Spa Review - Face Camp by Spa Junkie

What is Face Camp, it sounds painful?

I must say this was my first thought when I heard about it, I envisaged a Barry's Bootcamp style face pummelling and I was a little scared, but fear not.  Face Camp is a series of treatments along with dietary advice with the aim to make a noticeable change to your face in 1 week.

Face camp was invented by Inge Theron who used to write for the FT's, How To Spend It supplement under the pseudonym Spa Junkie  She traveled the world trialling spas and reviewing them, so she knows juts a little about what works and what doesn't.  She then wisely decided to use her knowledge of such a vast array of treatments to set up her own service, offering skincare without the injectables, fillers and botox.

What does it involve?  

There are 5 different Face Camps on offer, aimed at targeting some of the common complaints that we have about our skin.  I originally opted to try the Sugar Face, as I'm not well known for being a teetotaller but when I asked the therapists advice, she recommended the Fat Face (how rude, yet completely accurate) This diagnosis of my facial worries includes jowls and puffy skin and was just what I needed.  The other options are Frow Face (tired, wrinkly) Phone Face (double chin, forehead creases and tension) and Winter Face (dark circles, creepy skin.)

Where can I get it?

Face Gym is exclusively available in the truly stunning and innovative Beauty Workshop area of Selfridges.  They are the first UK service to offer this completely unique treatment.  The Beauty Workshop also offer a Daniel Hersheson's 15 min Blow Dry's, Nail's Inc manicures, Blink eyebrow shaping and St Tropez tans.

Photo courtesy of Uxus who designed this beautiful space

What can I expect from my first treatment?

I will get straight in there and say, it isn't painful.  There are definitely some weird sensations particularly the Pure Lift which uses electrical waves to stimulate the muscles, but none of it hurt.

As with all treatments I was asked a series of health questions to start with and also whether I use botox (hell no!) or Retinol (hell yes!)  I was also given a glass of water to help keep my hydrated. The lovely Ana took a photo of my face before any treatments began so that I could see the changes after.  I would share this with you, but under those harsh lights I think it's best not to.

Firstly I was given a thorough cleanse with the most divine of cleansers by Royal Fern which was then towelled off.  This left my skin feeling fresh and not at all tight.

Next an oil was applied ( a lot of oil!) which is used alongside the Radio Frequency unit.  The RF unit heats your skin, which in turn turns on the mechanism to restructure the elastin and collagen, resulting in tighter more even skin.  I was warned it may feel rather hot, but to be honest it was just really nice, soothing and relaxing, the heat is akin to a warm bath.

Next was a the Pure Lift electrical muscle stimulation.  This is a wand like instrument that emits a micro current which activates the muscles beneath your skin and help them tighten in areas that are difficult to exercise yourself.  This felt kind of like a massive magnet pulling your face and was a very odd sensation, though not painful.  Think of it as you would a Slendertone for the face, you must remember those stomach tightening machine from the 80's where an electrical current made your stomach do a mini crunch, but less intense.

I promise you that is a face massager!

After this it was onto the impact part.  My lovely facialist Ana (who is also a Sports Masseuse and has had the joy of massage Luis Figo no less!) applied coconut oil and then started about massaging my face to further promote muscle tone. There was definitely some strange moves but all in all it was still super-relaxing.

After the massage came the rollers.  The first was a gold derma roller (insert pic) which was bumpy and is designed to stimulate blood flow to the skin, the second was a jade roller which helps cool the skin.  These both felt great, though I did sit there wondering whether you could apply foundation with the jade one, similar to painting your walls with emulsion.  I decided that this would not be a wise plan and may result in a look closer to Jordan than Audrey Hepburn.

Lastly my under eye are was treated with Dr Levy Intense Eye Booster serum, which uses plant stem cells.  This was impacted (driven deep into the epidermis) with a ultrasonic device that sounded like what I imagine bats hear when they are having a party, a little like when your phone scrambles. It was a very odd noise but a perfectly relaxing sensation.

How long did it take?

All in all I was with Ana for 90 mins, though it flew by and left me feeling very relaxed. Another photo was taken at the end so I could compare the results of the treatment and there were some obvious instant results.   The most clear difference was that my skin had a glow that it had been sadly lacking. I could also see a reduction in my jowls and less dark circles!  The next morning my skin tone looked much more even and my chin area was more defined, Hurrah!  I will post the before and after pictures once I have finished the full treatment plan.

What comes next?

I was given some recipes and food ideas which I need to try follow over the following week and then I return for the same treatment in one weeks time.  Stay posted for updates as I intend to write about the food (no alcohol, sugar, dairy, gluten or caffeine!!!!) and the eventual results.

*This treatment package was offered to me for the purposes of a review, the opinions expressed remain unbiased.

PH Levels of Skincare Products and Why it Matters

I have been immersing myself in Caroline Hirons amazing blog recently and was introduced to the concept of our skin having an acid mantle.  Now although that sounds (to me at least) like the hard crusty mantle of the Earth, I have been reassured it is not, and is infact an outer (invisible) layer on our skin that keeps everything in balance.  This mantle is usually at under PH 5 hence the name Acid Mantle. Common Knowledge puts the PH at 5.5 but this is a figure based on readings taken after people have showered and used cosmetic products. (see this article for more info)

Why Does it Matter What PH your Skin Care Products Are?

If you alter the PH balance of your outer skin then you can encourage acne to grow as it likes an alkaline environment in which to thrive.  It can also encourage other bacteria to grow and create skin infections, there are studies linking your skin's acid mantle to a whole host of skin issues such as Psoriasis, dermatitis etc..

What Can You do to Protect your Acid Mantle.

The number one rule is don't use soap, or anything foaming.  This applies equally to the skin on your body too.  I was a lover of all things foaming for my oily skin, as it feels as though you have removed every last trace of oil which is a good feeling after a day of shining like a light house, but I have been informed that this will leave me prone to acne and other nasties.  I don't still believe in the hypothesis that moisturising oily skin helps regulate oil production.  Every time I try it, it just gives me more oily skin (even if I stick at it for a month, same goes for my hair)

Also washing with water more than necessary can be harmful as tap water regularly has a PH of 7.5 - 8 (I bet mines about 8.5 based on the amount of limescale on my shower screen - runs off to check...ok only 8 but still!) One shower a day is plenty.

So armed with this new knowledge I decided to do some GCSE Chemistry and ordered myself a pack of PH strips so I could see what PH all the products currently residing in my bathroom are.

Here are the not very surprising results.

Well you learn something new everyday.  Note to self - give foaming face washes to husband or use to clean the bathroom with.