Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Beauty, North East

John Lewis Beauty Retreat

If you’ve visited John Lewis department store in Newcastle you’ll know it stands as a flagship shopping destination in the city.  Along with Fenwick it offers shoppers everything from fashion and beauty to kitchenware and appliances.  What you might not know is that hidden in plain sight, is the Beauty Retreat.

You’ll find this urban sanctuary hidden behind smoked glass at the back of the Beauty Hall and I’ll admit, I thought it housed only the Clarins beauty rooms.  What’s actually back there is a little more exciting than that….

I was invited along to the inaugural store specific blogger event aimed at discovering the beauty offerings from the department store giant.  You guys know already that I work with John Lewis on a national scale already and my ongoing love for inhouse denim brand AND/OR, but the beauty rooms are actually something that despite being right there in plain sight, are actually pretty easy to miss.  I’m here to tell you why they’re worth a visit.

I arrived to a super warm welcome from staff and a live performance from Music Newcastle’s David Ball (seriously, look him up, he’s young, hot and uber talented), our coats were whisked away and we were treated to a champagne reception and canapés that looked way too pretty to eat.  Well, I say that but I ate about twenty so maybe not strictly true, anyway, after an introduction from Spa Manager Claire, we were divided into two groups to explore on and off counter products and treatments.

With Taster Treatments on offer from Decleor, ESPA, Liz Earle, Elemis and Clarins we were spoilt for choice but managed to indulge in almost everything going.  The Retreat is a calming environment, despite being just yards away from the busy shop floor, it’s easy to find peace and tranquility in the soundproofed rooms.  So, what’s back there to aid the stressed out shopper in Newcastle?

DECLEOR

I hotfooted it to Decleor to try out a condensed version of their signature deep tissue massage on back and shoulders and as usual was told that my body is like a block of concrete.  Saying that, this girl almost had me sleeping, her firm touch was perfectly pitched for my aching shoulders and had me mentally adding her to my list of Fashion Voyeur approved Massage Therapists.

JOHN LEWIS URBAN RETREAT SPA DECLEOR

LIZ EARLE

Next up I headed to Liz Earle’s dedicated beauty room to hear all about the latest limited edition Hot Cloth Cleanse and Polish.  This cult product introduces a limited blend to its fragrance line up each holiday season, it doesn’t stick around and is always worth picking up, if you’re not familiar with the product then basically it does what it says on the tin.  it’s a eucalyptus blended cleanser that you ‘polish’ into wet skin using a muslin cloth and it removes ALL traces of grime, dirt and makeup without drying out your skin in the process.  The beauty room offers bespoke Liz Earle treatments that can be discussed and booked on counter in the Beauty Hall.

CLARINS

Clarins monopolises the upstairs space with a large counter and treatment spa which looks out over the store through smoked glass.  Therapists were on hand to give pressure point massages in those weird massage chairs that you can never quite get comfortable in.  The space upstairs is clinical, contemporary and quiet, despite being right in front of the busy department store.  With several treatment rooms at their disposal, the Clarins team have a suite of face and body treatments available to book as solo treatments or as a discounted block.

ESPA

ESPA are a spa specific brand I know and love, much like Decleor, their focus is on the power of aromatic blends which work deep into the muscles and surrounding tissue.  Their friendly Therapist was on hand to provide short massage treatments on the neck and shoulders and talk through the ethos behind the brand in the best smelling treatment room I’ve ever been in.  There’s also an Elemis beauty counter in the Beauty Hall with all of those candles you’ve come to know and love (Mama Tenenbaum buys me one every Christmas).

ELEMIS

Elemis was the last treatment room I visited and personally it’s where things unravelled for me, lack of attention to detail meant I was left with muscle cooling gel in my left eye causing blurred vision and if I’m honest, a pretty scary amount of pain, I wasn’t given any water or anything to try to clean it out, just a cotton pad.  Unfortunately my eye and the skin around it swelled and was left bloodshot meaning I couldn’t participate in any of the beauty hall counter action and this lasted long after I’d left the Retreat and arrived home.  If you’re booking in, maybe specify no muscle cooling gel on the eye area in advance to avoid any mishaps.

Needless to say, the Beauty Hall itself has some great cult brands represented such as Sisley and Creme de la Mer – if you haven’t tried the Creme de la Mer Tinted Moisturiser then hit up the counter for a three day sample pot straight away, it will change your life.  Bobbi Brown gave Influencers an exclusive preview of the new 2017 Christmas Collection ahead of its official launch and Chanel were on hand to give lip makeovers with their signature Rouge a Levres shade collection.  Something else you might not know about John Lewis Newcastle is that the GHD counter actually offers hair demonstrations with GHD tools; so if you’ve been wondering how the GHD Curve might work on your hair, or how to create the perfect curl with a flat iron, then pay them a visit on the ground floor, the girls on counter are always happy to help.

