I went to a very interesting skincare pre-launch last week – Sepai Skincare from Barcelona, which will launch into Urban Retreat at Harrods in October. Although the range is incredibly expensive, there were a few things that I took away from the presentation that really stuck in my mind. Firstly, I really liked the way that the founders of the brand (two young, intelligent, business-savvy women) answered questions frankly and unapologetically. Their brand is what it is – high-end, hi-tech, with superior ingredients, and there are some brilliantly innovative features. Obviously with moisturisers priced at around £245, this range is going to be way out of reach for many people, but for those hunting for luxury skincare and who have cash to flash, this will be an exciting addition to the brands already available at Urban Retreat.

Things that I really liked about the range:

1. It’s simplicity. Packaging is matte black for the ‘light’ range (oily skin) and glossy black for the ‘rich’ (dry skin) range. So far so easy!

2) The packaging is slick beyond belief – heavy, modern, very unisex.

3) The formulas are amazing. Great ingredients, and there’s no namby-pambying about with ineffective ingredients or with filler chemicals – Sepai uses the best that nature has to offer, but if nature doesn’t offer it, they turn to science. Only the best, most effective ingredients go in, and I like this attitude a lot!

4) The Face Candle. A candle that you use on your face. Sound odd? It’s anything but. A luxurious oil is formed when the candle is lit and you massage the oil into your face (or body, if you’re super, super-wealthy) for an intensive, spa-strength treatment. The candle is £125 and I reckon you’d get twenty or more facials out of it easily – the warmth of the oils mean that you use a lot less. I predict that the candle will be one of their bestsellers in the UK – it’s suitably pampering and luxurious for the price-tag!

I have some little vials of the skincare products, so I’m sure I’ll be back with some reports in the near future!