Happy Beauty

The six beauty products that will bring optimism to your life this week

Each week, Marie Claire’s Beauty and Style Director, Lisa Oxenham, brings you the lowdown on her edit of products that will add joy and positive energy to your beauty ritual and self-care routine. From uplifting oils and calming serums to relaxing bath-time classics, these products are designed to give your self-esteem a boost.

Neal's Yard Remedies Cleansing Melt, 100ml, £38

We’ve spoken a lot over the past year about how beauty rituals can help elevate our moods - and how we feel about our self-image can really have an impact on our mental and emotional wellbeing, with the act of self-care is a positive affirmation in itself, before any products even enter the equation. For me, it begins with my cleanser. At the moment I’m using Neal Yard’s Cleansing Melt – not only does this nourish the skin, but the frankincense aromatherapy oil, the gel-to-milk texture, and feel of the massage is a form of calming meditation, too. I massage into my skin while practising 7-11 breathing (a relaxing technique where you breathe in for seven seconds and breathe out for 11), a tool I was taught by psychotherapist Lee Pycroft to calm the parasympathetic nervous system.

Drunk Elephant Sweet Biome™ Fermented Sake Spray, £35, Space NK

As well as the gut, I put energy into caring for my skin microbiome as the science really holds up. Sweet Biome is a spritzer dedicated to supporting our microbiome with a mist of fermented sake extract, kombucha, and hops. Those are the three ingredients that are credited to helping your acid mantle and microbiome. Meanwhile, coconut water and sodium PCA act as hydrating antioxidants and electrolytes, and the minerals zinc, copper, and calcium gluconate assist our natural collagen supply and barrier repair. I’ve used it when my skin is completely clean to recalibrate and as a pep up over minimal makeup throughout the day to give my skin a sweet spritz of fermented sake goodness.

320 MHz Organic Rose Otto Resurfacing Serum Mask, £56

If it’s a facial in a pot you’re looking for, this organic, preservative-free resurfacing serum mask that rapidly transforms skin and is so enjoyable to use, is the one. It works by soaking the skin cells in a special nutrient-rich renewal formula that encourages glow. The sumptuous rose otto scent is spa-like and the creamy consistency easily massages into the skin to gently polish with no stinging, tingling or tightening. I remove with a warm, clean flannel and see immediately the noticeable after-effects. My skin is left looking radiant and supple thanks to the plethora of cold pressed seed oils that pack the mask with Omegas 3, 6 and 9 to hydrate and deliver nutrition to the skin. It may be pricey, but the results are excellent (I’d particularly recommend it for dry, dehydrated or dull skins).

Caudalie Vinoperfect Dark Spot Correcting Hand Cream, 50ml, £15

My new favourite hand cream is 95% natural and a smart multi-tasker. It's a bit richer than most hand creams, which I love as my hands are dry from working on my vegetable patch and from washing them so often during the pandemic. As soon as I’ve washed my hands, I swoop out a blob and rub it in letting the product dissolve quickly. In my experience, that's the best time to use a hand cream — when your hands are dry enough after washing, but not parched. It contains Caudalie’s patented Viniferine, known for its effective anti-dark spot treatment and the scent is super fresh. I've seen a difference after using it for two weeks.

Oskia Lactoferrin + Food Supplement, 60 capsules, £64

I know they’re good for the gut, but working out what probiotic strains to take can be confusing. At the moment I’m taking Oskia's Lactoferrin – a multifunctional glycoprotein present in high levels in Colostrum (a mothers first post-natal milk) that gives babies their first immunity against pathogens. Anti-viral, anti-parasitic and anti-bacterial, the milk protein benefits both the skin and immunity, from supporting the gut microbiome to aiding tissue and skin repair through its promotion of cell regeneration. I take one capsule first thing with water and wait 30 mins before I have my first cup of green tea.

Kalmar Joy Jubilation Foaming Polish, 200ml, £32

This time of year calls for a restart button - and nothing makes your body skin feel brand new as well as a body scrub. This one smells like the most heavenly spa. The scrub granules, which are made from finely-milled walnut shell, are small, so it's not too heavy-duty, in a good way. The healer behind this range is Karen Ruimy and if you want to feel calmer, less anxious and understand emotional and spiritual health more, I’d urge you to watch her Instagram Lives. This body polish contains a powered Amber gemstone that the brand states has natural pain-relieving properties, can cleanse energy, and encourages lightness in the heart. It also carries Rhodiola, a perennial flowering plant that helps the body manage stress, energises the spirit and bestows a sense of balance. Alongside orange extract, shea butter, and cocoa, it leaves you feeling clean and moisturised.