The One Minute Facial

At the beginning of the Summer I attended press day to learn about an innovative new product from one of my favourite skincare brands, REN. This review is a little bit wordy as I wanted to explain the science behind it all (and I find it really interesting and thought you might too).

I participated in a session with David Delport, a skincare expert with REN to learn about the Flash Rinse One Minute Facial. He explained the concept behind the product, the research involved in creating it and gave a demonstration as to how it works.

The idea was to create a product that gave the skin the look and feeling of having just had a facial but without the time commitment and expense. The people at REN found that the best way to achieve that fresh, just had a facial skin was to provide a potent and fresh dose of Vitamin C that would boost the skins radiance, give firmness and make you look more awake.

They found a way to stabilise the 10% Vitamin C in a silica/glyceride matrix which means that it doesn't activate or oxidise before use.

The three main ingredients are Vitamin C (which stimulates collagen production, provides help with skin elasticity, reduces UV damage and evens out the skin tone), Boswellic Acid (extracted from the Boswellia Serrata Tree found in Northern and Central India contains anti- inflammatory properties and relaxes the muscles, fights facial fatigue and diminishes the appearance of fine lines) and Magnesium (which is an essential mineral for the cells and because it consists of tiny crystals it has recently been used by skincare companies to mimic the texture of the crystals used in microdermabrasion).

The product has a gel like texture that feels slightly gritty upon application. Once applied, massage it into the skin before adding water to activate the Vitamin C, leave it for one minute and then rinse.

I'm a huge fan of REN skincare so I had high hopes for this product and after trialling it for a few months I am so impressed with what it does for my skin. Firstly, I love the texture and fresh scent. It  feels like it is exfoliating your skin before you activate the Vitamin C. I have been saving this for days when I'm feel like my skin needs a quick fix like before an event or the morning after a big night when you're not feeling the best but need to hide it. I love how fresh my skin looks after using this, it immediately evens out my skin tone and gives it radiance.

It can be used every three days but I tend to stick to my Invisible Pores Detox Mask once a week and then use this as needed, which I think is a much better way to conserve what I consider to be a product on the more expensive end of the scale and to prevent my skin from getting too used to it's effects.

It retails for approximately €38 and can be found in Arnotts, Space NK and the Marks and Spencers beauty hall as well as on Look Fantastic, HQHair and Cloud 10 Beauty.

What are your go-to quick skin fix products?

Emma x