For someone who writes about beauty, my relationship with facials is surprisingly temperamental. You’d think I’d automatically love them, considering my constant dedication to finding the best for my skin and my passion for, ahem, going to bed with my eyes closed.
But no. I’ve had some absolutely terrible facials (I’ll write about them for your amusement someday) and I’ve had a lot of mediocre ones, too. And I’ve come to realize, over the years, that you can never take for granted that a facial will be enjoyable and/or effective. Your hard-earned money is never guaranteed to give you that glorious feeling of total relaxation, where you nod off and regain consciousness and drool from the side of your mouth. You also can’t count on getting dramatic skin-care results from your facial—a fully lifted face, for example, or skin that looks like it’s been steam-ironed and then smoothed like a doughnut.
It’s a roulette game. Maybe You’ll get someone with a healing touch who will gently pat and knead your face into oblivion after applying just a few drops of scented oil. Maybe It turns out to be one of those impressively technical, highly specialized skin-changing facials where they steam and lasers you and draw out impurities you didn’t know you had and use acids so strong you have to have a fan pointed at your face to keep it from burning.
But there’s always the risk that it’s not any of these types of facials, that it’s the mediocre, uninspiring option: sixty minutes of what is basically a brand-led product demo, where each of the nine masks and peels in its range is applied in turn, “left on” for a while, and then, after ten minutes, tediously removed with wet wipes.
Nothing makes me more nervous and unnerved than paying for someone to repeatedly and laboriously apply things to my face that I could just as easily apply at home. Especially when they leave the product on and do nothing else in the “let it sit phase” and I just have to lie there, listening to the therapist wash in the sink behind my head, clattering the spoons to mix the mask. Where’s the expert touch? Where’s the luxury element?
Maybe it’s just me, but if I had a mask on at home, I’d be doing something else at the same time: reading, relaxing in the bath, watching TV. It’s incredibly annoying to pay for the same downtime but not be able to do it. enjoy it as downtime. In my opinion, if you’re wearing a mask and you’re getting to work, you need to be doing something else: a hand and arm massage, perhaps, or a scalp massage. There should be no downtime when the meter is running.
This has turned into the longest introduction to what I was actually going to tell you, which was that last week I had a facial with Sharon McGlinchey, founder of skincare brand MV Skin TherapyIt’s never a game of roulette with Sharon’s facials – I don’t call her (secretly) Sharon’s Magic Hands Not only does it relax me into a stupor that most people only get from an over-the-counter sedative, it also coaxes my skin into becoming a rested, radiant version of its former self. No tricks or gimmicks, just pure sensory bliss and total tranquility for the mind and body.
I’m not telling you this to encourage you to book a facial with Sharon, because that’s impossible. She lives in Sydney, and while she does give A-list facials sometimes, running her brand MV Skin Therapy leaves her virtually no time to offer regular sessions (I see her when she travels to London once a year on PR, and let me tell you, it’s one of the biggest perks of my job). No, I’m talking about Sharon’s magical hands and their ability to create sensory ecstasy and absolute tranquility because she puts just as much energy and passion into her skincare.
Advertisement Disclosure: This is not paid or sponsored. I have previously received press samples from the brand and facial treatments for PR purposes. The links below are not affiliate links.
In fact, it still has the same energy. And a great sense of diligence when formulating and an impressive commitment to quality when sourcing ingredients. MV Skin Therapy is a small range, made in tiny batches, but perfectly formed. The gentlest cream cleanser, impeccably sourced oils, a clay mask that suits even the most sensitive skin… all adaptable and multi-tasking with a touch of rose mist here and a few drops of booster there…
My favorites? They’ve barely changed in the ten years I’ve been using the brand. First up, the Rose Soothing and Protective Moisturizer, herewhich is the perfect cream to “reset the skin” for distressed, hypersensitive faces that need extra care. I have been using it for years and consider it a kind of comforting blanket for skin care; the rose scents seem to be very calming to me, but the formula itself is very soothing instantly.
I also love the Rose Enhancer – Applying a couple of drops of this product to slightly damp skin is the ultimate pleasure. It’s an investment (this bottle contains the most expensive and luxurious oil of all), but you really only need a small amount at a time. Again, I find the scent very comforting, but I also love the added glow I get if I mix a small amount into moisturiser or apply it neat to damp skin.
Top tip: You can add Rose Mist to the Rose Moisturizer to make it a more fluid texture, but adding a few drops of the enhancer makes it richer and oilier and a pleasure to massage.
Speaking of things that are a pleasure to massage: Pure Jojoba OilThis is an amazing multitasking product to have on hand – it’s an oil, but not as you (probably) know it. It’s incredibly good at moisturizing, but at the same time it’s completely lightweight and non-pore-clogging – it’s great for soothing dry, itchy skin, but it’s not heavy, sticky, or greasy. It’s an emergency skincare product, really, and it’s great for a whole host of things, like soothing skin after shaving and applying under eye cream for an extra boost.
I currently have a discount code for the MV Skin Therapy UK website – use RUTH20 for 20% off*. When you’re there, be sure to check out the guided meditations – You may not be able to book Sharon’s Magical Hand Facial for love or money, but you can listen to her sweet tones while you massage yourself with your Rose Booster…
(*This is not an affiliate code or paid promotion, MV kindly gave me a code to share and it is valid until June 7, 2024.)
