The facial that seriously raised the bar

Unretouched and no filter

If you're over the age of thirty chances are you've had at least one facial in your life. How was it? Anything to write home about? Yup. I've had some shockers too. That was until Easter week just gone when I had what will now be referred to as The Best Facial Of My Life. If you're into facials or are a facial skeptic, then read on...

The Details
Location: Claridge's
Facialist: MARIA (put her name in your phone now, or better still, burn MARIA into your brain. I've had it tattooed on my wrist, just to be on the safe side).
Brand: Sisley
Name of facial: The Supreme Anti-Ageing Facial

Art Deco heaven
Entering Claridge's is a treat in itself (that sweeping staircase) and the lift up to the spa had a long seat stretching the length of it (remember the lift in Pretty Woman?). The lovely gentleman manning the lift said the lift was over 100 years old (and so, I think, was he. Bless him ;)

On my arrival at the spa (6th floor) I was warmly received by Maria who escorted me to a changing room so beautifully decorated and old school, I could have cried. Think wood-panelled lockers, tiny mosaic floors and marble basins. I stripped down to my knickers (sorry, TMI), donned the chunky robe and slippers provided and made my way to the treatment room.

I should stress my iPhone photos really don't do the room justice. There was a luxurious shower at one end and the room generally exuded the most wonderful energy. I couldn't wait to lie down and fall asleep!

Once settled on the massage table Maria began by asking me questions about my skin and explained how she would tailor the facial to my needs. I've used the odd Sisley product in the past, including the cult Black Rose Mask (£95.50; intensely hydrating and very often, understandably, out of stock) and their Express Flower Gel (£80; also incredible) but was intrigued to try more of the range.

Game changer
I can't remember the exact order in which things happened (I've never felt so at ease during a facial) but there was a shoulder massage (which I loved), an exfoliating mask, various serums, a moisturising mask, an eye contour mask(!), a hand and foot massage(?!) and the most incredible facial massage I have ever had.

It's hard to describe what Maria did during the facial massage but at one point, about 20 mins in, using various parts of her hands and fingers, she deployed a series of fast movements that I can only describe as 'intense pummelling'. She was so quick I genuinely wondered if she'd switched to a machine, but no, she can naturally achieve that kind of pressure and speed! It wasn't uncomfortable, rather, I didn't really want it to stop because I knew how much my face was going to benefit from the movements. And sure enough, as soon as the facial was over, I raced (albeit rather sleepily) into the changing room to inspect my skin and was delighted with the results.

I looked like I'd had botox. In a good way!

My skin about 5 minutes after facial ended. Remnants of my mascara can still be
seen but my skin is MAKEUP FREE .

10 mins later, with a light makeup having been applied. 
I still cannot get over how good my skin looks.

I'll let Claridge's explain the benefit of the anti-ageing massage:

"In a single session this treatment gives the skin a real boost, wipes away traces of fatigue, reactivates its radiance and dramatically recontours skin tissues. After a few sessions in short succession, facial muscles dramatically and lastingly regain their tone, helping to reposition facial volumes. The cheekbones are lifted, wrinkles are reduced, the face’s centre of gravity is raised."

Post facial makeup
It feels almost sacrilegious to cover up one's skin post-facial so for my meeting I opted for a sheer tinted moisturiser (Chantecaille's miraculous 'Just Skin', just along the t-zone) with strategic concealing (Maybelline's FIT concealer) around areas of visible redness (nose, chin etc). I suddenly felt like drawing attention to my eyes (ah the confidence that comes from knowing your skin looks good!) so relished applying a classic flick together with a light coat of mascara (avoid too much on the lashes if the makeup is minimal). I finished off the look with a swoosh of bronzer (Chanel Les Beiges in shade 30), a quick brush through the brows (ModelCo) and a tinted lip balm.

Claridge's Easter display in their foyer caught my 
eye as I was leaving. Love the bird cages!

Spring skirts
I was meeting a client straight after the facial so decided to wear my new red J Crew skirt which I purchased in the A/W sale. I should mention I never wear red but my friend and super stylist Jacqueline suggested I should (and when Jac suggests something you do not ask questions. You simply nod and buy it). I now wear it all the time. In fact, as I type this, I've just realised I'm wearing the exact same outfit! *blushes*

Verdict
You know those treatments where you come out thinking, "well that was nice'n'all but I wouldn't go again" well, I came out thinking "That was INCREDIBLE. It's my birthday in 3 months. I'm not sure I can wait that long?!!"

