Yesterday, I was kindly invited to John Lewis in Cardiff to have a facial using Merumaya skincare products.
The brand was launched in 2012 by founder Meleka Dattu and is exclusive to John Lewis stores and John Lewis online. All Merumaya products are created and manufactured in the UK, which is wonderful as they help support our economy.
I was really excited to try the brand as I had read rave reviews about their products from several publications including Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Sunday Times Style magazines. Not only that, top beauty bloggers such as London Beauty Queen and Essie Button have sung their praises.
Plus, the founder Meleka has been contributed to the success of Lancôme, Origins and Clinique. What’s more, she’s been recognised by the beauty industry, she won Cosmetic Executive Women’s Achiever of the Year in 2006.
So I felt like I was in great hands. I was led into the treatment room by beauty therapist Mary, who I noticed had beautiful skin – always a good sign! The room was spacious, peaceful and calming with lavender and white decor. It felt like a true spa experience even though I was in a busy department store in the middle of Cardiff!
Firstly, Mary smoothed the Cleansing Melting Balm on my face. The texture was really light and cooling but felt luxurious at the same time. My skin felt refreshingly clean, smooth and comfortable. Mary advised me to use the “double-cleanse” method in future – where you remove make-up and grime first and on the second use, clean your skin. This was a useful tip actually, I always manage to get make-up stains on my towel after washing my face so double cleansing should sort that problem out.
Mary then used the Bi-Phase Plus Eye Make Up Remover. It removed mascara swiftly and felt very gentle with no need for scrubbing – a winner if you like to wear lashings of mascara like me!
Next, the Treatment Toner was applied. It helped provide immediate hydration, plumpness and a youthful brightness to my skin. It reminded me how effective toners can be, I definitely want to start using one again.
Having cleansed my skin, it was then time to peel away any dead skin cells –
Mary applied the Skin Brightening Exfoliating Peel, a unique formulation of glycolic acid and pomegranate enzymes to resurface skin.
Next, Mary massaged my face using long stroking movements, concentrating on between my eyebrows, temples and just in front of my ears to relax my muscles.
Then, Mary smoothed on the Pure Radiance Mask which felt pleasantly. While the mask was left on for five minutes, Mary massaged oil into my décolletage, arms and hands which was fabulous. I felt so relaxed that I nearly fell asleep – a bonus for me because I’m always so wired!
Now, wrinkles aren’t a major concern to me yet as I’m only 25 but I don’t mind using products with anti-ageing properties, prevention is better than cure as the saying goes! The Iconic Youth Serum is a highly potent complex of ten active ingredients which made my skin appear vibrant. Contrary to popular belief, serums don’t make your skin oily. They provide great moisture, prepare skin to resist aggression, boost its own defence systems, reduce water loss, redness, blemishes and many other skin imperfections, so if any of these are an issue for you, I’d recommend trying the serum.
Finally, Mary patted on the Youth Preservation Moisturiser which provided hydration and SPF 15. I also tried the Overnight Recharge Night Cream which is designed to help to repair skin while you sleep while reducing the signs of fatigue.
After the facial, I felt completely rejuvenated. The best thing is that I can recreate the experience at home using the products – it’s not always practical to have professional facials every six weeks and can get expensive. The idea of a DIY facial with salon-quality results really appeals to me. My favourite products were the Cleansing Melting Balm and the Treatment Toner as they both took the chore out of removing make-up.
This morning, my face looked fresh and glowing. Here’s a picture below, excuse the artificial lighting and the fluffy hair – I did take it at 6am! I’ve lightly shaded my eyebrows as I’m in-between salon visits and they need to be tinted. Apart from that, I’m not wearing make-up and I haven’t used any editing or filters.
Will you be trying Merumaya products for yourself?
