Wealden Times | WT243 | August 2022 | Taste Of The South East Supplement inside

Beauty
The other day a beauty editor colleague
and I were reminiscing about how lucky
we were to have spent time right at the
start of their journeys with people whose brands
have become leading names in the beauty universe.
Think: Laura Mercier, Terry de Gunzburg (of ByTerry
fame), Eve Lom, Marcia Kilgore (I had a facial from
her when she had a New York salon, long before she
launched Soap & Glory, FitFlop, Beauty Pie), Charlotte
Tilbury, Bobbi Brown… in fact, I was the first UK journalist
to write about Bobbi, when she launched here, and readers of
YOU Magazine broke the Harrods switchboard as they called
to place their orders for her make-up. I feel incredibly privileged
to have met these amazing women, and learned so much from
them. About skincare, make-up AND business, as it happens.
Right now, however, is also a very exciting time in beauty
– and what I love is that some of the most dynamic brands
out there are British. In almost every case, again I’ve been
lucky enough to meet the founders and watched them grow
their skincare and makeup brands. So, this month, I thought
I’d flag them up, some you may know, others you may
not, but they’re all worthy of having on your radar – and
from each, I’ve picked ‘star’ products that I really rate.
Little Soap Company
Cotswolds-based
Emma Heathcote-
James has grown
this brand from
her kitchen
table – literally
– into a force
to be reckoned
with, in the
soap world. Returning to the traditional methods of soapmaking,
using beautifully fragrant oils to up her products’
pleasure factor, Emma tapped into a desire to simplify our
lives, and to become more sustainably minded: packaging is
minimal, and there’s literally nothing left to recycle, once it’s
sudsed its last. My favourite: Organic Pure Rose Geranium
Soap Bar, £3.99, with its wonderfully nostalgic scent.
OSKIA
Notching up an incredible 13 wins in this year’s Beauty
Bible Awards, it’s been inspiring to watch this ‘nutricosmeceutical’
skincare brand grow. OSKIA was born
out of founder Georgie Cleeve’s challenges with her
own complexion; she now works with teams of doctors,
nutritionists, cosmetics scientists and general skin
wizards, with everything produced at their factory
in Wales. My favourite: Renaissance Mask, £68 for
50ml, enzyme-powered and rose-scented, brightening
and plumping skin in as little as 10 minutes.
Neal’s Yard Remedies
Ah, lovely Neal’s Yard Remedies – pioneers of natural
beauty in the UK, originally founded by Romy Fraser (who
sat on the committee I chaired, setting organic beauty
standards for The Soil Association). Neal’s Yard Remedies
are now in the safe custody of the Kindersley family, with
everything hand-crafted in their eco-factory in North
Dorset. They’ve done a huge amount to champion fairly
traded beauty ingredients, and to raise awareness about the
plight of our bees. My favourite: Garden Mint & Bergamot
Hand Cream, from just £10 for 50ml, which is properly
softening and (slightly embarrassingly) has me sniffing
my hands compulsively for a hit of its aromatic scent.
Delilah
Brit make-up artist Rupert Kingston
– honestly one of the nicest and downto-earth
people I’ve ever encountered in
the make-up world – co-founded this
brand after years in the industry, bringing
us products that deliver the signature
‘glow’ now associated with Delilah,
garnering legions of fans among
make-up artists and red carpet
A-listers. (The brand scooped seven
Beauty Bible Awards this year.)
My favourite: Colour Blush, £26,
in Clementine: a pop of peachy,
summery colour with a whisper of
shimmer for a truly healthy glow.
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