Me, Myself and I: Sinensis Chinese Herbal Facial

I've never been 100% happy with my naked skin. 

My complexion is overly pink and slightly oily, often blotchy, sometimes blemished with a few enlarged pores and - even at 25 - I still get spots. As much as I try to protect my face from Life, it's not always possible and bearing the brunt of the environment every day, I can understand why my skin sometimes needs a little extra TLC.

There are so many internal and external factors that affect our skin's condition: sunshine, wind, diet, cosmetics, hormones, temperature, air pollution, materials, alcohol, stress and stubble (kiss rash is a real thing, you know). There's not one day that goes by where our faces are not put under some sort of pressure. 365 days a year; that's a whole lot of pressure. 

So once in a while, it can only be beneficial that we seek professional help to keep our skin in check.

I've had a fair few facials in my life but I've never made the commitment to have them regularly. Although they've been pleasant experiences, the general feeling I get after a facial is that it's temporary. My skin feels super soft and hydrated immediately after but I've never noticed any long-term benefits. Having switched many of my cosmetics to natural products in the past few years, I found myself thinking about herbal facials - and that's when I discovered AcuMedic. 

AcuMedic, a leading Chinese medicine clinic based in Camden, recently launched a range of skincare treatments based around their own skincare brand, Sinensis. Sinensis products are cruelty free and packed full of pure, precious Chinese herbal extracts to purify and rejuvenate the skin.

Last week, after a long day of work, I made the trek from East London to Camden - in torrential rain may I add -  to visit AcuMedic for a 60 minute Sinensis Chinese Herbal Facial. The circumstances couldn't have been any more miserable yet, as soon as I entered the AcuMedic reception area, I felt instantly calmed.

I made myself comfortable at a table next to some very large windows and within minutes, I was introduced to my cosmetologist Justyna, who talked me through the Chinese Herbal Facial treatment and assessed my skin's condition. After getting to know my skin a little bit better, Justyna selected the products for the treatment that would be most beneficial for my skin type. 

Before undergoing any treatment with Sinensis products, a skin test is carried out to avoid any allergic reactions to the products. As the products contain a high level of natural herb extracts, the possibility of a reaction is slightly higher for initial treatments as many of us are used to using synthetic products and not accustomed to the botanics.

After Justyna was happy that I was not going to react to the products, I was shown to the treatment room. With idyllic sounds beginning to lull me into a relaxed state, Justyna began a light cleansing treatment, using Chinese herbal skincare, to gently prepare my face for my bespoke herbal mask.

Justyna then performed a deeper cleanse using special massage movements and followed with a Chinese facial scrub to draw out any impurities from my pores. After cleansing, the personalised herbal mask was applied and I was left to relax. The mask was removed and Justyna applied a second mask made of natural ingredients to deliver additional moisturisation. Following the masks came an acupressure massage on key areas of my face to stimulate circulation and relieve tension. 

I am a sucker for a good massage anyway but the facial acupressure massage was heavenly! I've never thought about how much stress accumulates in my face but it makes sense: I spend most of my days in front of screens, straining my eyes and screwing up my face but after the massage, I felt like a new woman. The facial ended with a cool Jade Roller, which has been used by the Chinese for centuries to close the pores, tighten the skin and relieve stress from the forehead. 

My immediate feeling after the facial was that my skin felt impeccably clear. I don't know about you but I love the clean-feeling brought about by taking my makeup off at the end of the day. But the clean-feeling I had after the Sinensis Chinese Herbal Facial was another level of clean. Squeaky clean, in fact and that can only be down to the specially formulated botanical products.

I was rather impressed by how deep they penetrated my skin in such a short period of time. 

Please ignore my big. pink face but as you can see from my post-facial selfie, my skin looks youthful, rejuvenated and radiant. Never before has my face felt this relaxed and that is all thanks to Justyna and her wonderful treatment. 

With my head - and my face - in the clouds, I gathered my belongings and just as I was about to leave, I was handed a cup of Amber Mountain tea from AcuMedic's adjacent tea shop China Life, for my journey home. Amber Mountain tea is a rare yellow tea known for lowering stress levels, slowing down the ageing process and boosting the immune system, so drinking this tea after the Sinensis Chinese Herbal Facial, I felt so relaxed that I almost didn't want to walk back to the tube. 

Being a green tea girl by nature, I absolutely loved it and will definitely be making another trip to China Life soon to taste more of their herbal teas. 

Have you ever had a Chinese herbal facial?