#70 In Yer Face

Want a good facial? Here's a bit of advice...

- A good facial should never, ever leave you blotchy or sore (of course, I'm not talking about deep peels or laser treatments here - this is, for the moment, all about SKINCARE treatments). I once experienced an overzealous facial that was pure agony - a girl who literally dug into my pores for 30 minutes straight, as though panning for gold - I left with a swollen, stinging nose and her words ringing in my ears, 'It was tough this time, but it will get easier with each visit.' Needless to say, there was never a strike two.

- Even great facials can result in breakouts - but, in my experience, the better the facialist, the fewer the post-treatment spots you will have. I believe that this is linked to how rough and inexperienced some therapists can be - the tougher the skin is treated, the more the sebaceous glands are stimulated... et voila.

- The best facials should involve some serious massage, perhaps an electrical device or two, at least one spa-strength treatment and savvy, sensible advice. It should not simply be an hour of spritzing, patting, rubbing, washing and layering on of products. Well, we can all do that at home can't we?

- The best facialists can carry out extractions - even deep ones - without so much as a flushing of the skin. The best pair of hands that I have ever come across belong to Sarah Chapman (www.sarahchapman.net) - who repeatedly steams and massages skin with oil until it is calm, pliable and readily purged without trauma. She is a master of extraction.

- The best facialists probably won't stick to a single skincare brand. There are some brands who are said to carry out good facials - Dermalogica, Natura Bisse, Yon-Ka etc, but, end up with an inexperienced therapist and you will not see impressive benefits. It's therefore far better to find yourself a therapist whom you trust - regardless of the products used. Believe me, a skincare expert can work wonders; a skincare line used for an hour once a month will not.

That, my facial-seeking friends, is my short, shortlist...

#69 Snow Angels...

So, it snowed. In April. In Spring. Rather than analyse the disturbing significance of the current climate, I've chosen to counteract the cold snaps with cosmetics instead. So, this weekend, I spent a couple of hours going through my goody drawers and made notes of all the beauty buys currently floating my boat and brightening my day:

1) Essential Care Organic Herbal Shampoo
This feels very, very strange while you are using it and you'll be convinced that it isn't actually cleaning your hair - it's hard to massage in and makes hair feel a bit 'squeaky', BUT once rubbed into the scalp and left on for 3-4 minutes, it gets to work cleansing the hair and hydrating the scalp and rinses away easily to leave hair that is glossy, gleaming and feels very clean. In fact, since using it, my grease-prone roots have needed fewer washes - every 2/3 days instead of 1/2 as normal. As far as my mane is concerned, it's a bona fide hair hit.

2) Darphin Lipid-Enriched Soothing Cleansing Cream for The Body
I was a bit concerned that my sensitive eczema-prone skin wouldn't like this, as it does have a strong scent (albeit a gorgeous, powdery one that will make you think either of baby's bottoms or vintage florals). I needn't have worried. It's the creamiest and most moisturising body wash that I have ever used and has had wonderful effects on my put-upon (i.e. eternally sat-upon) bottom.

3) Eucerin Q10 Active Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream
Finding a good eye product is tricky. I've tried super-steep ones and cheap ones - gels, masks, serums and creams - and rarely feel that something is both simple and effective. This breaks the rule. It's not fussy, smelly or fancy - it just makes skin feel soft and smooth and is never oily. I can't vouch for it's anti-wrinkle effects as it's only been a few days, but can simply say that it feels good and performs well as a pre-make-up base and that's enough for me.

4) Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, Queen of Hungary Mist and Refining Moisturiser
So, I've been lucky enough to get onto the books of uber-facialist Sarah Chapman - more on her in the next blog - and we've both agreed that this wondrous Hungarian skincare line is doing, well, wonders for my skin. The balm - a thermal mud-rich, oil-based formula that is massaged into skin to remove make-up (in the same way that Eve Lom and Amanda Lacey's cleansing pomades are used), is pretty special. It has an uncanny way of 'hoovering' out pores and is quite possibly the most perfect cleanser that I have ever tried. It leaves skin silky smooth, nourished and calm - something that is often written about other cleansers, but which in my experience is very rarely true!

The Refining Moisturiser, is one of those rare formulas that truly hydrates and treats combination skin - leaving the T-zone moist, but not oily, and drier cheeks spongy and soft. Hyperbolic this may all sound... but it has proven true for me. The Queen of Hungary Mist too, is a wonderful, calming post-cleansing elixir, that I press into my skin with the palms of my hands, and even use around my eyes to erase little dry patches.

The problem with the range (well, there had to be a downer, right?) is that it's extremely expensive and, with the cleanser in particular, only comes in a teeny 50ml pot. This makes me rather angry and wary of using too much - in fact, I've even taken to using a different cleanser in the morning in order to make the pot go as far as possible. I truly believe that any good skincare company should invest in generous sizes for all consumers - thereby encouraging them to invest in a longer-term routine. If you want your consumers to remain loyal, they'll need to see results - so give them a pot big enough to last for two washes a day over the course of at least 4 months. If only this would become the standard for all skincare companies!

I have to say, despite the price tag, it's good enough to ensure my loyalty... but only just...