Health: Doctor your regime

Try before you buy and score a mini facial into the bargain

Feel like freshening up your beauty routine? The thing is, you don’t want to invest in expensive new products until you have sussed out whether they are right for your skin or not. No one has any spare cash for spur-of-the-moment pricey mistakes these days. So one beauty brand has developed the idea of letting you try before you buy. Cult favourite Dr Hauschka is inviting potential customers to book a session with them to sample their cleanse, tone and moisturising system.

Esthetician Elaine Robinson, who as Dr Hauschka’s education manager in the UK is basically the trainer of the trainers, was administering my treatment so I was in the best possible hands.

She explained the reason behind the launch of the Dr Hauschka Facial Experience, “The purpose is to have a hands-on try out of the products and to feel them on your skin, rather than just testing them out on the back of your hand.”

It’s quite surprising that in the beauty hall of a bustling department store like Edinburgh’s John Lewis an oasis of calm can still be found, just beyond the displays of products. Elaine escorted me to a tiny but perfectly peaceful white beauty pod behind the Dr H counter and set about removing my make-up.

At just 25 minutes this experience is handy for busy women who don’t have time to book spa appointments, but can nip out to John Lewis in their lunch break.

My skin was cleansed with Almond Cleansing Milk, plus cleansing cream with Elaine using the “press and roll” technique which works with the skin’s lymphatic system. Then a facial toner was spritzed on followed by the application of Daily Revitalising Eye Cream. My moisturiser of choice was Rose Day Cream, one of the company’s hero products which regularly scoops beauty magazine awards, and is pretty cost effective at £23.95 for 30ml. A few drops of Lemon Bath in warm water was used for a fragrant compress on my decollete to complete the treatment.

Elaine explained that the Dr Hauschka brand, which was founded 45 years ago, was established to work with the skin, so all ingredients are natural and there are no synthetic fragrances. Rather, the products are designed to enhance the function of the skin, and thus boost radiance.

Despite all the lovely lotions and potions Elaine managed to keep my eye make-up on as I was going back to the office, so don’t worry if you think you are going to have to re-emerge onto the shop floor covered in sweet-smelling unguents.

She is also happy to administer a dab of foundation if you’d like some war paint on before your return to the cut and thrust of the real world.

The Dr Hauschka Facial Experience takes a tiny bit longer than trying on a pair of shoes as far as favoured department store activities go, but a tailor-made skincare regime will last much longer than this season’s must-have heels.

• To make an appointment pop into John Lewis, Edinburgh and visit the Dr Hauschka counter. Counter manager Stacey Atkinson will be happy to help.