Treatment Review: Nouveau Skin Therapy

by Gillian Summons for Bianca's Beauty Blog

--What does the promo say?--

"Nouveau Skin Therapy treatments and products are developed to target and achieve a wide range of skin goals and can help overcome such issues as fine lines and wrinkles, uneven texture and skin tone, open pores, scarring, sagging skin & much more. Nouveau A-Lift is a breakthrough facial treatment that is revolutionizing the beauty industry. Non-invasive and 100% natural, age reversal skin treatment which is based on the latest nano-current technology. This technology increases Adenosine Triospate Production in cells, promoting skin regeneration and improving overall skin health, stimulating the cells to ‘act younger’ and improves lymphatic drainage. This age reversal treatment improves skin hydration, texture, muscle tone, fine lines and wrinkles by naturally producing more collagen." 

--Review--

On a beautifully sunny day in London, I made my way to have my first Nouveau A-Lift, Non-Invasive Facial Lifting treatment. My therapist, Kelly, was very welcoming and first took time to check through my medical questionnaire - always important on a first visit. The treatment was explained to me and I took my place on the couch for my thirty minute treatment. After cleansing my face, and securing my hair back, we began. 

Every step of this painless procedure was explained to me - all very simple, and for someone who’s very fussy about facial treatments, it was also somewhat relaxing. This is a needle-free, chemical-free and pain-free treatment, so it's win-win all the way for those of you who prefer not to suffer pain for your looks and prefer to steer clear of injecting fillers or Botox into your face. 

Perhaps this could be why several celebrities are fans and it’s the celebrity facial everyone’s talking about. The rave reviews this procedure has obtained means that you don’t even have to travel to London for a treatment: there are over 100 technicians nationwide.  Immediately after the treatment my skin felt smooth and silky. Was it my imagination or had my fine lines mellowed after just one session? 

--Value for money--

The Nouveau A-Lift: Non-Invasive Facial Lifting costs from £30 for a half an hour. Also available is the Nouveau Dermatude: Duel-Action Skin rejuvenation, which starts at £75.

But how many treatments does it take to see maximum effects, and how long are the effects likely to last?” Kelly said that ideally 10 initial treatments, which could be taken over 5 or 10 weeks, were recommended. This would be improved by top up treatments every 4 to 6 weeks following the initial 10 treatments. 

So the A-Lift treatment over 6 months would start from, depending on location, a range of £360 to £420, depending on gaps between treatments. If you started with 10 treatments and spaced your top-ups to 6 weeks gaps over a year, in regional salons you’d be likely to pay between £540 and £600. Sign me up, I want to feel like my skin has been ironed out!

www,nouveabeautygroup.com / @NskinTherapy

Avène TriAcnéal Treatment Cream

RRP: £23 for 30ml

--What does the promo say?--
"TriAcnéal is a non-greasy emulsion which helps eliminate severe imperfections. After 2 months of use, the number of spots is reduced and scars are visibly smoother. Efectiose® enables targeted action on the mediators responsible for the irritation observed in the problems of skin subject to severe imperfections. Retinaldehyde helps regulate keratinisation disorders, hence preventing thickening of the skin and formation of blackheads. Glycolic acid, a powerful exfoliant, has a peeling effect upon the surface of the skin. Paraben free."

--Packaging--
Avène's characteristic white and coral colour scheme continues to please, being simultaneously summery, cheerful, unusual, adult, and unisex. The squeezy tube is also elegant, but the incredibly tapered nozzle seems ultimately pointless: since most sufferers of severe acne will be applying this all over the skin, it's frustrating to only be able to squeeze the lotion out in minuscule amounts. Nonetheless, this is only a small issue.

--Application--
Avène recommends applying this only in the evening, but I find it works equally well in the morning, especially if you mix it with your normal moisturiser.

--Appearance--
A golden cream with an almost nacreous look to it, making it feel like a real luxury to use, rather than just an ordinary clinical acne-fighting product. Fades invisibly into skin.

