PURE Spa & Beauty Blog

This International Women’s Day, we invited an extremely talented artist to our Spa in the APEX City of London Hotel near Tower Hill. Karen Mabon has ties to PURE Spa & Beauty both through her city of origin, Edinburgh (where PURE Spa & Beauty was established), and through Elemis skincare.

She designed a limited edition version of the best selling Pro Collagen Marine Cream in collaboration with Elemis; who are raising money and awareness for women for women‘s campaign to support survivors of war.

She visited us at 61 Mark Lane (within the APEX City of London Hotel) for an infra-red sauna, Indian head massage, Elemis booster facial and gel manicure; afterwards we caught up to have a chat about her work.

 

 

How did you get started in art?
My dad is an artist so I was always surrounded by art as a child – he was my art teacher too so it was hard to avoid art! We always went to galleries when I was young and our house was full of beautiful paintings and books so I think I just naturally developed an interest. I’ve always loved drawing but also making things too.

What inspires you as an artist?
I look at other artists work a lot; I love British pop artists like David Hockney, and I also love the softer more narrative painters like Mary Fedden and Eric Ravilious. I also love the Scandanavian textile designer Josef Frank and the Italian design house Fornasetti. I kind of just look at everything and anything really – just looking and taking in the world around me. Sometimes I’ll get inspiration from Portugese soap packaging, sometimes it will be the colours of a woman’s cardigan in a film. I think it’s about storing up these flashes of inspiration and knowing when to tap into them again!

Being a successful woman comes with its own challenges; do you feel it’s important to take time for yourself, and how do you wind down at the end of the day?
Yes definitely; when I first started my business, I worked non stop, all hours of the day. But it wasn’t productive and I never felt like I was really present in my own life, if that makes any sense?! Like I was always racing towards this intangible idea of ‘success’. I think that notion gradually unravelled and I realised that life is just happening right now and you have to make time for the things that really matter; your health and happiness, friends and family, that kind of thing.
Plus I was just getting really tired and making stupid mistakes all the time because I was trying to do too much. It wasn’t as if there was one moment when I thought, things have to change, I think I just slowly started to realise that I was missing out on a lot of important life events and fun because I thought I had to be constantly working on my business. As I started to tentatively make time to do things which weren’t work, and stopped feeling guilty about it, I realised that it was okay to do that. Better still, it made me feel better and feel excited and inspired about work again! So now I really value my down time, whether that’s having a glass of wine with friends or running or doing a yoga class. I also love really long baths and listening to podcasts! My favourites are the High Low with journalists Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes, the Debrief Podcast and Monocle 24: The Entrepreneurs.

Were you excited to work with Elemis on the limited edition marine cream design?
I was SO shocked and over the moon when they got in touch because I already knew the brand and was a huge fan of the products. I was also really excited to have the chance to design packaging because normally brand collaborations involve designing a scarf which is lovely but as a designer it’s always exciting to have a different challenge.

How do you feel knowing your design is helping Elemis build
awareness for Women for Women’s campaign to help survivors of war?
I’m so humbled and proud to have been involved with such an important organisation. Since we’ve been working together I’ve been able to research more about the work they do and the more I read about it, the more I want to draw awareness to what they are doing and why it’s so vital; I really do urge everyone to go and have a look on the website because there are loads of ways in which you can help victims of war rebuild their lives, from donating money to simply sharing a hashtag.

What’s next for you; are there any big projects in the works?
I have a very big collaboration I’m not able to reveal unfortunately but it will be launching in May! Apart from that we are launching our first ever swimwear collection in June which I’m really looking forward to because it’s taken ages to get it just right and to get  the quality where I wanted it to be.

Karen’s design is available in store and online at PURE Spa & Beauty now, and with this limited edition product you’re also saving 30% on Elemis’s best selling skincare product.

If you want to try the treatments Karen received, now is the perfect time with gel manicures only £25 and ALL Spa Boosters (including Indian Head massage and Elemis Facials) only £35!

At this time of year, everyone is talking about #Detoxing. But what does Detoxing actually mean? People describe it as cleansing their bodies from the inside out and flushing toxins from their bodies.

The good news is you don’t have to go overboard to detox your body – your liver actually does most of the work for you! So, the best way to Detox this January is to do what you can to help your liver along on the inside; and focus on cleansing your skin on the outside.

