What are you doing this Thursday 27 August? Cancel that thing you didn’t really want to do and hot foot it to Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly…
…and submit yourself to a stress-melting massage or facial courtesy of eco-luxe British beauty brand Douvall’s at Fortnum’s serene new 2nd Floor BEAUTY FLOOR.
TREAT YOURSELF TO A 35 MINUTE DOUVALL’S MASSAGE OR FACIAL AT FORTNUM’S
on Thursday 27 August, only, from 10.00 am – 9.00 pm.
To book now call 020 7734 8040
before they’re all taken – these will go fast
Simply:
1) Book your 35 minute facial or massage for £25 by calling the number above.
2) After the pampering session, you can redeem the £25 against any Douvall’s product purchased at Fortnum & Mason – a beauty win/win!
Side note – if you haven’t seen Fortnum’s new 2nd Floor Beauty Hall, it’s stunning. If you’ve got the time, save an extra half hour to have a wander, it’s a sanctuary of serenity and stellar beauty brands.
Douvall’s Organic Argan Oil Moisturiser (fixes almost everything)
Two Douvall’s Beauty Heroes:
The Pure Argan Moisturiser + All In One Oil Cleanser
Argan oil is one of nature’s least comedogenic oils (it’s as non-clogging as can be) and very naturally protective, so with a change of season coming our way, you can treat yourself to one or two of Douvall’s hero products – the cleanser and moisturiser – and prep your beauty stash pre-autumn.
What sets Douvall’s apart from many other Argan brands is:
a) the purity of the oil they use – it’s eco-certified organic;
b) the type of products they do – they’ve just launched a new SPF30 Daily Moisturiser, for example.
The oil cleansing method is great for dry/more mature skin…but although it’s counter-intuitive, it can sort acne-prone skin too because instead of stripping the skin and damaging its optimum PH balance (mantle), it actually calms sebum production down
Why we like the Moisturiser…
Both the Moisturiser and Oil Cleanser would suit pretty much all skin types – argan is naturally rich in Vitamin E, Essential Fatty Acids, antioxidants and, crucially, if you suffer from breakouts or are paranoid about clogged pores, it’s one of the least comedogenic oils around, scoring “0” on the comedogenic scale. So it’s beautifully “clog-free”.
A Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards winner, Douvall’s 100% pure Moisturiser ticks a total row of boxes – it hydrates, nourishes, renews, heals, repairs and protects skin against sun damage. In fact if you overdid the sun-lounger sessions on the Med earlier this month, a product like this is a gentle, natural healer.
Oil cleansers have their loyal fans and although it sounds bizarrely counter-intuitive, oil cleansing can rebalance oily skin and slow down sebum production because you’re not stripping away at the sebum and exacerbating skin’s natural PH mantle. (I have normal-dry skin and love a good oil cleanser in the cooler months, but not in summer – it’s just a personal preference).
” SECOND FLOOR, MADAM?”
FORTNUM & MASON’S NEW BEAUTY FLOOR IS NOW OPEN
Moving on to the Douvall’s All In One Oil Cleanser now. All-in-one, because it’s a nice multi-tasker to keep in the bathroom cabinet thanks to the fact that it acts a little like a “skin food” and sweeps makeup effortlessly while it’s at it! If you’ve used cleansers that leave your skin feeling a bit tight or too dry, give this one a go.
Eco certified organic, both Douvall’s Moisturiser and the All In One Oil Cleanser fit the bill if your skin needs “five-star help”….if you’ve had not enough sleep, too much stress recently, or the products you’ve been using aren’t making that much of a difference now.
I’ve recommended oil cleansers to women over 40 who have never been near one their entire lives – including some who would never dream of using an oil-based cleanser – again, because it sounds counter-logical! – and I almost wait for the email telling me they can’t believe what a difference it’s made – it’s almost like treating your skin to an extra moisturising step every day.
Again, the secret to healthy, glowy skin is perfect PH balance (along with good sleep and lifestyle habits) and argan oil is a natural balancer.
READ UP ON THIS ALL IN ONE OIL CLEANSER at FORTNUM & MASON – HERE
Douvall’s Multi Balm
Third on our Douvall’s shortlist would have to be the Mandarin and Lemongrass Multi Balm. You never can have enough really good balms in your life and this one is one!
A saviour for photo-exposed skin (as in sun, not camera), this natural balm calms and heals sunburn and also acts, usefully, as a 365-day barrier against the elements (hello December!) You could, if you were travelling, use it as a balm cleanser, too, with a cotton muslin cloth and argan is extremely helpful for weak or brittle nails. Full of rich plant, seed and fruit oils, it’s a one-balm-does-everything all rounder.
To sum up: Douvall’s Argan range is beautifully pure and you can pick up the original heroes – the Argan Moisturiser and Argan Oil Cleanser – at Fortnum’s new 2nd Floor beauty emporium – after you’ve had the day’s stress soothed out of you!
Float out of the treatment room and treat yourself to a light lunch, or maybe a spot of Fortnum’s tea with a girlfriend – or just make a bee-line for home and hit the pillow for a blissful beauty-boosting early night.
MORE INFO ON THE MULTI BALM HERE – it’s 100g (as in large!)
If you haven’t been yet, go check out the products and Fortnum’s exquisite 2nd Floor beauty emporium, (even more enjoyable before or after Douvall’s massage on Thursday!)
THE DOUVALL’S MASSAGE/FACIAL APPOINTMENTS
at Fortnum & Mason are on Thursday 27 AUGUST 10am – 9pm (just one day only)
2nd Floor
Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER
Call 020 7734 8040 to book
(and cancel that other appt you didn’t really want to go to!)
Douvalls.com
Douvalls at Fortnum & Mason
PS: Yesss! They do travel sizes – at Douvalls.com
And here’s a sneak peek at the new SPF30 Moisturiser, now available at Fortnum’s online – pack it for your next trip to Morocco 🙂
IMPORTANT NOTE: Douvall’s works with women at a local co-operative in Essaouira, in south-west Morocco, my favourite place in the whole country so far – having visited quite a few parts of the country. I’ve sat with the women and watched them produce argan oil from the “nuts” which start off as flesh covered fruits, often harvested by men but the rich golden oil is always made by the women (the men probably wouldn’t have the patience!) It’s insanely time-consuming but worth it to produce one of the world’s most precious skin-loving, health-boosting oils (there’s also culinary argan which you can drizzle over melted goat’s cheese salads or dip your bread into for breakfast Berber-style).
Although there are some argan production plants in Casablanca, the vast majority of argan oil is still produced by hand, locally, in and around Essaouira and the Agadir region where the UNESCO-protected argan forests grow. Argan is one of nature’s stellar multi-taskers, so you could use the Douvall’s Moisturiser for example on your hands, rough patches, cuticles, etc. as well as your face. If you get the chance, to to Essaouira and visit one of the co-ops, it’s fascinating – bring a few argan nuts back in your handbag – they’re like pointed acorns with caramel shells which split open horizontally into little “boat-shaped” half shells.