Biologique Recherche; A Longtime Love Affair

Disclousre : I have been gifted the experience of three facials with this brand.

Like each of us as beings, our skin is such a uniquely individualised part of who we are. As unique almost as our very DNA, it’s something we have to take care of, not just from an aesthetics perspective but from a whole 360, internal + external point-of-view.

Something I find so strange + completely off-putting in life is the blanket approach sold to us all as though we’re literally all the same people with the same problems that the same, simplified solutions will fix. The truth is that beauty + skincare are easy, quick sells for many creators + so much money + product is wasted on skin that needs something that speaks directly to it’s own precise needs instead of to millions of people all at the same time. Not all ‘hero’ products are for everyone regardless of what we’re told. From influencers sharing their ‘favourite’ products to brands promising a life-changing experience in that one size fits all product they are trying to get you to buy, it’s so tiring + quite frankly feels so hollow when actually wanting to see legit results instead of wasting your time + money. The reality is, we have to do the work ourselves to find what works, there are no quick fixes in anything.

Hands up, I get sold to too. Of course I do. I’ve wasted money + time on products that were meant to be amazing for ‘all skin types’ yet sit in my bathroom unfinished. But back in 2018/2019 when I sought to become a little more educated in what my skin actually needed itself, I went to a spa in Dublin who works with renowned French skincare brand Biologique Recherche to offer their facials as I’d heard such amazing things about Biologique from a few trusted friends. It was then that I learned more about how unique each of our skin really is + how just because everyone might be talking about Vitamin C products today or Retinols tomorrow, it does NOT mean I need those too. Nor might you. It’s actually pretty obvious but I had been using a cocktail of pretty much whatever I was sent by brands at the time or thought was supposed to work for so long that I have overlooked the idea of getting a bespoke routine tailored for my individualised needs; something I very much value in every area of well-being is the practice of seeking out what works for the individual, less prescribed by the media or creators constantly selling to us. However, needless to say, I fell in love with Biologique Recherche from the start + have been using their products ever since.

Stepping into anything of the world of BiologiqueRecherche is soothing from every direction, from the skin to the soul. While using it at home has been an absolute staple along with different facials from other retailers + spas in Dublin + around Ireland, a super treat is always that when I travel I tend to seek out a local stockist, having been lucky enough to have experiences in both their Paris + Stockholm Embassy's - New York is next on my list when it opens next Spring; I was there this month + it’s looking set to be just as wow as you’d imagine, right in the heart of SoHo. And while this isn’t an exclusive brand for me to the literal enth degree - I fully love different facials with a couple of wonderful facialists who I return to + love + have tried many other brands for my skin - equally truthful is the fact that Biologique Recherche has remained a firm + trusted essential within my daily routine since we became acquainted all those years ago. Being back fully engaged with the brand morning + night the past few months, I have been gifted a series of three monthly facials with their National Trainer Vera Blok who is like an angel skin specialist, I can’t help but share the deep + long love I have for the brand + an appreciation I hold dearly to be working with them this season when they’ve been something I’ve personally purchased (so) many times over.

The brand is grounded in the philosophy of respecting the skin’s natural processes with a very distinct approach that emphasises an understanding + appreciation of each individual’s unique skin condition at each specific moment in time, rather than categorising skin into static types which I think is all too often what goes wrong as we are often many types all at once. I love this as skin changes so much, not only in our lifetime but with seasons, environments, stress levels, life circumstances, hormones, + our internal wellbeing which also ebbs + flows as much as the ocean. The formulations are highly concentrated, incorporating raw, active ingredients without unnecessary additives like artificial fragrances (IYKYK… amirite?). This results in potent products designed to restore the skin’s health + balance. Biologique Recherche was founded in the 1970s by the Allouche family — a biologist, a physiotherapist, + a doctor who, through innovation + a respect for the truest act of our biology, cultivated a reputation for delivering results that are as transformative as they are enduring.

While, along with my own philosophy of being really conscious about not prescribing to an audience what they should do as I can only seek to find + speak to what works for me + share with you more broadly, I don’t feel it’s appropriate to share the specific products I use as what your skin needs will be entirely different to mine, yet I can’t recommend enough treating yourself or a loved one, where you can, to a Biologique Recherche experience in one of their HQ’s or associated spas + delving into a journey of understanding your own specific needs, finding a new relationship to + confidence in the skin you’re in.

Something of importance to note too is the brands Irish distributors Real Skin Solutions who very beautifully have partnered with the charity ‘Wellness for Cancer’ whereby they offer those going through cancer treatment a 90 minute complimentary experience in their elegant HQ in Dublin City Centre. Carried out by highly qualified therapists, the treatment incorporates the best of gentle, therapeutic techniques, designed by Wellness for Cancer to be skin-appropriate for highly sensitive skin. You can find out more + book a spot by contacting megan.byrne@realskinsolutions.ie.

