Scrubbing, Spritzing & Serum-ing...

This Week The Beauty Desk Have Been...

Beauty bulletin - and the members of the beauty desk who endured the hardship of ten days shooting beauty stories in the Seychelles on the #MarieClaireBeautyTrip (tough job, folks, tough job) - is back! While we can't promise we'll stay on England's green and soggy ground for the whole summer, we'd like to assure you that we'll be taking no more hiatuses - it's a dose a week from now on...

THE RETREAT: Did we mention the Seychelles?! Well, fun though it was, it was also pretty taxing what with the lengthy flight and rigorous schedule. To really unwind on our return, we headed to Grayshott Spa in Surrey, where it's all about the health - think power walks at dawn, lessons on nutrition by visiting experts at noon and a smattering of healthy food, spa treatments and exercise throughout the rest of the day. After two days, we felt revived, though will be booking in for the ten day retreat next time...

THE SKIN SPRITZS: Yes, we’re still stuck on face mists and as a result of our quest to find good ‘uns have unearthed three more that make our skin feel as if it’s had a good drink: Suti’s refreshing Organic Peppermint Water, £22, de Mamiel’s rehydrating Dewy Face Mist, £46, and Lavett & Chin’s moreish Coconut Moisturizing Facial Mist, £26. Expect us to be very, very dewy in the coming weeks.

THE HOBBY: Not strictly beauty-related, but enthusiasm is bubbling over this end about granny’s favourite hobby and we just can't keep it to ourselves anymore. Seriously - getting our stitch on has become an actual thing in the office thanks to Wool and the Gangs devotion to making it so darn easy to just grab a pack containing all your scarf/snood/jumper essentials and get knitting. Ancillary benefit: it's also mighty relaxing.

THE SERUM: Dr Marko Lens a.k.a. Mr Zelens is releasing not one, but two serums in June. Set to join his brilliant Youth Concentrate Serum is Z Luminous Brightening Serum - which contains a cocktail of skin-brightening ingredients including niacinamide to reduce hyper-pigmentation, resorcinol to decrease melanin content in the skin and squalane to fortify the skin - and Intense Defence Antioxidant Serum, which is designed to combat skin-damaging oxidative stress as a result of a poor diet, pollution and stress. At £135 a pop, they’re spendy, but if you’re serious about improving your skin your money could not be better spent.

THE SCRUB: Still not joined we scrub fanatics? Perhaps Jo Malone can convince you that the process of sloughing off dead skin can be pleasurable as well as vital if you’d like silky soft skin come summer. Their Geranium & Walnut scrub, due out in July for £40, not only comes in a handsome striped pot that we NEED on our bathroom shelf, but also smells like fresh flowers.

THE SMOKY EYE KIT: Put the first of July in your calendar - Benefit of They’re Real! Mascara fame have put together a pack for the liner and lash addicts among you. They’re Real! Sexy On The Run contains a mini They’re Real! Push-Up Liner, black and deep brown mascaras and their waterproof eye make-up remover and comes at a rather reasonable £30. We know what make-up we'll be stuck on this summer...