Niche Brands New Beauty

4 min read

There are more beauty ranges and lines that I could ever possibly list, or even imagine. So, it’s not surprising when new (to me) brands land on my desk every week. This week I’ve been playing with three new products, two of which come from brands that are totally new to me.

First up was Swell Ultimate Volume Dry Shampoo (£20, swell.co.uk). You can get this in LOADS of places – Boots, M&S, Wholefoods, Liberty, etc, but I have never heard of them. It’s an ‘old-school’ powder dry shampoo, and is, according to Swell, THE product to have in your handbag if you have a fringe.

Now, I am having a debate about whether to get a fringe cut back into my hair or not (it’s currently 14-11 FOR a fringe, on my Facebook poll!), and if I do, apparently it will be greasier much more quickly than the rest of my hair. Hence the need for this dry shampoo powder. I used it at the weekend actually, when I couldn’t be bothered washing my hair, and I have to say, it’s great. It really does leave NO WHITE RESIDUE – it really doesn’t. It also does give a lovely lift, and you just get this fine misting, thanks to a unique non-aerosol eco-pump delivery system – much easier to control,. It also has no parabens, and no SLS. What’s not to love.

New Beauty from Niche Brands - Ananne, Swell and Merumaya

Today, I stuck the Merumaya Mud Marvels Mask (£19.50, merumaya.com, and select John Lewis stores) on at my desk, and prayed the postman wouldn’t arrive! I’m not one for mud, or charcoal masks, really, as I feel they never agree with dry skin. But, this one, powered by activated charcoal, promised to extract toxins, deeply cleanse, and not strip the skin. That’s thanks to ingredients like Oat Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E and Cocoa Butter. And you know, it didn’t feel tight after I took it off, unlike other, similar masks. It certainly brought the impurities out, as a spot appeared on my chin almost immediately after taking it off! It’s easy to apply, and remove after about 15 minutes with warm water and a cleansing cloth (Merumaya do their own). It’s also great for guys, so keep an eye on it if you leave it in the bathroom!

Finally, a new luxury brand – Ananne. Made in Switzerland, created by neuroscientist, Professor Urs Pohlman, this brand are completley vegan, packed full of lovely natural ingredients, which are combined with the best in scientific knowledge. I’ve been trialling the Nectar Cutis Serum (£115), which claims to stimulate deep regeneration in the skin with pure oils from macadamia nut, rosehip and bergamot seeds.

The formula also contains concentrated extracts of brown algae and samphire, and will revitalise and smooth the skin. Ananne Travek Kit - Spot the deliberate mistake!

I haven’t used it long enough to say ‘oh wow, this works brilliantly‘, but it does feel lovely, and you really do not need a lot. In fact, you should just pat it into areas of the skin you think need attention, not all over the face.

I have also tried out the cute little Ananne Travel Set Essentials (normal skin), £70.

However, I was a little surprised to find TWO Cura Noctis Night Creams, and no Equilibrium Day Cream in there! The third product is a Lavanticum Purifying Cleanser. I have to say that I am not a fan of the smell of the night cream at all.

It contains carrageenan moss and precious algae, as well as oils from evening primrose, rosehip seeds, jojoba, sea buckthorn, tea tree and cape chestnut. All of those combined soothe and stimulate, and vitamins A and E and Coenzyme Q10 refine pores, minimise fine lines, and revitalise the skin. I just don’t like the smell.

The cleanser smell is, honestly, not that much better, but the cleanser works well and takes off all your makeup, easily. It contains pure oils from borage seeds, rosehip and sea buckthorn, as well as extracts of centella asiatica, carrageenan moss, brown algae, and papaya leaf.

So, from a process of elimination, comparing the two, I think perhaps its the sea buckthorn, or the carrageenan moss that I am not loving the smell of!

I am getting an Equilibrium Day Cream to try, so I will include in another post. This new line is luxurious, and the prices reflect that. It is purely organic, wholly vegan, and free from any synthetic ingredients. It is also packaged in airtight bottles to keep its freshness. It’s made in small batches in Switzerland, so it is proper Swiss-made skincare, unlike a big brand who claim they are Swiss made, but aren’t.

If you like to blow the budget on skincare, then seek this out. Ananne is available from Fenwick of Bond Street, and ananne.co.uk