Image courtesy of Glow Spa

Ok, so we may not quite be at the “let it snow” stage of cold quite yet, but the combination of chilly mornings, steaming showers and fan heaters has done my already nutrient-poor skin no favours at all. And that’s before we get started on the crazy hormones that continue to swing wildly between normal and boiling, giving me an unsightly perma-flush.

Prior to my recent care package of skincare from Tea & Scones arriving on the scene, my parched face was looking like it might actually shatter at any moment and no amount of my usual favourite Clarins Blue Orchid Oil was staving off my increasingly desiccated look. Luckily for my sad skin, I was invited to try out a face-saving prescriptive facial that’s both totally bump-friendly and won’t break the bank (Santa’s been investing heavily in Octonauts this year), so for the full review plus a very special offer, read on!

Owned by lovely Welsh skincare maven Ceri Silk, Glow Spa is all about the science, using cosmeceutical products to achieve results that you can actually see. You’ll find no wishy-washy wind chimes here; Ceri and her team get right down to business, analysing your skin type and tone, and tailoring treatments to match your needs. I’d visited Glow for a facial in the past and was very impressed by both the technology and the end results, which actually last beyond the time it takes you to re-apply your slap. But as us preggos are told ad nauseam, when you’re up the duff it’s always best to err on the side of caution, and so it was out with the microcurrent product application and Meso therapy, and in with some good old-fashioned steam and massage to get my vis back into respectable condition.

As I’m now toting a six-month bump, lying flat on my back for any period of time is out, and so I was very relieved to hop onto Ceri’s Magic Couch (as it shall forever remain in my mind); an adjustable bed, raised to take the pressure off my mid-section. A couple of pillows under the legs and I was already halfway to Dreamland, although I manfully (womanfully?) struggled to stay awake and take note of what was going on.

As Glow’s facials are prescriptive using the award-winning Skeyndor cosmeceutical skincare range, the exact methods and products used vary according to your skin’s needs at the time. Mine consisted of a good deep cleanse and exfoliation, a steam and extraction, a gentle peel that lifted the grey, dull skin cells right off, a deeply hydrating mask and an extremely thorough moisturising massage that my poor withered face soaked up like a sponge. It was at this point that I lost my battle with the cosy bed, and so the remaining details are a little hazy. Suffice to say that when my lovely therapist gently woke me up, she was far too polite to mention any snoring or drooling that may have occurred, for which I’m very grateful.

The results were impressive, even without the usual electrical aids, with my face looking brighter, firmer and, thankfully way more moisturised. As with previous facials I’ve had at Glow, the visible results actually last for a few days afterwards, meaning that this is a good choice if you have a big night out/Christmas party/New Year’s bash in the diary and feel like you need a bit of help.

Glow are offering all readers (pregnant or not!) a very special offer on their prescriptive facials between now and the end of March 2015. Book in advance, quoting “Accidental Tai-Tai” as your reference and you’ll pay just $480 instead of the usual $660 for a one-hour prescriptive facial. Hooray!

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am – 8pm; Saturday, 9am – 6pm. Closed Sundays and public holidays.

Glow Spa, 9/F Parker House, 72 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong; 2525 5198, info@cerisilk.com
www.cerisilk.com

Please note that this is not a paid-for or sponsored post, however my facial was by invitation.