Retail Therapy: Eye to eye

Specsavers for Country Road eyewear. Photo / Supplied

Country Road has collaborated with Specsavers to release an exclusive range of eyewear, available through Specsavers stores. The 24-piece collection - for both men and women - showcases Country Road's signature casual chic look, with tailored finishes, patterns and fine metal detail embellishments. The partnership, which has been two years in the making, is all about making high-quality and affordable fashion accessible to consumers. Two pairs from $249 including Pentax single vision lenses, from Specsavers stores nationwide.

Gucci's NZ connection

New Zealand model Ella Drake appears in Gucci's recent resort lookbook, alongside top models Anna Selezneva and Vlada Roslyakova. Drake, who is currently based in Milan, appeared in a Gucci runway show earlier this year - the first New Zealand model to ever book a Gucci exclusive.

Sensitively speaking

Those with sensitive skin are on the receiving end of a barrage of new products as companies have cottoned on to how many people experience irritation, tautness and redness. Trilogy co-founder Catherine de Groot says sensitivity can be an ongoing concern or just flare up occasionally, especially during times of stress.

Winter weather, combined with air conditioning, is no help either. While medical advice is recommended for serious skin conditions, those troubled by milder reactions are advised to keep their skincare regimes simple by eliminating unnecessary ingredients and harsh exfoliants.

Watch diet, and alcohol and caffeine intake also. Switching to a soothing skincare product may sort out sensitivities. There are new offerings from Dr Hauschka and Aveeno, while Trilogy launched its alcohol and fragrance-free Sensitive Skin range earlier in the year.

The Dr Hauschka Med range now includes its Ice Plant Body Care Lotion, especially for sensitive skin. It's been developed with dermatologists and draws on ice plant juice to help hold moisture to the skin and relieve itchiness. (For stockists ph 0508 423 737.) Budget-buy Aveeno has an Ultra Calming range containing gentle feverfew extract (a plant related to camomile) in cleansers and moisturisers, including an SPF30 one. It's soap and fragrance-free.

Better red

Brilliance Intense Reds are new at-home permanent dyes for radiant red shades from Schwarzkopf. Reds tend to fade fast as the pigment absorbs less easily into hair than other colours. To help overcome this, Schwarzkopf has added extra conditioning agents to seal in the shades for up to 30 washes.

After Viva's recent article on the new Inoa ammonia-free hair dye for salon services from L'Oreal, we've also got two ammonia-free permanent dyes to tell you about for those who like to do their hair at home. Naturstyle has just launched Naturstyle Intense, four chestnut-based colours. They're not tested on animals and contain soya and coconut derivatives to nourish hair. Available from pharmacies for $24.90.

Flying friend

Dermalogica is about to make hanging round the airport more enticing, with the launch of a Skin Bar at Sydney's international terminal. The style will be similar to that at Dermalogica's flagship store at Westfield Albany, allowing customers a quick consultation and to refresh themselves pre-flight at a DIY hydration station. Perfect for a pep-up in transit or if you're struck by one of those accursed flight delays before tripping home across the Tasman. The Skin Bar opens any day now at the newly renovated Terminal 1, near the departure gates, with bonus offers aplenty.