Biologique Recherche Facial in Malaysia
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There is a facial treatment that people speak of in hushed, reverant tones, much like the brand under which it’s performed. The Biologique Recherche facial is often touted as the gold standard of facial treatments, leaving you with the famed ‘BR glow’ immediately after. It is a treatment sought after by skincare afficionados who pursue and crave that post-facial glow, that leaves you not wanting to wear any makeup, because your skin looks SO. DAMN. GOOD!
Pundits say that the BR facial will leave your skin with an ethereal glow and lifted. In other words, it’s supposed to leave you with skin that looks and feels amazing, better and maybe even younger!
I’d heard so much about the wonders of this facial, and I did try it twice before this. But if I was to be honest, it left me feeling wanting, and I did not share about it then, because it was just “Oh, alright” in my books. I wanted to see that glow that everyone talks about, and while I did experience the post-facial glow that you experience with every facial, there was no long lasting effect. If anything, I found myself breaking out after that. I decided that perhaps it wasn’t for me.
A few years later, now that we have our own Ambassade Biologique Recherche, I was invited to try it again. Let’s give it another go, I figured. If it sucks again, at least I know it isn’t for me, and I can just write it off as one of those contrarian things my skin doesn’t get along with.
About a month ago, I went for the facial, and I don’t know if it was the skill of the therapist, the way the products were used, or simply that my skin appreciated the treatment, I left with skin that was glowing, lifted, rejuvenated, and I had no breakouts!
Biologique Recherche Facial in Malaysia
There are a few places that carry Biologique Recherche products in Malaysia, and that also do the facials. They are trained by the brand, but they are private salons or establishments.
The Ambassade Biologique Recherche at Starhill Gallery was just opened recently, and is the flagship store of the brand in Malaysia. In here you can purchase all the BR skincare products, and in here you can experience all the beauty services the brand has to offer.
I have been to the flagship store in Paris, and this is a little scaled down version, with its cool, soothing grey toned interior, and the quiet luxury that permeates the store. It is at once luxurious, and intimidating as hell LOL 😛
Biologique Recherche is a salon brand from France, that is very exclusive in that they don’t merely sell their products off the shelf. They do so only after a consultation, so you pick the best products for your skin, and you derive the best benefits from the products. They also have in-house treatments for face, hair and body, using their concentrated products and special massage techniques, that promise to rejuvenate. Their products and services have a cult-like following, that isn’t without reason.
While I’m a firm fan of the Lotion P50, I am personally less enamoured with the other products in their range. Part of the reason is because I find them a little daunting, as they have a very wide range of products, with complicated names, and (to me) complicated functions. Maybe I’m just not delving into it deeply enough, but it isn’t intuitive, and that is slightly offputting for me.
RELATED READING: Why Lotion P50 is indeed a facial in a bottle READ MORE
I recently experienced a facial at the Ambassade Biologique Recherche, so here’s my experience 🙂
Skin consultation – Skin Instant Lab and Visiolab
Your BR facial experience begins with a skin consultation. This is to enable the therapists to know what concerns you have for your skin and what treatment to best recommend. It is for this reason also that Biologique Recherche does not charge different rates for different facials. You pay 1 rate for either a 60-minute or 90-minute facial. The type of facial is decided after your skin consultation.
The consultation is done via their customised machine, where they use a probe to measure the different areas of your skin to determine various things like hydration levels, elasticity, pigmentation levels etc. The results will be sent to you via email after your treatment, which provides you with a good benchmark.
After years of being told that my skin was ‘dehydrated’, I was chuffed to be told this time that my hydration levels were ‘very good’! The general overall elasticity was also pretty decent, and if I’m to be honest, this was probably one of the best skin results I’ve ever had. It made me feel like a proud Asian scoring high marks in a test LOL 😛
RELATED READING: I think this helped me a lot to keep my skin well hydrated READ MORE
They also use the Visiolab to view your skin under an ultraviolet light, which reveals its imperfections and problems, and that is usually one of the more terrifying tests, because you see all the UV damage in its full glory!
Happily for me, and hats off to the therapist for not being a scaremonger, my UV damage was marked as within tolerance. Coming from the past when I’d have doctors and therapists give that fake gasp of horror as they try to describe the UV damage to your skin (so they can sell you more expensive products/treatments), this was a refreshing change. Thank you copious amounts of high protection sunscreen and Vitamin C serums! 😛
All in all, I was told that my skin was actually quite good all things considered. I must say that considering my age (late-40’s), the results were pretty phenomenal for me! I didn’t quite care what treatment was recommended thereafter haha! 😀
Incidentally, if you want to know the state of your skin, and be under no pressure to buy anything, you can experience the same skin consultation for RM180. If you proceed to undergo a facial treatment at Biologique Recherche thereafter, the RM180 will be offset against the cost of the facial.
They do offer a no-obligation recommendation of BR products you can use for your skin condition at that time, based on your results, if you’d like to delve into the BR universe, and they may provide you samples as well so you are able to test the products for yourself.
Biologique Recherche Soin Lift CVS Facial
It was suggested that I could do the Soin Lift CVS facial, which would take 90 mins. This was a facial that is tailored to give you firmer and more toned skin. This aunty decided also that this was an excellent choice – at my age, I need all the firming treatments I can get! 😀
The facial rooms at Ambassade Biologique Recherche are large and luxurious. It is quiet and comfortable, as befitting a self-pampering session. I appreciate the quiet, which is so important to a calm peace of mind, as opposed to being located inside a frantic mall.
