The Harley Medical Group, known most commonly for their surgical practices, have bought out a luxury skin care range and very kindly sent me a few bits to try. I picked three products from the range that I felt suited my skin and its concerns best, and used them consistently for a three week trial.
The products I picked were the Gentle Cleanser, Replenishing Exfoliator and the Anti-Ageing Youth Serum.
The Harley Medical Group Gentle Cleanser
Regular readers of my blog probably know I tend to favour a cream cleanser for mornings, and an oil cleanser for evenings. It’s been a while since I’ve tried using a simple foaming face wash as my main cleanser, something not usually recommended for dryer skin, so understandably I did have reservations. However, being true to my trial, I used this cleanser every morning in place of my cream cleanser and then every night after my oil cleaner (it’s a gentle cleanser so not really strong enough to remove make-up) to give it a proper testing.
What first surprised me about this cleanser was that is was so creamy (despite being a pale yellow gel texture in the bottle), and felt very moisturising on the skin when mixed with water. Did not at all feel like I was stripping my skin, and I didn’t notice any dead skin build up (something I feared since culling the cream cleanser and exfoliating facial sponge regime I had gotten used too for mornings). For cleansing products that are this creamy and nourishing, I do tend to worry that they aren’t being thorough enough with the actual cleaning part, but my skin definitely felt properly cleansed after use – no multiple attempts needed to get that nice clean feeling – and it wasn’t dried out either! I actually could be swayed to use this all the time as it really does keep the moisture in the skin, and is definitely heads and tails above any other face wash I’ve tried.
The Harley Medical Group Anti-Ageing Youth Serum
I was really excited to try this product as since hitting 30, anti-ageing is ALL that I think about (actually, it’s been all that I think about since the age of 23, which might explain my 12 year old like face). This product promises to increase collagen, improve skin tone and firmness, whilst preventing age spots – a real concern of mine after having a skin test a while back and discovering I am potentially prone to them.
I actually started to notice results after a week of using this, my complexion definitely did look clearer and brighter, and a couple of blemish marks on my cheek which had scarred were starting to fade. My only complaint was that if I didn’t use a strong moisturiser afterwards, my skin didn’t feel as well nourished as usual. However I just got into the habit of doubling up my moisturiser and that worked really well with it. After three weeks of use my skin felt smoother and looked brighter. Although can’t comment on improved collagen, etc at this point, as I suspect I would need to trial it a bit longer to start noticing that.
The Harley Medical Group Replenishing Exfoliator
This exfoliator set is very similar in concept to one by another a luxury brand that I’ve been using recently (although I should mention it is about half the price!). It’s a set of two parts, Microderm Crystals (step one) and a Microderm Activator (step two). It claims to deliver “collagen into the skin resulting in a firmer regenerated skin tone. The stable Vitamin C derivative and Beta carotene both powerful anti-oxidants help to promote collagen formation whilst the natural bamboo exfoliator, gently removes dead skin cells leaving smoother softer skin”.
I’ve only used this product three times (once a week), and always follow it with an intensive moisturising mask. You exfoliate your (clean) skin with the Microderm Crystals for upto two minutes, then apply the Microderm Activator on top, massaging in, till it transforms in to a white foam/paste.
I love the thorough exfoliating this product does, but be careful if you’re skin is very sensitive as there is a good chance you could over exfoliate. Instead of going at it for the full two minutes, I gently exfoliate with the Microderm Crystals (step one) for only a minute, then follow with the Activator. This technique worked well for my very sensitive eczema prone skin without irritating it.
As it is quite strong, I personally wouldn’t use it more than once a week, however my skin is always glowy and super smooth the next day after using it so it’s great for prepping skin before a big night out or a special occasion!
And so..
Overall I do really like this range, the prices vary from being quite expensive (the Anti-Ageing Youth Serum) to very reasonable (the Replenishing Exfoliator) but all of the products are of noticeably good quality. I am absolutely going to stick at the Anti-Ageing Youth Serum and can’t wait to see what my skin will be like in six months time, and despite not being a fan of face washes in general – the Gentle Cleanser is without a doubt my favourite face wash to date! A lovely promising taster of the range, making me eager to see (and try!) the other additions out there!
The Harley Medical Group skin care range is available from www.harleymedical.co.uk.
Lx
DISCLAIMER: Sponsored post
Here it is! The contents of my January GlossyBox – in a gorgeous bright pink box!!!!
What’s inside..
They even gave a lovely little GlossyBox sweet! It was yummy (I had actually ripped off the wrapper to stuff it in my mouth before realising I should probably photograph it first! Ha).
I actually already have the Murad primer but I can imagine that being a big stand out product for everyone else in this box. My two favourite products are the Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in Powder Pink, as I think it’ll be a really lovely colour for opening up the eyes on the waterline, and the Davines Moisturising Balm – as it’s pretty much a super nourishing product for anywhere. I’ve been wearing it on my lips and it’s very lush and rich. I’m considering using it as a face mask but need to research more how beneficial it’ll be for that use. You can use it as an intensive hair conditioner too, which makes it handy if you need an all-purpose product for holiday or something.
As a precursor to this box, GlossyBox also very thoughtfully sent me some flowers – ROSES, in fact. For Valentine’s Day. It’s amazing how just getting something as simple as flowers can really make your day. Was beaming for ages.. Thank you so much for them, GB! x
