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Elemis
Who and what are Elemis?
The Elemis brand began in London, in 1989. Linda Steiner wanted to create a skin care range "as near to nature as possible" with "no expense spared". By 1991 the brand had changed direction, and was aiming to create "service oriented products" for professionals in spas and salons.
Today, Elemis is one of the leading players in the spa industry. Their products and therapies are available globally in over 1200 spas, including their three flagship Elemis Day Spas in London, Hong Kong and Miami.
Elemis trivia no 1: A big breakthrough for Elemis came in 1994 when their products were selected to be the main treatment line on over 100 cruise ship spas.
Elemis trivia no 2: Elemis had its first show on the QVC shopping channel in 1995. It was a huge success, and the brand has appeared monthly on QVC ever since.
If you want to find out more about the history of the Elemis brand, there's a handy interactive timeline on the Elemis website.
They Say:
"With every new product launched and every spa-therapy performed, Elemis' goal is to address specific skin and body conditions using potent formulations that dynamically treat the skin with powerful results."
We Say:
"High quality, top-end, essence of spa. Many of the Elemis products are memorable -- if you've ever enjoyed the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Moisture Melt as part of an Elemis spa therapy, you'll recall the glorious scent immediately. It's very appealing to use the same products that we remember from some of our favourite spa treatments."
Elemis products - What have we tried?
Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Serum
Single Spy:
This serum contains padina pavonica. What? A Mediterranean fan-shaped algae, apparently. What's more, the algae is "proven to help strengthen the protective layer of the epidermis", they say. There are more, perhaps even more impressive, ingredients: rhodochrosite, quartz and argan oils, plus methylsilanol mannuronate, a derivative of seaweed. I was not sufficiently blinded by ingredients, however, that I couldn't check further down the packaging and discover that the main ingredient is water.
One of the nicest things about the product, I thought, was the elegant silver pump dispenser. I would happily put it on display in my bathroom, or perhaps the living room, so that even casual visitors might think I could afford it.
From the pump, the serum dispenses as an almost clear gel to smooth onto your skin. There's some perfume in it but there's still a chemical odour to the product. As soon as I put it on, my skin did feel tighter. You may consider this a bonus but I actually found this quite an unpleasant feeling. It didn't feel like the serum absorbed easily so it sat on the surface of my skin feeling sticky, and then felt like it was hardening as it dried.
It made no discernible difference to my wrinkles, but it didn't stand much chance of doing so as you're meant to avoid putting it on the eye area. So it's not a product I'll be rushing to buy.
RRP £95.00 - 30ml
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream
Single Spy:
Like the serum, this cream has very elegant packaging: a translucent jar containing the cream that's extraordinarily white given its ocean origins. Ingredients include padina pavonica (that algae again) for its "powerful anti-ageing properties".
The packaging contains more sciency stuff about how the cream is "clinically proven to reduce the depth of wrinkles by 19%". So precise -- 19%! Not having any wrinkle-depth measuring equipment about my person, I was forced to rely on my eyes. Let's just say that I didn't notice any miracles, but I did find the cream very pleasant to use. It's soft to touch, quite silky, and an absolute joy to smooth onto a face still feeling unnaturally tight from an application of Quartz Lift Serum. Maybe that's why they tell you to put it on afterwards.
The cream made my skin feel supple and comfortable, and it was well absorbed. It's a moisturiser I'll happily keep on using.
RRP £75.00 - 50ml
Swedish Spy:
Elemis Absolute Eye Serum is delivered in a chunky little glass bottle with a good pipette delivery top. The packaging exudes confidence. It contains a light serum with healing, anti-inflammatory, and cell-regenerating herbal extracts to soothe the sensitive eye area, alleviate dark circles and gently tone the skin.
With a very young baby who tends to wake up at ungodly hours in the morning, I've had plenty of dark circles to combat. I have to say I could look a lot more rough in the circumstances. I suspect this serum may indeed have helped to hold that purplish shade of extreme tiredness at bay. People have even said that I look quite like my normal self! Well done Elemis, for helping me stage a valiant last stand on the wild frontier of sleep deprivation.
