What I Took Home From Oslo Runway: The Beauty Gift Bags I’m Excited to Try

That Girl

What I Took Home From Oslo Runway: The Beauty Gift Bags I’m Excited to Try

From backstage hair heroes to active skincare and the perfume I immediately fell for.

5/9/26

After a few days at Oslo Runway, I came home with a very good-looking beauty haul. Between the shows, street style, cameras, clothes and running from one location to another, I hadn't really had time to look properly at everything in the gift bags. Once I unpacked, I realised just how much was in there.

The Oslo Runway beauty bags were a very good representation of what the backstage beauty from the shows and presentations had to offer. The selection was largely Scandinavian, with a few international additions, and it gave me a nice introduction to some brands I knew, some I had heard about and a few that were completely new to me.

A small disclaimer before we get into it: I am an editor, not a beauty expert, and I haven't been using these products long enough to give you a six-week skincare review. Some I have already tested, especially the haircare and makeup, while others are still waiting their turn. So this is my first impression, what caught my attention and, in a few cases, what I am already loving.

The products were part of the beauty selection from the brands supporting Oslo Runway, which made the whole bag feel like a little introduction to the Scandinavian beauty scene.

Eleni & Chris: The Hair I Actually Tried

I started with Eleni & Chris, because hair products are the easiest for me to test immediately. The Scandinavian haircare brand was an official hair partner of Oslo Runway for the third consecutive season, working backstage with the hair teams creating the runway looks.

I tried the Fiber Foam and the Extra Strong Hairspray almost immediately, and I really liked them. The Fiber Foam gives hair volume and texture while also offering heat protection up to 220°C, UV and colour protection. It contains cloudberry extract, vitamin B5 and argan extract, which help condition and protect the hair.

This is the kind of product I can see becoming useful in my own routine because it actually does something I need: giving my hair more body without making it feel like I've put half a can of product on it.

The hairspray was another immediate test, and I liked the hold. I will keep using both before making any long-term claims, but the first impression is very good.

Dr. Stine: Scandinavian Skincare With a Serious Ingredient List

Dr. Stine Akerstjerne was one of the brands that made me stop and actually read the packaging. The skincare is developed by doctors in Scandinavia and is built around active ingredients and clinically documented results. The range is designed with Nordic conditions in mind, with an anti-ageing focus.

The product I am most curious about is the SUPERFOOD Multipurpose Vitamin Face Gel. It contains 4% niacinamide, 5% vitamin B5, vitamin A, vitamin E and sea buckthorn, which is naturally rich in vitamin C. The idea is to use it as a serum, underneath moisturiser, or even on the cheekbones when you want extra moisture and glow.

There is also the ANTI-AGE Night Cream Rich, which uses Gatuline In-Tense and sodium hyaluronate, together with a combination of natural oils aimed at supporting the skin barrier.

I haven't used these long enough to tell you what they do over time, which is exactly what I want to find out. The ingredient lists are impressive, though, and I am very curious to see how my skin responds after actually giving them a proper routine.

The AGE-DEFYING hand cream was another one that caught my attention. The formula includes niacinamide, panthenol, squalane and argan oil. Hand cream is one of those products I forget about until I suddenly need it, so this one has already moved somewhere much more accessible.

Hanskin: A Little Korean Skincare Moment

Hanskin brought a Korean skincare moment to an otherwise very Scandinavian beauty bag.

I received the Pore Cleansing Oil PHA and the Hyaluron Moisture Cream. The cleansing oil is built around PHA and is designed to remove makeup and impurities while working with sensitive skin. The Hyaluron Moisture Cream contains hyaluronic acid and is marked as containing 95% moisturising ingredients.

These are still very much in the waiting to be properly tested category for me. I like the idea of starting with an oil cleanser and then following with a hydrating cream, and I am curious to see how the combination feels over time.

The packaging is also very cute. I know that shouldn't influence skincare, but it absolutely does.

Filorga: The Parisian Addition

And then there was Filorga, the French addition to the Scandinavian-heavy beauty lineup.

I received several products from the NCEF-REVITALIZE range, including the firming polyrevitalizing cream, restorative night cream and anti-ageing polyrevitalizing serum.

This is the more treatment-focused part of the bag. Filorga's NCEF complex is the centre of the range, with the brand describing it as a combination of active ingredients inspired by those used in aesthetic medicine. The cream is designed around concerns including firmness, radiance, elasticity and visible signs of ageing.

The packaging of the cream also comes with a vitamin A warning, so this is definitely one where I will follow the instructions and introduce it properly rather than enthusiastically putting everything on my face at once.

Again, I haven't tested these long enough to give you my verdict. But I am very interested in this range, especially because the formulas are so focused on active ingredients.

Jan Thomas Cosmetics: The Fun Part

Every good beauty bag needs some makeup, and Jan Thomas Cosmetics supplied one of the products I was most curious to try: the Glow Primer.

I tested it straight away and my first impression was genuinely good. It gives the skin that fresh, luminous finish I want from a primer, and it is easy to work into an everyday makeup routine. I can see myself reaching for it when I want my skin to look a little more polished without making the whole makeup look feel too done.

KORRES: The Mascara That Came Along for the Ride

There was also a KORRES Drama Volume Mascara, which I tested rather than leaving untouched on the shelf.

The formula uses volcanic minerals together with a 2% vitamin and peptide complex, which KORRES says is intended to strengthen and nourish lashes. It is also ophthalmologically tested and suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens users.

I liked the effect. It gives the lashes more volume and definition without needing much work, which is exactly what I want from mascara.

And yes, I know this is becoming a recurring theme, but I will need more than a couple of applications before I start making grand declarations about it. For now: good first impression, staying in the makeup bag.

And Then There Was the Perfume

The product I had the most immediate reaction to was probably the Via Brera Eau de Parfum by Vendela Kirsebom.

I love this perfume.

It is inspired by Via Brera in Milan, one of Kirsebom's favourite areas of the city, and the scent has bergamot, pineapple and pink berries at the top, jasmine, freesia and peach in the heart, and vanilla, amber, skin musk and patchouli underneath.

It has that warm, slightly golden quality that makes me want to wear it with a great coat and walk around Milan pretending I have somewhere very important to be.

The funny thing about perfume is that you don't need weeks of testing to know if you like it. You spray it and you know. With Via Brera, I knew immediately.

The Beauty Bag I Didn't Know I Needed

What I liked most about this Oslo Runway beauty haul was the mix. There was serious active skincare, Korean formulas, Scandinavian haircare, makeup, hand cream and a perfume that I immediately wanted to keep wearing.

I also like that I am going to have to actually use these products before I can tell you what deserves a permanent place in my routine. The first impressions are very good, but skincare especially needs time.

So now the Oslo Runway gift bags have made their way from my suitcase to my bathroom, makeup bag and hair shelf. The real testing starts now.