A little Heads-up on Menard

We're running a fab comp at the moment for travel-sized kits of Menard's anti-ageing line, Embellir. But what is this Menard, I hear you cry? And it's not a bad question. You might know, if you're a regular reader, that we love all things Japanese, and nothing more so than their wonderful cosmetic and skincare brands - Shiseido, Shu Uemura and RMK all have lots of space on my bathroom shelves. Menard has a huge following in Japan due to the quality and formulations of its products, and it's a true premium skincare, makeup and fragrance brand, backed with reassuring amounts of science.

Now Menard is available here, at Arnotts, and as we've been dousing ourselves in L'eau de Ryoukei, their gorgeous green-tea fragrance for some time, we were very eager to find out more about their skincare. Embellir is an uber-switswoo anti-ageing suite, containing 8 glossily packaged products. Japanese skincare regimes differ from ours in that they tend to cleanse for longer, and use more product, so the line reflects that. There is also a serum, toner, extract and 3 moisturisers in the range, which is typically priced from about €99.

And what does Embellir promise to do for you? The inclusion of Red Reishi and Black Reishi mushrooms (just think how amazing Dr Weil's products for Origins are, also based on mushrooms) help to prevent the signs of aging and restore skin's youthful vitality, radiance and clarity.

And what if you'd like to try before you buy? Enter our competition to win a travel set!