Skin Guru - Scottish skincare
Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of Skin Guru. Slap on hand, to be honest, as they are a Scottish brand, a natural brand, and their Nourishing Facial Serum has become a favourite of mine in just a few weeks – as a night cream, a serum, a go to skin pick-me-up. And I am in good company – Scots supermodel Kirsty Hume loves the range, saying, “I am very much a natural girl when it comes to beauty products…I love Skin Guru Cleansing Oil. The future for this blossoming natural beauty range looks very healthy indeed.”
The Nourishing Facial Serum offers excellent hydration to my at-times overly dry skin, it feels beautiful on, and has more liquid feel than some serums – you will notice that when you pump it, so don’t pump too much out. It contains Rosehip, Borage, Argan and Pumpkin Seed oils, giving your plumpness and luminosity – what’s not to love?
It also smells fab, containing Sandalwood, Rose, Patchouli and Frankincense, and it also contains Vitamin A which helps reduce existing wrinkles. So who is the Scot behind this range.
Skin Guru is the beauty baby of Scots beauty guru, Lorraine Harkins. Lorraine has 30 years behind her in a career in health and healing, so this is more than just a.n.other beauty product. This is part of a range that is the culmination of that career, and that knowledge. Lorraine worked originally as a nurse, and helped people with painful and unsightly skin conditions.
The serum is quite ‘liquid’ so beware when you pump!
“Dermatological issues cause the sufferer so much pain both physically and emotionally and caring for these patients brought me a lot of job satisfaction,” explains Lorraine. “Easing their physical pain and exploring the root cause of their condition became a real passion. Unfortunately, within the medical profession chemistry is king and the medications prescribed would often fix the problem temporarily but the patient would be tied to using harsh chemical-filled medications with nasty side-effects for long periods – to me that didn’t feel right.”
Lorraine emigrated to Australia in 1982 where she embraced the health-living lifestyle enjoyed down-under.
“It seems obvious but being able to be outdoors and enjoy outdoor activities due to temperate weather makes such a difference to one’s frame of mind,” she explained. “Yoga, pilates on the beach, swimming in the sea it gave me a whole new interest in holistic living and natural therapies. With three young children I also became very aware of the whole suncare market and where I had previously loved a tan I became a firm advocate of the ‘slip, slop, slap’ school of thought – which I still maintain today.”
The family returned to Scotland in 1989 and Lorraine decided to further her interest in aromatherapy which had kickstarted in Australia by studying Aromatherapy at the Edinburgh School of Aromatherapy. On qualification, Lorraine began creating bespoke blends for clients suffering from similar skin conditions she had encountered in her nursing career. In addition to the clients who came to Lorraine for medicinal purposes her amazing massages and facials soon became popular with friends and relatives who quickly identified her talent in this area, nicknaming her ‘the Skin Guru’.
With a new interest in beauty ignited Lorraine accepted a role with a prestige beauty range which initially excited her. “The products were truly beautiful but even though the range was marketed as ‘natural’ it was far from it,” she recalls. “In fact, the products were laden with chemicals, all of which I believed were doing my clients more harm than good.”
This revelation pulled Lorraine back into education, this time an HND in Holistic Therapies, followed by studies in Psychology and Social Studies, and then qualification as an Indian facelift masseur and yoga teacher. “I suppose I was always aiming towards something,” she says. “My interests, my studies were all leading me somewhere and now I know where. Here…to the launch of SkinGuru.”
If you want to try the Skin Guru range, visit theskinguru.co.uk, for more information, stockists, and to shop online. The Nourishing Facial Serum is £65 for 30ml