All in all it made for a pretty awesome night actually, except for the eye mishap which left me flustered and headache-y.  The event itself was very well organised and the staff who man the retreat are friendly and knowledgable when it comes to their specialist areas – especially the team manning the Decleor room.

We were given a programme of events on arrival meaning everything ran to time and we were given ample exploring time, the added bonus of us all  being entered into a pretty epic beauty prize draw was the climax of the evening and saw one lucky lady take home £300 worth of Charlotte Tilbury goodies, swoon!

Basically Voyeurs, go check it out, the fact that it’s a separate entity at the back of the store shouldn’t put you off, the team are lovely and they might just manage to revive you if you’re running out of steam during the festive shopping season.

Pixie xo

To book an appointment or enquire about the range of services on offer, email BeautyRetreat_Newcastle@johnlewis.co.uk

Categories: Beauty, North East, Uncategorized

Murad: The Secret of Connected Beauty

When it comes to skincare, I’m something of a slut.  I flit from brand to brand taking the pieces I like and cobbling them together in some sort of self curated regime.  My skin is changeable, sometimes it’s oily, sometimes it’s dry and other times it’s a bit of both – hence the sluttery.

What I know deep down but have completely suppressed, is the fact that good, healthy skin, is a reflection of not just what you apply topically, but how you live.  Every aspect of your life directly affects cellular hydration, and that’s the basis of the whole Murad skin regime.

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I visited Murad at House of Fraser Intu Metrocentre this week to discover more about the range that explores the connection between skin, body and mind – something they call Connected Beauty.  What struck me immediately, is how clinical the Murad counter is.  In a beauty hall filled with prestige and luxury brands such as Tom Ford, Chanel and Acqua Di Parma, Murad stands out as being cosmeceutical.  With a stark white counter and clean, simple packaging, the brand needs no gimmicks to convey its message.

I was introduced to Murad skincare expert, Rachael (she’s worked with the Queen’s personal doctor), and given a skin analysis using a high tech facial scanner.  The machine scans for skin concerns and prioritises them in order of their appearance.  This wonderful, awful machine also has the capability to fast forward time and give a projection of how skin may appear on the future.  Horrific but also very fascinating.

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After completing a basic questionnaire about my health, lifestyle and skin concerns we established that my primary and secondary concerns – fine lines and brightening –  could be improved with a glycolic peel and a selection of Murad products for home use.

If you didn’t already know, House of Fraser has a suite of treatment rooms hidden away at the back of the store, it’s a calming, tranquil oasis that could be a million miles away from the busy shopping mall.  The Murad room is bathed in soft light and there are a range of products on display.  As Rachael begins the process of the glycolic peel, she explains that this will brighten and tighten my skin, but may give rise to a little temporary redness.

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The process starts as you would expect, with a deep cleanse, and once the peel is applied, my eyes are covered with a weighted mask whilst my shoulders, arms and hands are massaged.  The whole treatment takes a little over an hour and is incredibly relaxing – not at all what you would expect from a glycolic peel.  There’s no tingling sensation, no pain and personally, I have no redness afterwards although this varies from person to person.  At the end of my treatment I’m left thinking (almost out loud) “don’t stop!”  Yup, it’s that good.

Rachael makes observations about my skin during the treatment and asks about my diet, lifestyle and stress levels, all of which have an impact on skin.  She advises the use of retinol on an evening to encourage cell turnover and renewal, and gives me a batch of “youth activating” smoothie recipes (none of which require the purchase of any Murad products).

I’m also given an awesome goodie bag with a selection of Murad’s hero products and a promise of a follow up in four weeks to see how I’m getting on.  The philosophy is clear, treat the skin concerns from both the inside and the outside and you’ll see improvement.  It’s doctor led skincare with a focus on healthy, nourished, strong and protected cells.

As I leave the counter, I’m reminded to “eat your water” by consuming a balanced diet, exfoliate regularly, and to “be kind to your mind” by cultivating emotional self awareness.  Rachael hands me a card that she’s hand selected for me as she bids me adieu, it says “Focus on your ultimate goals and not the steps getting there.”

If you’re looking to switch up your skincare then Murad is a good place to start.  Good solid foundations, a strong clinical basis and completely cruelty free; the brand is made up of products which aim to address common skin concerns with a suite of off-counter treatments available using clinical grade ingredients.  My experience with Murad was great and it certainly got me thinking about internal, external and environmental factors which could be affecting my skin.  Well worth a visit , even if it’s just for the scary skin assessment….

Pixie xo

I visited Murad at House of Fraser, Intu Metrocentre’s and was treated to a glycolic peel which normally costs £55.