Charlie Locks Skincare

A couple of weeks back I was invited to a skincare evening with Charlie Locks. Charlie Locks skincare, founded by the extremely knowledgeable and helpful Julie Raines, uses the most divine natural ingredients like uplifting rose, fresh spearmint and invigorating ginger to create beautifully luxurious products that work, but are still affordable. At the skincare evening I got to try out lots of the products, and also learned the correct way to cleanse and tone. I know, you would think at 30 that I would know how to cleanse and tone, but the demonstration which Julie gave, results in a much deeper cleanse than my previous method. 

I left the evening with a pack of products, which I have been using and which I am really pleased with. As you all know, I have terribly sensitive skin and yet I've never had so much as a tingle when using these products. My set contained:

The Charlie Locks skincare gift set

Cleansing Cream with Rose

Rose is my favourite scent of all time, so I'm not even going to give my biased view on the delicious and yet delicate smell of this product, but even if you find rose to be a bit heady, you won't find the scent of this cleansing cream overpowering at all, it's a very delicate hint of rose. The packaging is lovely and simple and fits well with it being a natural skincare range. The texture is lovely, it's very light and glides onto the face with ease. Julie's recommended method for removal is to use a face cloth which is damp with warm water, as this provides all the exfoliation your skin needs too. By using this method I found that the cleansing cream removes even the most stubbon bits of makeup from my skin with ease, and without the continued harsh rubbing that some cleansing creams require. It's beautiful and leaves your skin feeling lovely and refreshed, ready for the next step in the cleansing process. With the luxurious feel of this product you would expect it to be much more than the £13.85 it is, and with every day use this generous bottle will last you a long time. 

Tonic spritz of Neroli blossom water and witchazel

We all know the benefits of witchazel as a gentle toner on the skin, and it's in lots of product which are aimed at treating problem skin too. It's a centuries old tonic which has been proven to work time and again. Combined with the Neroli blossom water it results in a luxurious toner which smells absolutely divine, really I just wanted to spray this all over my face and just leave it because the smell and feel of the tonic was so beautiful. No stinging sensations or medicinal smells, just lovely refreshing spray, which feels superbly luxurious. Spray, now that brings me onto another point, I've never in my life before used a spray bottle to apply my toner, so this was totally new to me. Once you've removed the cleanser using the damp cloth you spray the toner onto your skin until your face is literally dripping. Then remove the toner using cotton wool pads, and pat the face dry with tissue. This is the step in the Charlie Locks skincare programme which I feel has really made a difference to my skin. If I do this in the evening then it leaves my skin feeling fully cleansed and refreshed, but not at all tight or dry. In the morning I do this step without the cleansing process beforehand, and I always find that it has removed dirt from my skin. It's surprising how much dirt your skin can pick up while you are in bed and you think you are safe. The toner is again fantastic value at £12.85 a bottle.

Rose and Immortelle moisture lotion/ Rose moisture cream

I tried both of these. For me moisturiser is a real problem area, and dabbling with new ones is a sure fire way for me to have a breakout. Yet again Charlie Locks surprised me as I didn't have so much as a minor irritation while getting used to these moisturising products. The Immortelle in the lotion is a natural ingredient which is reputed to have anti-ageing properties. In terms of smell, once again neither product disappointed with a gentle and non-overpowering smell of roses from each, and you only need a small amount of each product for a nice coverage of moisturiser. For me personally I preferred using the Rose moisture cream, and that's certainly the one I will be investing in a large pot of at £18.85, but you will need to establish which texture is best for your own skin. Either way, I do not think you will be disappointed. 

Obviously if you visit a makeup counter in your local department store, they really just want to sell you something, anything, and aren't likely to have the extensive background in skincare which Julie has. If you want a bit of advice before you try out this new skincare, or even some samples to try out yourself then contact Julie via sales@charlielocks.co.uk 

In addition to this Julie has kindly offered a voucher code to readers of the Princess Prudence Diaries which means you can get 10% discount on orders of £25.00 and over, including free second class signed for delivery by using the code Longstock at the checkout. So head on over to www.charlielocks.co.uk and check out this lovely exclusive skincare range.