea) against stunning imagery of marine life provided by SSO first violinist William Tan, who is well-known as a diving photographer. Romantic German composer Richard Strauss' tone poem Eine Alpensinfonie or An Alpine Symphony (1915), at almost 50 minutes, is double the length of Debussy. Sometimes criticised for bombast and self-indulgence, the work has weathered well in concerts and on record. Now add some 400 photographic stills on-screen by German photographer and film-maker Tobias Melle, himself a professional cellist, and the overall experienced is enhanced. A resident of Munich, his views of the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden, heard alongside music director Hans Graf's taut direction of the orchestra, made for a visual and aural spectacle. The hall was cloaked in darkness for the opening of this dawn-to-dusk experience in the mountains. The moon, sunlight creeping over the crags and panoramic vistas defined the transition from Night to Sunrise. This early climax matched Strauss' ambition, if not quite as memorable as the corresponding sequence in his earlier Also Sprach Zarathustra. The music follows a group of mountaineers from their ascent, through the terrain of woods, waterfalls, meadows (with cows aplenty) and glaciers, encountering risks and doubts before reaching the summit for the work's biggest climax. If there were a composer who could vividly illustrate all this musically, Strauss was the man. The subsequent thunderstorm, safe descent and sunset with a return to darkness was no less enthralling. The orchestra responded magnificently, with special mention going to the brass, for its overtime efforts both onstage and offstage. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore A deadly cocktail: Easy access, lax attitudes driving Kpod scourge in S'pore Singapore 'I thought it was an April Fool's joke': Teen addicted to Kpods on news that friend died Asia Cool photo spots, viral food videos: Malaysia plans to woo Chinese tourists via social media Asia From propaganda to passion: N. Korean TV show mimics K-drama to fend off banned media from the South Singapore New auto pet wash service in Buona Vista draws flak, but firm stands by its safety Singapore 314 suicides reported in Singapore in 2024, remains leading cause of youth deaths Asia 'Guardian angels': Taiwan's dementia-friendly village promotes ageing in place Life US tech firm launches probe into Coldplay 'kiss cam' couple after clip goes viral The concert's cinematic arc began much earlier with Austrian composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Violin Concerto (1947) which began SSO's season opener. One of the most popular 20th-century violin concertos, it was famously premiered by great Lithuania-born virtuoso Jascha Heifetz with music drawn from four of Korngold's Hollywood movie scores. Violinist Daniel Lozakovich (left) performing the Korngold Violin Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. PHOTO: CHRIS P. LIM It did not matter whether these films - Another Dawn (1937), Juarez (1939), Anthony Adverse (1936) and The Prince And The Pauper (1937) – have more or less been forgotten, as the music lives on in this masterpiece. The sumptuous melodies and lush scoring through its three movements was well realised by the orchestra and young Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich. His is not a fire-breathing virtuosity which gets in your face, but one more intimate and subtle. As such, there were moments in the first and third movements where he risked being overwhelmed, despite the restrained accompaniment kept on a tight leash. There were no worries, however, in the slow movement's Romance, where his refined and sweet tone clearly shone through. As if to make up for an earlier reticence, his generous and no-holds-barred encore of Johann Sebastian Bach's Fugue from the unaccompanied Violin Sonata No.1 in G minor (BWV.1001) showed where his sympathies truly lay.