Drink Water

Drinking water is at the top of every healthcare and beauty tip list ever – and it’s not going anywhere in 2018! Water is a miracle “product” which helps your skin, your concentration, your energy and helps keeps your body functioning properly.

Your liver and kidneys will especially benefit from you staying well hydrated! You don’t just have to drink plain water; add a splash of squash if you want a bit of extra flavour.

And make sure to eat regularly throughout the day; your body needs to have a balance of sodium to remain hydrated – drinking lots of water without eating properly can actually make you feel less hydrated!

Cut Down on the Wine

We all like a drink – but after a month of parties and dinners in December, we could probably all use a break! A small amount of red wine can be good for our brains and our bodies, but excessive drinking can dehydrate the skin and accelerate the signs of ageing – and it can also cause damage to your liver, hindering it from doing its job cleansing your body.

You don’t have to quit drinking altogether; after work cocktails with the girls from the office is a time-honoured tradition after all – but when you’re at home try swapping a glass of wine in front of the TV for a soft drink or cup of green tea. Cutting down on alcohol will help your skin glow and look more radiant, and will also give your liver a break so it can focus on cleansing toxins from your body.

Pick up a new skin care routine

Taking care of your insides is important, but if you really want to feel detoxed inside and out, it’s time to take care of your skin.

Your skin will benefit from regular facials; unblocking pores and reducing the appearance of fine lines, uneven skin, dark circles and even superficial scarring. A fresh and glowing face greeting you in the mirror will really help you feel cleansed.

Another way you can take care of your skin is by exfoliating; a full body salt scrub will remove dead skin cells and leave your skin feeling soft and looking radiant from top to toe. For an extra silky feeling, include a skin wrap and let the moisturising lotion really sink in.

And don’t forget to take care of your skin at home too! Pick up an Elemis kit for your skin type, and make sure to cleanse, tone and moisturise every evening – no matter what age you are, it’s never too late (or too early!) to begin a skin routine, and you really will see a difference in how refreshed and cleansed your skin looks.

Eat Healthy

There’s no need to start a crazy diet or blend up 100 different plants in your morning smoothie in order to detox – you don’t need to flush anything out, as your liver will do that for you – but you can give it a break, so it can catch up with the backlog!

You don’t have to transform your diet overnight, but try swapping out your milk chocolate for a dark chocolate with less sugar and more cocoa, or trade your coffee for tea. It’s also a great time of year to experiment in the kitchen – give yourself exciting new challenges to motivate yourself to cook more fresh food. Try having a vegan day, or a gluten free day, or choose an ingredient you’ve never used before (like Tofu or Quinoa) to base a meal around. Another top tip is to prep and cook your food for the week and heat it up when you need it – you’ll be less tempted to eat out or order in if you have a delicious sweet potato curry in the freezer ready to go!

The less sugar, caffeine and alcohol you consume, the better your liver can do its job – and you’ll notice a huge change in how much energy you have as your body rids itself of toxins more efficiently.

Get Glowing!

One of the best ways to look and feel detoxed is to turn up the heat and open up your pores.

One of the best ways to do this is to exercise of course; because not only do you break a sweat, but exercising also releases endorphins which make you feel energized and boost your mood. The great thing about exercising is that everyone can do it at their own level; if you’re already fit, mix up your routine by doing an activity you don’t usually do. If you’re a swimmer, go for a cycle; if you’re a cyclist, go for a run! And if you have a lower fitness level that’s okay too – try a gentle walk, or for a low-impact workout try a swim or a pool based fitness class.

Of course, there are other ways to get glowing – a regular steam or sauna is also a great and relaxing way to open your pores and release impurities from the skin. For an extra deep cleanse, try an Infra-Red sauna – which gently penetrates the skin at a deeper level, and can even burn up to 800 calories in a half hour session!

At PURE we believe January is a great time to start building new healthcare and beauty habits. Take care of your liver and skin and you’ll start seeing visible changes straight way. You don’t have to drastically change your lifestyle overnight – there are plenty of small changes you can make which will give you a lifetime of better skin and higher energy!

To help you get started on your detox journey, we’ve put together an exclusive package which will not only help cleanse your skin, but will also help you relax in one of our luxury Spas. Try an Infra-Red Sauna, PURE Foot Ritual, Full Body Scrub and Express Hot Stone or Express Indian Head Massage for only £50 on an e-Gift Card lasting for three months, redeemable in London, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Happy Detox from PURE Spa & Beauty!