For StyleNest a New Year doesn’t just mean taking a new look at health and fitness, but also more holistic look at our wellbeing, including the health of our skin.
So we headed over to Paris to meet with experts at famed French beauty institute Biologique Recherche for a full skin assessment, and some indulgent facial pampering.
Located on the iconic Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Biologique Recherche is tucked away just behind the famous street through a quiet courtyard which leads you to an oasis of calm. The beauty brand’s headquarters are how you might imagine them to be, with a clean colour palette of white and cream but warming lights to draw you in to a beauty cocoon.
The staff are all equally well presented, speak perfect English, and are incredible helpful and knowledgeable. Our first appointment was with the lovely Ketty and was probably the part we were most excited about – an in-depth skin analysis in the Biologique Recherche lab to assess and treat each individual complexion, or what the brand calls “Skin Instants”.
The procedure is non-invasive and simple, with cooling metal prods simply resting on the skin to take measurements such as skin’s moisture content, elasticity and sebum content. We were relieved to find out we were aging well, but surprised to find out our hydration levels were low. Not that this is a problem at Biologique Recherche – the brand’s products are prescribed on an individual basis after the assessment to cater specifically for your skin’s needs and provide impressive results. The products are not even available online, but instead only after a telephone consultation or from an official Biologique Recherche stockist.
After the analysis Ketty lead us upstairs for our facial, which would treat not only the skin concerns the analysis had revealed but also what I had told her were my problems, or one problem in particular – hormonal acne. Ketty promised me she could make an improvement and would work specifically on my chin area where I was currently experiencing a breakout, or rather where the breakouts never seemed to end.
The facial itself involved no uncomfortable prodding or pulling, but rather plenty of soothing massaging, especially around my problem area, and layers of Biologique Recherche products. It seemed a simple enough technique, however the results at the end were truly astounding. The redness and inflammation around my chin had reduced dramatically, and when I commented on the change to Ketty that my skin looked better already, she said it would only improve in the next few days. But not only had my skin improved, so had my confidence. Feeling slightly embarrassed walking into the salon bare-faced in preparation for my facial, and exposing all my skin’s flaws in order to do so, my new glowing skin meant I felt better in myself and more optimistic that after months of skin misery, maybe the problem could finally be fixed.
Following the treatment Ketty recommended my own personal skin regime, including a suitable version of the iconic P50 lotion, which in just one product manages to soothe, exfoliate, purify, cleanse and regenerate skin. I walked out very happy with my new products, new confidence, and new brighter complexion, and even felt even happier days and weeks later when my skin problems have not only disappeared, but it looks better than ever before.
Biologique Recherche, 32 Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris
For those unable to make it to the Paris headquarters Biologique Recherche also has centres across the UK.