Monday 2 September 2013

Neal's Yard Pamper Party

When I was younger I went to lots of 'brand at home' party's.  Ann Summers, Body Shop and more recently a Jamie At Home (cookware has never been so much fun!)
Move over though cos this party just blew them all out of the water.
Neal's Yard have started doing pamper parties.  The British brand famous for its all natural, organic, luxurious skincare treatments can now be indulged in the comfort of your own home, with friends and tea and cake. 
Now if you are looking for games, feather boas and drunken challenges, a Neal's Yard party is probably not going to be for you.  Instead you are treated to a multitude of clever little lotions and potions, trying them out and sampling them on your hands.  And arms.  And shoulders.  And legs when you ran out of space everywhere else.  This is a much gentler and lazier type of afternoon party where you feel utterly spoilt.
Stella bumped into Beki, our consultant, at a yoga retreat.  Beki normally covers more of the Midlands area (there apparently isn't a consultant in Kent at the minute, although after this party I think there may be a few appearing as a lot of the girls were VERY interested in signing up!) but she traveled down to us one very rainy Saturday afternoon in Whitstable.  We crowded into Stella's living room and munched on home-baked cakes (Great British Bake-off was about to restart and we were all quite excited) and drank huge mugs of steaming tea (it was freezing outside).
PS - I'm getting the recipe for these little blackcurrant and almond cakes from Claire as they were seriously good.
Once everyone was settled (it took a while, there were a lot of us!) Beki started the party.  We had a brief history on Neal's Yard and the ethos behind their brand and then we started testing the products.  Beki told us about what different products and chemicals do to the skin, how the different layers are affected and also how different smells affect hormones and emotions.  We did a blind smell test on different essential oils passed round on a cotton bud (I loved the frankincense but couldn't bear the geranium).
Then came the really fun bit.  Beki started passing the various tubs and pots around, explaining a little about each one as they went.  Ladies got to try lots of different creams, tinctures and oils and compare notes with each other on how they felt, how they smelt and whether they would work for their own skin type.
As the hostess, Stella got a free facial using some of the different products.  She looked utterly relaxed during it and said her skin felt amazing afterwards.  Beki showed us different techniques for applying cream and oil to encourage stimulation of the collagen (apparently you don't just slap it on and rub it in in every which way as I do) and the correct place to put eye cream (which should stop me waking up with streaming eyes in the future).
I must confess, I have never used Neal's Yard products before but this party made me an utter convert.  The sheer scope and variety is a little bit daunting for a beginner to start to work their way through so having Beki there to guide you and give you personal advice was really helpful.  I was leaning more towards the Frankincense range for my skin (based purely on the smell) but when I explained what results I was hoping to see I was told that the Rose products would be much better for me and I should stick to those.
Now, I'm not going to lie.  There is an opportunity to buy the products and Neal's Yard is not cheap.  However as I'm getting a bit older now I've decided to invest more in my skin and actually treat it well (and in the week and a half since the party it is already looking a lot fresher and more revived with the samples I have been using).  I probably spent a bit more than I should have but the products look like they will last for a long time.  Self-justification is going on here a bit but strangely for me absolutely no buyers remorse!
We also got a little gift if you bought two products so I chose a small bottle of Rose face-wash to match the other products I bought.  As an additional bonus we were handed a goody bag filled with about 20 different samples of Neal's Yard products as we left which was wonderful and I am still working my way though now.  Each sample has had enough for a couple of applications in it.  This is a rather sneaky tactic by Neal's Yard  as I have fallen in love with a couple of them that are now on my lust list!
Bessy, Stella's cat was the only one less than impressed with the party - I think that was down to both the number of people in her house and the rich, sleep inducing smells that permeated everywhere.
We spent a good hour after the party going through the products, discussing what we would be buying with friends and then placing the order.  My purchases haven't arrived yet and I can't wait for them to - it will be a bit like an early Christmas!

This is such a different type of event to do with friends and I think it would be lovely for a day time hen party activity or new or expectant mum party as it is the type of event that fits all ages and interests.

After all, who doesn't love a good pamper!

14 comments:

  1. This is a lovely blog post - I am an NYR consultant so it's great to hear that people are enjoying our parties!

    www.ambersbeautytalk.com

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    1. Hi Amber, thanks for commenting! The parties are brilliant and our consultant, Becky, looked completely in love with her job which really shone through - good luck for your future parties!
      Becs x

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  2. So true! I went to a few parties here in the USA. I signed up ater I tried the Orange Flower Facial Oil.

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    1. Hi Michele, thanks for checking in! I've not tried that one! I have just invested in the Rose Beauty Balm which looks like a wonder product! I didn't know there were parties in the States as well - I have friends there who would love them!
      Becs x

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  3. im a consultant in the london, south east area and love doing pamper parties! what a fab blog about what we offer! if anyone else would like their own pamper party please let me know
    uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/shelbyfoord

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    1. Hi Shelby, thanks for commenting! I can highly recommend a pamper party! Would you come out as far as Canterbury as I'm sure some of the girls who couldn't make this one would love to attend one!
      Becs x

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  4. What a fantastic blog and it is always lovely hearing about people having fun at a pamper party with our beautiful blue bottles and superb products. As a consultant in Canterbury with a number of consultants in my team all around Canterbury, Whitstable and many other corners of Kent I am very sorry that your consultant for the evening had to travel quite so far. If you still have friends who would love a NYR Organic experience I would be happy to come around. Please let me know uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/kw

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    1. Hi Kate, thanks for checking in! I'll find out if any of the ladies I know are interested in hosting and be sure to let you know.

      Thanks again,
      Becs x

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  5. Hi Becky
    Thanks for writing such a lovely post about our party. A nice surprise! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, I certainly did and as you say I do love my job! Of course it's tough having to try all the products but someone has to do it!
    Although I'm based in the Midlands, I'm looking to build my team all over the UK so I was happy to travel down and I completely fell in love with Whitstable! I'm hoping to have a couple of people sign up in the area so do let me know if there's any interest in having any more parties, or if you know anyone who might be interested in doing what I do, please direct them to www.midlandsorganics.com to find out more (there's a great joining offer on this month for just £45!) or www.facebook.com/NYROBekiAnderson
    I'm the meantime, I'm glad you're enjoying your samples and am sure you'll love your order when it arrives.
    Thanks again
    Beki

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    1. Hi Beki, nice to hear from you! (I'll change the spelling of your name now - sorry!) Looking forward to getting the goodies!
      Take care,
      Becs x

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  6. I Just love your blog.. Last monday I was part of a pamper party .. we add great fun.. I also received Indian Head Massage treatment from BeautiVision and it was so relaxing .. I am planning to go their saloon just for the head massage treatment : http://www.beautivision.com/pamper-parties/

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    1. Oh thank you so much! I really appreciate you commenting, I'm tempted to throw another one soon as we are all starting to run low on supplies and it is more fun than heading out to the shops!

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