The Magical Facial

I normally hate facials, treatments, massages and just about anything that involves a stranger touching me (I know, I'm strange!) but six weeks ago I met a lady called Marie Reynolds. It was the night of the Zoella beauty launch, I'd had a couple of glasses of wine and got chatting to Marie about her treatments. Marie is very well known in the world of skincare. Renowned for her unique approach to skincare treatment. She doesn't just look and the condition of the skin, but also the effect that our state of mind and thought patterns can have on the skin.

As I said before, I don't normally like facials, and I don't normally believe in alternative therapy techniques either, but something about Marie was overtly calming and instantly drew me in. She kindly invited me along to have one of her famous 'Fifth Concept' facials in Fortnum & Mason. I jumped at the chance (obviously), but on the day I still felt a little apprehensive, having never really enjoyed a facial before...

The experience that followed really was exceptional. Marie seemed to instantly understand my apprehension for treatments. Looking at my feet and facial features, she told me so many things about my personal outlook on life and gave me some advice for both conquering and dealing with my day-to-day worries. Without sharing more personal details with you, I can just say that both the treatment itself worked wonders for my skin (It looked clear, smooth, plumped and bright both immediately and for about two weeks afterwards - no awful breakouts like I normally get a few days post-facial) and for my state of mind.

I think this is one of the only times I've properly relaxed, ever. Yes, Marie's time is very expensive, but in my mind it's undoubtedly worth it. If you're looking for an out-of-this-world beauty treatment. I would thoroughly recommend paying her a visit.

You can find out more information about Marie, and how to book an appointment, on her website.

I also got the chance to try out one of her new body butter candles during the treatment (there's a lot of arm and foot massaging on top of the facial work!) Although the concept of using a candle as body butter seems a little *ahem* kinky... it was actually gorgeous. The scent was divine and left my skin beautifully soft. The glass packaging is stunning and 100% re-usable after you've finished burning the candle, so perfect for your dressing table! (They would make lovely Christmas presents too!) They are £22 each, but you can get 20% off with the code TE3V9M4X at checkout on the MarsteSpa website.