The bed is comfortable and large, and you have the option to use a heated blanket if you’re feeling cold. I opted out of it. I always feel like a heated blanket is trying to cook me LOL!
The Lift CVS facial uses the unique Biologique Recherche protocol of manual lifting, mechanical exfoliation, and serum infusion. This is done using unique vibrational movements and a gentle pinching technique performed around connective tissue. Everything is done manually, to reshape the facial structure, while using highly concentrated active ingredients to purify and restore volume, even out color, and create a firm, flawless surface.
What is also unique about BR facials is that they are cool facials. Everything is done using cool or cold water and products. Nothing warming so your skin doesn’t react. This was something new to me, as during facials, we are often treated to warm towels, warm hands or warm steam on the skin. Here, everything is cold and the therapists hands are also cool, which is interesting but very nice.
I’ll be honest, I lost count of the products that were being used about halfway through because I fell asleep. Who wouldn’t, when your face is being gently manipulated and pummeled under expert hands of the therapist?! 😛 Besides, what can be better for the skin than to be relaxed in sleep?
I could feel her hands gently but firmly massaging my skin, pinching, pushing and lifting it. And you know the best part? It works.
I kid you not. You will almost certainly see a lift to your face around your cheekbones, and a more defined jawline. A facelift without the pain and downtime!
90 minutes later, I looked in the mirror and was stunned at the healthy glow of my skin, and the lifted appearance (please note that photos are just a guide. I took them for my own reference, and wasn’t expecting too much out of it). I had gone in with tired skin and a tired countenance, having come off a very busy weekend manning a booth at a bazaar. This facial was much needed and much appreciated, and the results were frankly outstanding. It had to be seen to be believed!
I obviously did not film the facial. I understand it is helpful, but it’s just not something I do. I just want to be pampered to within an inch of my life (and I was!) but others have, so here’s a video I found showing the facial in Paris, to give you an idea of what is done and what is to be expected.
The reality is that the lift CVS facial is designed for those with more mature skin types, or skin that has reduced elasticity. If your skin is more saggy, you will notice the results more prominently. If you have young, firm skin, you will not need this, and will not be recommended this treatment either.
1 month post facial
What I appreciated this time around was that I did not break out post-facial. The last few times I’d tried a BR facial, I found myself breaking out for a week or two after that along my jawline. Might it be the product that was used, or the manipulation of the skin, I’m not sure, but it did put me off a little. No one likes breaking out for nothing.
This time, I experienced no breakouts, and even more impressively, I found my skin feeling soft and firmer for at least 2 weeks post-facial. This is palpable if you are used to observing your skin as I am. The famed BR glow was also noticeable for up to a week post-facial.
A month post-facial, my skin isn’t much worse than it was before. I don’t use any BR products at home save for Lotion P50, but I do take care of my skin as you will well know, and I am very diligent and particular about my sunscreen use.
I did read that the recommended frequency of a BR facial is once a week for 3 weeks, and thereafter, once every 3 months, to maintain your skin and for them to monitor your skin changes and to treat it accordingly.
While I would love to be able to do that, the reality is that it is quite unaffordable for me, and perhaps for most of us LOL! 😛
Is the Biologique Recherche Facial worth it?
Remember that ‘worth’ is relative, so keep this in mind when asking this question to anyone.
At present, the cost of a facial treatment at the Ambassade Biologique Recherche is as follows:
- RM550 – 60 mins
- RM780 – 90 mins
- RM980 – 120 mins
There is a RM880 package for a first time guest, which gives you 1 60 mins treatment and 1 90 mins treatment. For me, if you’re going to cough up for this treatment anyway, this might be the best value you’d get.
Is it worth it?
Yes, if what you want is a facial that is specifically tailored to your skin concerns and highly effective, using the skilled hands of a trained therapist and carefully curated, intensive products to address your concerns. They don’t use machines so everything is manual and at the fingertips of the therapist. It’s old-school, but that sense of touch is very comforting.
If you are already paying or considering paying RM500 or so per facial session at other facial salons, then I’d pick this one. It isn’t cheap, but it lives up to its cult reputation, and you’d have the privilege to be inducted into the BR hall of fame 😀
No, if you are on a budget, or if one treatment will drill a huge hole in your wallet, that will prevent you from enjoying good skincare on a prolonged, regular basis. As wonderful and skin-changing as one treatment can be at BR, what’s more important is regular, day-to-day, consistent use of proper skincare to improve your skin. So be practical with your choices.
Save up for a treatment as a special treat if you like, or if you have generous benefactors, ask for it as a gift. It’s absolutely worth trying a Biologique Recherche facial at least once, but don’t go into debt for it, or forsake your regular skincare routine for it.
Think of it like a Chanel or Hermes bag. Nice to aspire to, and more easily attainable, but not a necessity, because you already have other bags you can use 🙂
Have you tried a Biologique Recherche facial? Let us know what you think!
This is actually my 3rd time trying it. The first 2 times were duds and left my skin looking and feeling worse than when I went for the facial. This kinda throws into light just how important the skill of the therapist is, because nothing changed except the location where I did it, and the therapist. I do want to go for another session – but let’s line the pockets first eh? LOL 😛
Paris B
Disclosure: Featured service was a media trial by the brand for consideration. Our commitment is to honesty and fairness. For review guidelines please read the disclaimer.
