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Tuesday, 10 May 2016

Ilkley Beauty Clinic - CACI facial and Bare Minerals make-under review


ilkley beauty clinic, caci facial, bare minerals, complexion rescue, review, before and after caci


It is no secret that I am a little bit obsessed with Bare Minerals makeup, (in fact anything beauty related!) so when Zoe from Ilkley Beauty Clinic contacted me and asked if I would like to try out their CACI non-surgical facelift facial, followed by a Bare Minerals make-under....how could I possibly refuse?! Throw in the fact that the salon is a 5 minute walk away from my house, it was a no brainer really...plus the results were actually amazing! Before and After photos included...

I've had over a year of sleepless, broken nights since becoming a Mummy, and although I think i'm doing okay for my (almost) 31 years - it has definitely taken its toll on my skin ( not to mention hair, regular root cover ups are now a necessity due to the amount of grey I now have!). There are definitely lines and bags where previously there were none and I find myself looking back at photos from 10 years ago wondering what I ever worried about back then! I have heard amazing things about the Caci facial in the media and I'm always looking for excuses to expand my Bare Minerals collection.


Zoe opened Ilkley Beauty Clinic on Bolling rd in Ben Rhydding in August 2015 after internally redesigning the venue. With a dark grey exterior and lower frosted glass, the salon looks how it is intended to feel: professional, clean, luxurious with the expertise and experience of Spa Manager with 19 years experience under her belt, working with brands such as Elemis and Dermalogica, and more recently, Bare Minerals. Ilkley Beauty Clinic is a Dermalogica expert salon - Zoe's ethos and concept for the business is to use techniques and work with brands which are good for you and good for your skin.



ilkley beauty clinic, caci, dermalogica, bare minerals, spa, grey interior, nail bar


In the past, Zoe spent over 12 years working on cruise ships as a Spa Manager and a skin care
Specialist. She travelled the world and specialised purely in skin all day, every day. This means that Zoe has performed thousands of facials over the years and she says that she still 100% loves doing them!
Upon returning to the UK 7 yrs ago, Zoe spent 2 yrs working in a salon then 2 years as a regional business manager for Elemis looking after every spa and salon in Yorkshire. She has used the last 2 years to build up her business which was based initially in Red salon in a rented a room in the basement.

Her hard work really shows, and Zoe now has a team of three other beauticians working with her at the salon. My treatments were performed by Nicole, who effortlessly manages to get the balance between being extremely personable, yet very professional spot on. She offers me a glass of water straight away (and after the treatment too) which amazingly, many do forget to do, but it is so important to stay hydrated and flush the toxins out of your body - particularly after a facial treatment or massage.

I am shown to one of their beauty rooms, which is decorated using the same clean, professional finish as before, and Nicole fills in a form, asking me some questions to check that I am suitable for the treatment plan before we begin. She talks me through the procedure and gives me all of the information I need before directing me to the heated (optional!) treatment bed, ready for the facial to begin...



ilkley beauty clinic

ilkley beauty clinic

For those of you who may not have heard of the CACI (pronounced 'Casey') facial before, it stands for 'Computer Aided Cosmetology Instrument', and has gained the reputation as the finest microcurrent machine available.


Backed by over twenty years of research, CACI is the best known system within the beauty industry, and results are often so dramatic that the CACI Classic has become known as "The non- surgical face lift. A unique combination of specific waveforms and ultra low frequencies that work in harmony with the body’s own bio-electrical field, transmits tiny electrical impulses and signals that have been documented to stimulate muscle tone and enhance skin tissue.

CACI machine

CACI probes

CACI products


The Photos above may look a little frightening if you have never tried a facial like this before, but it is completely painless! Nicole used different probes for different parts of the face and varying techniques. There was a tingling sensation ( almost like a TENS machine on a low setting) and the most notable side effect for me was that I had a metallic taste in my mouth. Apparently this can happen if you have fillings ( I don't) - it was strange, but not unpleasant and certainly didn't bother me in any way.

My treatment lasted an hour - they call this the 'party facial', as best results are after a course of treatments, but stand alone facials are available if you would like to try it out first, or perhaps you have a special event or 'party' to attend and need an intense version of the treatment to lift your facial contours and help tone the skin. Currently, a 60 minute treatment costs £44 and a link to the treatment menu can be found here.


The CACI treatment is also available for your body - bottoms and boobs lift anyone??


I am going to pause there and show you my before and after shot - remember, best results are after a course of treatments, but this was after just one 60 minute facial....look how much higher my eyebrows are!!!...

CACI facial, CACI facelift, Bare Minerals Makeunder, caci before and after
Look at the brow lift!

After my CACI non-surgical facelift, Nicole gave me a Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue make-under. The salon are offering this for free for anyone who would like to try out the makeup, and it is worth booking this in after a CACI facial as my skin was a little bit pink afterwards ( and to be honest, usually is anyway!), so I really benefited from having a bit of colour correction!
bare minerals complexion rescue

Nicole first applied the Bare Minerals Prime Time Neutralising primer which has a yellow tone to it to combat redness, followed by the Complexion Rescue in shade Vanilla. The Complexion Rescue is great for summer, as it is seriously hydrating with good coverage, leaving your skin with a dewy, natural-looking, radiant glow. If you find you need, or prefer more coverage you can then apply the mineral Foundation powder over the top of the Complexion Rescue gel cream. Nicole also applied the Bare Minerals Bareskin Serum concealer to any blemishes, followed by some Bare Minerals 'warmth' (a natural bronzing powder) to the contours of my face. She filled in the gaps in my eyebrows with the Bare Minerals eyebrow pencil in shade universal light ( I will be purchasing this!!) and I was good to go!

NB: If you suffer from breakouts, Bare Minerals also have a foundation powder especially for this skin type called Blemish Remedy - you can read my previous post and review on the Blemish Remedy Foundation here.



Bare Minerals stand in the salon

The salon have an extensive range of the Bare Minerals products available to buy. If you haven't tried the brand before and would like to give it a go - pop into the salon and the staff will be able to help you out.

Bare Minerals will also be launching an amazing new skincare range in June 2016. I have been lucky enough to be part of a skincare trial, testing out these fabulous products and filming my experience with Bare Minerals ready for the launch - I will be blogging about this soon and as a Bare Minerals stockist, Zoe will be able to order these products into the salon if you would like to try them out too!

If you are local to Ilkley, Ben Rhydding or are perhaps just paying a short visit - why not treat yourself at Ilkley Beauty Clinic? They are seconds away from Ben Rhydding train station and there is a lovely little Cafe next door whilst you wait for your appointment. I will definitely be going back!

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