Forever Young

Photos: L'Occitane's Almond Shaping Delight gel (bottom right); L'Occitane's Almond Beatiful Shape gel/cream (left); L'Occitane's Immortelle Precious Serum (top right)

Last weekend we attended a wellness workshop at So Spa, the L’Occitane spa inside the Sofitel Macau. Designed to teach participants the proper way to apply beauty products, we picked up some great tips and tricks from the lovely ladies at L’Occitane that we are going to share with you.

The workshop started with L’Occitane’s Immortelle line. Made from immortelle (Helichrysum italicum) extract, the line is rich in active molecules that are designed to deliver anti-aging benefits.

The first step in any beauty regime is of course to remove any makeup. Start by applying Immortelle Eye Make-up Remover onto a damp cotton pad. Cover with another damp cotton pad and press together to evenly apply the product to both pads. Cover eyes with the pads and gently move in a circular motion to allow the product to penetrate and dissolve makeup. What makeup doesn’t come off on the pad can be easily removed with a clean patch of the pad.

Follow that with the Immortelle Milk Make-up Remover. Apply to the face in a circular motion using the tips of your fingers. Remove any excess remover with a damp cotton pad.

Next is a toner. Toners ensure that all products are removed from the face, and (as the name suggests) tones the skin. The Immortelle Essential Water is alcohol-free which means it won’t dry your face out. It contains green tea extract to help soften and firm the skin. Apply the toner onto a cotton pad and apply to the face, wiping in an upward motion.

If your skin is slightly damp after the toner, use a tissue to lightly blot off excess moisture. Next we apply a serum. Serum should never be applied above the cheekbone or on the eyelid as it can cause irritation and dark circles if it gets into the eye itself. Every bottle of Immortelle Precious Serum contains extract from over 1,000 immortelle flowers which immediately tightens skin. After a week skin is left feeling noticeably smoother. Long-term effects include a reduction in wrinkles and improved firmness.

Use Immortelle Precious Serum in conjunction with Immortelle Precious Cream to boost its effectiveness. The cream should be applied to the palms and warmed by rubbing them together a few times. Apply to the cheeks, from the nose to the forehead, over the chin and jawline, and the neck area.

The final step in the regime is to apply sunscreen. Apply the same way as the cream, but be sure not to rub it into the skin as it should sit on the face as a shield. At the workshop we used L’Occitane’s Angelica UV Shield SPF 40.

Face done, it was time to move on to the body, especially as a big part of summer is lounging, scantily clad, by a pool!

We tried the L’Occitane’s almond slimming and toning line. It is claimed that the products in the line will refine and firm your hips, waist, thighs or wherever you apply it!

The Almond Shaping Delight Gel will need to be applied twice a day for at least a month to achieve the best results, so patience and persistence is key. Massage the gel over the area you want to see slimmed down (avoiding your décolletage of course!) working from the bottom to the top.

To reduce cellulite there is Almond Beautiful Shape. This gel-cream will smooth and firm up skin at the same time. Peruvian liana, quinoa extract and carrot essential oil combine to help reduce the storage of fat; almond tree bud extract, caffeine and immortelle, palmarosa and peppermint essential oils promote the release of fat; while almond proteins and micro-exfoliating lemon extract smooth the skin.

So Spa’s Almond Reshaping Body Wrap (starting at MOP650++) and the Immortelle Youthful Eyes treatment (starting at MOP650++) have been designed to work with these products and are a great way to take them for a test run before you commit to buying them!

So Spa is open from 10am to 11pm

For reservations call (853) 8861 7801

www.sofitelmacau.com

#glamour #beauty