{"id":76286,"date":"2015-03-19T09:05:37","date_gmt":"2015-03-19T09:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.5starweddingmagazine.com\/?p=76286"},"modified":"2019-01-04T20:15:26","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T20:15:26","slug":"pre-wedding-wonder-products-for-both-mother-and-daughter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/5starweddingdirectory.com\/blog\/pre-wedding-wonder-products-for-both-mother-and-daughter\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Wedding Wonder Products For Both Mother And Daughter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have\u00a0you thought about a pre-wedding pick-me-up for the delicate skin on your face? Taking care of your\u00a0skin is essential for preparing the perfect base for\u00a0wedding day\u00a0make up.\u00a0<\/strong>Writer Beth Mills ropes in her mum to try out some hot new beauty industry must-haves, perfect for pampering bride, and mother-thereof, in the run up to looking beautiful on\u00a0the big day.<\/p>\n

As a long time devotee of clean skincare brand REN<\/a>, I was chomping at the bit (along with many other beauty writers, I should imagine) to take their two most recent products for a spin; the already award-winning Flash Rinse One Minute Facial<\/strong>, and the new\u00a0\u201cKeep\u00a0Young and Beautiful\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Instant Firming Beauty Shot. One of my\u00a0favourite\u00a0little luxuries in life is spending some time lavishing a little TLC on my skin. Doing my nails,\u00a0exfoliating and\u00a0moisturising\u00a0my hands, or\u00a0rejuventating\u00a0the delicate skin on my face and neck\u00a0is just\u00a0my way of winding down. Some people go for a run, others read a book; I apply a face mask.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration

Illustration by Birdie Design<\/p>\n

Naturally, when I got my hands on some samples of the new REN products to review I was keen to try them out straightaway, but it occurred to me that my review would be more useful, across the board, if I roped in a second guinea pig: enter my mum! Mum has never been into skincare in the way I am, and she visibly winces when\u00a0I feed my addiction. \u201cI ran out of face wash!\u201d I cry, or \u201cIt was on offer!\u201d But, ever supportive of the vital scientific research being carried out by brave\u00a0pioneers like me, she agreed to try them out with me. I\u2019m 28 and my mum is 62, and our skin types are quite different, so it seemed like a great basis for conducting\u00a0the trial, plus it was just a fun thing for us to do together.<\/p>\n

About REN:<\/strong>
\nIf you don\u2019t know REN already, you need to. They have one of the most extensive ranges of products, catering for almost all skin types, available in the clean (i.e. free from: parabens,\u00a0sulphates, petrochemicals and other skin drying and environmentally unfriendly ingredients) skincare market. I have difficult skin; in the summer I have the typical \u201ccombination skin\u201d issues of oily t-zone and sun dried cheeks (what works for tomatoes doesn\u2019t work for faces, as it turns out) and I swear by the REN\u00a0Clarimatte\u00a0range. However, from October until whenever winter finally decides to buzz off,\u00a0I suffer (and I mean\u00a0suffer<\/em>) from sensitive and dry skin.<\/p>\n

My skin splits, chaps, flakes, stings, and raises up in red blotches in odd places (like the top of my right foot. Why!) and I discovered a few years ago that products with harsher ingredients \u2013\u00a0and you\u2019d be surprised about which\u00a0highstreet\u00a0ranges contain these elements \u2013\u00a0might be absolutely fine for those lucky so-and-sos with naturally resilient and smooth skin, but they turn me into a scaly reptile. It\u00a0ain\u2019t\u00a0pretty. But enough about my heartbreaking struggle to find good\u00a0moisturiser\u00a0and back to REN: in short, I know first hand the value of splashing out a little on skincare and REN is one of my essential expenses.<\/p>\n

\"Ren

The Test:<\/strong>
\nFirst up we tried the Flash Rinse Facial.\u00a0According to the directions the blue, textured gel is first to be massaged into the face and neck in circular movements to gently exfoliate\u00a0and buff away dead skin cells. The facial contains water-activated vitamin C, which starts to work when you massage the face again with wet hands. We both noticed\u00a0a light tingling sensation when\u00a0we did\u00a0this, which isn\u2019t unpleasant but my mum did comment that she didn\u2019t like the smell of the product so was probably quite keen to wash it off.\u00a0Rinsing thoroughly and then patting our faces dry with clean towels we both stood peering into mirrors and rotating our chins to examine every inch of skin.<\/p>\n

Immediately we both felt our skin was softer, smoother, and firmer but not \u2013 crucially \u2013 tighter; I hate a tight feeling on my face that I usually associate with excessive dryness. Since my skin is drier than mum\u2019s I was particularly aware that I didn\u2019t feel the need to slather on\u00a0moisturiser\u00a0as soon as my face had dried, which I usually do after washing my face. The flash facial is a really nice product, which is gently and not corrosively exfoliating at first, and then satisfyingly tingly when mixed with water, making\u00a0you feel as though it really is working away at rejuvenating\u00a0your face with a shot of vitamin C. Price wise, retailing at \u00a332.00 it\u2019s on the upper end of bathroom cabinet staples, but since it\u2019s designed to be used a couple of times a week, the 75ml tube would likely last a while. A great thing to keep in the drawer for the days your face needs a little injection of energy.<\/p>\n

After waiting twenty minutes or so we were ready to try the beauty shot. I obviously get my investigative streak from my mum because she requested that, in the interest of science, I apply the product\u00a0to only one half of her face so we can really see the results! (This is exactly the same method by which I test out anti-cellulite creams \u2013 one thigh at a time\u2026 Like mother like daughter). Wearing a white coat and goggles I meticulously applied the velvety cream\u00a0to the right side of my mum\u2019s face and massaged it in until dry. I applied it\u00a0across my whole face and neck.<\/p>\n

Personally, at 28, I am probably not the right market for the Keep Young and Beautiful\u00a0range, but I liked the way it felt on my face. I felt the result was a very smooth and matte skin surface, and the perfect base for make up without becoming too laden down with\u00a0moisturiser. My mum wasn\u2019t overly convinced by the results, but I noticed a difference. The right side of her face looked brighter, \u201cglowier\u201d, and the redness was reduced. As a further treat I also applied one of my current\u00a0favourites, REN BB cream, and she was impressed with the results of that. It is a light, satin finish tinted cream which evens out skin tone and disguises dark circles without being\u00a0cakey\u00a0or drying out the skin. The beauty shot, as well as a Keep Young and Beautiful eye cream and serum, is available from\u00a0renskincare.com<\/a>\u00a0for \u00a336.00.<\/p>\n

\"Ren

Of the two, we both felt that the Flash Rinse Facial was the most effective product for our skin types. I can see it becoming one of my\u00a0favourite\u00a0luxury products for occasional use, and even though I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve quite converted my mum into being a beauty addict like me, I think she\u2019ll be raiding my supplies from time to time. I\u2019m also keen to keep trying the beauty shot, especially on special occasions before applying make up, because the smoothing effect was great.<\/p>\n