The next stop on your quest for the optimal skincare routine
I consider myself lucky to have been invited to attend the Face the Future Christmas pop up launch. In the lead up to the event, my face had had an unusually bad week or so, as the cold Leeds wind had caused an uncomfortable dry skin sensation that made me pile on multiple moisturisers and lip balms in desperation. In this context, this event couldn’t have come at a better time, as the local meteorological conditions had created a fertile ground for a pre-Christmas skincare hunt!
I arrived at the influencer-studded opening night in good spirits and keen to discover new brands to up my skincare game. At the door, I was met with a warm welcome by staff and a glass of bubbles. As I didn’t know anyone, I approached a member of staff to find out a bit more about Face the Future and their Christmas pop up shop.
About Face the Future
Face the Future is an independent skincare, beauty, haircare and supplements online retailer that offers a wide range of big name brands such as Medik8, Augustinus Bader, Olaplex and Institut Esthederm, as well as organic, vegan and cruelty-free products. The staff at the event were thrilled to open their first physical shop and excited to see how it’s received.
The shop is located on 27 Albion Street at Trinity Leeds Shopping Centre and will remain there until 17th December. Upon entering, you will find a range of products and brands helpfully organised in different sections, including ageing, pigmentation and blemish-prone, making it easy to find products for your skin type or concerns in an instant. If you are out of Christmas gifts ideas, go straight to the dedicated aisle in-store. A large, strategically positioned touchscreen gives you access to the Face the Future website. Some of the attendees were keen to take their free online skin test, which helps you find the right products for you, based on your skin type and preferences (vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free etc). Downstairs, Face the Future’s skincare professionals are offering treatments, some of which come with discounts on products used during the treatment or gifts. With each purchase, customers will receive a free, exclusive magazine.
As I did my research on the brand ahead of the event, I was impressed with their new ‘Future of Beauty’ project that supports up-and-coming beauty brands that want to make a difference, especially those backed by clinical studies and user trials. One of these brands is Skin Hydroxy, which uses the power of science-led and natural ingredients products to cater for those suffering from breakout on their body. By chance, I got to meet the woman behind the brand towards the end of the evening and hear about her inspiration to help others who suffer with body acne, and the lengthy process of formulating a good product. She shared her excitement to be launching her brand at the ‘Face the Future’ pop-up shop that very evening.
Product reviews
Disclaimer: I am neither the kind of scientist, nor the kind of doctor that deals with problems of the skin. I am not informed by Instagram posts or the most-viewed Tik Tok as far as the evidence-based effectiveness of products I put on my skin is concerned. I am also not paid to say good things about the products I review. So, if you want to hear my honest opinion about a selection of products you can purchase from Face the Future, do read on.
Medik8 Eyes & Lips Micellar Cleanse
Upon returning from the event, the first sample I used was Medik8’s Eyes and Lips Micellar Cleanse. If you are struggling to find a potent make-up remover that doesn’t irritate your eyes, this product could be the one for you. This gentle yet powerful make up remover erased all traces of mascara, eyeliner and lipstick easily with two drops of cleanser on a cotton pad. I was pleased to find only very minimal mascara residue in the morning. It is fragrance, paraben and alcohol-free, while Hyaluronic Acid ensures the skin around the eyes stays hydrated. This Medik8 makeup remover is one of the best I have tried, and I could see myself purchasing one when I run out.
La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C 10 Serum
In an ideal world, I would always apply a Vitamin C serum as part of my morning skincare route. Antioxidants such as Vitamin C are cool because they fight and help protect our skin from free radicals – molecules that damage your skin. That’s why I picked up a sample of La-Rosche Posay’s Vitamin C serum to use on my travels. I also knew that this was a reliable serum, because I have used it happily for over a year. While numerous skincare brands have some kind of Vitamin C serum you can opt for at various price ranges, I would avoid inexpensive formulations in a clear container. Make sure that the container it comes in is tinted (usually brown) to protect your serum from sunlight exposure and prevent oxidisation. If it comes out brown, it has probably been oxidised and therefore lost its effectiveness.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream
I am always on the lookout for a good night cream, and Elemis is hands down my favourite skincare brand. That made their Pro-Collagen Night Cream an easy pick from the ample selection of samples for attendees at the pop-up shop launch event. The Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream does not contain retinol and therefore makes it a great anti-aging cream alternative for those who can’t tolerate this otherwise effective ingredient. Instead, its list of ingredients includes collagen amino acids, red marine algae and peptides (collagen-boosting molecules).
As far as my experience of using this product is concerned, I have applied it for a few nights instead of my ELEMIS Superfood Midnight Facial, which offers plenty of hydration but does not contain anti-aging ingredients. The gel-like formula of the Pro-Collagen Night Cream glides onto the skin without being greasy. A little goes a long way, which is a relief considering its hefty price tag. It instantly left my skin feeling smooth, soft and hydrated and it stayed that way until the morning. If the price isn’t a concern and you are after a night cream with anti-ageing properties, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Hairburst Healthy Hair Vitamins
At the sight of the full-sized box of Hair Burst’s Hair Vitamins amid the samples, I heard an influencer exclaim ‘I need this in my life’. As someone who has never thought their hair needs its own vitamin box, I did not succumb to the hype around this product. However, I did notice that by the end of the night it was the only product from the wide selection of samples that was completely gone! If vitamins are your thing, Healthy Hair Vitamins by Hairburst has thousands of positive reviews online and could make a worthy addition to your supplement collection.
Final thoughts
From what I saw on the night of 1st December, the Face the Future pop-up shop is stocked with a wide selection of quality skincare products. The staff were lovely and knowledgeable, so you would most likely have a pleasant experience if you pay them a visit. On a personal note, after my very first and futile interaction with an influencer who approached me in the hope of finding a kindred spirit who can relate to the trials and tribulations of influencer life, I met one open-minded and relatable influencer at the bar while waiting for my Baileys Martini. I was willing to bet a lot of money that I was the only soul without an Instagram account out of about 50 attendees at the pop-up shop party. My new acquaintance agreed, and we laughed. From that moment on, the night was a breeze and I emerged not only with the discovery of new skincare products and brands through Face the Future, but also with a deeper understanding of influencer life, the bad blood between influencers and journalists and everything in-between. Editor’s note: Oo! Is this worthy of a separate Leeds Living feature, Blagovesta!
If you care about skincare, don’t miss the chance to visit the Face the Future Christmas pop-up shop on 27 Albion Street. It’s there for a limited time until 17th December.