I'll admit, they're not the cheapest of facials (they start at £90 for 60 mins) but boy are they luxurious and I wouldn't honestly recommend it if I didn't think it was worth your hard earned cash.

The facials (current price list at 20/04/16)
The Sisley Facial (£110 for 60 mins)
Ecological Facial for Men (£110 for 60 mins, or £155 for 90 mins)
The Supreme Anti-Ageing Facial (£135 for 60 mins, or £205 for 90 mins)

Be sure to take a look at Claridge's Beauty Treatments as they offer some gorgeous looking package deals, including lunch in the restaurant.

Links:
Description of treatments (PDF)
Prices (PDF, as at 20/04/2016)

What every beauty brand can learn from Charlotte Tilbury

I found myself watching a video last night of Charlotte Tilbury doing makeup on the lovely Nic Chapman (Pixiwoo). I've watched a number of videos of Charlotte at work and also being interviewed (you simply must check out this eye opening interview with Sali Hughes from Sali's 'In The Bathroom' series where Charlotte reveals she REAPPLIES her makeup, INCLUDING MASCARA, before bed?!).

Where was I? Yes, Charlotte (to me) always seems to come across the same; energetic, enthusiastic and humbled by her success. As a makeup artist and also a punter I find her enthusiasm for cosmetics completely infectious. It's no wonder the brand that carries her name is enjoying such tremendous success.

Naturally the cynic in me says 'Well of course she's enthusiastic. She's probably a multi millionaire, what with her own best selling makeup brand!" But I genuinely believe there's something to be gleaned from the consistency with which she presents herself to the world.

In today's competitive world brands that do well often embody people. They have personalities and attributes. A potential disaster move for a brand, particularly as they grow in size, is when they hire the wrong kinds of people. I adore shopping in Space NK but find it infuriating when I enter a Space NK store to find what I love about that brand has been completely overshadowed by the egos of the people who run that particular shop. I'd be amazed if Charlotte Tilbury headquarters didn't actively recruit people bearing similar traits to Charlotte.

For some reason, whilst thinking about all of this I also got to thinking about pedicures (random). On the rare occasion that I treat myself to a pedicure (about once a year, if that) I'll generally go somewhere I've been before on the basis I know the 'brand' and trust them to do a good job (again, nothing worse than when the experience doesn't live up to the expectation. Sigh.

As someone trying to grow my own brand I often think about the importance of being genuine and how this attracts the right kind of people. After all, it's impossible to be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're true to yourself, the right kind of person is likely to respond. In the beginning I tried to be someone I wasn't and guess what, growth was slow. Now that I'm learning to embrace who I am and what makes me different, the change is visibly there.

Before we wrap up talking about Charlotte and what a character she is, here are three of my favourite Charlotte Tilbury products:

Lip Cheat in 'Pillow Talk' (£16)
I wear this pretty much every other day and will happily apply it under any lipstick. Its velvety texture is unlike anything I've experienced before and as lip pencils go (and boy are there some terrible ones out there) it's excellent at preventing lip colour from bleeding. Charlotte's pencils are designed to 'cheat' your natural lip line (assuming one would like slightly fuller lips) so as such it comes in a range of different tones to suit all (or at least most?) ethnicities.

The Dolce Vita Luxury Palette (£38)
When I first saw the earthy red shade in this quad I thought "there's no way I'm putting that on my eyes", but it just works. I've got green eyes and with red being the opposite of green on the colour spectrum anything with reddy or purply undertones is going to make my eyes sing. This is my go-to palette whenever I want to create an interesting smokey eye and I love love love the glittery 'pop' shade which goes over the moveable part of the eye. Rumour has it Charlotte helped Tom Ford design his cosmetics line and if you look at his shadow quads and hers there are many similarities.

OK so I lied, I have two. But MAN do I want to test this baby out! Launching soon. Love the fact the shades are numbered and that the numbers will fade once you get the hang of it and the product wears down. The woman's a genius. Either that or the people behind her are. 

