For the Bible Babes out there Emmaus means Luke 24:13-25 when on a roadside Cleopas and his friend ended up in conversation with a mysterious stranger who over supper revealed himself to be the risen Jesus. Founder of Emmaus, Aminah Sagoe reflects that the name of the cult beauty brand is entirely intentional:
The name Emmaus is Biblical, and has been associated with resurrection, rebirth, and revelation for centuries, and that is exactly what the line of products does for skin.
A skincare line promising the miraculous? Now, this was a bold claim that as a Beauty aficionado, Sunday regular and BellaStylista (obvs), I had to check out for myself. Especially as my normally spectacular-spectacular skin had been letting me down of late, with dullness and worse still random rough patches at the top of my arms. I was particularly enthused when Sagoe stated:
The unique combination of ingredients helps with keratosis pilaris a common bumpy skin condition, and a variety of other skin conditions including body acne, ingrown hairs, uneven complexions, scaly/dry skin and even mild Eczema and Psoriasis.
Before my sample kit arrived I researched deeply, including the all to important stockist list, which thankfully includes Alara, Lagos (Yay!). With Emmaus products, the secret ingredients involved were all natural. Sagoe and her team diligently researched the world of plant stem cell technology, harvesting stem cells (which are the building blocks of all life-forms) from various plants and flowers that had curative properties. From Bluebird Hibiscus which has anti-inflammatory agents to the Arabica Coffee plant leaf which is known for its skin balancing benefits, a careful blend was created to restore balance and improve the texture of skin.
As with anything worth having in life, time, commitment and adhering to the instructions were critical to getting optimal results. This is not to say that one needs a degree to use Emmaus, but one does need as with any premium beauty line to follow the instructions; the main ones being not to use the cleanser and toner more than thrice weekly and for optimum results to use at night. I was struck by how the process was not too dissimilar to a facial, which is performed regularly but never daily. Could one call this a body-cial? Perhaps, but jest aside, it also made me think deeply about how we are all accustomed to taking considered the time and care with the skin on our face and have a more slapdash approach with the body, something which on deeper deliberation makes no sense at all.
Deep cleansing was provided by Smiling Beads a body wash that contained pumice powder, sunflower seed oil and what might sound like a controversial ingredient but is entirely natural Glycolic Acid. Yes, Glycolic acid is used by dermatologists for chemical peels BUT the doses that appear in Smiling Beads are significantly smaller, and more to the point come from natural plant sources. What the acid does in this instance is it penetrates the epidermis (that’s the top layer of one’s skin) and helps break down the dead skin cells which are adversely affecting skin’s appearance. Goodbye rough patches, chicken peel upper arms, fine-lined and even wrinkles and hello newer, younger firmer skin.
As with any line, there is the ‘hero’ item that has everyone in a tizz and sells out within seconds of it hitting the shelves. In the instance of Emmaus that honour goes to Touch Of Love a skin tonic that literally primes skin to receive optimum moisture. I was horrified when I first used it – the cotton pads were black and this was after the deep cleanse of Smiling Beads! Was I really a mountain of dead cells and just general rank matter atop my skin? It was actually quite alarming.
However, as the weeks progressed the ‘debris’ seemed less intense and more importantly, my skin was better prepared for Softness Bliss a moisturizer that managed to be both light and nourishing. I know I thought that was a contradictory term too but it melted into my skin without endless rubbing and neither did it leave me ashen within hours as some so-called luxury brands in the past have done. The winning combo of Boabab, Coconut, and Grape-seed Oil gave my skin a luminescent quality that I hadn’t seen for ages, and no, that is not code for lighter in shade, I was the same dark chocolate brown I have always been, just richer and dewier. Three weeks later and my body had that glossy Photoshop filtered to the ‘nth look about it. To say I am filled with the joys is an understatement.
Of course, there are some surprises some more pleasant than others. The first time using Touch of Love my skin tingled somewhat, nothing scary but you can definitely feel the active ingredients at work. The herbaceous ‘Garden of Eden’ scent of the Emmaus product line was lovely to me but might not be to everyone’s taste, especially if you are one of those ladies who likes everything super-floral. And then there is the cost because let’s be frank the products are not cheap all three will cost $190 which is a little short of N70,000 give or take the exchange rate variables. But then I am a great believer that in life you get what you pay for, so close your eyes, slide the card over and give the skin on your body the best present it ever had.