If your eye area hasn't faced such a challenge recently, I should think that a certain rosy shimmer of health and vitality could be expected after a time of use.
RRP £24.00 - 15ml
Shy Spy:
Ok, so the word "peel" instantly brings to mind a rather harsh, skin-dissolving formula that sounds quite scary, especially if your skin isn't as tough as old boots. However, do not fear the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel. It really is effective whilst still being fairly gentle.
After reviewing a couple of Elemis spa facials that use this peel, I was keen to try it at home, and see if it has much of an effect on its own. I wasn't disappointed, as the peel was really pleasant to use, plus it left my skin looking very good indeed. The pale orange cream-gel smoothes on easily, and doesn't solidify, so you can still move your face while it's on.
The fruity scents of pineapple and papaya make this peel smell good enough to eat, and as the active ingredients are the fruit acids, it isn't full of too many unnatural ingredients either.
After rinsing the peel away, my skin felt very smooth, with no dryness whatsoever. I've used Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel a couple of times before getting ready for a night out as it's a great prep for make-up. I'll definitely be stocking up on this product in future!
RRP £26.00 - 50ml
Elemis Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream
Shy Spy:
As this isn't exactly a cheap night cream, I had high expectations for this product. It's a soft, white cream with a gentle floral scent. It comes in a sleek silver tub that looks suitably professional and chic at the same time. The night cream is designed to increase oxygen levels in the skin to "accelerate dermal respiration", and to delay the signs of ageing. I'm not sure that I was able to spot any "respiration" -- if that's even possible -- but on checking my face in the morning, it did look well nourished. After using this cream for a couple of weeks, my skin looked slightly more hydrated, and did feel nicely smooth in the morning.
I have combination skin, so I was impressed that it didn't leave my skin congested, as is the case with some other rich night creams. I'm still not sure I'd fork out £90 for this, but it would be a nice treat if I was feeling flush!
RRP £90.00 - 50ml
Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Moisture Melt
Sensitive Spy:
A smooth, light oil, with a divinely intense floral Monoi and Frangipani scent. It's brilliant as a post-bath body oil; the Melt easily sinks into the skin, leaving you soft and sweet smelling. You can use it as a conditioning treatment for your hair, or massage it into hands and feet as part of an intensely moisturising mani or pedi at home.
Just gorgeous, but hugely impractical. The Exotic Frangipani Monoi Moisture Melt is described on its burgundy box as a "truly exotic treatment oil". Words of warning further down the box: "this product solidifies at cooler temperatures". From February to June, the Melt sat sullenly on my bathroom shelf, solidly refusing to leave the bottle. The box advises, "Simply place the bottle in a bowl of warm water to return it to a silky liquid". Perfectly fine in a spa, who will have a bowl of warm water hanging around for just such this purpose, no doubt strewn with rose petals. Less practical in a chilly bathroom. I ended up sitting the bottle in the bath with me for a few minutes to desolidify the Melt. A charming ritual in a spa becomes a right pain in the bathroom when you're in a hurry.
RRP £29.00 - 100ml
Elemis Time Defence Wrinkle Delay
Spry Spy:
The Elemis Time Defence Wrinkle Delay packaging is about as masculine as it can get for a face cream. It's a discreet black bottle, which leaves out any mention of its anti-wrinkle properties. The bottle doesn't get blocked or leave residue around the top. It quickly dispenses the correct amount in two presses -- there's no faffing around during the slightly embarrassing process of using a beauty product in a men's changing room. I would have no issues using this in the gym. The lid clicks firmly in place and remains in place when put in a sports bag for a day, leaving the rest of the bag cream-free.
The scent is one of the few drawbacks of this cream. It doesn't smell bad by any means, but the smell doesn't reflect the price. It's far too similar to the Boots own brand sun care products to make the cream feel special when applying it.
When I applied couple of squirts to my skin the cream went on evenly and absorbed well without leaving a sticky residue. However, when I put on too much it didn't absorb well. My face felt like was covered in a thin film throughout the day. It took a little practice to find the right amount of cream to apply.
