Surrey Homes | SH111 | April 2024 | Garden Supplement inside

Beauty
Benefit Precisely, My Brow Detailer, £22.50, and Precisely,
My Brow Wax, £26. If you have pale or skimpy brows, as I
do, you probably have an arsenal of brow products, because
there is nothing like a groomed brow to add structure to
the face. Well, sorry to break it to you, but you’re going to
have to add these two to your arch-perfecting weaponry.
The ‘Detailer’ is a micro-tipped propelling pencil that’s just
brilliant for creating the teeniest, most feathery and realistic
looking brows – particularly the ‘tail’, and for evening up and
filling in the inner corner of brows (six shades available). The
brow wax tames, grooms and adds colour via the dinky brush;
a choice of 12 shades means there’s one for everyone and
this is super-easy to use. (Don’t ever be deceived by Benefit’s
jokey names, by the way; they are SERIOUS about make-up,
most notably pore-perfecting and brow products, like these.)
Wildsmith Skin Bath Salts, £55 for 500g. The greatest
treat for me, the very best stress-buster, is still to lock the
bathroom door, run the taps and sink into something
fabulously scented. These just landed – with a heck of a
thud – on my desk, having been created for The Bothy,
Wildsmith’s spa at Heckfield Place in Hampshire (a hotel
I love so much I have a special savings account dedicated
to it); by popular demand, they’re now available retail.
Surprisingly moisturising, thanks to calendula and vitamin E,
they smell like I imagine heaven does – linden, cedarwood,
rose, geranium and Roman chamomile – and while I’m
waiting for that Heckfield Place piggy bank to fill, these
luxurious, super-relaxing salts are the next best escape.
skyrocketed? Well, here’s a great, glossifying alternative to
the £30+ ‘designer’ shampoos and conditioners that are
proliferating on the shelves. A pleasure to use, this awardwinning
hairdresser’s products are affordable enough to share
with all the #fam, rather than keep under lock and key – just
choose between Coconut Shine, Curl Control, Daily Blonde
and (my favourite), bounce-boosting Weightless Volume.
Champagne & Smoke Filthy Rose Candle, £46 for 250g
(champagneandsmoke.com). I have saved the best for last. I am
obsessed – OBSESSED – with the scent of this candle, from
a leading make-up artist Lisa Potter-Dixon and her vintage
interiors dealer friend Lia Briamonte. Tobacco drifts through
rosy-posy notes, with a naughty grind of black pepper and
wisps of saffron, with the aim of recreating a ‘debauched 70s
disco scene’. Not sure what to make of that, but I have it
burning every day in my hall now, where it is getting endless
‘What’s that amazing smell?’ comments from visitors. (It
even wafts an impressively long way when it’s not lit.) Each
glass ‘tortoiseshell’ vessel is unique, and can be upcycled as a
vase, brush holder, or whatever; I love Filthy Rose so much
I’ve invested in the £165, one kilo version, which should
burn for 120 blissful hours. Spoiled creature that I am, I’m
probably sent 50 candles a year – but this is the one I have
earmarked as the signature scent of our house, for evermore.
Visit beautybible.com for more of Jo’s
product reviews and beauty tips.
L’Occitane Immortelle Shea Neck Cream,
£52 for 50ml. So, here’s the thing about neck
creams: they only work if you use them – and
you’ll want to use this: a rich, nourishing tube
of line-smoothing TLC, powered by age-defying
immortelle oil, shea butter and hyaluronic acid.
Since using diligently, I’ve noticed a definite
improvement in crêpiness. I look forward to
breathing the wonderful aromatic scent, night and
morning – a cornerstone of my skincare ritual, now.
Phil Smith Everyday Expert, £4 each for 250ml.
Have you noticed – yikes – how haircare prices have
Main image: Wildsmithskin.com