A gilt candle collection for Christmas, the best balm for eczema-prone skin, and Pure Fiji’s new scent.
What. A. Week.
It began with a series of Christmas gift sets to sort through (more on that to come this weekend) and ended with three beauty launch events in one day (I
It’s not often that PRs manage to book events on the same day as another brand, but by some miracle, all three were scheduled for different times of the day — meaning I had the right amount of time to dash from one to the next.
Dermalogica’s annual Christmas celebration at Soul Bar & Bistro is always one of my seasonal highlights, as was learning about all the product innovation set to launch early in 2024 (stay tuned for more).
Next, it was over to Point Chevalier for the launch party for TWYG, the new New Zealand skincare brand that’s been 100 million years in the making. Read my interview with the brand founders, Steph and Ryan Davies, here.
Finally, I sipped Champagne and slurped oysters at the Boat Shed in Ōrākei while exploring Ecoya’s festive new offerings and listening to beats by the Sweet Mix Kids. Phew.
Below, I recap the five products that I tried, tested and loved this week.
Ecoya ‘The Goldie’ Candle
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Advertise with NZME.It’s around this time every year that my sister-in-law and I start chatting about how to style the Christmas table, which undoubtedly always centres around candles of some description.
This year, Ecoya is inviting us all to celebrate the golden moments with the unveiling of its Goldie vessel, which houses three of the brand’s most festive home fragrances — Raspberry & Hibiscus, Blossom & Spiced Vanilla and Fresh Pine. The Ecoya logo is emblazoned on the front but the design of the brushed gold aluminium candle is incredibly chic — and sure to fit in with any Christmas centrepiece.
The Goldie candles are priced from $30 for the mini or $65 for the full-sized versions. Available from Ecoya.co.nz
Noody Calm Balm, $35
Both of my children have quite reactive skin — they’re prone to eczema flare-ups caused by a change in season or consuming too much dairy. Although I’ve always been prescribed steroids by doctors, I’ve been hesitant to use harsh products on them.
Instead, in a bid to soothe their red, irritated skin, I’ve smoothed on all manner of creams, balms and salves but none as good as Noody Calm Balm. The brainchild of The Facialist Ashleigh Scott and her husband Scott Glacken, Noody serves to appeal to both kids and parents with its playful packaging and plant-powered formulas. Calm Balm contains a blend of prebiotics, calendula, kawakawa, zinc and plant-based oils to soothe a variety of skin ails, from nappy rash and chafing to insect bites, burns, or eczema.
My best friend, whose 1-year-old son also suffers terribly from eczema, had exceptional results after using this for ONE DAY — with her son considerably more comfortable and his skin appearing less irritated the next day.
Available from Noody.co.nz
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Advertise with NZME.Pure Fiji Dragon Fruit collection, priced from $20
Is your trip to Fiji even worth it if you don’t bring home a suitcase full of Pure Fiji? I’m a long-time admirer of the brand’s range of summer-ready scents, ones that manage to capture the freshness and acidity of sun-ripened mangoes or the salty, creamy elements of a newly opened coconut on the beach.
Now, Pure Fiji has revealed the newest scent in its lineup that highlights the skin-caring benefits of dragon fruit. Dragon fruit extract is loaded with prebiotics, helping to rebalance the skin microbiome and support a strengthened skin barrier. Not to mention it smells absolutely heavenly, too.
The new Dragon Fruit collection is almost completely sold out online, except for the Lotion, $31, and Sugar Scrub, $33, which are still available.
Skincycles By Alice Hydrating Face Masks 5pk, $189
I’m always impressed by the level of innovation and expertise New Zealanders deliver on a world stage, and dermatologist Alice Henshaw is no exception. The London-based expat established Harley Street Injectables in 2014, and since then has formulated her eponymous sustainable skincare line, Skincycles by Alice.
I was lucky enough to be given a pack of the Hydrating Face Mask, a bio-cellulose sheet mask that plumps skin and restores its glow thanks to being steeped in a blend of hyaluronic acid, blue agave saponins, palmitoyl hexapeptide 12 and formosa ruby essence. It’s equal parts cooling and soothing and answered my skin’s S.O.S call after a weekend of indulging in a little too much Champagne.
Available exclusively from Faradays or online at Faradays.co.nz
Jo Loves Pop-Up coming to Sylvia Park on November 20
Okay, so this technically hasn’t landed on my desk, but the news has, which is why I’m including it here. Fans of Jo Malone London will know that its founder and namesake, Jo Willcox, sold the brand to Estee Lauder in 1999 but has since gone on to found Jo Loves — a scent, bath, body and candle collection that draws inspiration from memories and moments in her life.
Now, the brand is launching exclusively into Farmers — the first time Jo Loves has had a brick-and-mortar presence in Aotearoa. Celebrations begin on November 20, with a Jo Loves pop-up inside Sylvia Park mall (which will be part of Farmers but situated near Country Road on the ground floor).
My fragrance pick is Jo by Jo Loves, one which highlights notes of grapefruit, lime and guaiac wood (which Jo says she created for herself) which comes in a variety of formats, including in 185g hand-poured candle, a 100ml parfum, 200ml bath cologne and much more, from Farmers.co.nz.
Skincare, makeup and beauty-industry mavens.
Everything That Passed Over Our Beauty Editor’s Desk This Week. A blues-beating supplement, a sunscreen that wears well with makeup and more.
10 Your-Skin-But-Better Tints That Will Have You Rethinking Foundation. The makeup-as-skincare hybrid offers light coverage with skin-benefiting ingredients.
Our Definitive Guide To The Best Hairbrushes And Combs, From $7 To $250. Tools for all hair types, styles, budgets and blowouts.
We Gave 4 Makeup Artists $100 To Restock Their Kits. This Is What They Bought. Experts’ tips on looking glam despite the cost of living crunch.
