Another Guest Blog post…♥
Harrods… The world’s most famous luxury department store in the entire world! And home to some of the most exquisite beauty ranges you could ever set your eyes on. From Crème de la Mer, to Sisley and La Prairie, it’s safe to say the beauty halls of Harrods hold nothing but the best for its abundance of customers, some with an abundance of cash. But let’s face it, not all of us have a budget as big as the Lord of a manor or a sheikh from Abu Dhabi so in this 2 part edition of SecretStyleFile blog I bring to you some affordable exclusives found only at Harrods for the more working class amongst us!
My first blog pays homage to some great exclusive skincare products I tracked down at Harrods. When at beauty school I found it fascinating to learn about the human body’s largest organ, skin. If I didn’t know how important it was to look after your skin before, I definitely knew it was when I qualified. Sometimes splashing out a little extra cash on some great products really helps improve the appearance and condition of your skin, so don’t be shy to splurge every know and then. Also with Christmas just around the corner you can treat yourself to something for being so good all year round – or maybe drop some hints to a loved one instead!
Let’s get started with our skincare crackers; (ever so fitting) the first one up for discussion is Kiehl’s Rosa Artica Eye Cream – £34.00. I see Kiehl’s as a bit of an underdog in the skincare world, they seem to quietly expand their product range and now have amazing products suitable for all skin types! Exclusive to Harrods, this anti – ageing eye cream promises to visibly improve the appearance of skin around the eye area – an area which we all know is most prone to signs of aging. Rosa Artica Eye has a unique formula to help regenerate skin cells around the eye area for a youthful and smooth looking appearance. With regular use it promises to dramatically reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eye and also helps to hydrate and tighten the surrounding skin. Now here’s for the science behind the cream – it is enriched with a rare flower, (harberlea rhodopensis, didn’t feel to attempt that one either) which retains moisture during the winter periods and when mixed with the formula, this cream helps to skin to look visibly lifted and more supple. I nabbed a cheeky sample of this wonderful stuff and it smelt gorgeous and better yet went on ever so smoothly without any sticky residue. Great as both a day and night eye cream, this is definitely a double whammy and one for my Christmas sable list.
Your next dose of exclusivity is Lancome Génifique Yeux Light-Pearl – £34.00. Dubbed as Lancome’s new 360° eye contour care this fabulous product is leaps and bounds ahead some of Lancome’s other goodies. The French founded cosmetics company has launched its very first eye – illuminating serum with a patent pending massaging applicator (the term fancy pants comes to mind hey!?) So what does it do? This new little contraption is meant to help the eye contour area look fresher and feel softer, which really can be a mammoth task at the best of times! With the skin around the eye area a lot softer than on any other part of the body, it can weather very easily and make you look a lot older before your time. Lancome are really looking after us this time and have given its users of Génifique Yeux Light-Pearl suggested techniques for different problem areas, which is perfect for all of us with different skin types and conditions. The 2 suggested techniques are as follows; for dark circles and eye bags use the applicator in an outward motion and apply in small circles under the eye area. For fine lines and signs of fatigue place the applicator on the target area and massage with upwards and downwards motions along the skin.
My next find from the White Hall of Harrods is Clinique Repairwear Uplifting SPF 15 Firming Cream – £50.00. This futuristic looking product is available for very dry to dry skin and combination to oily skin so there is aid for all of us out there! I was lucky enough to grab a tester of this stuff and after a week of use, it was safe to say I had found myself a keeper. The texture of this cream is very light, which is great for people who don’t like to feel bogged down with skincare products. Regardless of its light nature, it is very rich and moisturising for the skin, exactly what one needs when coming into the wintery season. Clinique states that this product “visibly tightens, lifts and firms the face and neck”, and this is something I noticed even after a few days of use. If I were to leave you with one bit of advice it would be that this product is quite intense, one that could be used intermittently when your skin is in need of some extra indulgence and TLC! All in all, I think this a great product to help rebuild skin’s youthful appearance and with the added SPF sun protection you are all set for those brisk walks in the park on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Now this next little discovery is the underdog of the exclusive to Harrods. Estee Lauder Swiss Performance Extract – £34.00. It has to be said that Estee Lauder has come on leaps and bounds from when they first started in 1946 with a minimal of 4 products, (surely we couldn’t survive with that number now!) but as we edge closer to 2013 they have an abundance of products to offer us and have added one more to growing list! Swiss Performance Extract is their new 24-hour moisturiser, and dressed in truly traditional Estee Lauder style this beauty is sure to take the nation by storm. So why is set to be a beauty hit? It allegedly works with the nature of your skin to improve elasticity, pliability and tone, and as nature starts kicking in way before we want it to – I think it wise to get a helping hand! Users have stated that it helps skin to look smoother and feel silkier even from the first application. When I had a quick peek at this beauty pick, it almost looked like a primer as well! The thin consistency but velvety touch would aid make up to glide on ever so evenly and give you a flawless finish we all crave. What girl doesn’t love a 2 in 1? I think this 24-hour moisturiser can definitely do the job of maintaining moisture as well as making skin look pristine. Go grab it pronto!
These guys are starting to become repeat offenders! They are up again, this time with Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Whipped Body Butter – £36.00. This is one of my favourite finds and can honestly say it ticks all the boxes for a good body cream! Ever so luxuriously scented (almost addictive), this air – whipped body cream is light on skin but rich in 24-hour hydration. I found it quickly absorbs into the skin to help restore, protect and soften it – which is perfect for coming into the cold wintery season. I really struggle to find a body cream that keeps skin moisturised for the whole day but this one really helped to provide deep moisturisation that lasted all day long. What’s even greater about this body butter is that it does not contain any parabens, glycols or silicones – and we all know the less of this there is in our products the better they are for us. Get to Harrods now to pick up a generously sized tub of this magic stuff!
Now for the luxury exclusive I have been keeping from you, I left Givenchy Vax’in For Youth – £63.00 till last as it really is the special one amongst the bunch. Vax’in for Youth acclaims to use a completely innovative concept to help prevent the signs of premature ageing. Presented in a glass pipette bottle with a metallic shell, this product looks like it could fit perfectly into a sci – fi film – and has some science to go with it! Vax’in for Youth’s exclusive complex aids to provide skin with a completely unique age – defying protection through the generation of microstimyli (back to biology class we go). What these little mites do is encourage our skin cells to produce their very own age – defying protein, which helps the appearance of skin look more youthful and dramatically slows down the aging process on mature skin! This is of course an indulgent purchase, but one that has had incredible results. Givenchy claims that this product prominently improves the tone and elasticity of skin and leaves it feeling velvety soft with a new lease of life! It may hurt my bank account to treat myself to this one but I think I will reap the rewards later… Harrods I am coming your way.
Ladies I hope you have enjoyed this week’s exclusive skincare blog! I love getting a better insight into the beauty world and finding new products is always exciting. Go have a gander at these lovely products; I am sure you’ll find something you will fall in love with. Join me again next week when I will be sharing Harrods make up exclusives with you… and my, are you guys in for a treat!
DM ♥
Related articles
- Dr. Hauschka (beautyfolder.wordpress.com)
- Winter moisturisers: Why we’re all glowing in the dark (fashion.telegraph.co.uk)
