Shelter; your face

We know the importance of caring for our skin, we know we need to cleanse it, to protect it and feed ourselves wisely so our health shines brightly through our skin. But let’s be honest eating an apple a day may well be what the Dr ordered, but it’s not something that gives an immediate brightness that on a grey day, can lighten your mood or your skin for that matter.

Sometimes we need a little wonder moment; a little extra sparkle (maybe even a little beauty cheat) to kickstart our happy vibes.  Well, Sanctuary Spa have just a little wonder treatment, that perfectly serves this purpose.

This is THE  company that really was on the cusp in the early days of wellness thinking,  day spas and sanctuary spaces.  They owned the beloved, not so secret, spa space in central London’s Covent Garden area, which first opened in 1977.  A treatment relaxation space and wellness retreat for the working ballet dancers of the Royal Opera House (which also housed the Royal ballet). From its success, the company created a collection of body spa products many of which became absolute cult favourites probably because they had actually been developed hand in hand with their own therapists.

Next came skincare, which they may not be as well known for but certainly are as good as the body care. The products, stay true to the very foundations of the brand and have been created with the same philosophy and heritage of the brand, to revive, uplift & replenish. Ultimately it is all about a philosophy of finding your own sanctuary whether you have 30 minutes or 30 seconds.  Really every moment you spend on looking after yourself, is a moment well spent for both mind and body.

So let’s stretch 30 seconds to one minute; as the brand has recently introduced the one-minute daily glow mask.  Its the simplest super quick fix that a girl (or woman) could ever ask for.

Simply apply it to clean skin (before you get in the shower) so you can at least multitask.  Add a few drops of water to activate it, leave for 60 seconds and wash it off.. or if you are multitasking then after 60 seconds hop in the shower and wash off.   So what happens? It gives a really almost healthy kissed glow to the skin…such little work for such great spontaneous results.

The face mask treatment contains boosting Kakadu plum to illuminate, brightening vitamin c & nutrient rich rosemary extract and is powered by a trio of Vitamin C super fruits, to give skin instant luminosity & improve skin’s texture.  It can be used across skin types and as with all the brand products is vegan,  complete with natural essential oils, is not tested on animals and is Paraben free.

Also amongst a whole new selection of products is the daily glow radiance tonic,  key product in the range.  In days past,  a regime for skincare consisted of cleanse , tone and moisturisers; things have changed drastically.  The general idea was to clean with warm water and to open the pores so the dirt could be got to easily, the tone part was cool and meant to shut tight the pores so clean skin stayed clean and dirt couldn’t penetrate as easily, then moisture as a barrier, to protect dirt from dirt, the environment etc

Skincare has come such a long way that we no longer need the tone process as such. Instead, sanctuary have a daily glow radiance toner, which works an awful lot harder than just a traditional toner.  It’s a re-texturising toner with 5% glycolic acid, brightening vitamin B3 and soothing & toning liquorice. This glow-giving, skin soothing toner exfoliates pores, accelerates cell renewal & evens skin tone for a naturally brighter, more radiant complexion. Gentle enough for everyday use after cleansing to leave skin feeling firmer & intensely conditioned for renewed luminosity.  The 5% gycolic acid is extremely important here. Glycolic Acid is the holy grail for exfoliation, effectively removing the outermost layer of dead cells from the complexion, revealing brighter, fresher skin.

We know the cleansing ritual always starts with the take off of make up and daily grime, so what about Sanctuary Spa Triple cleansing Mousse. And why triple?

Well, its roots are definitely grown from the Korean beauty craze for triple cleaning, but this feels way more gentle (a triple clean can be too harsh for some skin).  The first part of three is its moose texture, which has a soft fluffy texture, it has micro fine exfoliant powder included for the second part and thirdly resurfacing AHA and gentle cleansing actives to power through everyday grime, pollution, oiliness, blocked pores, blemishes and make-up. yet again a simple step that works far more than just a removal of dirt and grime.

Within the whole range for the face from Sanctuary Spa there is a wide selection of treatments; cleansers, exfoliators, masks,  moisturisers and facial oils which means there is not just something for every skin type or every process each  individual chooses to utilise for their own regime, but all come in at a truly affordable little bit of ritual beauty treatment price range. For many years, the French high street chemists excelled at really good well-priced skincare brands, but thankfully the British market has truly opened up with brands like The Sanctuary Spa leading the way.

For more information. sanctuary.com

 Available at Boots stores and online at Boots.com.