Happy new year! I’m writing this in the midst of an exceptionally hot New Zealand summer, delighted that I can finally use some of these summer sun-oriented products on my hair and body after what seemed like an endless rainy season in early December. Here’s the first ON MY DESK column of the year, showcasing what’s new in hair and beauty releases, for January 2015.
Kevin Murphy Touch of Hydration
You will already know and love Kevin Murphy as a top Australian haircare brand but did you know they also do handcream? It’s no longer all about the hair (although they are still one of our faves for the best in hair), now that we’ve fallen for Kevin Murphy Touch of Hydration hand cream. I’m slathering it on my hands right now and I adore the spicy scent; it’s really different to all the rose-scented handcreams you often smell. All Kevin Murphy products are available from selected salons, and they are all animal cruelty-free.
ELEVEN AUSTRALIA Wash Me All Over Hand & Body Wash
We already love the ELEVEN AUSTRALIA Hair Miracle as a one-stop-great-hair-shop, so I was rapt to see this latest release from the Australian brand: Wash Me All Over Hand & Body Wash. I have been using this every day since I got it, and it’s perfect for cleansing hands without that harsh stripping feel that some hand washes can give. It has heavy-hitters jojoba, papaya, and sweet almond oil to replenish skin and put back vital moisture after washing, and is pH balanced to best suit skin’s own pH. The packaging, like all ELEVEN products, is really attractive so you can proudly display your hand wash!
Kevin Murphy Smooth.Again
The downside to all this beautiful weather is the awful humidity we’re having and my hair looks like a tumbleweed that’s been pushed through a hedge backwards! This is the knight on horseback to rescue my frizzled locks. Smooth.Again is an anti-frizz treatment for hair that you leave-in rather than wash-out. This smoothing treatment has been inspired by BB creams, as a beauty balm for the hair. I’ve been using it lately in the heat to smooth and control my unruly hair and I like that it styles hair as well and protects hair from the heat. Hero ingredients include green tea, Cupuacu seed butter, lotus flower, Immortelle essential oil, baobab seed oil, orchid extracts, and six Australian fruit extracts rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for hair health. It is $70 from Kevin Murphy stockists nationwide. See www.kevinmurphy.com.au for stockists and helpful videos on smoothing out your frizz!
Keep My Colour Treatment Blonde
Fellow blondes rejoice! Bring your hair back from the brassy into the land of the blonde once more. This latest hair release from ELEVEN Australia, Keep My Colour Treatment Blonde, is a toning conditioner with macadamia seed oil to moisturise hair and keep it in top condition. It is a blue-based treatment to counteract brassiness and colour fade from the sun. Apply the treatment to freshly washed hair and leave in for 3-5 minutes and rinse out, once or twice a week to keep blonde hair looking fresh and in great condition. It retails for $32 from selected salons.
ELEVEN Australia I Want Body
If you want great body, check this out! This volume powder from ELEVEN Australia is a shake-on, instant body booster for limp hair that won’t get up and go. You shake on the powder and distribute using your fingertips and it adds volume and texture. I Want Body is $32 for the 10g bottle.
John Varvatos Artisan Acqua
This is the coolest men’s fragrance bottle ever! It is handwoven in rattan in an artisan fashion to complement the new fragrance by this USA designer brand. Any self-respecting, dashing and handsome ship’s captain would have this in his cabin! Artisan Acqua is a citrus blend with accents of spices and herbs, drawing upon imagery of Mediterranean men’s style. The top notes are of citrus including tangelo and mandarin, the heart notes are herbal, spicy accents of clary sage, lavender, coriander, toscanol and basil, and florals and the base notes are woody scents of moss, patchouli and fir balsam. John Varvatos Artisan Acqua men’s fragrance is available at selected Farmers stores from 29th January 2015 retailing for $133 for 75ml edt spray and $175 for 125ml edt spray.
Plantae Cleanser
I have used this every evening since I got it and love it, even more than I expected to! I already liked the back story of the brand and the packaging which looks clean and stylishly contemporary, and I liked the feel and efficacy of the cleanser even more when I tried it. It is a milky cleansing fluid that you dispense from a pump bottle and I used 2-3 pumps of product, smoothed it over my face, and massaged gently in, then washed off and finished with a soft wash cloth. Plantae Cleanser retails for $39.95 from selected pharmacies and health food stores nationwide. www.plantae.co.nz
GO Healthy NZ Go Beautiful Skin
GO Beautiful Skin is the same product you know and love under the former name, Anti-Wrinkle Collagen Support. The name has changed to reflect an emphasis on ‘beautiful skin’ which sounds more positive than the previous name, ‘anti-wrinkle’. Its hero ingredient remains the same; Collactive natural marine collagen to support younger-looking skin. It retails for $49.90 for 60 vegecaps or $69.90 for 120 vegecaps. For more info and stockists see www.gohealthynz.co.nz or phone 0508 466 9327
GO Healthy NZ GO Hair Skin Nails Liquid
Unlike the other beauty products on this column that are applied topically, this one is an oral liquid that you drink to support your beauty from the inside. GO Healthy NZ GO Hair Skin Nails Liquid $29.90 www.gohealthynz.co.nz or phone 0508 466 9327
Megan Robinson
19th January 2015
Products have been received for review purposes and photography. Reviews are not paid for.
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