--Scent--
Nothing specific is detectable; but it definitely doesn't smell alcoholic or chemical, which is good, and which can often be a problem with products for problem skin.

--Texture and consistency--
A rather stiff cream that mollifies slightly when rubbed between the hands. Does not feel dry, tight or sticky on the skin once applied, but doesn't quite have the baby-soft smoothness of a traditional moisturiser either, so you don't want to neglect using your usual moisturiser in addition (or even better, the Cleanance option offered by Avène).

--Effects on the skin--
Did seem to diminish acne, but my skin still felt like an oil slick by the end of the day. However, I chalk this up to another line I've been testing concurrently; I have every confidence that if I were using the full complement of Avène's Cleanance range alongside, this wouldn't be a problem.

--Value for money--
Admittedly, at £23 this is more expensive than I expected it to be. However, the results are good, and one tube seems to go a very long way (even if you're being a bit renegade and using it twice a day instead of only once, ahem).  However, I'd definitely repurchase this as part of a full-on Cleanance plan of attack once my free tube from Avène's PR runs out. To be recommended for its luxurious appearance and texture, as well as its encouraging results.

perfect partners
Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser, £11
Cleanance Cleansing Water, £16
Cleanance Toner, £11
Cleanance Emulsion, £12
Cleanance K, £11
Cleanance Mask, £15

Cosmetics Contemplations: When the people speak

I've always been a bit of a consumer watchdog: in my student days I loved such televisual output as Don't Get Done, Get Dom, and (of course) Watchdog, and as I've got older and web users have become more vocal, I've enjoyed participating in fora such as those on the MoneySavingExpert website and reading reviews of products and services. In fact, it's surprising that I've never taken out a subscription to Which? (although I did apply for a job with them recently, so you never know - my love for what they do could soon manifest itself in other ways...). In fact, my passion for making sure the consumer was making an informed choice based on honest opinions rather than just company spiel was one of the main motivations behind me beginning to review products in the first place. The main website for reviews, although perhaps less so now with the rise and rise of the blogosphere, was and probably still is Ciao. Although it is an extremely comprehensive and detailed website which I still visit from time to time, it has less use for me since the advent of the glorious price comparison engine that is Google Shopping and there were reasons why I went over from reviewing on Ciao to blogging here which remain unchanged.

However, it still being an extremely popular website, it is always interesting to see just how far the views of its users reflect the views and habits of the general population (and, dare I say it, "experts" like myself who write about beauty regularly and are equally regularly lucky enough to have free stuff thrown in their general direction for testing). 

My first impression upon looking at the list of the best cleansers and exfoliators (as per five star rating) is that the list probably doesn't reflect the whims of the population at large - contrary to my expectations. I say this because a good half of the brands featured are, to put it bluntly, expensive. Of the remaining half the list, one of the brands (Burts Bees) is what I would call of limited availability: for the widest choice you are definitely best off looking online rather than popping to your local chemist. For Ciao users, this is perhaps not unreasonable: however, most people are not willing to trawl the net looking for a product from a less widely available brand. Of the four remaining cheaper brands, two bring us back down to earth with a bump, perhaps showing how easily conned the British public is by advertisting (as they are not brands that I would ever recommend). Olay and Ponds are of course much-beloved British high street classics, and so it is hardly any great surprise that they appear on the list as well. Another interesting feature of the list is its diversity, with all ten of the listed products being from different brands: this openmindedness, or lack of brand loyalty, is refreshing, but arguably also a trademark of the internet shopper: those of us who shop around and go through price comparison sites with a fine tooth comb are probably more likely to be curious about lots of different brands than the UK shopper who throws their moisturiser into their supermarket basket as part of the normal weekly shop. It is this diversity which also reflects the "beauty experts" quite accurately, with lots of different brands from different budgets being included, but with the list ultimately leaning towards higher-quality products.

