As a teenager and sadly still as an adult I suffer from acne. The teenage acne initially left my face scarred and over these early years I tried almost every potion, lotion, antibiotic and therapy to control them. This journey of trial and many errors became a journey of self-discovery which ultimately led to discovering what really caused my skin condition. It was caused by the very food that I was putting in my body. The more and more I read, the more it made sense; the ancient and for some reason forgotten wisdom of Hippocrates, father of medicine ‘’Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” had been lost to medical science, until now. I am in my 40s now and can still suffer from acne if I put the wrong things into myeslf. Having become so aware of my skin at such an early age, I also became aware of how I should look after my skin from the outside as well, and just as it was important to put the right ingredients into my body it also became very apparent to put the correct things on my skin to love and nurture it too. I believe ‘natural’ is the key word when it comes to ingredients in my food or in the products that I put on my skin. Now I understand how to keep the acne under control the next step is to look after the skin and age as well as possible. I had been lucky enough to experience Heaven Skincare for men; started by Deborah Mitchell, the all natural range of of luxurious products that contain organic ingredients are aimed at anti-ageing to create a flawless complexion and help heal problem skin. Deborah has been quoted as saying “As someone who suffered from acne, I just wanted to help other people look better, look younger and overcome whatever conditions they had. It wasn’t about the money, I just adored my work.” This sounded like someone after my own heart, so I was excited to be trying some of her men’s range products on my skin. I was to be looking at four products in particular. The products arrived in beautifully and understated packaging. The men’s range would make any bathroom look luxury with the simple yet sleek satin black containers, the clean and smooth dispensing action of the cream out of the top of the containers was particularly satisfying. The first product to experience was the ‘SOS Shave Oil’ a very natural product with such ingredients as calendula oil, grape seed extract, carrot oil and sandalwood designed to protect and repair against any damage caused by shaving. I very rarely close shave, because my skin does not tolerate it so well; however, when I experimented with this oil added to my shaving cream and massaged into the skin after shaving, my skin seemed to be a lot more tolerant and feel a lot less aggravated.
The second product to put through the test was the ‘Shave, Shower, Shampoo’ the all in one products designed to cleanse, moisturise and hydrate in the shower. Once again with natural ingredients this cleansing product gave off subtle notes of rosemary, sandalwood and natural grasses. The product washed well and tended to leave the skin feeling soft and moisturised after showering. The product was also great for washing the hair and shaving too. Once I had cleansed my face the first up was the ‘M4m Anti-ageing Moisturiser’. The moisturiser has a smooth and buttery texture with a luxurious natural smell of ferns, heather and Cedar almost as if I had been transported to a luxury spa in the Scottish highlands; if there is such a thing? It screams of back to nature and the great outdoors, right up my street. My skin does not agree with oily products that clog up the pores, but this product seems to dissipate into the skin leaving it feeling dewy and soft to the touch, I feel like I am feeding the skin with what it desires each time I apply it. Next it is time to look after the skin around the eyes with ‘O2 Eye Cream’, this had less of a scent but still had hints of natural clean vibe about it. I am not sure if it was in my imagination, but I could almost sense a scent of beeswax, but perhaps this was down to my knowledge of that fact that it contains honey extract and the unique patent owned Bee Venom ‘Abeetoxin®’, the natural alternative to botox with healing properties. This product has been developed to eradicate fine lines and wrinkles. Altogether I really liked the quality of the Heaven skincare products; I very much appreciate Deborah’s ethos and how she has developed such natural products that my skin seemed to appreciate as sustenance and nutrition rather than just another skin product. To find out a little more about the Heaven skincare range, The Bespoke Black Book were able to interview founder and creator Deborah Mitchell.1) What started/inspired you to take the ‘Beauty’ path that you took, which ultimately resulted in the brand Heaven Skincare?
I built my heaven brand on a need to use basis with products that did not create allergies to myself or my clients. I was always looking for results driven products but ensuring that the results were visible and not hidden behind a visible allergic skin reaction.
2) Where does your knowledge of knowing what ingredients to put in your products come from?
I was formally trained on skincare on my degree equivalent at that time 29 years ago. I don’t mind admitting I have a creative flair and I look into my dreams for answers to my most difficult formulations.
3) Apart from Organic, what else do you look for in your ingredients?
Activity and natural innovation.4) What sort of products would you/Heaven Skincare like to create in the future?
My newest invention is the ‘Prism’ range of moisturisers, they are intelligent. Making your skin release a peptide to change the DNA of your skin to make it become younger. It also breaks down pigmentation, sun damage and also pollution damage. I’ve developed an app to increase its effectiveness. This Summer, I’m launching a sun protection moisturiser which will contain Prism called ’Pure Prism Sunscreen’.
5) Fast forward 5 years; where do you see the beauty industry in terms of natural and organic skincare?
Organics are getting so expensive I see these ingredients reducing in the mass market range. There are other unusual ingredients coming in. I’m working on something special that will blow your mind!
For more information on Heaven Skincare see online.
