Meet The Team

Kay Adams

Director / Creator / Therapist

Kay has over 18 years’ experience in the beauty industry and in 2018, her life long dream came true and she opened the doors of The Retreat.

Kays passion for the industry and what she does never stops, even when on a rare holiday. Learning is also a passion and she loves to learn new treatments and to keep her skills up to date when time allows.

Not only is Kay the owner of The Retreat but she is also a hands-on therapist working full time in the salon. Her Ultimate passion is skincare and skin health and she is one of the most highly trained and recognised Dermalogica skincare Experts in the world. Massage, lash lifts and a good pedicure is also one of many of her favourite treatments to name a few!

Kays greatest achievement to date in her 18-year career is not only the opening of her own salon but winning The Best Beauty Salon in Devon 2019, just as the salon celebrated their first birthday.

She prides herself on creating an environment that is welcoming, relaxing and delivering treatments that are of the highest of standards leaving you feeling that every part of your well-being has been healed with the TLC of The Retreat.

Sophie Jeffery

Senior Therapist/ Nail Queen/

Sophie joined The Retreat just after the doors opened in 2018 and is our senior therapist and has over 4 years industry experience.

Her biggest passion and specialism is in Gel nail extensions and overlays and is very well known as our nail Queen when creating beautiful nails in our salon. Sophie is also a Dermalogica skin Expert and regularly attends training with Dermalogica to update her incredible knowledge and skills on skin health, She thrives on being a perfectionist and delivering treatments to a high standard.

Sophie is an all-round therapist and is not afraid to find those hidden knots during one of her amazing massages, she is loved by all our clients no matter their age and her warm, bubbly and infectious laugh keeps you coming back for more.

Sophie is a huge asset to our team and we are really privileged to have her even if her obsession of sausage rolls is a bit of a concern!

How to Rejuvenate Dull winter skin.

It’s that time of year where our skin is more than likely suffering from the effects of the Christmas period of all those rich foods, sugars and alcohol we all consumed during that time - I was very guilty of that this Christmas!

With the weather being so changeable also, one minute the heating is on and the next it’s off and going from a warm home to outside our skin is taking a bit of a beating with all the different environmental factors and our skin is not happy at all!

I have definitely noticed my skin is a lot more dehydrated this winter then the previous and I am lucky to know why. So this time last year before I opened the salon I was mobile, driving around the beautiful countryside of North Devon treating clients in their homes. I was able to control the temperature in my car and I was eating a lot healthier and I was eating regularly too.

This winter I have been in the salon with the heating on full blast! I’m so busy that I often go all day with out keeping my fluid levels up, having something to eat and even going for a wee! ( Cue the violins) Then at the end of the day I have a 15 minute walk to the car in the cold and wind and my skin on my face is bracing all the elements! So I know why my skin is not great at the moment due to all the factors and I am currently actively trying to resolve a few of them, especially the wee bit. Not good for the kidneys!

Todays blog has inspired me to share with you all a little step by step home regime you can do In less then ten minutes to help Rejuvenate your tired dull winter skin. You can do this once or twice a week depending on how you feel your skin is and how well its responded to this flash glow mini home treatments.

Rejuvenating Prep & Glow.

Our Dermalogica Prep and Glow Skin Treatment takes just ten minutes but promises to give your skin some Winter love. Let me share our professional skin tricks and give your skin the boost it deserves with Dermalogica’s hero products.

In order to replenish and restore a polished lustre there are Six key steps to focus upon in your at home regimen.

1) Double Cleanse: To ensure a clean skin free of congestion and breakouts it is critical to cleanse twice. The first with an oil or balm cleanser to remove make-up and daily grime. PreCleanse Balm gives additional nourishment when skin is parched. The second cleanse will be your prescribed cleanser to deep clean the follicles while keeping skin supple and hydrated. This maybe Special cleansing gel or Essential cleanser or which ever cleanser you may have

2) Exfoliate: As we amp up the warmth and wrap up in our woolies, dead skin builds looking dull and feeling dry and flaky. Increase your exfoliation with Daily Superfoliant to improve luminosity, promote smoother skin and ensure a flawless canvas for subsequent product application. Apply a small amount into your hands and add lots of water to create a fluffy meringue consistency and then massage thoroughly into your face. Remove with warm water.

