Nicky Kinnaird has cherry-picked key products from cult ranges for her Space NK shops
A TRIP TO London or Belfast is not complete for me without a visit to one of the Space NK stores, with their hand-picked selections of the creme de la creme of the world's best beauty brands. This is haute couture beauty and skincare, with expert consultants to advise in a non-pushy but helpful way.
The woman behind the venture is Nicky Kinnaird, who opened her first store 15 years ago in a small premises in Covent Garden, London. Her passion for shopping led her to seek out niche brands, and cherry-pick their key products, bringing them together in a comfortable "space". Kinnaird is refreshingly down-to-earth. She stresses that customers should feel comfortable asking questions, and should be able to touch and try the products, or just browse. Therein lies one of the secrets of the group's success. The personally-selected collection of brands make the difference between looking good and looking great.
Kinnaird is responsible for bringing such names as Eve Lom, Laura Mercier and Nars to our attention, and she also produces her own line of fragrance and beauty tools. With 55 stores now open in the UK, she has now ventured across the Atlantic with three "spaces" in trend-aware New York, and one in New Jersey.
Hopefully we will not have to wait too long before we have our own Space NK in Ireland, but in the meantime check out the goodies on www.spacenk.com. Orders can be placed with the customer service department and deliveries are made worldwide.
Some of Kinnaird's favourites include the By TerryLight Expert (£38), which gives a perfecting glow to the complexion and comes with a built-in brush. Terry de Gunzburg is the woman responsible for the iconic YSL Touch Éclat and now has her own range of high-performing products.
Dr BrandtWater Booster drops (£26) are a boon for those of us who find green tea is a bit of a chore to drink, even though we know how good it is for us. A dropper-full in a glass of water is equivalent to 15 cups of green tea, but without the caffeine.
The holy grail of cleansers is made by Eve Lom(£48), but this product is so much more than a mere make-up remover. It deep cleanses, exfoliates and moisturises all at once, and I couldn't go to a desert island without it.
Kinnaird is as passionate about her Japanese Wash Cloth(£17) as I am. With its tightly-woven fibres that smooth the skin to a silky finish, it's a brilliant investment for summer skin.