A stroke of genius

Elemis Life Elixirs Mindful Massage

Elemis’s latest launch is a deep-tissue massage designed to “bring you back to yourself” using the brand’s aromatherapy line Life Elixirs. Created by co-founder and managing director Noella Gabriel exclusively for the brand’s flagship spa The House of Elemis in London, the Life Elixirs Mindful Massage claims to soothe mind, body and soul.

After a thorough lifestyle consultation, clients pick one of the brand’s five Life Elixirs blends to use in treatment – Calm (the soothing blend), Fortitude (empowering), Embrace (serene), Clarity (uplifting) and Sleep (deeply relaxing) – depending on how they want to feel.

The treatment begins with body balance breathing and prepping of the skin to release toxins before the full-body, deep-tissue massage. Using the client’s chosen aromatic blend and Elemis’s mix of Thai, Swedish, Balinese, Hawaiian and Eastern massage techniques, the therapist works around the body, easing tension and increasing circulation.

If successful, the treatment will be rolled out to other Elemis accounts in the future.

At The House of Elemis, the brand charges £55 for 30-minutes, £95 for 60 minutes and £125 for 90 minutes. Call the brand on 020 7907 2724

Thalgo Silicium Marin Super Lift Facial

Thalgo’s latest treatment is aimed at older clientele (40 plus) who want to “defy time” by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Products from the brand’s complementary anti-ageing Marin Silicium range are used in treatment to restore the skin’s silicium reserves – one of the body’s main trace elements, which is essential to connective tissues and maintaining the architecture of the extracellular matrix – to leave the complexion smooth and hydrated.

After beginning with a Discovery of the Sea welcome ritual, the therapist cleanses and tones the skin before performing the brand’s exclusive dermastim massage technique on the face and neck, using precise stimulating and invigorating movements to lift facial contours and firm skin.

Cryo Sclupting Mask is then applied to further help plump out wrinkles and restore radiance, before finishing off with the nourishing Silicium Marin Lifting Sculpting Day Cream and Lifting Correcting Eye Cream, both packed with Thalgo’s marine silicium complex.

Thalgo recommends charging £80 in London and £60 regionally for the 75-minute treatment. Call the brand on 020 7512 9872

This month we tried… Skinade three-month course

The lowdown: I’ve known about collagen drink Skinade for years and have sampled the occasional bottle on the go when dropping by the brand’s stand at Professional Beauty shows. But like any supplement, Skinade requires a bit more dedication than that to see results. So, I was excited when the brand invited me to try a three-month course, with a Visia skin scan either end to measure its effects. Skinade contains hydrolysed marine collagen, B vitamins and other key ingredients for skin health including sulphur and l-lysine. The idea is that the levels of collagen are sufficiently high that they flood the cells, improving skin tone and texture.

The experience: Before I kicked off my trial, I went to Phi Clinic on Harley Street, London, for a skin scan using the Visia machine and a consultation with aesthetic surgeon Dr Benji Dhillon. Visia measures areas including wrinkles, UV damage and redness, and gives you a percentile score for each based on averages for people of the same age and skin type. The higher your score the better. For example, if you score 68% for UV spots, you have less UV damage than 68% of people in your age bracket.

Dhillon said he recommends Skinade in combination with other aesthetic treatments and has seen great results with patients looking to boost the results of their resurfacing or filler treatments by that extra 5% or so. He warned that Visia was unlikely to show dramatic changes using Skinade alone.

Skinade comes in individual bottles for a daily dose. You can drink it straight from the shelf but I found it tastes best chilled. Unlike some of the concentrated collagen shots, Skinade is a longer 150ml drink, although the brand does also make smaller concentrated travel sachets that can be mixed with half a glass of water.

The idea of a product made with fish collagen might put some clients off but although it smells quite strong, it’s not fishy and its fruity peach and mangosteen flavour had no aftertaste.

I found it quite easy to slot Skinade into my daily routine, usually drinking it after lunch as I found the B vitamins gave me a little energy boost for the afternoon.

The verdict: During the trial, I did see an improvement in the condition of my hair, which felt thicker, a welcome side-effect I’d been told was likely. My skin, which is prone to dryness, seemed to improve too, with more of a glow, which helped soften the appearance of the deeper lines on my forehead.

After three months, I went back for my second Visia scan. The results were mixed – face on, my wrinkle score had worsened, but from the side it had improved. My score for visible pores was far better, rising from 70% to 83%, although my overall skin texture score remained the same.

Aesthetic therapist Deepa Harry, who did my second test, told me results can vary depending on factors such as recent sun exposure or your current hydration levels. So, although the Visia tests didn’t give me the concrete proof I’d hoped for, I’d still keep up the Skinade habit for the overall boost it gave my skin, hair and energy.

Business benefits: With more consumers now buying into the concept of beauty from within, and recognising the correlation between nutrition and skin health, stocking Skinade could offer a simple and comparatively affordable way for them to get started.

A Visia machine marks a much bigger investment but is a worthwhile one for salons looking to prove the results of a course of skin treatments or home care.

Skinade recommends charging £315 for a 90-day course of drinks. Call the brand on 08451 300 205

Tried by Eve Oxberry