Get this for an bit of excitement: I went to a beauty editors luncheon (it wasn't lunch, it was private dining at the Merrion, if you don't mind) last week, at which I met French hair maestro Frederic Fekkai. Handsome, Gallic, creator of wonderfully swish gruaig grooming products, he was a hoot. Much wine was drunk (mostly by me; I had to go to bed for the afternoon when I got home, oops), many chats were had and outrageous flirting with Frederic was undertaken by one of our group, who shall remain nameless.
Oh ok, it was Sunday Indo beauty ed, Triona McCarthy. Love the Triona at Beaut.ie, do we (plus talk like Yoda do I) and she's always good to liven up any occasion with witty, saucy banter. Thursday was no exception, but in between snaffling yummy food (tomato and parmesan to start; cod with pea mash and a beaurrriful, decorative dessert. Plus lots of Sauvignon Blanc ...) we managed to squeak in a look at Fekkai's new range, Femme Fekkai Sensuelle.
Treating hair care like skin care marks the whole Frederic Fekkai line out - "why use La Prairie and Sisley on your face and a four dollar shampoo on your hair?" is Frederic's ethos. We'll spend oodles on the latest and greatest wrinkle-busters, but many women don't give their hair the same sort of investment. "Haircuts are out," he told us, adding that the days of the Vidal Sasoon 'hair style' are over, and what women really care about is manageability and the texture of their hair. By jove, a light went on in my increasingly addled head. He's right.
Personally, I couldn't give a fig about having a statement 'do, but I do care about frizz, shine and smoothness. I suspect that's what motivates most of us when it comes to hair. I want my style to be manageable, relatively versatile (as in, I can wear it down and - wait for it - wear it up) and his products are all designed around improving your hair texture. Aphrodite's a fan of his gorgeous smoothing, flyaway-taming Glossing Cream and I'm currently addicted to Au Naturel Dry Shampoo, both of which are pretty transformative products.
Advertised
Looks like we'll be doing battle for Femme Fekkai Sensuelle.
A limited edition four-strong suite of shampoo, conditioner, scented hairspray and Fekkai's first, bespoke eau de parfum, the products are luxurious, indulgent and designed to be a new way to wear scent. Each contains a fragrance that was born in Grasse, near Fekkai's hometown of Aix en Provence. Neroli, jasmine and bergamot make this a white floral/citrus scent that's quite old fashioned but pretty damn delicious with it.
Contained in each of the products, the eau de parfum is available in a dotey 50ml size - but wah of wah, Brown Thomas haven't taken the fragrance, just the three hair products. And what's in them to make them whizz-bang? Silk proteins give hair smoothness and shine, and the textures are incredibly skin-care alike. I haven't given my set a whirl, but intend to before the next time Aphrodite visits and secretes them in her huge handbag while my back is turned.
This is a luxury range and price reflects this: shampoo is €49, conditioner €49 and hairspray €34. All will land in Brown Thomas shortly.