So would the 'best face creams and treatments' list fare any better in representing the average UK consumer? The answer is perhaps yes. Only three of the ten products featured are not widely available on the high street and of these three there was only one product that I had not heard of at all - and yet even this one product is perhaps indicative of people's shopping habits, since a little digging around online revealed it to be available via a popular UK shopping channel as well as via a few web outlets. At hundreds of pounds for a pot I would expect the Freeze 24-7 Anti-Wrinkle Cream to have classier packaging, but as I previously mentioned, there are a multitude of ways in which the British public can be duped, especially if this is via the frankly superliminal means of the television shopping channel. In addition, for a cream that reportedly glows under UV light (not so good if you are a seasoned clubber), you could say it represents the buying population's slightly more eccentric side. It's comforting that the rest of the list, though, ranges from a mere £2 right up to the dizzy heights charged by Decleor, Elemis, Estee Lauder and Freeze, meaning that there really is something for everyone there - which I think is what everyone would expect and want.

The only 'mistake' in that list, in my view, is the Simple moisturiser, but hey - I suppose even the legions of web shoppers can't get it right all the time...

The lists

Best cleansers and exfoliators 

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel

Burt's Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

Simple Soothing Toner

Philosophy Purity

Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 (Oily Skin)

Clearasil StayClear Skin Perfecting Wash

Olay Regenerist Cleanser Daily Thermal Skin Polisher

Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser

Best face creams and treatments

Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturiser

Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser

Boots No7 Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum

Clinique Superdefense Moisturiser

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream

Decleor Face Treat Aromessence Ylang Ylang Purifying Concentrate (Oily and Combination Skin)

Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimising Skin Refinisher

Olay Definity

Freeze 24-7 Anti Wrinkle Cream

Crème de la Mer Refining Facial

RRP: £59 for a 100ml tube

--What does the promo say?--
"This multi-action complex instantly smoothes and boosts skin's brightness and radiance - revealing a fresh new surface. The Refining Facial utilises fermented acidic sea muds to soften skin and gently lift away dry surface cells. As the cream is lightly massaged onto the face, pure diamond powder and polished sea quartz perform as physical exfoliants while smart minerals convert the massage action into energy. Circulation is immediately stimulated and skin is awakened."

--Packaging--
White, with the classic pink and green Crème de la Mer gracing it for company. A stand-alone plastic tube.

--Application--
As I have found, there are two ways with this. The Crème de la Mer website recommends massaging this onto clean, dampened skin before rinsing well and following with a toner. However, you can also use it as a mask by spreading it thinly onto clean dry skin with fingers or a spatula, leaving it on for 15 minutes and then rinsing off.

--Scent--
Lovely and minty - delish!

--Appearance--
In keeping with the scent, it's a beautiful minty green, with the exfoliants dotted visibly in the lotion.

--Texture/consistency--
A luxurious, creamy and slightly stiff lotion that spreads easily onto the face and washes off well.

--How does your skin look and feel afterwards?--
Miraculous. As well as feeling ridiculously smooth (for DAYS after you've done the treatment, not just in the immediate aftermath), skin also looks visibly much better. Pores are clearly tightened and made to appear smaller; complexion and skin tone are evened; face looks powdered and smooth, as if you'd just that moment put on your foundation, concealer and powder.

--Value for money--
Ahem. This is the tricky part. At £59 for 100ml, it's at the cheaper end of Crème de La Mer's product range, where prices frequently exceed double this. It's therefore the only product that I might ever be in with a shout at buying (or at least putting on my Christmas list). However, you only need a ridiculously tiny amount each time (I reckon my minuscule sample pot will do me at least three applications) and it blows other face masks and skin perfectionist products out of the water. If you were thinking of purchasing a serum at £70-odd, say, in the hope of your skin looking better for it, I'd say don't - get this instead. Best. Facemask. Ever.

perfect partners
Crème de La Mer Moisturiser for Normal to Dry Skin, £88 for 30ml
Crème de La Mer The Tonic, £44 for 200ml