You can find a full list of where to book in something fabulous, wherever you are in the world, with Biologique Recherche here.

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Confessions of a Recovering Apple Watch Addict

Admittedly, as my husband would (rightly) suggest, I am absolutely (and willingly I might add) a slave to the supreme cult-like existence of Apple. Completely “indoctrinated” by the brand when my parents bought my little brother + I a - now probably vintage - Mac back when we were kids - think dial up connections + not having a clue what the internet really even was, I am grateful for Apple, in all it’s crazed-up-marketing genius glory, because it works for me + I’m happy to flow in the ease of my entire digital life + work syncing for me on every device without fault.

When Apple came out with the Apple Watch though, I was, much to my own dismay, hesitant to allow myself one. I know my personality. I get into things. Like really into things. Sometimes in an all-consuming way. But at some point I thought, hey, maybe I’ll just give it a go. I can control this. It was Series 6 by the time I chose to dive in so it was a good few years on the market at this point. And you guessed correctly, I loved it. I mean, I loved it. I was obsessed from the get go. The ability to see my activity data so clearly on the daily was like the drug for me I knew it would be. A healthy one at some level as I love to move, it was part of my wellness routine really kicking into a new gear. However.. there’s healthy + then there’s, well.. let’s just say an unhealthy level of control. And while it was all fun + giggles for a while, I knew it had been getting too much yet was resistant in admitting it out loud. Apple’s collection of my data was working on me - or perhaps more aptly, against me. Each month the targets the watch would set for me were increasingly insane based on my performance the month previously. In full type-A style though I was hitting them all. But I wasn’t feeling good from any of it really. Movement energies me yet I was tired. For me moving my body is medicine for my entire being, it is part of my life in a very positive way + it was past the point of any real enjoyment because it was entirely whatever the watch was indicating that was doing rather than what I actually felt like doing. I wasn’t even really present on an evening stroll with my husband cause it was slowing up my stats. While it low-key drives me crazy how slowly he walks, I admire how he goes for a walk to enjoy it rather than it being an exercise. But this had gone beyond me - the fun part of wearing the watch.

At the beginning of December last year I had a moment where - for the first time in two years except for our wedding day, cause hey, let’s face it it’s not exactly the most bridal look ever - I forgot to put it on. I had literally worn it every single day without fail until that point. It needed charging during the day + shockingly I forgot to put it back on. But then I realised something really clearly that evening, my thinking that came to light that day was pretty alarming(even to my madness): shit.. I can’t go for a run now cause it won’t show my full day of data, what’s the point?! OK.. wait what, Rebecca!?!?!? You can’t go for a run because you didn’t wear your watch for the first half of the day? Like WT(actual)F! A run is a run. Stats or no stats. I used to be that person to jokingly (kidding but not kidding) say that if I didn’t record it, did it even happen? But what on earth does that even really mean!? What is the real motivation behind moving my body? Like seriously. Emotionally I would only know how to feel about myself depending on what the numbers came in as at the end of the day. Was I good enough? Had I done enough? Did I need to walk around the house a little more to hit the goal? Run up + down the stairs like I’d actually lost it? Had I reached some completely made up version of “perfection” for the day? The watch dictated how I was allowed feel or think about myself. It was unhealthy. And I knew it. So.. I choose to try on something new: freedom from the stats. And I haven’t worn the watch in a couple of months now.

The results? Well while firstly I am aware this might all simply highlight my kind-of bonkers side - something you hopefully don’t relate to at all, I hope, if you do relate, that you might find some freedom in the idea of not wearing your smart watch with me one day if it’s become more of a prison for you than just the intended information it provides because on the upside, while I took a little break from working out since being floored by a flu recently I’ve been enjoying my walks so much more, being present with my husband on our (ok slow walks is so his thing.. I still love to walk fast, it’s just who I am, ha) slower walks together. For real though, I’m more in the moment, letting our little dog Winston stop + sniff as many times as he wishes cause let’s face it, he doesn’t give a damn what pace we take so long as he gets to stop a million times to pee on every plant + check out all the corners. And how do I record my workouts you might (or totally might not) ask? Well in case you were wondering for friend, this week I went to my first class since being sick + it was fabulous. I was there, on the reformer, in my body.

And while I’m definitely not saying I won’t ever wear it again or dive back into the desire to track my movement, for now it’s a welcomed calm in mind + body to move with more of a body-mind connection as my focus + to cherish what it feels like to move again rather than how a device dictates it should feel to me. A more nourishing + self-respecting body-mind connection is something I am really working toward as it’s something I notice is still very much a work in progress for me. Well if I can give up the stats, then maybe we really can do anything. Here’s to progress, not perfection.