Best for... guided facials at home

Dr Sophie Shotter at Illuminate Skin Clinic

Sophie Shotter is regularly hailed as one of London’s best face doctors. If you can’t get to her London or Kent clinics, her facial by post comes a good second, especially when it offers the option of a personal consultation for less than you’d pay to see her in person. The kit includes enough skincare for at least six DIY brightening facials, from clinical brands Exuviance, Neostrata and Peel2glow. If you’re nervous about using such impactful stuff, a how-to video on Instagram will guide you through the process. For an extra £75, you can have a personalised skincare plan put together during a video consultation; Dr Shotter is clued up about the latest aesthetic procedures, from injectables to sculpting lasers. Additional products are charged separately, added to your box and delivered. Illuminate Glow Lockdown Facial Kit, from £170 for six facials; £75 for a 30-minute consultation; illuminateskinclinic.co.uk

Pfeffer Sal

London medi-spa Pfeffer Sal hit the digital ground running during the first UK lockdown, with online consultations, massage tutorials, at-home facial kits and virtual skincare parties. There are eight guided facials to choose from, each a DIY version of one of Pfeffer Sal’s sought-after and science-y treatments: in place of LED, laser and peels, you get enough medical-grade product to see you through three or four months of weekly use, plus a virtual consultation with a therapist who’ll explain exactly how to use it. The Skin MOT and Spring Clean consultations are practical and realistic, focusing as much on what you already have at home as what you could add to your routine; if you’ve never understood how to layer your skincare, or exactly why you should double-cleanse, this is a great place to start. From £50 for a 30-minute Skin MOT or Spring Clean Your Routine (redeemable against future treatments or skincare purchases); £50 for a 20-minute Massage Masterclass; from £178 for a Guided Facial Pack; pfeffersal.com

Facegym

We’ll admit it, Red’s beauty team didn’t fully understand how facial workouts… um, worked. Then we took a class online and now we’re all team Facegym. The principles are the same whether you’re having a facial massage on-site or being trained remotely to perform your own: muscles are lifted and tension is released through a series of pinching, flicking and knuckling techniques. And it works – areas you’ve just pummelled look more defined than those you haven’t, and skin looks brighter. The effects last for a few days, unless you do it on a more frequent basis, in which case they hold up for as long as you carry on training – rather like regular exercise at the gym. We loved it.

£10 for an online class ; £45 for a 1-2-1 Online Workout; facegym.com