5-star hotel skin, no check-in required

AS THE fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg said, ‘When you open a hotel door... there is luxury, there is fantasy’ — and if you’ve been lucky enough to stay at a posh hotel, you’ll no doubt agree.

But, for many of us, on opening the door, it’s the hotel bathrooms that count. most importantly, the luxurious products that can be taken home to act as a sensorial aide-mémoire.

There is a now a way to get a slice of high-end hotel life for a fraction of the price. Hoteliers — most recently posh private members’ club Soho House with the launch of Soho Skin — are selling their bathroom beauty products straight to the public. But which ones will give you five-star-skin? We check them out, without checking in . . .

SO-SO FROM SOHO HOUSE

Soho Skin (spacenk.com/uk)

SoHo Skin launched last month. It’s described as ‘offering solutions that are tailored to the way Soho House members live their lives’, whatever that means — is this the implication that by spending £76 on the Soho Skin Renewal Serum you can be part of the club?

The ten products feel generic, the smell and texture are cheap and the Soho Skin Concentrate that promises to ‘restore energy and regenerate skin structure’ only features in three products. VERDICT: A puzzle that Soho House didn’t wait until it had created a standout collection.

SHEET MASKS FIT FOR THE STARS

Aman x 111Skin (shopaman.com)

AmAn is one of the world’s most luxurious hotel groups. And a 111Skin Celestial Black Diamond facial will set you back £240 at the Harley Street clinic.

But to bring a taster of both to the real world, they have collaborated to create the limited edition Aman x 111Skin nourishing Gold Algae Face mask (£135 for five) and Eye mask (£105 for eight).

Created by plastic surgeon Yannis Alexandrides, 111Skin has run away with the sheet mask category. They are a must have for celebrities including Lady Gaga, margot Robbie and Jennifer Aniston because they brighten, lift, depuff and infuse the skin. VERDICT: The masks nourished my skin and calmed redness on a rainy autumn day, leaving me feeling A-list fabulous.

SKIN SECRETS OF A SPECIAL HEIRESS

Irene Forte (ireneforte skincare.co.uk)

IREnE FoRTE may be a hotel heiress but any similarity to Paris Hilton ends there. The 33-year-old daughter of hospitality legend Rocco created her skincare range for hotel spas such as The Balmoral in Edinburgh, based on the concept of natura e scienza: nature and science.

It proved so successful, Irene launched the 30plus range of products to retail and now has an annual turnover of £3million. Insisting on clinical trials of the myoxinol ingredient, that features prominently in the best-selling Hibiscus night Cream (£140), Irene says results showed ‘a 12 per cent reduction in deep forehead lines and results continued to improve even at three months, showing that it was not just a superficial hydrating effect’. VERDICT: These feel luscious — but if £140 for a 50ml night cream is out of budget, the Pistachio Face mask (£39 for 50ml) might be a good entry point to this range and will give you a rich-girl glow.

BOUTIQUE BODY BUTTER ON BUDGET

The Newt in Somerset (shop. thenewtinsomerset.com/uk)

GIvEn a stay costs close to £800 at The newt, I assumed the price of the hotel’s body care would reflect this. But blow me down, I had to check the prices three times because this excellent highquality capsule range has a body butter for £10 and a £15 hand and body cream. Based on its quality and luxury hotel provenance, I was expecting four times the price. With many of the ingredients handpicked from the estate — 1847 Sage has a deliciously earthy scent; 1934 Rose has a lingeringly romantic aroma while the 1757 Heliotrope (all £10) features sweet purple blossoms with bitter almonds —this is a delightful and surprisingly good-value brand. VERDICT: Luxurious body care at an affordable price? Consider your Christmas shopping completed. my hands now look like those of someone who has never done a day’s work in their life!

BACKED-UP BOTANICALS

Wildsmith Skin from Heckfield Place (wildsmithskin.com) WITH a facial setting you back upwards of £95, Heckfield Place in Hampshire may be out of reach for a spa treatment, never mind an overnight stay (rooms starting at £450).

However, the spa’s stunning multi-award-winning Wildsmith Skin range not only has the perfect texture and scent, it also proves that botanical ingredients, some foraged from the 400-acre estate, can, when correctly formulated, have second-to-none efficacy.

Wildsmith Skin has spent thousands on independent clinical trials; Active Repair Copper Peptide Cream (£100) tested showed 95 per cent of women had increased collagen levels, while the new Time-Release Pre-Serum Drops (£48) showed pigmentation spots were reduced by 67 per cent. VERDICT: When natural meets clinical proof. These ‘radical botanicals’ products offer real skincare with real results.