The BEST Skincare I have ever used… and I’ve used a lot!
Many may see benefits to owning a health and wellness company – I would be the first to admit the perks to owning O2 Aspen outweigh the stress it can sometimes bring. I am very grateful that I get a massage a little more regularly than I would otherwise and it’s not so bad being able to pop into yoga on my lunch break. The biggest benefit is working with like-minded people who find a deeper meaning in the work that they do and the wealth of health information that filters through the doors of O2 has changed my life (see my celery juice blog post here).
However, don’t hate me for bragging just yet… there are a few negatives to owning a health and wellness company - one of them is being the Guinea Pig for products that we sell. Most of the time, the trial process goes well (mushroom jerky anyone? Scared me at first but delicious!) But sometimes, being the GP backfires and you need damage control.
Last year, I tried three skin care lines in a 2-month period. My skin was covered in what looked like mini hives. We happened to be slammed at the spa that week (spring break) and there was no time for even the owner to get into an appointment. I went to my dermatologist and she made a face when she saw the hive like pimples, confused by their shape and color. “Well...sometimes adults just start to get acne,” she said as she slathered my face in some toxin that I couldn’t pronounce and gave me an antibiotic (that I of course didn’t take). The toxin didn’t work, and I was left with peeling skin in addition to the hive acne.
A beach vacation we had planned for a year was approaching. I hoped that sunshine and a beachy glow would mask the mess I made of my face. I was wrong again. The more tinted moisturizer I used to protect my skin, the worse I got. Me and my face were desperate, so I went to the spa at our hotel for yet another trial and opinion– the four seasons at Surfside Miami where I met an angel named Gita.
She was fabulously French but what was more fabulous was she approached my skin with kindness and told me it was going to be ok, because she had this magical product that she brought to Miami from New York. She told me in a very serious tone that this would be the only skincare line I would use for the rest of my life – it is Parisian and it is called BIOLOGIQUE RECERCHE.
Gita was right. I bought 5 products (my entire shopping budget for the trip but well worth it) and religiously used them for three days. My skin transformed not only back to its regular self but an even BETTER version. A hydrated, plump version. I recieved compliments on my glow friends and strangers. The second I got back to Aspen I contacted BR because they did not have a stockist in the 81611 zip code. They were happy to approve O2 Aspen as their only retailer on the western slope of Colorado.
BR takes things very seriously. They require their spas to invest in the brand with intensive trainings. We were required to invest our money by buying the line at wholesale very deeply, and by flying out and housing their training aestheticians to train us one on one. I’ve never experienced this before.
Our lead esthetician at O2, Jody Burtard, let us in on what it was like training with Biologique, as well as some important takeaways from the experience. "The esthetician’s at O2 had an extensive training before bringing Biologique Recherche into our spa by one of Biologique Recherche’s international trainers, Mahtab Moavan. She was lovely and very knowledgeable. It was a technique oriented training--three days of product knowledge. BR takes a lot of pride in keeping estheticians informed. Throughout this crazy time BR has been hosting webinars on product knowledge which I’ve found helpful and appreciate!"
I personally recommend BR to everyone because they have so many lines within the line that treat all types of skin. I’m currently using 90% of the products I normally use while pregnant, and I love that it’s clean enough for mamas-to-be and also those concerned about toxic skin care products.
We hope to grow with this brand and currently we are offering online consultations with our therapists and samples to try with purchases. My personal two favorite items are the Biokiss lip balm and the VIP O2 Mask. I keep it in my refrigerator and use 3x a week, my skin glows for days after! My friends who are derms, doctors and even other skincare providers rave about this line and I feel so lucky to have it under our roof.
