The last 12 months have been an absolute roller coaster ride for me in terms of my skin and skincare routine. It was around a year ago now when we started filming Shetland (the very first day of filming, actually) that I came home from work having worn a beanie hat that day, and finding my forehead was itchy and had broken out into a sort of under the skin rash. You can read the post I wrote about it here (suitably named a mid twenties skin crisis!) From that point, my skin progressed from bad to really bad, and I can honestly say it was a huge knock to my confidence that I wasn't expecting. Makeup made my skin look and feel worse, and I spent so much money overwhelming my face with a boatload of different products every week, not to mention the expensive facial peel which scared the absolute life out of me. Your skin literally does peel, almost like sunburn or a snake shedding a layer of skin... you think I would have realised that before I went for one huh? Anyways, I recently went for a bespoke facial at 33 Dowanhill and thought I'd give an update on how my skin is looking almost a year on.
I'm gonna start this off and be totally honest by saying Joanna is an absolute angel. Seriously. I flew in the door feeling extremely frazzled and stressed, and as soon as we started talking I knew I was in extremely safe hands. At 33 Dowanhill Joanna doesn't believe in a 'one size fits all' facial, and since she has no association to any one brand it means she can use the most suitable and luxurious products from across the entire skincare market which will work best for your skin. You can see from the first photograph the eclectic selection of products which she used for my facial. I also loved the fact that her choice of skincare products are as ‘clean’ as possible. Joanna takes time to research the most effective products that have high concentrations of low molecular weight ingredients and those with high levels of natural fatty acids and essential oils. Out of the 14 products Joanna used on my skin, only one wasn't cruelty free and that was the Nuxe eye cream (Nuxe does not test their ingredients or finished products on animals, but they do sell their products physically in mainland China, which means their products are tested on animals, as China requires mandatory animal testing for all foreign cosmetics that are sold within the country) I never realised this until after the facial, but next time it would be easy to swap for an alternative product so hopefully that appeals to you fellow Cruelty Free skincare users out there.
The facial its self? Absolute bliss. We did continue gabbing for the first 25 minutes until I started to drift off into a very relaxed, sleepy state. Every facial includes advanced massage that encourages blood flow and production of collagen, and I was interested to hear at the end that while massaging around my eyes, Joanna had found and worked on little nodules of fluid that had gathered. All around your eyes you have lymph channels and sinuses that carry fluid, which can cause puffiness and dark circles. The basic principle is to use light pressure to move it out of the eye area and move down and out through the face and neck. I'd never heard of this before and felt extremely comforted (and rather impressed!) by Joanna's extensive knowledge on more than just the top layer of our skin.
Once your facial is finished, Joanna doesn't just bid you farewell and send you off into the world with a happily pampered face - she can also make up bespoke skincare boxes to suit your budget and individual needs. The picture above is an example of one of the boxes she prepared which was being collected by a customer that afternoon. They all come with a personalised plan of how and when you should use the products. I'm quite happy with my routine at the moment but skin is changing, and looking better, so I think I might need to adapt it soon for the state which it has improved to. The key to clearing up my skin has been keeping things simple and consistent. It took me months to get into the swing of things and find a routine which really worked for me! Starting from the inside out - so drinking plenty of water and 60ml of aloe vera gel every single day. Then product wise, for cleansing I use Agera Deep Cleansing Salicylic Wash, Forever Aloe Scrub, Aloe Propolis Cream, along with a face mask once or twice a week. Alternating betwen the Forever Marine Mask, or one of the fresh face masks from Lush ('Cosmetic Warrior' and 'Don't Look At Me' are my favourites!)
Image may be NSFW.
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So, here's my before and after, 9 months apart. As you can see, my skin still has blemishes and scarring but it's much calmer and clearer than what it was last year. I'm still really happy with the progress and only hope it can continue. My stress levels also had a big part to play in this, so I think the medication I'm on for anxiety has also really helped clear my skin up too. The Signature Facial at 33 Dowanhill is £68 for 60 minutes, and although I received this free of charge in exchange for a review I couldn't recommend Joanna highly enough! I would pay it again and again for how fantastic she made my skin feel. I turn 27 next month so I'm going to book myself in for another facial soon and perhaps treat myself to a bespoke skincare box for summer. Not to mention her beautiful shop is only two doors down from my go-to tattoo studio - this could be my new favourite street in Glasgow you guys! Haha. How is your skin looking and feeling at the moment?
