Beauty - Dermalux facial at Ellen Conlin, a review

I had the pleasure of going to Ellen Conlin hair & beauty in Giffnock the other week to try a Dermalux Triwave facial.

I was a bit unsure of what to expect, but the whole experience was just lovely.

Kirsty talked me through the facial...

Dermalux is an LED Phototherapy which is a non-invasive skin treatment that accelerates the body's own natural repair processes improving your complexion, fine lines & wrinkles. It can also help heal symptoms such as acne, rosacea, psoriasis and eczema.  Three specifically chosen light waves are used - red, near infrared and blue light.

...and then I got myself comfortable on the treatment table. I was nice and cosy under layers of furry blankets. Bliss!

The Elizabeth Arden PRO range that I've been trialling was used to remove my make-up and prep my skin for the light therapy. Following this a pair of goggles (not for safety, but more for comfort) were placed over my eyes and the Dermalux light was moved into place.

 

The machine perhaps looks a bit daunting and I can be claustrophobic at times (I'm going for an MRI next week and I'm already dreading it), but I can assure you that this was absolutely fine. It also doesn't make a sound! 

(This isn't me btw!)

 

The light was warm (not hot), soothing and actually very relaxing.

 

Imagine yourself chilling out on a lounger by a pool somewhere lovely and sunny... in fact, the blue light is used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder.

 

Kirsty then proceeded to give me a shoulder, neck and head massage, followed by an arm and hand massage. It was just divine. She then left me to relax and enjoy the rest of my time under the light (the light is on for 30 minutes). I very nearly fell asleep and only came to when the light automatically switched off!

 

Surprisingly, the effects were immediate; straight away my skin looked brighter and glowing. (It's difficult to tell from the photographs, so you are going to have to take my word for it!).

 

Kirsty had put some Elizabeth Arden PRO Smoothing Eye Serum on my lips, and after the light therapy my lips were look plump and fuller than usual. Yes, it's an eye serum I hear you shout but it's designed for fine lines and wrinkles and so Kirsty explained it's also great for the area around your lips. When Rick saw me after the treatment, he immediately commented on my pout - so it really was an obvious difference! It's the type of facial that would be really good ahead of a big event or special night out.

 

 

I'd say that my skin is in good condition and I've really been looking after it over the past year or so. However I do still get breakouts, particularly my chin, and I was suffering from one when I had the Dermalux facial. The next day, my breakout had calmed down - it hadn't disappeared so please don't think that you can have a treatment and then you get immediate results after one facial. That said, I think with perhaps two or three treatments then I'd see a dramatic improvement.

 

At £60 it's a bit more pricey than the facials I'm used to having, but the LED phototherapy has upped the ante in the beauty world. (The machine itself costs thousands and thousands to buy!). I'll most definitely be back.

 

Thank you Ellen Conlin for the complimentary facial. Opinions as always are honest and are my own.



{Get Into The Groove}

I'm linking up again this week with Kate on Thin Ice for her Getting Your Groove Back Blog Hop.

So, what have I done this week to get into the groove...?

I had a lovely Dermalogica facial on Tuesday night last week. It was bliss and I thoroughly enjoyed the me-time. I also treated myself to some new face cleansing gel (my hubby had used my travel size one that was in the shower as a shampoo!!).

On the social front I've also been a busy bee. I went to the Glasgow School of Art Master of Design Textile fashion show on Thursday night and on Friday night the hubby and I went to a charity event hosted by my personal trainer Maria. She has raised in the region of £13,000 for Parkinson's Scotland over a couple of events - the main one being that she ran 50 miles to celebrate her 50th birthday! I hope I can be half as fit as she is when I'm 50. I was a little nervous going to both events... I used to be able to walk into a room not knowing anyone and be confident to make small talk but I'm lacking in confidence these days. It's creeping back, but I've still a long way to go. I had bought myself a new black dress to wear to the charity 'do... I'm very self conscious about my upper arms (they were a bit flabby, less so now, and my skin tone is awful - I'm all red & blotchy and I've got a mark which I think is from my Vit B12 injections) and I rarely have them on show (only in the swimming pool or on holiday) so my new dress was perfect. I love when the autumn/winter ranges come into the shops as the dresses tend to have sleeves!

Black spot mesh ponte dress from Wallis

I've been keeping up with my running and really enjoyed my Sunday morning run with Maria's running club that I joined (all money raised by the club through fees goes to charity). Last night I also started a new Pilates class that Maria's daughter teaches. Thankfully the new gym gear that I had ordered from Nike arrived on Monday morning so I was feeling good in my new leggings & top.

Kate has set a few tasks for this post...

The first is to do with breakfast.

"Breakfast Time – Do you rush breakfast? Do you eat things because the family do even though you might prefer something else? Do you skip breakfast altogether? This week, I want you to do something different for one breakfast this week. Add some fruit to your cereal, have a croissant, indulge in smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, have some warming porridge, whatever does it for you. What is your all-time favourite breakfast? Tell us about it this week and then make sure you have it during the next 7 days."

I've been eating muesli every day for breakfast for the past 3 months. My muesli of choice is Jordan's Nut & Seed. I've heard that not all muesli's are healthy but I am allowed to eat a small portion of muesli as long as it is one with nuts and seeds rather than dried fruits. I love smoked salmon and Kate's suggestion of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs is perfect. It's healthy and I am going to have this for breakfast one morning this week. I'll have to add this to my to-do-list and make sure I get some smoked salmon at the supermarket! Yum - looking forward to it already.

Here's the next task:

"Spin Doctor – Women are great at putting themselves down. This week, I want you to pretend you are your own spin doctor or public relations expert. Include in your blog post a word, a sentence, a paragraph or a whole post about what is just fabulous about you."

Kate is right, it's all too easy to put yourself down... At the running club this week the two ladies that I were running with thought I was a model and they really were not keen to be running alongside me, a leggy blonde. I have to admit that I do look pretty amazing now (feel a bit big headed writing that!) because I'm making more of an effort... I've lost weight, been drinking lots of water and my skin is glowing, and I've invested in a few new items of clothing. I've got lots more energy and I feel good. My confidence and self belief are still to catch up though. I'm sure I'll get there eventually, in the meantime I'll keep working on getting my groove on!

Love

Believe