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| Super facialist: Marie Reynolds |
For anyone that’s a regular reader of my blog, you will gather I’m a bit of a skincare fanatic. If looked after properly with the right products, knowledge and fingertips, skin thrives and quickly becomes one of your greatest assets. After all, who doesn’t admire a radiant complexion? I put skin on par with your hair – if it’s not performing right, you feel pants!
Recently I had a facial that really gave the wow factor – where foot ‘reading’ was included! Marie Reynolds, lead therapist and international educator for Eve Taylor is fast becoming the beauty editor’s super facialist, proving to be intuitive and initiated, so much so I wanted to find out more about her philosophy. Never believing you are ever fully qualified, Marie is always researching, writing and inventing new techniques. That’s true passion in my skincare book.
The interview is a little lengthy: but bear with! For wanna be therapists or for someone looking for a great hands-on facial experience, it’s an invaluable read.
Dolly Mixture: What makes a great skin therapist?
Marie Reynolds: A good skin care therapist takes the time to evaluate as soon as they set eyes on their client. The way they walk, sit, what habits they may or may not have and the way they lie down. This is even before they start the consultation. I perform a Systems of Analysis where I can really see beyond the facade and work with what the individual needs. Moreover, clients are now are very ingredient savvy, what with the internet at hand, so therapists have to be one step ahead and research the latest trends on ingredients.
DM: What sets you apart from other skin therapists?
MR: When I became a beauty therapist I didn’t feel as though my thirst for knowledge had been quenched. I would write and re-write notes and create my own treatments. When I did Eve Taylor’s Oriental Diagnosis I felt as though I had found my niche, but still hungered for more knowledge. I went onto understanding the living cell by doing a course in genetics, homeopathy and Chinese cupping therapy, learning about meridians and Tsubo points. It all came together like a jigsaw puzzle. I have been practicing for 25 years and I even stop people in the street to take pictures for my students if they have interesting ears or feet! I’m often asked if I fly in on a 747 broomstick. There is no mystery you just have to know how to read the body.
DM: How much of the skin’s problems are emotionally related?
MR: Emotions link into everything we do. Eating is linked with emotions, especially with disorders and depression. How we eat, what we eat and when we eat has an effect on the skin. Eating after 7pm will put a strain on digestion, which can cause congestion within the skin. Eating fast is very common, but by chewing food slowly, it increases digestive enzymes, that gives easier transit for food and benefits the skin. Moreover, we are what we are by what we inherit – we are all on a genetic journey, and once we tap into what ancestral line we come from this can give us more clues. We are also what we are by what we experience – now this has a huge impact on the body and skin as a whole. Occupational hazards, lifestyle and emotional stress and trauma can cause breakouts, dehydration hypersensitivity. You have to understand the cause not just treat the symptom.
DM: What makes a facial bespoke?
MR: It’s created from a collection of information from the consultation card and observation of the client. Once I have established their needs, I can then create a treatment that enables me to tap into those needs. Every treatment I give is bespoke. Some clients may come into a treatment room and even after doing a thorough consultation I may find she is defensive – what I call “a blocker”. I may also find that during the treatment she is not shutting off, she will have an “analytical mind” the eyes are fluttering but when I go to treat her feet she will give in and crash out. This can tell me many things – emotional grief and trauma for example. It could also be an indication that they could have been “yanked into the world”; these are individuals that have been born by forceps or caesarean.
I may also have another client that has skin breakouts, so rather than just treating the symptom I “negotiate with the liver” by working the liver meridians and reflex points, advising on the times they eat and what foods are beneficial to them. I do not leave my clients at the mask phase of a facial; every minute is used in treatment.
DM: What do you believe is skin’s un-dewing?
MR: Smoking, long term medication, physical illness, emotional stress, and lifestyle as well as an inappropriate skin care regime. It all comes back to the cause not the symptom. Increasing blood circulation by cleansing brushes, exfoliating and introducing serums with oxygen and co enzyme Q10 as well as brightening moisturisers will illuminate and breathe life into the skin.
Light therapy, micro-dermabrasion and vacuum suction are also great treatments to boost the skin.
DM: What are the most common mistake women make with their skin?
MR: Their lack of knowledge of skincare ingredients. A lot of clients will come in with a skin complaint that is directly related to the ingredients in the skin care products they have been using. Many conditions can be avoided by using the appropriate skin care. Educating clients about a few skin care ingredients and how some of them can be photo sensitive, comodegenic, and destroy the acid mantle can open their eyes as to why these conditions may occur. Another is too much or not enough exfoliation. People with congested skin for example think the more they ‘scrub’ the cleaner their skin will be, but it actually will increase sensitivity and oil production.
DM: What is your stance on Botox and fillers?
MR: I am a great believer in having things done to make you feel better about yourself mentally, emotional and physically. Personally I am not a lover of fillers and Botox. I have seen so many poor results from these quick fixes, however saying that, I have also seen some great results. We age environmentally and biologically so a lot of how we age is about what we experience. A great lifestyle and diet will obviously show in the skin. Increasing blood flow, non-surgical face lifts with Q10 or serums containing Purslane and Ginseng are great firming treatments. Another thing to be aware of as a therapist is ingredients. Certain ingredients can stimulate cell activity, which may have an effect of sensitivity or an allergic reaction if someone has fillers or Botox.
DM: What ingredients would you recommend to make a difference to you skin?
MR: Working in product development with the Eve Taylor range, I have tried and experimented with many products over the years, my top five to look out for would be:
- Cleansers containing Camellia and Avena Sativa. These provide a great hydrating treatment for a parched skin and are also anti-inflammatory so ideal for the eczema or sensitive skins.
- Toners made from a combination of first distillation hydrolats (water that is collected from the distillation of essential oils) of Neroli and Rose Otto. These are not only a beautiful toner to balance pH but great to use through out the day to hydrate the skin.
- The Eve Taylor Facial Treatment Oils are really special. There are five facial oils in the range and are designed to treat the skin and specific skin conditions. You only need one pump of the synergistic blend and because they are lipo solvent they absorb into the skin immediately.
- A great all-round moisturiser with a full avobenzone screening. SPF 25 and filters UVA, UVB and infrared which can also be mixed with any other moisturiser or foundation to give added UV protection. Eve Taylor Solar Shield SPF 25 is a particular favourite of mine.
- Eve Taylor C+Bright – another gem in the range with illumisphere technology. This product reflects light, hydrates, protects from UV exposure and brightens the skin.
FOR APPOINTMENTS MARIE IS AT FOUR LONDON
CONDUIT STREET , LONDON W1 EVERY FRIDAY. Tel: 07789 228329 FOR APPOINTMENTS.
FOR INFORMATION ON EVE TAYLOR
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