Sarah Loves... Spring 2024
What’s pushing Sarah Stacey’s beauty buttons? Read on for an organic neck and décolleté serum, a colour correcting cream to create glowing and even skin tone, and a wonder worker for splitting flaking nails – plus an eczema soothing cream that transforms dry cracked feet and a facial sun screen that’s a brilliant base for make-up…
Inlight Neck Firming Serum and Inlight Amethyst Gua Sha (main pic, above)
From a truly natural and organic company (cruelty-free, of course) led by Italian medical doctor and homeopath, Mariano Spiezia, comes salvation for ahem! older necks – like ours. We’ve always emphasised the need to give your neck and décolleté lots of TLC with products formulated specifically to nourish this vulnerable area. Actually, it’s doubly vulnerable: firstly because there’s many fewer fat cells in your neck – the skin is as delicate as your eyelids - thus the propensity to dryness and wrinkles, even neck ‘bracelets’, and secondly because it’s the area we tend to bare when the sun comes out, leading to that rather unbecoming lizard look over the décolleté.
The Inlight website has an easy-to-follow video of how best to apply this serum, but I also liked the idea of using the gua sha over the décolleté and then the neck to activate lymphatic drainage, which also benefits puffiness in your face as it gives the lymph an easy exit. The Neck Firming Serum is full of anti-ageing and antioxidant, fast-absorbing ‘dry oils’, including cacay oil (rich in natural retinol, UV protective grapeseed oil and nourishing vitamin E). I love using the Inlight Amethyst Gua Sha tool – amethyst because of the stone’s soothing and calming qualities; it’s very comforting any time but particularly on mornings when I feel a bit sludgy.
Inlight Neck Firming Serum/£68 for 50ml – buy here
Lumene CC Color Correcting Cream SPF20
This is a truly fab product at a great price. The small print on the front explains that it’s a ‘skin tone unifying medium coverage all skin types’ and there’s lots more on the back. Basically, it gives your complexion an even tone and a bit of glow, covers most blemishes and redness, lasts well and offers enough wide spectrum sun protection to take you through the day (just don’t think it will be enough for spending the day in the sun). Vegan and infused with Nordic lingonberry and Arctic spring water, it’s just what we all need to go through spring and summer. Of the 10 shades, Medium is perfect for me, with maybe a dab of extra concealer on stubborn brown patches (I have two patches on my forehead which need a teeny bit extra). Clever, clever, clever!
Lumene CC Color Correcting Cream SPF20/£19.90 for 30ml (10 shades) – buy here
Mavala Mava-Flex Serum and Mavala Scientifique K+ Nail Hardener
Writing this and gazing at my nice, medium length, supple nails, I’m reminded that earlier this year, they were beyond sad: flaking, peeling, splitting, falling off. They’d grow a teeny bit and then – bother! – back they would go. Nothing seemed to work until the Mavala team sent me these two products. The Mava-Flex Serum is new, for dry or too-hard nails, and ‘labour lite’ – you apply it twice a week on bare nails – and in tandem with the Nail Hardener K+ (K is for keratin), which you apply to the ends of nails (absolutely not near cuticles) two or three times a week, the regime really truly works! I do also take vitamin D daily and lavish shea butter hand cream on – but I did that anyway, so they aren’t the heroes in this case. My nails are truly grateful.
Mavala Mava-Flex Serum/£23 for 10ml – buy here
Mavala Scientifique K+ Nail Hardener/£19.50 for 5ml – buy here
Hope’s Relief Intensive Dry Skin Rescue Cream
OMG! This Aussie No 1 natural product is based on hospital-grade manuka honey, alongside a bevy of active botanicals to sooth itchy dry skin. The wonderful Gill Sinclair of Victoria Health ‘prescribed’ it for my itchy eczema, which it relieved, yes it did! (Along with Triple Allergy Defense, a wonder in its own right.) But then, dear readers, I reasoned that since my feet needed intensive rescue, I would try it on them. And OMG! Instant softness, suppleness, smoothness – feet that felt and looked well, rather charming and desirable (especially when nails were painted and the rest). It is quite simply The Best. The bees’ knees of dry skin creams. Please, just get it…
Hope’s Relief Intensive Dry Skin Rescue Cream/£18.99 for 60g - buy here
Photo: © Jo Fairley
Jurlique UV Defence Daily Lotion SPF50+
As my complexion is now sprouting brown spots like rather large freckles, I’m resolved to use an SPF daily on my face. I’m very keen on this lightweight, UVA/UVB sun prep, which works perfectly as a make-up base. Disclaimer: it’s not all natural: the sunscreen bit is based on chemical filters but in keeping with the brand’s ethos, it does include a hydrating combo of aloe vera, naturally derived hyaluronic acid and glycerin, plus vitamin E. Again, it’s Aussie born and bred, where sunscreen science is practically a religion. Apply it from hairline to bosom, every two hours if you’re swimming or sweating. (We also recently featured it as our ‘Fab Find of the Week’, here – ‘cos it truly is!)
