Spotlight On: Antonia Burrell

Anonia Burrell is an experienced Facialist with over 18 years experience. She is an accredited member of BABTAC (British Association for Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology) and has been an Associate Lecturer at The London College of Fashion for the last seven years. More recently she has been teaching postgraduates The Natural Face Lift Facial, which incorporates an advanced massage technique designed by Burrell and accredited by BABTAC.

After working at numerous luxury salons and spas, Antonia launched her own holistic skincare collection to reflect her expertise and passion in helping troublesome skin suffers achieve radiant, flawless skin through 100% natural, potent plant-based remedies that really work and help to harmonise body and mind.

Antonia’s products have featured in Tatler, Grazia, Woman and Home and Telegraph Magazine and were Editor’s Pick in the Natural Beauty Yearbook 2011.

We put some of your questions to her:

How can I deal with combination skin?
Generally a combination skin is an oilier t-zone in comparison to the rest of the face. When cleansing ensure that you focus on these areas as they tend to get clogged up quicker because there are more sweat and sebaceous glands present. Use light moisturisers and if needed just add more moisturiser to the cheek areas which tend to be slightly drier.

Products recommended:  Natural Glow Cleansing Oil, Forest Dew Skin Tonic, Pure Therapy Facial Serum and Cream Supreme

How can I deal with dark patches?
You need regular exfoliation and good quality skincare products that address hyper-pigmentation. Use as natural a product as possible. Microdermabrasion as a professional treatment can help with dark patches too. If the dark patches are occurring as a result of blemishes, it is advisable to treat the blemishes first and get them under control before dealing with the post-inflammatory pigmentation.

Products recommended:   Natural Glow Cleansing Oil, Forest Dew Skin Tonic, Radiant Light Facial Serum and Cream Supreme

How can I manage oily skin?
Let me just say that an oily skin type is the best skin type to have; managing it is where you get the best of both worlds.

My first tip: do not over cleanse and ensure you are using the right type of cleanser for your skin. One way to work out if your cleanser agrees with your skin is whether your skin feels dry after cleansing. If it does, it is being stripped of its natural oils which will cause your sebaceous glands to go into overdrive to replace the loss. Do not over cleanse your skin! Secondly, try to avoid using products that contain mineral oil or liquid paraffin as these ingredients block the pores.

Products recommended:   Natural Glow Cleansing Oil, Forest Dew Skin Tonic, Pure Therapy Facial Serum and Cream Supreme

How can I prevent breakouts, particularly in the chin area?
Sudden breakouts in the chin area are typically caused by a hormonal imbalance. This is because hormones play a role in the skin's production of oil. When the hormones produce excess oil, breakouts can develop. Things like the monthly cycle, contraception and pregnancy can all disrupt the delicate balance of hormones.

When a woman's progesterone levels increase, the oil glands are over stimulated causing them to produce excess oil. This is turn can lead to breakouts. Unfortunately for women hormonal break outs can be quite obvious because they frequently appear as papules on the skins surface. Papules are solid raised pimples which do not contain pus; therefore no amount of squeezing will reduce them.

The good news, however is that hormonal breakouts are not usually manifest across the whole face. Hormonal breakouts typically only occur on the lower half of the face especially around the chin, mouth and jaw line. During the first few months of pregnancy progesterone levels also increase causing many 'mums to be' to suffer from breakouts. The good news is that this tends to subside after the first trimester.

Hormonal acne affects women of all ages. During a woman's normal cycle progesterone levels increase after ovulation which is why many women get break outs the week or so before their period. So it’s a good idea to monitor your cycle so that you are aware when you are ovulating and use clay based, deep cleansing masks to help to control the excess oil being produced.

You may want to think about doing an extra cleanse at this time too. Generally though, try to avoid using products that contain mineral oil or liquid paraffin, opt for high quality natural products. 100% natural where possible!

Products recommended:   Natural Glow Cleansing Oil, Forest Dew Skin Tonic, Pure Therapy Facial Serum and Cream Supreme

What products can even out my skin tone (without resorting to bleaching products)?
Antonia Burrell Radiant Light Facial Serum - a specialist product for pigmentation and uneven skintone, uses Frankincense, Sea Buckthorn Extract, Galbanum, Carrot Seed and Myrrh.

Antonia Burrell Natural Glow Cleansing Oil – contains Castor Seed, Lemon, Bitter Orange, Tea Tree and Tuscan Cypress to deeply purify and even out skin tone to leave your skin with a 'natural glow'.

Antonia Burrell Cream Supreme Moistuiser helps to reduce breakouts, pigmentation and even out skin tone while repsecting the skins natural integrity.

Antonia will be Guest Facialist at Urban Retreat, Harrods from July 11 – 22 where a 60 minute facial costs £95 or 120 mins (which sounds like heaven) is £120. We heartily recommend!

www.antoniaburrell.com