After a month of so of using the Elemis Time Defence Wrinkle Delay cream, my skin did feel smoother, and looked fresher.
RRP £50.00 - 50ml
Elemis Lime and Ginger Salt Scrub
Shy Spy:
Being very partial to a good body scrub, and to fruity scents, I was looking forward to giving this product a try. Packed with ginger to stimulate, and lime to cleanse, the scrub has a wonderful, zingy scent that lingers long after it's been rinsed away.
On application to damp skin, the salt crystals scrub a little before dissolving into the oil base, so the scrub isn't particularly rough on skin. Once the crystals have dissolved, a layer of oil is left on the skin to keep it feeling silky-soft after the scrub has been rinsed away.
This is a really nice salt scrub with a great smell, but the jar doesn't contain that many applications. And it isn't cheap. I was also left wondering exactly what good a few lumps of lime peel do, as I wiped the little green bits away that had stuck to the side of my bath...
RRP £35.00 - 410g
Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak
Shy Spy:
When this bath soak arrived in the Spa Spies' sauna, everyone took one sniff and passed it on to someone braver. It definitely has a pungent smell, and isn't the kind of product you'd use for some girly pampering. But as a "deep-heat aromatherapeutic remedy" for aching post-exercise muscles, the invigorating wafts of clove, juniper, lavender and thyme are just right for a pick-me-up after a hard day.
You only need to use a few small capfuls as the bath soak is quite thick and concentrated. Remember to pour it under running water as it needs a bit of agitation to disperse well. Although the soak smells strong straight out of the bottle, the smell is quite energising once it starts to rise in the steam over your bath, clearing your nose as well as easing your muscles!
RRP £32.00 - 400ml
Elemis Pro-Collagen Wrinkle Smooth Pen
Sybaritic Spy:
This was easy to apply. You turn the "pen" body and the serum is neatly delivered onto a little brush at the end of the pen. It's thick enough not to drip, and it strokes onto the skin easily. The serum feels smooth and silky to the touch. I focussed on the lines on my top lip. I applied the serum in the morning and it quickly and easily sank into my skin. With make up on top, it did make the lines much less noticeable. However... when I look at my skin without any make up, I'm not sure there has been any noticeable difference over the few weeks that I have been using it. Maybe it fills in the lines rather than removes them. The product lasts well, and I will go on using it since it does make a difference to my skin, once I put make up on.
RRP £85.00 - 4ml
Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask
Sybaritic Spy:
This mask promises to leave you instantly smoother, shine free and more radiant but believe me it delivers so much more. The first time I used this mask I met an old friend for coffee who I hadn’t seen for over ten years, after all the usual catch up she asked me if I used Botox as my skin looked so good (I don’t) – it was definitely the mask. I have since tried the magical effects on my husband who regularly gets comments about his age (long commute and stressful job taking its toll) and he looked fresher and younger too. Testing it to its limits I then used the mask on a friend who suffers from a spotty back, and again it seemed to really help – no miracles but spots looked (and she said felt) a lot less red, repeated use would probably help this even more, the box says for best results use twice weekly. However (rather selfishly) I really want to keep this mask to myself – no more sharing in the name of fair testing! So now I’ve told you about the brilliant results a little bit about the mask itself – it tingles when it goes on although 3 people have 3 different versions of how this feels from slightly tingly to powerfully tingly! It is very light and clear on the skin and as you only leave it on for 10 minutes and then rinse it off, it's very easy to use. In fact the only drawback of this product that I can see is that it is so good it may become addictive and as the packaging states you must wear sunscreen during the day if you use this product and absolutely not sunbathe (good anti-aging advice anyway!) I assume it is taking layers of skin off and is open to leaving you very sensitive with over-use.
Verdict
I'm not sharing it.
RRP £45.00 - 50ml
Where can I try Elemis products?
You can try Elemis products at these spas:
- Celtic Manor Resort, Newport
- Elemis Day Spa, London
- Titanic Spa, Yorkshire
- Ragdale Hall, Leicestershire
Where can I buy Elemis products?
See also:
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