An understated hero in the Minenssey range is without-a-doubt Flannel Flower Absolute. More adaptable than an oil and more potent than a serum, the Absolute is a pure plant elixir made from 99% Flannel Flower extract.

Flannel Flower is a hardy little plant native to New South Wales. It has an uncanny ability to hydrate cells and the moisture drench lasts for hours.

Designed to be used after cleansing and before serums, Minenssey Flannel Flower Absolute can also be mixed with other formulations to boost their effectiveness. Here, three clever ways we love to use it.

1. Add hydration to your foundation

We picked up this trick backstage at Fashion Week when Minenssey partnered with designer Michael Le Sordo. In a bid to refresh models' stressed skin, makeup artists added a few drops of Flannel Flower Absolute into the foundation. It turns even a matte formulation into a creamy, quenching liquid that lasts so much longer than usual. Skin is left plump and juicy and gleaming as if fresh from a facial. I routinely do this with my foundations and tinted moisturisers and it plumps my skin and, because it’s so hydrating, it makes it feel as though I'm not wearing any makeup at all. 

2. Maximise your mask

To add extra oomph to your clay masking session, drop a little Flannel Flower Absolute straight into the pod and give it a stir, before applying the mask. Not only does it give an extra shot of moisture to the mask, it makes the clay even creamier and easier to spread so you get more mileage out of the dose, affording you an extra masking session or even two. More uses means better value and less waste: a nice little sustainability hack to practise.

3. Supercharge your moisturisers

Rather than layering Flannel Flower before your face cream, you can actually add it to a dollop in the palm of your hand with a few droplets of Absolute and give it a mix. This will mingle the textures and aid the absorption of the lotion into the skin. It’s also a good second-saving exercise when you don’t have the time to wait for each layer to absorb. I particularly like pairing the Flannel Flower Absolute with the Rejuvenating Nutritious Face & Neck Cream, to give the anti-aging antioxidant properties an added shot of hydration.

Words by Sigourney