Anne Semonin Atelier - Paris

About 12 years ago I had a two hour facial with Ewa Berkmann for Anne Semonin in Claridges. It was my second Anne Semonin facial at the time, and it was brilliant. No faff, thorough and intense.
When I mentioned in a video a while back that the Anne Semonin facial was the 'best I have ever had' - they got in touch and invited me to Paris - to meet with Ewa again. I nearly got whiplash again such was the speed that I replied.

The Atelier in Rue des Petits Champs is the original home of the Anne Semonin brand opening over 30 years ago.
I had the cryotherapy treatments for both face and body - and they did not disappoint.

If you are in Paris/travelling to Paris and are partial to a great treatment, I highly recommend you investigate the treatments available at Anne Semonin. www.annesemonin.com/treatments

And if you're lucky enough to catch Ewa there, say hello from me. :)

www.annesemonin.com/atelier

My Cult Beauty Top 10, a chance to win some of them and 10% off!

I know from your emails and comments that Cult Beauty is a shopping mecca for some of you - they recently asked me to collate my Top 10 skincare choices from their edited selection of top beauty finds from around the globe.

A sneak preview of some that made the cut...

Cult Beauty are offering one lucky reader the chance to win 5 of my Top 10 - simply email competitions@cultbeauty.co.uk with your chosen 5 and one winner will be chosen at random after the closing date....

Also: upon entering, ALL entries will be sent an email from Cult Beauty with a specific 10% discount code just for them - just for entering.....

You can find my Cult Beauty Top 10 here.

My T&C's/Disclosure:

• Entries are to be emailed to competitions@cultbeauty.co.uk - any comments left below will not be eligible for entry.
• I have received no payment for this competition
• I have no personal affiliation with Cult Beauty
• No affiliate links used
• Sunday Riley is one of my clients - but I don't work with bad product :) and I was not asked to participate in this by Sunday Riley
• I cannot be held responsible for any products being unavailable at the time of sending 

Cult Beauty T&C's:

• By entering the prize draw you agree to these terms and conditions. 
• You will be entered into Cult Beauty’s free prize draw with the chance to win your choice of 5 of Caroline's Top 10 Skin Care products as stated in her blog. 
• Customers may only sign up once. 
• One winner will be drawn at random by an independent person. The winner will be notified in writing no later than one week after the prize draw has closed – Midnight Monday 9th September 2013. 
• Prize is non-transferable, non-refundable and non-negotiable. There is no cash alternative. 
• Plus all entries will be emailed a 10% discount code to spend on their first order from cultbeauty.co.uk after competition has closed. 
• By entering, you agree that your email address will be used to keep you informed about Cult Beauty news, products and promotions, you can easily unsubscribe from this with one click on the unsubscribe buttom at the bottom of any of our communications. 
• Cult Beauty reserves the right to (i) cancel ‘Prize Draw’, (ii) refuse any individual’s entry and (iii) amend the terms and conditions. Promoter: Cult Beauty Limited: Registered office: 38 – 39, St. John’s Lane, London. EC1M 4BJ

Anne Semonin Facial Offer at Liberty

I've raved about Anne Semonin facials before - and this week you have the perfect opportunity to try the facials out for yourself in the beautiful Liberty Queen Mary room (if you were a Queen you'd have your own private shopping room wouldn't you?)

Excuse the visual - I was about to have a facial. Giddyness. See that hot towel caddy? Bliss.

If you have always wanted to try Anne Semonin products and need a facial these opportunities are made for you. For £50.00 - redeemable against any two products, you get a 60 minute fully customised facial. And it's a bloody good facial. A real facial. Readers of this blog will know what a fussy cow I am. So go. And if you can't make time this week - they're doing two other weeks on the following dates:
Sunday 20th - Saturday 26th November
Sunday 8th - Saturday 14th January 

If you're a lover of potions and lotions and creams and oils get thee to Liberty stat.
Call 0207 734 1234 for appointments.

More info on Anne Semonin

The Hall of Fame - Anne Semonin and the best facial I ever had....

I should have hated everything about my first Anne Semonin facial.

It was in Le Hotel Bristol in Paris - gorgeous settings...well no - not really, more like a building site at the time. The new spa was being built and there was scaffolding to contend with...
Polite, attentive staff - well, no not really - I'm not one for sweeping generalisations but there was no element of 'Entente Cordiale' on show...
Attentive staff.... well no, not really - my facialist kept leaving the room while my products 'did their work'.*

It looks like this now - not so much then!

But the results. Oh LORD the results.

The Anne Semonin was by far the best result I have ever had from a facial. They took my face to TASK.

