An entrepreneurial spirit is something encouraged in our workspace, and I am always delighted to see friends doing their own thing. Admittedly, as a highly regarded make up artist, Claire Mazik has been doing her own thing for a while now, but she is now doing a new thing!
Purely Green Beauty is Claire’s Ayurvedic Facial business, practising out of Highgate Holistic Clinic (just a stone’s throw away from our old office and not too far away from my home!). Claire very kindly invited me along to be a guinea pig for feedback on her new bespoke line of treatments.
Created using blends of Ayurvedic herbs and superfoods, Claire Mazik tailor makes your ayurvedic facial treatment to your skin’s specific facial needs. All raw ingredients are combined on the spot to ensure optimum nutritional content.
The treatment begins with pure and simple rosewater-soaked cotton pads placed over the eyes. This helps to still the mind and completely slows mine down after a busy bustling day. Claire then utilises the pads to take off any makeup and pollution ready for the next stage of the facial: exfoliation.
Claire Mazik mixes a bespoke blend of herbs, spices and aloe vera to suit your dosha on that particular day, determined by completion of a consultation card prior to beginning the treatment. I was Vata dominant on this occasion, however, when I went to Ayurveda Pura to experience the Shirodhara treatment, I was Tridoshic. The exfoliation is gentle and the herbal smell is not too natural. You know how natural herbs and spices in beauty products can be overpowering sometimes? Not so in this case! I actually smelt aromas of honey, but there wasn’t any honey in my skin treatment just yet, that was yet to come!
Post-exfoliation is followed by more rosewater and hot towels to remove any traces of product. I love it when a treatment utilises hot towels, it certainly gives a luxury feel. I regularly try to replicate at home by holding my face towels under the hot tap then wringing out and placing over my face to remove cleansers, exfoliators or face masks. A little bit of luxury every day!
Next up, it’s time for a facial massage. I’ve really gotten into giving myself facial massages, be it with my own fair hands (Fierce Grace Yoga got me into self-massage!) or with my Foreo device, but nothing beats having someone else give you a massage. Claire utilises Ayurveda Pura’s Tridoshic facial oil and focuses on the Marma points of Ayurveda. I don’t remember too much about the technique, for I was drifting in and out of a light trance-like state at this point. This frequently happens to me in facials, I think it’s a sign of a good one 🙂
A bit like a palette cleanser to a multi-course dinner, rosewater appears between every stage of the treatment. I’m a huge rose fan when it comes to skincare. It’s so versatile and has lots of positive benefits for the skin. Claire utilises Ayurveda Pura rosewater, which is a really high-quality organic product. I’ve also experienced an ayurvedic facial at Ayurveda Pura – read more here.
Now for the honey, which was raw, and part of the face mask Claire mixed for me, along with wheatgrass, kelp, propolis, mace, avocado, porridge oats and triphala. My skin still hadn’t recovered from Cyprus climate and Claire’s blends really helped to deliver and lock moisture into my skin for good. I was starting to think my skin was going to be that dehydrated forever!
Whilst the face mask is on, Claire delivers a relaxing shoulder massage. Whilst I have a Homedics chair, there’s nothing quite like a real massage with real hands! I could feel the difference in my shoulders post-treatment, (as well as around my mouth from the facial massage) particularly as due to injury I’d been laying dormant with no exercise, yoga practice included, for two weeks. My shoulders are the first place I feel a lack of yoga.
To finish off, a combination of rosewater and apple cider vinegar (ACV) is used to tone the skin. After the treatment, we were talking about the use of ACV in the treatment, as Claire has had a few clients react with: “ewww, you’re putting vinegar on my face!” We concurred that ACV is so good for the skin, and this is why Claire hasn’t removed the step from her treatment.
You can find out more about Purely Green Beauty Ayurvedic Facial with Claire Mazik here.
