Treatment review: Skinceuticals Repair, Restore and Replenish facial
To mark the launch of Skinceuticals’ AOX Lip Complex, I went along to Omniya, the plush new health and beauty mediclinic in the heart of Knightsbridge, to try out a new facial devised by resident facialist Debbie Costello. Omniya retails Skinceuticals along with other professional cosmeceutical brands, and is the only clinic to offer the Repair, Restore and Replenish treatment, delivered by Debbie herself.
After a coconut water from the mini fridge in the luxe waiting room, I met the instantly warm and friendly Debbie, who did a brief run through of what the facial was to include. She started with a double cleanse followed by Micro Polish Deep Exfoliating Cream all over the face, neck and lips to prepare the skin for absorption of the goodness to follow. As a sufferer of the occasional hormonal breakout on my chin, I was in need of a steam and some extractions, which thanks to Debbie’s skilled hands didn’t hurt at all. She then brushed on a peel, which isn’t set in stone in the protocol but rather is dependent on the client’s skin type. For me she prescribed a 20% glycolic gel peel, which only tingled very slightly, and left it to get to work for around five minutes.
Next was application of AOX Lip Complex, a rich cream to condition and repair the lips, and AOX Eye Gel, which called for a relaxing gentle massage around the eye area. Triple antioxidant treatment C E Ferulic provided the base to kick-start the Vitamin C Firming Masque which Debbie layered on top. I was left to relax while the potent ingredients got to work and Debbie gave me a heavenly arm and shoulder massage, which I didn’t want to end.
The focus of this treatment is the use of advanced LED phototherapy called Dermalux, which involves lying under a canopy of LED light for a prescribed amount of time to supercharge the products. Debbie explained that it’s one of the best things you can do for the skin in terms of the vitamin D and skin energy benefits. There is a choice of either red (rejuvenating and anti-inflammatory) or blue (anti-bacterial for acne) wavelengths, and Debbie chose red for me as I don’t have a problem with acne and basically just needed 20 minutes of overall pepping up. There is no heat involved and Debbie told me the treatment is totally safe, even for sensitive skin conditions.
She gave me a pair of goggles to wear and what followed was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. At first it was difficult for my eyes to adjust comfortably to the brightness, even through closed lids and the goggles, but this soon gave way to total relaxation that felt a lot like sunbathing on holiday. Not because it was hot, but the sensation of sunlight through closed eyes transported me to a warm beach and was so soothing.
Once she had removed the masks with Gentle Cleanser and hot towels, Debbie massaged in Hydrating B5 Gel to restore moisture and radiance, before patting in Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF 50 to protect my skin which was more vulnerable after the peel and add a bit of colour to my face. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether the results of a facial are down to the therapist, the products or the techniques, but I can safely say that I owe my clear, plump, glowing and even skin to all three.
Omniya charges £250 for the 60-minute Repair, Restore and Replenish treatment.
Tried by Georgia Seago