What's making waves in the world of beauty this week

NZ connection

Lancome's new makeup creative director, Lisa Eldridge (above), spent her early years in New Zealand before making her name in England, where her blog developed a big following.

The makeup artist turned internet sensation will bring her brand of effortless chic to the French beauty house. As well as creating colour collections, she will also craft application techniques and online tutorials.

Eldridge follows New York resident New Zealander Aaron De Mey in picking up this plum Paris post. Viva spoke with her before her appointment last year and was impressed by her down-to-earth beauty advice, which Lancome will be hoping appeals to internet-savvy consumers.

Water Wise
We know we need to drink it, and we've become used to the idea of spraying our faces with it, but the latest beauty obsession with using water to saturate our skin is decidedly back to the future - try cleansing with it.

Not just any water, mind you, the word to watch for is micellar.

Micellar waters are set to be among this year's big beauty trends, with a number of brands launching versions locally.

Micellar water hails from Paris, where bottled water, both to drink and cleanse with, has long been popular in preference to the city's harder tap water. The stuff is also popular with backstage makeup artists for quick, convenient cleansing with a cotton pad.

Micro-size spherical micellar particles, or micelles, do the job of cleansing by lifting makeup, oil and dirt from skin. Micelles are tiny oil molecules suspended in water, making them a gentle cleanser when wiped across the face.

The plus side of micellar waters is that they remove makeup, including from the eyes, more kindly than is the case with the ingredients found in some wipes and they don't need rinsing off as some heavier creams do. The true ones are alcohol- and detergent-free, meaning they are usually well tolerated by sensitive types.

The negative side is that users of a lot of face base and heavy eye makeup, particularly long-wear or waterproof liners and mascara, plus those with very oily skin, may find they are not enough. But, as an all-purpose cleansing option, micellars are quick and convenient. They can even take the place of both cleanser and toner in a travel kit and are sometimes referred to as a 3-in-1 cleanser.

I find that when wearing sunscreens or BB, I prefer a more thorough double cleanse and I like to use a specialist eye makeup remover but as a quick refresh or a final step they work fine.

Given their origin, many micellar waters available internationally come from French spa and pharmacy brands, some using spring and thermal water bases. Examples include Decleor, Darphin, Vichy and Avene.

Bioderma is getting good reviews overseas. The big guns are in on the act, too, with Dior, Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent, L'Oreal and Garnier all doing versions but, to date, only a few of these are available in New Zealand.

Lancome Eau Micellaire Douceur launched here late last year and YSL's Top Secrets Toning and Cleansing Water is also available, as is a Nivea example. Ren has a rosewater-infused one recently out.

Come March, L'Oreal's is due in its Skin Perfection range, with supermarket versions from Garnier and Simple to be on-shelf around the same time. Expect more to come and be aware that there are other cleansing waters available, but they're not all micellars.

Beat the heat

Face spritzes are ideal hydrators for drier skins and oil blotters can be a boon for those with shiny T-zones, making these options worth checking out for summer skin refreshment. Diving into the shower or the pool may seem more enticing with our soaring temperatures but if you're on the go, carrying a spray-on is a quick pick-me-up.

Look for spritzes with soothing botanical ingredients. Natural brands do these well, including examples from Jurlique and Trilogy, but if sampling for the first time to see if they appeal, don't pay a fortune for what is mostly water anyway.

Dermalogica's Clear Start Oil Clearing Blotting Sheet caught our eye as it's a little different from the usual sachet sheets used to soak up oil without smudging makeup.

Although the roll dispenser may remind you of ripping off a bit of baking paper, the handy chain attached to it makes this a little container you could attach to a keyring or bag, making for easy access to an efficient way of blotting up any excess oil. The dispenser comes in four colours and costs $9.50.

Inside out

Makeup as skincare and health supplements to aid your appearance are two beauty notions gaining ground. There's a fair dose of marketing involved in both trends, so don't buy into all the hype, but it makes sense if products you may already be using can offer an extra element of care. Kind-to-skin and active ingredients are certainly nice to have in your makeup and suncare, but won't be as concentrated as in serums.

A healthy diet is undoubtedly your best supplement. Among those added extras being touted overseas is a "drinkable sunscreen" from Osmosis Skincare, said to contain electromagnetic waves to help ward off UV rays from the inside out. I'll be sticking with recognised SPF ratings for my sunscreen.

Another company getting into dietary supplements is New Zealand's MitoQ, which makes a good skin serum containing a patented antioxidant. MitoQ is marketing capsules as a number of natural skincare and health companies already do. Viva's recommendation is to seek medical advice about their usefulness.