the beauty connection...

I visited the Beauty Connection in Newmarket and had a really relaxing, educational experience. My therapist, Ni Huan Lin has such a great sense of humour and personality and bucket loads of experience in skin care, I came away armed with new knowledge in the fight against ageing and skin in way better shape...

On arrival I was asked to write down three things I would change about my skin. I wrote, more even skin tone, less tired-looking skin and more radiance. Ni Huan said that I didn't have a problem with any of those things interestingly enough. She set me up to have my skin scanned, this state of the art camera looks under the skin, deep down in the epidermis to check sun damage, areas of concern and bacteria collecting in certain areas. Ni Huan told me that my skin had very minimal sun damage (years of wearing spf on my face), a very small amount of bacteria around my nose and her only concern was my red veins around my nose and cheeks (an unfortunate side effect of having sensitive, thin skin, prone to rosecea).

Ni Huan's prescription for my skin was a session of IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), but I as feeling a little sensitive having just recovered from the flu, we agreed on a session of red Omnilux Light. Omnilux Light is available in blue (great for destroying the bacteria responsible for acne) and red which is fantastic for generally rejuvenating the skin, boosting collagen production, fixing uneven skin tone and improving the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Ni Huan showed me amazing before and after photos of her own clients that have had IPL & Omnilux Light treatments. A course of more than one is obviously recommended for maximum effectiveness. The red light is extremely bright when it is first swung over your face, even with my eyes shut and goggles on, the red light is very intense. Ni Huan warned me of this and said it would go after one minute and she was right, I saw a dull blue light for the remaining 20 minutes of the treatment, while she massaged my shoulders and talked about skin care and clothes (you know, normal stuff!) Omnilux naturally stimulates the body’s own cellular mechanisms in a non-invasive and non-abrasive way, which I really like!

As for my facial that followed, a selection of products was used to suit my skin, first the Ilcsi Rosehip Gel Mask which has an immediate effect on skin suffering from rosecea or sensitivity, it contains contains high amounts of vitamin C and peppermint to tighten and tone as well. Next up the Ilcsi Rosehip & Maize Exfoliator which soothes unhappy skin and gives a deep down clean, ridding pores of dirt and pumping in vitamin C, honey and zinc oxide. The Rozi Gel was applied next, which is perfect for calming down redness and hydrating skin, we topped off this with Ultraceuticals spf30 moisturiser and MD Antioxidant Eyecream.

Ni Huan's dream prescription for my skin was, IPL for the red veins, several sessions of the red Omnilux Light for reducing the redness and rejuvenating the skin and a course of Glycolic Peels to improve my skin texture. I love the fact that I was made to feel so comfortable and special at the Beauty Connection, as well as being educated on how to care for my skin even more than I do currently. Waiting till you have had your skin scanned and examined is my advice before you choose a treatment too.

Call the Beauty Connection on 09 5206948 and ask for Ni Huan Lin. Or check out their website here