Dior dress: yeah… won’t be able to afford that this lifetime.
Dior handbag: errr… still no, but will try adding it to my birthday list anyway.
Dior lipstick: ahhh… now you’re talking!
And that, my friends, is the appeal of designer brands with cosmetics lines!
Now happily sitting on the “treat yourself but without entering your overdraft” scale of things is the Dior Prestige Treatment at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s Oriental Spa – a new indulgent way to get a little bit of designer luxe in your life.
The first hotel in Asia to offer Dior skincare, this 90-minute pampering session uses a range of products from Dior’s Prestige collection combined with The Oriental Spa’s famous massage techniques… plus there’s also the spa’s stellar heat and water facilities, including vitality pools, experience showers, saunas, heated lounge chairs, a Rhassoul mud room and amethyst crystal steam room (but note: not their swimming pool, boo), to play with.
The Oriental Spa is pretty much contemporary spa indulgence at its best – light and airy, with a real serene quality that wafts over you as soon as you set foot in the place. Sadly, I arrived late for my session, but never once did I feel hurried; this also meant that my Dior Prestige Treatment was a slightly truncated version of the true pampering bliss I should have received had I managed to read my calendar properly, but it never felt rushed either.
After assessing my skin, my therapist Sally briefly told me what areas she’d be concentrating on (my main problem being tired eyes caused by too much time on a laptop… she says, typing this review up on a laptop) – and then the magic began!
For me, the real beauty of the Dior Prestige Treatment is that it wonderfully integrates both a fantastic facial and a top-notch massage. Even when you sign up for both treatments at a spa, it usually feels like one treatment after another without much synthesis between the two, but here it was seamlessly blended into wave upon wave of total pampering perfection. We’re talking back, shoulders, arm, leg, hand, foot and head massages… oh and plenty of cleansing, exfoliating and moisturising too, all using Dior Prestige’s lightweight, silky-smooth products and all applied to the face with yet more fabulous massage techniques that help tone the muscles and improve circulation.
I was actually a bit nervous about the Dior products, as these were largely rose-scented – a scent I often find overpoweringly floral. Of course, I should never have doubted Dior, as the special Rose de Granville nectar utilised in many of the line’s signature lotions and potions smelt genuinely lovely and not at all cloying. Mask junkies will also be pleased to know that the treatment includes several of the things – and they’re all equally gorgeous!
When I was reluctantly roused from my heavenly Dior-induced slumber, the effects were immediately obvious – plumper cheeks, smoother skin, a brighter complexion and just an overall sense of renewal and rejuvenation. I was also sent home with a sample of Dior’s Prestige Le Nectar serum and La Crème moisturiser… and it pains my wallet to say it, but these products were really rather awesome. I loved the La Crème especially – rich without being heavy, my skin just lapped the stuff up and was all the more soft, smooth and glowing for the next few weeks because of it!
So if you’re in need of some divine designer-inspired pampering that will leave you feeling radiant, refreshed and rejuvenated from head to toe, the Dior Prestige Treatment should be top of your wish list.
The Dior Prestige Treatment costs $1180 for 90 minutes, plus an optional extra $580 for use of The Oriental Spa’s heat and water facilities
The Oriental Spa, 5/F, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2132 0011
www.mandarinoriental.com/landmark/spa
Note: this treatment was by invitation
Through The Looking Glass 