By Helene Ravlich
Right now many of us are getting our regular beauty fix from the supermarket shelves, and given that many incomes have been lost or diminished of late due to the impact of Covid-19, that’s a trend that may long continue. Thanks to all in sundry then that supermarket and mainstream chemist beauty offerings have upped their game exponentially over the last couple of years, and we’ve all found some new essential items from the supermarket aisle that we can indulge in during level four.
So here’s a guide to shopping your supermarket beauty aisle, featuring some of our favourite brands…
MONDAY
From a great idea to a global phenomenon, it’s pretty safe to say that New Zealand-based haircare brand MONDAY arrived on the scene and really knocked one out of the park.
Promising “a range of salon-quality products available at affordable prices” early on, MONDAY – the brainchild of New Zealand entrepreneur and beauty enthusiast Jaimee Lupton – has delivered exactly that. A range of products that provide the benefits of salon quality formulations to all shoppers, it is now flying off the shelves around the world with good reason. Delivering results and with a truly premium feel, MONDAY offers a formulation for pretty much every hair type, and at a seriously great price point of $7.99.
Everblue
Local company, everblue launched its must-have range of cruelty free, New Zealand-made hair and body care range exclusively into Countdown, Fresh Choice and Super Value Supermarkets nationwide just a couple of months ago and it was like a blue wave hit.
Within the first week of launching the start-up was only in fifty per cent of Countdown stores and was already selling double its forecast. Once the company hit one hundred per cent distribution, Countdown supermarkets were running out of stock and are currently struggling to keep up with demand, with stores selling out of everblue’s naturally derived shampoo and conditioner at times, in particular its volume and shine-focused ‘Empower’ collection. Luckily the range is produced locally, so can be topped up quickly.
Garnier
Devoured by consumers worldwide, the luscious Garnier Fructis Hair Food Masks have long been a must have, by offering 98 per cent natural-origin superfood to even the hungriest hair. Just in time for lockdown, New Zealand supermarkets now also offer a complete Fructis regime inspired by healthy, delicious and colorful smoothies. And yes, they smell amazing! Made up of 96 per cent natural-origin ingredients and silicone-free shampoos and conditioners, the formulas are vegan with zero silicones, and come in 100 per cent recyclables bottles made with 50 per cent recycled plastic to help reduce the use of planet resources. My pick is the Volumising Watermelon range for fine hair that literally smells like summer, and the Repairing Papaya range for damaged hair. At just $11.99 for the shampoo and conditioner and $13.99 for the masks you can definitely afford to mix and match, too.
Dose & Co
Created by New Zealand born, US-based nutritionist Libby Matthews and approved by Khloé Kardashian, the Dose & Co brand is another local name that has gone seriously global. A range of premium collagen products designed to fit seamlessly into your daily routine – wherever your day might take you – they offer delicious collagen creamers to add to your morning coffee as well as my favourite protein powders, which come in plant-based versions too. Check their Instagram @doseandco for recipes, little daily reminders and testimonials from their fans whose skin has seriously transformed by adding Dose to their regime.
Maybelline
A long time supermarket brand that continuously punches so far above its weight, global beauty giant Maybelline are often ahead of the pack when it comes to seriously great makeup formulations. Whether you need a top up of the TikTok phenomenon Lash Sensational Sky High mascara or like me, a huge fan of their SuperStay 30HR Activewear Foundation, Maybelline are right there keeping that level four lockdown glow up going no matter what the forecast for the future.
Glow Lab
Affordable, efficacious, and proudly New Zealand owned, Glow Lab was inspired by Kiwis and created for Kiwis nearly four years ago, sourcing from nature and perfecting their formulations with science. It’s a brand that is proudly authentic in so many of the things they do, and their high performance formulas at a seriously great price point are a joy to use. My pick for iso skin is their Glow Lab Firming Booster, a peptide enriched two-week treatment to firm, smooth and accelerate skin repair. It works to boost collagen and hyaluronic acid levels in the skin to visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and deliver firmer looking skin.
essano
The number one natural skincare brand in New Zealand, essano is a supermarket sensation and then some. Perfect for right now is their famous Hydrating Rosehip range, which features 100 per cent organically grown and cold pressed rosehip oil, hand-picked and processed by smallholder farmers and their families in the extreme south of Chile. Rosehip Oil provides amazing benefits to the skin with its natural corrective and regenerative properties, and it’s loaded with polyphenols (that act like antioxidants to help slow the signs of ageing), essential fatty acids (building blocks of healthy cells) and vitamins (to help moisturise, soothe, heal and generate repair). But it doesn’t stop there. essano’s Hydrating Rosehip range is also packed with powerful active botanicals such as Açai Berry Oil, Jojoba Oil, Aloe Vera and Shea Butter to deeply hydrate skin and improve firmness, leaving you with radiant, resilient skin.
