Dr Murad with Carrie and Julie

Julie and Carrie, two of our salon mangers, have just returned from a fab trip to Hollywood and LA, to visit the California based operations of skin care supplier Murad. The all expenses paid trip was a treat from the nice people at Murad head office, in recognition of Zen Lifestyle’s contribution to the development of the Murad brand in the UK. The trip was part of an event for the Murad ‘Global Superstars’, bringing together a small selection of Murad’s top accounts from around the world.

Apart from all the fabulous restaurants, shopping and sightseeing included in the trip, our two managers gained an insight into the future product developments at the leading cosmeceutical skin care brand. They even got a chance to get their creative juices flowing with an afternoon of painting alongside the great man himself, Dr Howard Murad, who is a renowned dermatologist and pharmacist. As well being professor of dermatology at UCLA, Dr Murad is a world-recognised pioneer and innovator in skin research and technology.

Zen Lifestyle offers the full range of Murad skin care products, as well as all the Murad facials. Zen was one of the first clinics in Scotland to introduce the Murad brand and continues to be one of Murad’s key salons in the UK.

Rodeo drive baby!

Visors on - let's party!

Zen goes to Hollywood

In da posh hotel!

So I’m not going to beat about the bush here – this is the most amazing, super duper, must have, skins new best friend skin treatment you can book in for at Zen!!!

Clear + Brilliant is a safe, unique, non-surgical, non-invasive skin treatment which uses fractional laser technology to fight the natural effect ageing has on the skin with little or no down time. It is a gentle laser that refreshes your skin from inside out replacing damaged skin with healthy, younger looking tissue. It is clinically proven to help even out the skin tone, giving it a radiant and youthful glow as well as improving smoothness and texture, and also reducing pore size. Absolutley fabulous for all skin types, ages, gender – I could go on & on about this treatment, you should definitely come & try it for yourself!

Be warned though – it is highly addictive, once you’ve had one you’re already thinking about booking your next one!!

Maxine Brooks – Assistant Manager, Teviot salon

We all love the Murad range here in the salon especially, as Dr Murad is so so focused on the reseach and development of ground breaking new anti-ageing products. So it’s fair to say when we received the new Time Release Retinol Concentrate we got slightly excited!

Time Release Retinol is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of deep wrinkles by 45% in 6 weeks (WOW!) It increases the cellular turnover of the skin, rebuilds damaged collagen to plump creases and crows feet, and contains Hyaluronic Acid which maintains essential moisture for a smoother, more youthful appearance.

When applied you can immediately feel the product working into your skin and the area instantly feels super smooth! My eyes look amazing, it’s definitely one of the best products I’ve ever tried!

Time Release Retinol Concentrate is available now at all 3 Zen Lifestyle salons, £65

Jenny Wheeler – Receptionist, Teviot salon

As a huge fan of the Age-Diffusing Serum in the ‘Resurgence’ range I couldn’t wait to give this a try.  I have Resurgence facials on a monthly basis but I’ve always wanted to give my skin a mini facial at home before a night out or in between treatments, especially at the moment as my skin is drier and more dehydrated due to the extreme weather conditions.

As soon as this little gem arrived in the salon I took it home to try it as it had been 3 weeks since my last facial so I knew my skin was ready for a pick me up.  Like the rest of the Resurgence range, the mask smells lovely.  With ingredients such as mango pulp extract and banana fruit extract not only does it give it a fresh smell but these are amazing surface exfoliators that you can feel nibbling away at all your dead skin cells so you may feel a tingle.  You can actually feel your skin tighten as the mask is clinically proven to firm skin by 42% after just one application – so don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a moisturising mask, I felt like I’d had a  facelift!!!

After massaging the mask into my skin, it had soaked up all the product.  I left it on for 10 minutes & removed the residue with warm water, toned, then applied my Hydro-Dynamic Moisturiser – all I can say is WOW! My skin felt beautifully soft and very nourished just like after my facials.  The Shea Butter in this product had soaked right into the lower layers of my skin rather than floating on the top like other masks.

I genuinally felt so good about my skin that the next day I just applied the Murad Dewy Primer instead of my full face of make-up – which I don’t do very often!

Jennifer Glen – Therapist, Teviot Place salon

We are really thrilled to announce that start therapist Julie Brown has been named as a finalist in the Best Therapist category for the 2013 Professional Beauty Awards. This is a major industry awards ceremony recognising the very best therapists from right across the UK & Ireland, so we are really excited to see Julie named in the top 6 for the second year running.

Julie is one of Zen’s best loved therapists, as witnessed by the long waiting list of clients for her amazing facials, HD Brows and other services. As well as performing treatments at the Hanover St salon, she is also the assistant manager and plays an important role in training and the running of the salon. 2012 has been an eventful year for Julie, with her work as a personal therapist to Nicole Kidman for 3 weeks being a special highlight!

