The Tuesday Tip: DIY Lymphatic Drainage Facial

If you don't know about lymphatic drainage facials, you need to. They reduce wrinkles and dark circles and  improve skin health. A lymphatic drainage facial works by increasing movement through the lymph node, filtering out waste products, dead cells, excess proteins and toxins from the tissues in our body.

Now a lymphatic drainage facial doesn't come cheap but, lucky for us, Urban Retreat's Head of Beauty, Victoria Battersby, has given the lowdown on doing it yourself! As Victoria explains, "Cleansing your own lymph nodes takes just a few minutes at the end of the day and will leave you feeling relaxed and detoxified".

Before you start your lymphatic drainage facial, ensure you are in a quiet space with no disturbances. It is important to remember to only stretch the skin very lightly, as the lymphatic vessels are sensitive elastic fibres just underneath the skin. Each movement should be repeated a total of 10 times and be sure to lift your hands off the skin after each so you are not simply moving the lymph node back and forth.

1. Start by massaging the area around your collarbone, massaging horizontally across the bone outwards from the centre of your neck to your shoulders.
2. Then work your way up to the contour of your face moving your fingers along the jaw line from the chin to the ears.
3. After here, press one finger underneath the inner corners of both eyes and move along the bottom of the eye socket until you reach your ear, repeat this again moving along the top of the eye socket.
4. Finally, from the side of your face below your ears massage the lymph nodes of your neck down towards your shoulders.

So get massaging and let me know what you think!

If you don't want to get your hands dirty but are in need of a little pampering, book yourself a facial at a reputable salon or spa. If you're based in London, check out the Delarom Limited Edition Suite at Urban Retreat, which launched today. The Delarom Suit is only open for one week and, if the treatments are anything like Delarom products, you have  to book an appointment!

Review: Urban Retreat Skincare

The Promise: "A staple yet luxurious skincare range that uses effective natural ingredients that leave skin feeling soft and looking radiant".

The Stockist: Urban Retreat at Harrods / urbanretreat.co.uk

The Review: The new Urban Retreat skincare range features seven essential skincare products that include a face oil, eye gel, lip treatment, moisturiser, cleanser, mask and exfoliator. I got my hands on the cleanser, exfolitor and moisturiser and, for the past couple of weeks, I've been putting these products through their paces.

The Urban Retreat Cleanser 120ml (£20.00) is a lightweight cream cleanser that deeply cleans the skin, whilst keeping it nourished, super soft and radiant. In addition to apricot kernel, olive and rosehip seed oil, this gorgeous cleanser contains avocado oil and pomegranate - two antioxidant-rich extracts that protect skin from environmental damage and improve its overall texture.

This cleanser applies effortlessly, rinses off easily and smells wonderful. The only downside is that it isn't so good at removing mascara.

The Urban Retreat Exfoliator 75ml (£30.00) is one of the best exfoliating face scrubs I have used in a long time. I'd put it up there with Kiehl's Epidermal Re-texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion, which is really  saying something! It is a rich, creamy exfoliator that, unlike most exfoliating face scrubs on the market, is jam packed with very fine biodegradable Ecoscrub beads that help to buff the skin quickly and more effectively. However this major pro can also turn into a con, as applying a product this effective too frequently can cause irritation.

This exfoliator smells amazing and can be worked into the skin easily. It contains coconut, wheat germ, avocado and sweet almond oil that all work together to deeply moisturise the skin. Even hours after rinsing, skin feels soft and nourished!

The Urban Retreat Moisturiser 120ml (£60.00) is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamins E and B, making it a great anti-ager. It plumps up the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and  it helps to correct pigmentation. It is also great for treating dry and dehydrated skin as it contains rosehip seed oil and jojoba oil - two ultra-nourishing ingredients. If that's not enough, it includes Sodium Hyaluronate, an ingredient that not only draws in moisture but also retains it!

This moisturiser has a thin, lotion-like texture that applies evenly and absorbs quickly. When it comes to dosage, only a tiny amount of product is needed to cover the entire face, neck and décolletage. The only real downside to this moisturiser is that it is lacking in SPF.

What do you think of the new Urban Retreat Skincare collection? Have you tried anything in the range?

PR sample

News: Urban Retreat Launch Skincare Collection

After twelve years of pampering and preening women and providing them with some of the world's finest beauty products, Urban Retreat has finally created its own skincare collection.

The range has been driven by Reena Hammer, Urban Retreat's Creative & Brand Director. Reena helped develop the range when she noticed the Urban Retreat Facial was missing a core range of products that could be used by Urban Retreats clients as part of their prescribed after care by a therapist.

The Urban Retreat collection features seven essential skincare products that can be used as daily home care solutions for all skin types. This includes a face oil, eye gel, lip treatment, moisturiser, cleanser, mask and exfoliator. Products are formulated with natural, bio-active ingredients which include lavender, rose geranium and ylang ylang.

The range will launch in March 2014 and will be available at Urban Retreat at Harrods, Urban Retreat Smithfield and online at The Urban Retreat Beautique.