Last week I was invited for a complimentary deep cleanse facial at Lilyann Beauty at Acklam Hall. I had met owner Gillian Demirdöven a few weeks prior during at photoshoot with photographer Simon Hogben, also based at Acklam Hall. I was immediately impressed by Gillian’s passion for her business. Infact I am always drawn to people who show passion and enthusiasm for their chosen field – I firmly believe these people genuinely care about their clients they way that I do with mine. Client care and satisfaction is at the heart of the way I run my own business. Gillian and I started chatting about how our businesses compliment eachother and she then invited me to sample a treatment.
Fast forward a few weeks, I met Gillian at her treatment last week and she greeted me at the top of the stairs in Acklam Hall. The one thing that I noticed about her initially was her impeccable personal presentation. Very smart, glamourous without being overdone and the most amazing skin I have seen on a woman (if I dare say) of her age as well as being very friendly.
So Gillian started by doing a full skin consultation with me. She asked questions about my lifestyle, any illnesses/sensitivies and current skincare routine (hmm, up to this point despite me often preaching to my clients about the importance of skin care I often use facewipes for quickness followed by a moisturiser and sometimes fall in to bed with my makeup on!…I know, I’m such a rebel). This consultation probably went on much longer than normal as I was fascinated by Gillian’s knowledge and approach to looking after your own skin. We did keep getting side tracked because I kept interrupting her with questions that were relevant to my role as a Makeup Artist and how I advise/prepare my clients skin etc. The one thing that struck a chord with me and has been on my mind ever since is when she said “People walk around with designer handbags for £300 but don’t invest in their own skin. We wear our skin everyday so its worth investing in it”.
So, a bit about Gillian, although she has only been based at Acklam Hall for a few months she’s been specialising in her field for over 30 years and enthusiastically promotes the fact that she works only with 100% natural ingredients of the purest quality. Gillian has done extensive research over the years in to product ingredients and told me 60% of what is used on your skin ends up being absorbed by your body and some of the harmful ingredients will be stored there for months, possibly even years! She also told me that many ingredients in products are labelled as natural or naturally derived but they have undergone extensive chemical processing which alters the benefits to the skin (usually meaning there are no benefits left!). I found this mind blowing to be honest. How many of you pay a small fortune for face moisturisers etc and how many of you can actually say its genuinely made a difference? Are we being conned by clever marketing? I think I know the answer… I have certainly had my eyes opened and speaking to Gillian talk so knowledgably has really made me think about the products I use on my skin and how little care I take of it… I am really liking the idea of using natural products in my beauty regime at the moment and also for health/wellbeing and Gillian uses only natural, pure and beneficial products that have undergone minimal processing and that come from organic steam distilled oils and plant. She says “It’s good to think of products as skin food’. If your products have a long list of ingredients it usually means that have tiny amount of each ingredient in (enough to write it on the label but not enough to actually do anything productive).
So I was treated to a Deep Cleanse Facial which promised to bring back the glow with gentle exfoliation to re-energise the cells in the face and neck as well as hydrating, smoothing and brightening my skin.
I have to say, the process of my treatment was super relaxing… perfect for me…I’m always busy… if I’m not working then my mind is still on overdrive anyway so being forced to relax is always a good thing.
Gillian talked me through each step of the process. All of the products smelled absolutely delicious! From fruity citrus smells to gorgeous Jasmine. Usually the treatment would be done without any chatting (to encourage complete relaxation) but I did chat to Gillian as I wanted to find out what she was doing, what she was using and why. Even though I was nattering I still felt so relaxed. During the treatment there was a period of time where Gillian was adding steam to my face for a short time, at which point she gave me a lovely foot massage. I had prewarned her that I was a bit ticklish but I really enjoyed it actually. Its not a treatment I would generally opt for if I’m honest for due to my ticklish tendancy but I think I could be converted. I managed to get through the full massage without accidently kicking Gillian in the face with a tickle reflex! Phew…
At the end of the facial my skin felt amazing… like new skin. Before I left we chatted for a while longer… I felt like suddenly I had loads of questions about products and home care skin routine etc. I was soaking up all the information like a sponge. I just felt like the experience changed my future skin care and thought process. I became really aware of the lack of care I take on my skin care routine and the importance of maintaining my skin (especially as a 30-something).
Gillian recommends regular facials as well as a good home care skin maintenance routine to improve skin texture, elasticity. A single facial can give instant glowing results but ideally facials should take place between 4-6 weeks as this is how long it takes for skin to renew. Every facial includes a massage of the face, neck and shoulders and a complimentary hand or foot massage. The massage encourages lymphatic drainage and stimulates circulation bringing oxygen and nutrients to the skin.
My treatment was luxurious and I came away packed with knowledge and advice about looking after my own skin. Such a worthwhile experience for me and one which I will definitely discuss with my makeup clients. I highly recommend a visit to Lilyann Beauty. The Deep Cleanse Facial I had costs £32 but she offers lots of different types of facials as well as waxing, massage including pregnancy massage and eyelash/eyebrow treatments. Gillian offers gift vouchers so why not treat that special someone in your life to some indulgence? Appointments must be booked – no walk-ins and you can visit the Facebook page for further information https://www.facebook.com/lilyannbeauty/ (website currently under reconstruction however there is a list of treatments and prices on there for your perusal https://lilyannbeauty.com/) or you can call on 07508 933225. You will not be disappointed!