After an initial judging phase to select the finalists, Julie had to fly to London to perform treatments for the judges and was put through her paces with a rigorous panel interview.  The winner will be announced at a lavish awards ceremony in London in March. We’ve got everything crossed for you Julie!

See Julie Brown’s profile.

When we upgraded our CACI machine we knew it would be amazing but since its arrival we are beside ourselves here at Zen – the results are out of this world!

The CACI Ultra lifts & tones the skin while targeting lines, wrinkles, dehydration, skin blemishes & acne – everything a girl could wish for!

There’s no wonder it has such a huge celebrity following:

‘The CACI Ultra is amazing’ - Jennifer Lopez

‘Once you’ve had a few sessions it looks like you’ve had a facelift‘ – Michelle Collins, Actress

The CACI non surgical facelift, which we have been offering at the Bruntsfield salon for several years, is now even better than ever with our new upgraded machine.  Additionally we can now offer the truly amazing CACI Ultra Facial. You can learn more about how the CACI Ultra Facial works here.

An amazing collection of gift sets from Murad containing all of our favourite products with HUGE savings! Whether you are looking for radiant, hydrating or anti-ageing results you will find something that suits everyone.  A treat for either yourself or a loved one.

Radiance Rescue
RRP £58.50, worth £137, saving of £78.50

Treat and repair pigmentation and environmentally challenged skin with the Radiance Rescue collection. This range has been clinically proven to radiate and renew the skin in 1 week, while smoothing the skin to restore youthful texture and tone.

Active Radiance Serum 30ml, Essential-C Eye Cream 4ml, Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisturise 7.5ml, Complete Reform

Hydration Sensation
RRP £73.50, worth £123, saving of £49.50

An uber-hydrating collection for the face & eyes which locks in moisture for 8 hours to create visible, youthful smoothness.  A must have for those cold winter months.

Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture 50ml, Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes 15ml, Hydrating Toner 15ml

Complete Renewal RRP £52, worth £107, saving of £55

Increase skin firmness by 61% after just one application – just one of the benefits from this anti-aging collection.  Also designed to resurface, hydrate and protect the skin to reveal a beautiful, glowing complexion.

Complete Reform 30ml, Intensive Resurfacing Peel 5ml, Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes 4ml, Essential-C Day Moisturiser SPF30 10ml .

Gifts are available at all Zen Lifestyle salons.

Zen Lifestyle welcomes the CACI Ultra Anti-Ageing Facial with open arms!

Caci non-surgical facelift has always been one of the most popular anti-ageing facials at Zen Lifestyle and now we have introduced the new, more advanced Caci Ultra facial. The arrival of the Caci Ultra facial was created due to the dedicated years of research and study into the fields of aesthetics and natural cosmetology.

The Caci Ultra treatment uses a combination of micro current, ultra sound and light therapy to create an innovative treatment.

The amazing new bio-therapeutic applicator combines both high frequency and light therapy that help to plump out deep stubborn lines. This advanced treatment provides a needle free alternative to Botox, collagen injections and dermal fillers. This advanced step is particularly beneficial when treating nose to mouth lines, and frown lines.

The red light that is emitted when the applicator is placed onto the skin increases the dilation of the capillary walls which in turn leads to increased lymphatic drainage, stimulation of cellular metabolism and increased synthesis of essential skin proteins such as collagen and elastin fibres. Fantastic news for anyone concerned with an ageing skin type.

If adult acne is more your concern over lines and wrinkles, we can instead use blue light technology to treat the skin.  The American Academy of Dermatology has reported that blue light can be successfully used to destroy bacteria that produce the inflammation associated with many types of acne. Using the blue light will leave your skin with a cooled, calming and anti-irritation effect.

Just in case you didn’t think that was enough, to finish of your Caci Ultra facial we provide an intensive micro massage to the skin using ultrasound vibrations of 25’000 a second. This will invigorate blood flow and circulation to leave your skin with a youthful glow and even colouration.

Following this we will deeply hydrate your skin, again with the use of ultrasound, however at a different frequency. At the specific frequency used at this stage the body’s own natural water levels will plump the skin providing both internal and external hydration.

A minimum of 10 treatments is required (2-3 in the first week, then 1 every week until course finishes) for desired results, then a maintenance treatment of one every 3-4 weeks to sustain results.

Caci Ultra Facial £115

Course of 10 treatments £920 (saving £230)

A beautiful light texture leaves the eye area plump, hydrated, bright and incredibly youthful.

By locking in moisture for up to 8 hours it immediately hydrates and awakens the eye area which is exactly what we all need since the cold weather is definitely here and it’s getting harder to wake up in the mornings!

Team together with the Hydro Dynamic Moisturiser morning & evening and your skin will be glowing all through winter!

Hydro Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes costs £57 and is available at all Zen Lifestyle salons.

Jenny Wheeler – Receptionist, Teviot