Elemis spa

I’m pretty sure I am what can be described as a facial hypochondriac. For instance when I read about Tech Neck I didn’t even know that I had it, but I certainly do. Of course I’m familiar with the phrase The neck is the first to go. Of course I’ve seen many sculpted, voluptuously cheeked faces resting on top of a crepey neck. It’s not that I’m there yet but it is indeed true that the neck is the first to show the signs of ageing because the skin is thinner. I’m guilty of using wonderful skin products on my face and forgetting about my neck until the phenomena of tech neck loomed into view.

So many of us look down all the time. We look down at keyboards, we look down as we scroll our phones, we look down as we work on our laptops, we look down if we’re in a commute. Aside from the looking down when we’re eating or look, the chances are since Instagram, a few more neck wrinkles have appeared. Repeated motion of looking down causes sagging skin and horizontal neck lines. This is now known as tech neck. By moisturising and hydrating this area from an early age we can of course minimise the signs of early ageing.

Elemis have come up with a pro collagen neck and decollete balm. We are advised to apply it with quick, upward sweeping strokes and then tightening and lifting of the skin would be activated by padina pavonica, sea buckthorn oil and chlorella vulgaris. The balm itself has a heavenly uplifting smell. Let’s just hope the skin is equally uplifting.

Elemis promise that within 28 days you’ll see plumper, smoother skin on your neck. It’s £49 and if you want to be super targeted, the House of Elemis Spa is offering a toning treatment for 30 minutes (£45).  I went to House of Elemis for a delicious facial and neck treatment. As soon as you enter it automatically relaxes. Plants and mineral based science meets modern technology. Elemis has been going for 25 years and is currently enjoying a renaissance, a reinvention. I loved my state of the art chin mask. My therapist Shahnaz had wonderfully soothing hands. For the first half of the facial various masks were applied which not only soothed my skin but soothed my soul. I repeated to myself over and over again what product was responsible for what action. It was an action packed facial and I didn’t want to forget anything but I have to say the facial was so good I drifted off into another land, a land where skin is always smooth and anxiousness doesn’t exist. I did return in time for the chin mask as I was bewildered when a chin hammock was placed around my ears and then micro currents gently encouraged the muscles to firm up.

The micro currents were impressive and even though I’d had one of the most stressful weeks of the year, everyone kept commenting ‘but your skin looks so amazing. It doesn’t look stressed at all!’

Before the facial I’d actually been to the doctor to get some hydrocortisol cream for a stress related skin rash. I needn’t have bothered because the Elemis facial completely sorted out the rash. They use the most pure and gorgeous of ingredients. Everything felt refreshed. I particularly enjoyed the Ginseng rehydrating toner. It felt so nourishing and it smelt like a refreshing perfume.

One of their new products is the Pro Collagen Marine Oil, an anti-wrinkle face oil. As you put it on your face you can almost feel your skin plumping and wrinkles ironing out. This one came with me on an 11 hour plane ride. My skin usually falls off by the end of a long flight but a few drops of this applied mid flight was an absolutely saviour. Its smell was also effective in sinus clearing. I think I have a new obsession!