Smoothing On Home

There is beauty in growing old gracefully.

But that doesn't mean you can't give your skin and body a few boosts along the way!

























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The morning after the Bloggers Ball, I woke up feeling a little groggy. We had stayed up late drinking, catching up on life and I definitely don't respond as well to lots of wine as I used to...

But the sun was out in London and nothing was going to squash my mood.

I was on my way to give my skin a much needed refresh.

As I near 25, my concerns over my skin are quite real. I am not talking botox or going under the knife (ask me again in 20 years) but my attention has certainly turned to the importance of protecting your skin and the little things that can help give you that natural glow.

Because Beyonce certainly didn't wake up like this without a little TLC.

I had booked myself in for a consultation at the NYLC + Medispa Clinic in Baker Street.

After filling out the necessary forms, I met with Sherise, the skin therapist at the clinic.

Sherise patiently listened to all my concerns about ageing, spots, dark circles, different creams, what even is collagen and so much more. She was like a fountain on knowledge.

Then she made me lie down and meticulously analysed my skin.

On closer inspection, Sherise told me I had pigmentation damage to my skin (ah crap! - what is that?). Especially under me eyes and top lip. I'd never given thought to what the many years of growing up in Spain might have done to my skin. 

I had recently noticed the appearance of darker lines under my eyes and this was the pigmentation damage, but would I be like this forever?

Sherise gave me a nice telling off and reminded me again of the importance of SPF!

She recommended a Glycolic Acid Peel to help treat my skin damage and lift the outer layer of skin to give me an instant glow.

I know Acid and Peel don't sound terribly great together in the same sentence, but it is actually a gentle treatment for your skin that leaves it feeling smoother and softer like a baby's bottom.

The peel was half an hour of pure bliss.

You felt a slight tingle on your face which meant the Glycolic acid was working on your skin.The smells of the products were amazing and I had to keep myself from nodding off.  

So then I asked Sherise about the beauty products she swears by and do you know what she said? Aloe Vera and SPF.

She said these were key to protecting your skin and maintain the natural moisture. You don't need to use Aloe Vera just after a sunburn, it was great for protecting it after a peel but Aloe has so many health benefits you can use it all year round.

SPF is a must whenever. Even in the Winter. Do't think those pesky UV rays can't penetrate even the thickest of British clouds. 

My skin felt radiant and best thing of all, their was zero recovery time. 

There was none of that leaving the clinic with a red and blotchy face, only to hide away for a couple of days until your skin saw the results. 

Sherise told me some peels have up to a week of recovery time and people actually take a week off work to have recover.

But Glycolic peels have zero recovery time and amazing instant results.

I couldn't wipe that smile off my face.

As you can see, my pigmentation is still there. Sherise explained that although the Glycolic Peel would give my skin instant results in terms of glow, I would still need a few more treatments to lift the pigmentation.

More information on Glycolic Peels here. I will let you know my update after I've had a couple of treatments done.

Number 1 rule post-treatment was to stay out of the sun!

Whilst I was there, I was also offered to test my skin for laser hair removal. The NY Skin Clinic specialises in laser hair removal and Sherise was on hand to give me the low down.

Laser hair removal is something I have always been sceptical about, just because of they use lasers and I can imagine it hurts and could even damage your skin further. 

I put my worries to aside for a moment. I guess there was no harm in testing a patch of my skin for free? And guess what? It didn't even hurt! I was being a baby for nothing.  

Maybe I should re-consider this whole laser hair removal because shaving is such a drag.

I was pretty happy with my glowing results, so we celebrated with milkshakes and burgers and #nomakeup.

At the best burger joint in town, of course.

This beast was helping numb my mini hangover.

After lunch we took a stroll around Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes's home.

The sun was hiding behind the clouds, but I still wore my hat just in case.

It turned colder and my chap, in true gentleman style, offered me his sweater.

That, with my baby's bottom face made me feel like I was sixteen again.

Speaking of Holmes, it was time for us to go home. 

I had had a fantastic weekend in London but I was more than exhausted. We hopped on our train at Waterloo and I slept all the way home. 

I avoided wearing much make-up to work for the next following days and it felt great to let my skin breathe. The Glycolic Peel does make your skin break out a little, but it's only because the acid brings all the toxins in your skin to the surface. So it's a good break-out!

If you fancy getting that glow then book your skin consultation with NYLC + Medispa Clinic here. They have a few clinics across London and Reading, so you could easily pop out on your lunch break and come back with a healthy glow to make all of your colleagues jealous.

Do you have any concerns about your skin? Or do you have any beauty secrets to getting the perfect glow? Please share them below, I'd love to hear more.