Rosé, Red Carpets & Riviera Skin
One week after getting married, I found myself in the South of France setting up a pop-up skin clinic in Cap d’Antibes.
How romantic, haha. To be honest, I have a feeling I accidentally turned what should have been my mini moon into work within seven days of becoming a wife. Very on-brand for me. (I promise, Tom, we’ll go to Amalfi. When the clinic gets a bit less busy…)
But I consider it a very apt mini moon, because it was equally fun as it was productive and I LOVE what I do.
Before anyone starts feeling sorry for my new husband, Tom was there too. Partly because he is my husband (still feels weird saying that), but also because he’s our Creative Director and visual guardian of the brand, which is a very convenient arrangement because it means I can continue blurring the lines between work and life while telling myself it’s technically business.
The reason we were there was to launch The Riviera Skin Clinic by Teresa Tarmey, our residency in Cap d’Antibes.
The clinic itself was popped up in La Provençal, a beautiful apartment space with the most ridiculous Riviera views and a calming atmosphere that makes you feel the cortisol leaving your body when you step inside - Exactly how I want people to feel when they walk into my clinic.
I do think skin responds differently when people exhale a bit.
So, because we were in Cannes during festival season, I wanted to create something specifically for that environment too, so I launched a special treatment, The Riviera Red Carpet Facial.
Specifically I wanted something that delivered what everyone asks for before an event:
Lifted, refreshed, a healthy glow (not a shiny glow - this is important!) it’s like hyper real, lit-from-within skin, and most importantly: zero downtime. Celebrities do not have time for skin recovery before they walk the red carpet, they just want to look amazing as quickly as possible (just like the rest of us, in fact).
This treatment gives all of that. It combines FaceStim - the hero here - with LED and my lactic acid to give a very fresh, lifted and naturally luminous finish. FaceStim was my go to before the wedding. I’d literally shut myself in my treatment room and perform it on myself! A little awkward but so so effective, it works on the muscles beneath the skin to lift, tone and boost circulation, which is where you get that more sculpted, energised look. Then lactic acid gently exfoliates and hydrates at the same time, smoothing texture and bringing back brightness without stripping the skin. Together, you’re getting lift, glow, freshness and refinement all at once. Essentially what we’re going for is the opposite of I’ve just had something done. It’s, more I’ve just had eight hours of sleep, three litres of water and the most relaxing holiday of my life.
(Which, for clarity, the typical Cannes schedule does not allow!)
I had the absolute pleasure of treating Tilda Swinton before her Cannes closing ceremony appearance and, if you manage to tear your eyes away from her incredible Chanel gown and Cartier jewellery, you can see the beautiful glow for yourself. I mean, she already has the kind of facial structure and ethereal skin people take in as reference for their aestheticians, but the immediate lift and boost it gave can’t be faked with makeup.
Her makeup artist and my friend Zoe Taylor came into the clinic too and had the treatment herself, and honestly, this part stayed with me more than anything.
She loved it so much she nearly cried. I think sometimes being looked after, when you spend your time looking after everyone else feels surprisingly emotional.
And that, if I’m honest, is the bit that still gets me after all these years treating 50,000 faces (!). The joy of it. And the trust. And ultimately the feeling of giving somebody an hour where they can completely switch off, then come out and be delighted in their own skin again.
So there was work, obviously.
But there was also a lot of actual Riviera living squeezed in between.
Tom and I stayed at the gorgeous Hôtel Belles Rives, and I am totally obsessed. I think it’s my favourite hotel in the world. Imagine every cliché image of chic South of France living, and squeeze it into a beautiful building with a pier jutting out onto the sea, then add sparkling sun lit water and a LOT of rosé. When in Provence after all…
(Honestly, if you’re in Provence drinking sparkling water the whole time I do think somebody politely asks you to leave.)
We also revisited some of our favourite places together, took the train into Cannes for dinner by the beach and walked around the Croisette pretending we weren’t checking our phones every couple of minutes in case a late minute booking came in.
Since we were on honeymoon (I’m joking Tom!) I took him and some of the team to the iconic Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc. If you’re in Cap you simply have to. The views over the sea were ridiculous, the food was ridiculous, and it reminded me of something I’m not always very good at. Making time for myself and enjoying the people around me while everything else is moving at 100mph.
So yes, it was productive. But it was also brilliant and genuinely one of my favourite work trips we’ve ever done.
But I am publicly holding myself accountable here: I absolutely have to book an actual honeymoon. Because it would be so typical of me to accidentally prioritise work again.
And for anyone experiencing serious Riviera envy...
The good news is the Riviera Red Carpet Facial is coming home and will be available at the Notting Hill clinic too. You don’t need to be walking a red carpet any time soon. If your skin is feeling tired, flat, stressed or in need of a summer reset, we’ll bring a little bit of the South of France back with us. (Rosé optional!)
TT