Inspired by this month’s OUR MOST WANTED campaign, team Inside Space have spent many hours compiling our own must-have beauty favourites. From brands we’ve loved since Space NK launched, to the newest finds we’ve just discovered, our picks span the worlds of bath, body, skin and haircare and more. Read on to discover our can’t-live-withouts, and who knows, maybe they might make it to the top of your wish list too…
Georgia Day, Head of Editorial & Content
IGK Expensive Amla Oil Hi-Shine Topcoat
A much-loved Indie haircare brand born in the US, when IGK launched exclusively at Space NK in February I knew I would love it all, and I was right. Top of my list has to be Expensive, an intensive conditioner that acts as a sort of sealant cum topcoat for hair, and lends it a beautifully swishy polish after every wash. My hair never feels heavy or weighed down and so addicted am I that I may *ahem* go against suggested 1-2 a week washing guidelines and use every time I shampoo….
Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream
One of my favourite products for giving instant, glowing results, there’s a lot to love about this silky vitamin C-enriched moisturiser from one of Space NK’s hidden gems, Kat Burki. Boasting serious skincare credentials, the entire range showcases Kat’s philosophy of only using highly efficient cold processed and pharmaceutically compounded ingredients. This beautifully nourishing cream is formulated with l-ascorbic acid as well as Kat’s signature KB5 complex and a rich ocean mineral complex to hydrate, firm and brighten the skin.
One of the first brands to launch in Space NK when it opened back in 1993, everything Chantecaille does makes its way to the top of my wish list, and this beautiful gel blusher is no exception. Thanks to its instant face lifting abilities, I’m a big advocate of blusher anyway (especially when I’ve had less than my requisite 8-hours) and they don’t come better than this one. It melts in with the lightest of touches and provides a flattering and fresh flush.
Felicity Padbury, Copy & Editorial Manager
Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm
Housed in a heavy glass jar, this luxurious black cleansing balm isn’t exactly your run-of-the-mill cleanser. It is, however, the exact type of cleanser you expect to find when browsing the shelves at Space NK — not only does it look the part perched on your bathroom shelf, it’s efficacious too. Made with Hungarian moor mud and healing thermal waters, it’s packed with potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatories to draw out impurities, clear congested pores and leave skin feeling silky smooth.
Diptyque Fleur de Peau Eau de Parfum
Famed French fragrance house Diptyque started out in a little boutique in Paris in 1961 and quickly became a Space NK perennial following its launch in stores back in 2005. Today, the brand is world-renowned and this special-edition fragrance celebrates Diptyque’s 50th anniversary. Giving a nod to the signature scent of the 60s, Fleur de Peau’s main note is musk with a hint of iris, mandarin orange, bergamot and a dash of pink peppercorn. It’s a powerful perfume and a single spritz is enough to create intrigue and invite compliments.
Windle & Moodie Ultra Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner
We have a bit of a soft spot for this cool, Covent Garden based haircare brand, not only because its salon shares the same part of town that Space NK first started out in 25 years ago, but because we also share the same outlook and ethics. I’m obsessed with the Ultra Nourishing Treatment Shampoo and Conditioner duo, which are enriched with a blend of baobab and babassu oils and white tea and Tahitian monoi oils, and work to add softness, vitality, bounce and strength to dry, brittle and dehydrated hair.
Hayley Grove, Senior Copy & Editorial Writer
Tata Harper, founder of the eponymous skincare brand, is a force for change in the beauty industry. From manufacturing to ingredients, Tata does it differently, formulating 100% natural products and packaging at her Vermont farm. Whenever I use Tata products I see myself gambolling through meadows with perfect skin. Unfortunately, the Resurfacing Mask doesn’t quite whisk me out of East London, but it does flood my bathroom with a pleasingly herbal fragrance and leaves my skin ultra-smooth and positively glowing.
Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara
Like many beauty fans I spend 85% of my life examining, trying and buying mascaras. Every week there is an exciting new wand, a blacker than black formula, an innovation that promises never to smudge, and yet, have I ever found my Holy grail? Well, yes, I finally have. I swear in front of our loyal readers never to cheat on this mascara — there is just no need because it lifts, volumises, lengthens, basically makes my lashes look huge and it does not smudge. I’m so delighted our expert Buying team found this (and told me to try it).
Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo Bar with Aloe Vera
For a Francophile like me, anything from France’s most talked about celebrity hairdresser is a must, but this bar is a game-changer. I’m delighted to have found an eco-friendly, zero plastic shampoo that leaves my highlighted (dry) hair soft, nourished and silky. The bar formula means it doesn’t lather much, which is great because lather tends to dry out my strands. It lasts about twice as long as a bottle too. Christophe is a genius.
Charlotte Clark, Copy & Editorial Writer
Aromatherapy Associates Open Space Bath & Shower Oil
A hectic schedule means bath-time doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, so when it does I make the most of it with this luxurious oil that was created especially for Space NK. A combination of invigorating eucalyptus, relaxing juniper and calming basil, I slather onto my limbs before sinking into a hot bath as the stress and worries of the week slip away.
From one of our founding brands By Terry, comes this makeup essential for brow fanatics. A clever multi-tasker it fills in any gaps or sparseness and keeps my brows in place during the day. The gel formula goes on smoothly and dries down to a powder that creates desirably bushy brows, plus it’s so easy to use that it’s perfect for an on-the-go touch up. Or, if you’re like me and partial to a mid-commute makeover.
Making innovative international brands accessible to the UK market is one of Space NK’s stand out features, and one such brand is Ouai the capsule haircare line founded by celebrity stylist Jen Atkin. As a dry-shampoo devotee, I’m always looking for the quickest and easiest way to refresh 2-day old hair and this is my go-to. The lightweight foam absorbs in seconds without leaving a powdery residue and it boosts volume too.