It was layer after layer of cleansing, exfoliation, serums, masks, more serums, massage, everything I love. Had I not been so distracted by trying to be picky (not so much a bad habit as what I am paid to do) and find fault I would have remembered more of the processes involved. Anyway, so impressed was I with the results that I left the spa (I was not staying at the hotel - hello??) and didn't apply any makeup for the rest of the day in case I spoiled my face. It was THAT good. Plump, full, bouncy, hydrated fabulous skin. And it lasted.

By the time I got back to London I had the Anne Semonin bug and made an appointment to see the legendary Ewa Berkmann in Claridges. This woman is the Rolls-Royce of facialists.
Some people put their names on waiting lists for handbags.
I hunt down renowned facialists in a quest to learn anything I can from them and feel 'the hands'. I have felt most 'hands' in the business. It's research. What's not to love? Ewa is one of the two top 'hands' I have ever had the pleasure of being treated (pummelled) by - the other is Michelle Roques O'Neil who is the same as Ewa - but for the body.

What was an amazing treatment in Paris, was elevated to another level of brilliance by Ewa. I was in that room for over two hours. She cleansed, exfoliated, steamed, treated, masked, serumed the living bejesus out of my face. I literally fell in and out of consciousness - and still did not want to get up when she was done.

The Anne Semonin range is based on 'the belief the most effective beauty products and treatments are based on a combination of a personal, made to measure prescription and a holistic approach'. I'm of the same thinking that a great massage and a lot of layering of serums and oils does your skin the world of good. The joy of the range is that you can address any problem by mixing trace elements and essential oils to maximise potency and address issues as they arise. And they do address the issues. In this case I would recommend even the seasoned skincare pro takes advice from the Semonin team before selecting products - it's a big range and they can suggest concoctions that may not occur to you.

So the Anne Semonin is in the Hall of Fame. And deservedly so.

And you don't have to take my word for it - if you want to try it for yourself Anne Semonin has two facial weeks coming up at Liberty in London. The first one is from 1st-7th May. Facials are £50 redeemable against any two purchases of Anne Semonin on the day. It may not be Hotel Le Bristol but it's the same product and the same training - get yourself down there - I am.

Anne Semonin is available at Liberty. For appointments call the counter on 0207 734 1234 ext 2156.

*In fairness to the current team my first facial was a long time ago!

Loving a little Liberty!

I moved to London when I was 17.  My very first retail job was in Liberty - an amazing place to work - primarily because you felt like an extra in a film about Henry VIII.

The floors creaked and every nook and cranny was taken up with product from renowned names and hard-to-find brands - all of them fitted perfectly within the old Tudor walls.

Last week I had to pop into Liberty for business reasons - made even more pleasurable by Banana Republic moving in across the street (don't even get me started) and my trusty old favourite did not disappoint.

I had to go through the Beauty Room - which although tightly packed as always DOES now have Anne Semonin - MA.J.O.R. S.C.O.R.E. (more to follow at a later date) and then drifted into the fragrance section.

Dear. God.

The fragrance section in Liberty is enough to make grown women weep.

Every corner is covered in all the best fragrances from far and wide...

L'Artisan Parfumeur - Amber and Rose - preferably mixed

Le Labo - Jasmine, Rose, Vetiver - who cares - pick one!

 Diptyque - Do Son - If I didn't know better I'd say it was French for 'divine'

Quelques Fleur - soft, floral and aahhhhh

Prada - Tubereuse- yes - I'm beginning to see a pattern also...

And then - you turn the corner thinking - I'll get to handbags - much safer (??!!)

and there in the distance lies the Holy Grail.

Frederic. Bloody. Malle.

And one of my all-time favourite scents: Lys Mediterranee

Ginger Lilies, Orange Blossom, Musk, Vanilla.... 'tis an olfactory orgasm. Yes. You heard me. Olfactory orgasm.

After making sure that every part of my body was covered in said perfume (along with all of the above - yes - I sprayed them ALL) I made my way through the middle atrium to the lifts and headed for the 4th Floor - the bath and body shop.

Lord. Have. Mercy.

The window was open and the entrance is downwind. The smell hit me in the face like a warm fuzzy haze of fruit. And soap. Fruity Soap. Beautifully packaged warm fruity soap.  This was their main display:

The Italian brand Il Frutteto had a huge table full to the brim of every flavour imaginable for soap. Fig, and Almond, Citrus and Bergamot, Peach and Melon - all divine. But I came away with

the divine Pomegranate and Blackcurrant. 

God it smells good.

I bought it, took it home and said to my husband, 'God you HAVE to smell this soap I bought in Liberty today!'
He smelt it, handed it back to me and said 'Excellent - you can use it to wash with now - you smell like a brothel.'