This little trick has *totally* transformed my look

Mariela woke up like this. OK, maybe she woke up with the nose (I so want that nose) and
brows (don't get me started)....but the rest is makeup. Phew :)

I thought I knew everything there was to know about highlighting (or 'strobing' as it's been recently rebranded *yawn*) but that was until I got chatting to Heidi at the Hourglass counter in Liberty last week. Heidi and I had been emailing recently and I'd promised to come in at some point to check out the new ambient powders.

If you want to discover the 'trick' quickly then scroll now to the end. If not, allow me to introduce you to Hourglass.

If you've never heard of Hourglass I'd describe them as the 'red carpet ready' makeup brand (think flawless dewy 'Hollywood' skin, sculpted cheekbones and lacquered lips). Founded in 2004 by cosmetics innovator Carissa Janes Hourglass was borne out of a desire to create a modern, luxury and high performing cosmetics brand. The brand's packaging is sleek and rose gold coloured (our obsession with rose gold clearly showing no sign of waning!) and the makeup within it boasts innovative formulations designed to challenge the makeup status quo. In a nutshell it's darn good stuff.

A superior trio
Two Christmases ago I was lucky enough to be gifted the spenny but utterly gorgeous Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (see above. This was after much begging and puppy dog eyes I might add....spending over £50.00 on any makeup item for myself requires extensive consideration, hence the Christmas 'Wish List'!)

Two years on and I've basically worn down all three of the powders, but my favourite by far was the middle one - the highlighting powder. You can imagine my glee when Holly emailed to say that Hourglass were launching a range of individual highlighting powders. And boy are they good...

Mood lighting
The Ambient Lighting powders come in four shades which the brand says are universally flattering, but I'd recommend you try them on your skin before you buy (especially seeing as they're £34 each). The shade I was most drawn to personally was 'Iridescent' (above).

And now for The Trick *drumroll* 
I've always known highlighters come in both cream and powder formulations but for some reason I'd never thought to apply a powder highlighter wet(?!) *claxon*.

"Whaaaat???!! Heidi, this is a revelation!"

What happens
Applying a powder highlighter with a wet brush does two things to your skin:

• it gives it an ethereal high-shine glow, more so than simply using a cream or powder (dry)
• it can help buff the product even more effectively into your base (or nude skin)

BUT! It's all in the balance
Since trying this technique using a number of different powder highlighters I've discovered the method has several pros and cons:

• The brush needs to be damp not wet (i.e. running it under a free flowing tap is too much. A could of drops and then wring with your hand)
• A more densely packed, round brush works better than one which splays (the Hourglass brush that is recommended to accompany this product has a flat dome shape. A stippling brush like this one would also work well).
• The more finely milled the powder the better (if you're sixteen you can wear whichever powder takes your fancy! Thin, thick, doesn't matter...but the moment you start seeing those fine lines around the eyes it's best to opt for a finely milled powder. Case in point, I tried applying my trusty Kevin Aucoin 'Candle Light'* with a damp brush but the powder was too thick to be used wet and really accentuated my fine 'late thirties' lines. Boo).
• Be warned: if you have dry skin, adding water to it might make it feel even tighter! (To combat this moisturise well before you apply your base and consider applying a cream highlighter or a light touch of a natural, non-tinted lip balm underneath your wet powder highlighter).

* It's been several years (at least four) since I bought the Candle Light powder so the formula may have changed. Net-a-porter describe it as 'lightweight' which is something I definitely would not use to describe my one!

In natural light

Natural light again and for some bizarre reason slightly cross-eyed lol

With flash

Where to find Hourglass
If you're interested in experiencing Hourglass for yourself head to Liberty, Space NK or Harrods (Urban Retreat). For those of you who might be reading this overseas (*waves*) click here and search for your nearest stockist.

I'll leave you with a pretty awesome quote I found from Hourglass' CEO:

"When I’m developing a product, it needs to be one of two things: It either needs to be the total reinvention of a category, or it needs to be a product from the future. If it’s been done, I’m not interested." BOOM!  

   - Carissa Janes, founder and CEO, Hourglass Cosmetics

Do you have a go-to highlighting product? I'd love to know.


Images: Hourglass' website and my own

This post is not sponsored. I'm merely writing about it because I think it's good stuff :)