On Sunday I went on a bit of a day-trip with three friends to have a girly pampering spa-day. The only problem with this spa-day was that it was so incredibly busy (it was actually at a Center Parcs spa, more on that another time perhaps) that it was impossible to book in for treatments in a way that would actually allow us to see each other, gossip and catch up on news. So I (under strict instructions from The Boss) brought a load of beautifying treatments along with me! The four of us sat on waterbeds reading OK magazine and watching people get bitten by fish (definitely more on that later!) getting amazing self-facials for practically no charge!

I have often thought that you’re better off spending your money on an excellent facial product rather than a mediocre facial (different story with proper, professional facials) and I was very pleased to be able to test out my little theory. I think the girls were rather pleased too – we all looked very glowing and fresh when we emerged that evening! Here’s what we used in our self-facials, if that’s even a proper term:

1) We cleansed with Vaishaly’s Cleansing Balm. I shall be reviewing this separately as I think it is beyond excellent for dry and sensitive skin, but also kind to oily and congested skin. All four of us had different skin types and no complaints – just small squeaks of joy. It does cost £59, but – altogether now! – a little goes a long way.

2) After cleansing (you can remove the balm with a muslin cloth or a warm flannel) we made extra sure that our skin was fresh and perky by spritzing with Sisley’s Floral Spray Mist (£54 from Harrods). It’s beautifully refreshing and smells divine.

3) What next? Oh yes – the amazingly effective eyepatches from Institut Esthederm, approximately £5 per pair. Click HERE for my full review. Everyone was very impressed with these patches; they are instantly cooling and tightening, and we all did my little double-use trick, swapping them to the upper lid area after ten minutes.

4) Whilst the patches were working their magic, we each applied a face mask. I had a selection, but two of us went for the Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask (£57 from Bliss) whilst the other two opted for the Elemis Lavender repair mask (£26.50 from Time To Spa). Both are clay-based masks, but the Omorovicza is really the torpedo of all cleansing masks and not ideal for girls who have a) sensitive, hormonal skin or b) are doing a fashion shoot the following day.

The Omorovicza is guaranteed to remove even the most deep-seated dirt, whereas the Lavender mask is slightly less bolshy; it helps to balance and regulate the skin without causing too much of a disruption! Both masks are highly recommended.

5) After the masks were removed, we tottered off to get some free Prosecco in the cafe (you knew wine would pop up somewhere during our day out, surely?) but not before massaging in some beautiful oil. I had never tried this particular one before, but it’s really very lovely – doesn’t leave a greasy coating on the skin but packs a good moisturising punch. Boof!

The This Works Active Oil is 100% natural, lightweight and potent. (£35 from Boots) My skin still felt soft the next day! I shall be testing this out further and bringing you results – I really wanted for it to be rubbish because it says “This Works” and I love a bit of a disagreement! But no – sadly, I get the feeling that it will live up to its name.

There we go; facial finished. Thanks very much madam, that’ll be eighty pounds. Oh – hold on, no it won’t, it’s…let’s work this out, shall we? The total cost of all the products put together is around £230, plus 4 eyepatches at £5 per pair. Let’s say we used on average about an eighth of each product (and that is wildly overestimating!) the total cost would come in at £31.25 IN TOTAL! Divide that by four people (£7.81) and you can see that this whole self-spa thing was great value for money! Amazing, luxury products in a spa setting, but without the spa price!

We shall definitely be doing this again – I’m off to email the girls and see if their faces are still glowing!