Telegraph beauty editor Kate Shapland rounds up the beauty industry highlights from the past year which made her love her job even more.
So how did the ‘lipstick factor’ stand up in a year where the economy, already on a down-ward turn, took a nosedive? The phrase was coined by Estee Lauder’s son Leonard to describe beauty’s resilience to recession: the idea is that if you can’t afford a new dress you will still treat yourself to a new lipstick, or another product. But did that still hold?
What I found I wanted to see more of, and was thrilled to find happening, was small scale creativity. It’s hard enough to get a beauty product to market at the best of times, but there have been some brilliant British beauty debuts this year in spite of the recession, and often from the smallest, most unexpected sources. May they blossom in 2012.
1. Aromatherapy Associates’ new shop: a blessing for those of us who appreciate quality aromatherapy, Geraldine Howard’s boutique and treatment rooms offer a chance to experience her A1 massages and buy her blends all in one place. If you haven’t yet been make it a priority for 2012. Appointments: 020 8569 7030.
2. Chanel’s nail show: a pastiche movie created to promote Chanel’s nail polishes. This took the form of a Bob Fosse-esque dance extravaganza and got everyone clicking their fingers and tapping their feet. a bit of helpful escapism in a year dominated by talk of cutbacks and cheap beauty accessories (false nails, false lashes ..). Watch the video: Chanel fingers dance up a storm
3. Burberry Body: gets top marks for the year’s savviest launch. Burberry created their new scent to be a fully integrated medium for projecting the entire brand and launched it via a Facebook sampling initiative (a first for scent). Forward-thinking and thought-provoking, it made conventional marketing look very old-fashioned. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is Burberry’s new Body
4. Clarisonic Classic Sonic Skin Cleansing system : unarguably the hottest beauty device of the year – every beauty editor wanted one of these in her bathroom, and no one could accuse it of being an expensive gimmick because it works brilliantly to clean, tone and brighten skin. an investment worth making. £155, clarisonic.co.uk .
5. Kate Logan Sake Baths: another victory from another singleminded beauty entrepreneur, Kate adapted this traditional Japanese bathing treat by adding soothing or reviving essential oils to it and created a new night-time bath habit for quite a few editors at the Telegraph. £21.99 for 4 baths, kateloganbeauty.com.
6. Guerlain Terracotta Jambes de Gazelle: beauty innovation doesn’t get much better (or more chic) than this. a cooling bronzer, it goes on like a dream, gives a tan that looks like it comes from within (read: real), and stands head and shoulders above other self tans – for legs or any other part of the body. £36, houseoffraser.co.uk .
7. Konjac Sponge: one of those simple wonders that seems to come out of nowhere, cleans up on consumer demand and attracts a predictable rabble of me-too’s in its wake. Made from the fibrous Konjac vegetable, this 100% natural, gentle Japanese cleanser/exfoliator is suited to all skins, even dry. £12, victoriahealth.com .
8. Paul & Joe Dolphin Blotting Papers: have you seen them?! The cute and covetable design of these mattifying face papers made them a little ray of lightness and fun in an otherwise play-safe, unimaginative and corporate beauty market. Expect even more creativity from Paul & Joe founder Sophie Albou in 2012. £12, asos.com .
9. Beautitude Bath Oils: a capsule line of beautifully blended bath oils – Patience, Joy and Peace – made by talented aromatherapist Rebecca O’Connor. Patience, the one I’ve fallen for, is a warming and stimulating blend of rosemary, lavender, ginger and juniperberry and was made for a winter bath. £22, beautitudeproducts.com .
10. Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms: like jelly moulded into lip bullets, these roll on like no other lip treat I’ve tried. Crystal, Crystal Coral and Crystal Red are the current shades; word has it there will be more in 2012. £16.50, 0800 036 3558.
11. Balance Me face care: it’s a joy to see a brand you have watched from concept blossom into something beautiful, especially when it’s British. Balance Me, created by Rebecca and Clare Hopkins, built on their bath/body repertoire this year with an impeccable skin care line. If you want natural, you want this. Balanceme.co.uk .
12. LAQA & Co Nail Polish Pens: desirably quirky but credible too, these nail lacquer pens have what I call ‘yum allure’. They look so good you want to lick them, but are high-performers too, evenly dispensing a lasting polish. Expect more yumminess next year with a fat lip from LAQA’s new chubby lip pencils. £9.50, selfridges.com .
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