Fab Find of the Week: DaisyFace skincare
The universe has ways of making you realise that the decades are fast rolling by. Case in point: when a dynamic young woman gets in touch about her new and exciting skincare range, reminding you that once upon a time, you interviewed her mum about giving birth to triplets while running one of the UK’s best-loved lingerie brands (and attaches the press cutting from YOU magazine, for good measure!).
Well now, that boisterous triplet is all grown up and has a venture of her own – and what a beauty start-up it is. Because we are very, very taken with DaisyFace, Daisy Schaffer’s just-launched range, enjoying everything about it: the refillability (if that’s a word!); the textures; the fragrances; the formulas – and the bottles, which have a unique, very tactile finish. The products all swivel up, to access the dispensing pump, and are kinda flower-shaped, meanwhile, nestling together beautifully on the bathroom shelf. They also come inside outer packaging that’s made of paper into which flower seeds have been pressed, so you can plant it.
The thinking, behind the brand? Well, Daisy and her thirtysomething sisters all have different skintypes, and – as she puts it – ‘We were all exhausted by the cosmetic confusion.’
The ingredient story for the brand is interesting. It’s based around Daisy Stem Cells, which are proven to reduce visible signs of inflamm-ageing, working to protect (by extending the life of cells, maintaining barrier function), to brighten, detoxify (they also help remove bacteria from the skin’s surface). The list of benefits impressive, with all five products are focused around these stem cells.
Our favourites? DaisyFace offers a complete regime (including a just-add-water, clear foaming cleanser) – but three bliss-to-use products, in particular, have pushed our buttons, on our more mature faces.
The Face Cream – luscious and just lovely, this is rich but sinks in readily, with some fabulously nourishing botanicals that include jojoba, squalane, Centella Asiatica, hyaluronic acid, Kakadu plum extract, and a power trio of hyaluronic acid, bakuchiol (the natural retinol alternative) and niacinamide, to help with pigmentation.
The Eye Cream – a particular favourite, because this feels great on the skin: not-too-rich, not-too-light – a perfect balance, texture-wise, with calming bisabolol, panthenol, argan oil, N-acetyl-glucosamine (to tackle fine lines), and naturally humectant hyaluronic acid and glycerine, plus those stem cells. No scent here – which is good, as that’s often what irritates eyes.
The Exfoliator – though there are konjac and bamboo powders in there, this is entirely non-scratchy, deploying a fruit acid blend – AHAs from sugar cane, orange, lemon, sugar maple and blueberry – to brighten, which it does gently enough to keep our touchy skins happy, yet effectively, with the addition of glycerine, Centalla Asiatica (to help with barrier repair), and those daisy stem cells. A couple of times a week, and skin is visibly glowier (in only a positive way).
Before we end, let’s rewind a few decades, though, to that interview which Daisy reminded Jo of. (You can see the cutting below.) As you’ll see, Daisy really does come from entrepreneurial stock, being the daughter of Janie Godber and Stephen Schaffer, founders of iconic British underwear brand Knickerbox. The photo shoot featured Daisy and her energic sisters, Amber and Madison, running around their mum, who had gone back to work just three months after having them. By example, Janey surely instilled in her daughters the value of hard work, of rolling up your sleeves and turning ideas into actions – without which no brand gets off the ground. She and Daisy’s dad are no doubt very, very proud of DaisyFace – as Daisy deserves to be, too.
So, our verdict is: the years may indeed be rolling scarily on. But with good skincare – and DaisyFace really is – that needn’t be quite so obvious.
The Face Cream/£60 for 83ml
The Eye Cream/£55 for 30ml – buy here
The Exfoliator/£38 for 30ml – buy here
Find the range here, with refills priced from £30
That YOU Magazine article from the mid-1990s