3) Tone: People forget that actually Toning is one of the most important part of a good skincare routine. It rebalances your PH level after we disturb it from cleansing and puts right our PH levels so not disrupting our barrier function but it also adds a flash of hydration and allows your skin to be more absorbent of the products you are using, so you use less products making it go further thus making it more cost effective. When ready use your toner Multi-Active or Hydra-Mist which ever you may have and Spritz away!

4) Replenish: Nature provides a bounty of restorative oils that are at their most beneficial during the colder months. Applying just a few drops of Phyto Replenish Oil under moisturiser, or mixed in with your primer, builds the barrier of your skin protecting against moisture loss and environment. Apply onto your skin with a minute or two of face massage to awaken replenished.

5) Soothe Tired Eyes :They say that your eyes are the windows to the soul. So if you are stressed or tired they tend to be the first area of the skin to give away your secrets. Apply Stress Positive Eye Lift to your eye area to brighten, firm and depuff the eye area. The cooling applicator soothes tired eyes without dragging the delicate skin.

6) Protect and Prime: A hydrated skin reflects light and increases luminosity so don’t be shy with your moisturiser. Finish your fresh skin canvas with a good dose of Skin smoothing cream or our new Intensive moisture balance moisturiser and you are ready to glow!

So there you go, Our step by step guide on how to Rejuvenate your Dull tired winter skin!

Have any questions for us about how we can help with your skincare concerns drop us an email at hello@retreatbeautysalon.co.uk or come into the salon and speak to one of our Dermalogica skin therapists who can help you on your skin care journey to better healthier skin!

Let me know how you get on.

With Love

Kay

Which washes your face better: oil cleansers or face wipes?

You know those nights when you’re just too exhausted to remove a full face of make-up? Yep that me most nights after the kids have gone to bed and I can’t be bothered to even haul myself in the shower let alone cleanse my face. Well this Seems to be the perfect time for most to just rub a make-up remover wipe across your face! Although these cleansing wipes can remove some of your make-up, they are quick and easy they’re not removing as much as you think.

Why wipes won’t cut it

Wipes actually just smear the dirt, bacteria, oil and make-up across your face. They break down some of the debris, but don’t remove it all. Then, the build-up gets stuck in your pores. Yuck! Although wipes may be faster to use, you are more inclined to miss a spot and sleep with make-up on, which can lead to breakouts. Plus, wipes are packed with ingredients like Specially Denatured (SD) Alcohol 40B and Denatured Alcohol, which evaporate quickly and can dry out your skin. The are also not environmentally friendly either, they don't ever breakdown and will hang around for 1000 of years!

I remember watching a program I think it was on channel 4 and it was called “ Fat Burg” It was about these masses of Fat icebergs clogging up london’s drains and sewers! The two main culprits were fat that we produce through foods, cooking etc and the second culprit was Facial wipes and baby wet wipes! A little bit off tandem here but if your using facial wipes ditch them because not only are they bad for the environment on a big scale but they are horrific for your skin too!

The “dirt” on oil-based cleansers

Oil-based cleansers can attract, deconstruct and dissolve layers of oil-soluble substances like excess sebum (oil), waterproof make-up, environmental pollutants and residual product build-up. The cleanser melts into skin, dissolving build-up in hard-to-reach crevices around your nose or in between eyelashes – places a wipe just can’t properly cleanse.

Use a cleanser like Dermalogica’s PreCleanse Oil or PreCleanse Balm to:

• Gently dissolve and remove built-up residue and make-up.

• Smooth, calm and nourish skin without clogging pores.

• Enable your regular cleanser and other skin care products to work more effectively.

Not sure of which cleanser would be right for your skin? Pop into the salon and speak to one of our Dermalogica skin therapist who would be more than happy to advice you.

Precleanse vs. Precleanse balm: what's the difference