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It’s not easy keeping your skin from looking like sandpaper in the mountains. The harsh sun, wind and cold are magnified at altitude, as are the dehydrating effects of exercise, lack of sleep and — dare I say it — alcohol. As a travel writer who specialises in ski and adventure, I spend all winter long in the mountains, climbing up them as often as skiing down, and keeping my skin in some semblance of order has become something of an art form as I get older.

During the summer it doesn’t get a break either; I spend some weeks skiing (under even hotter, harsher sun at even higher, glacial altitudes than in winter) and go sailing once a week if not more when I’m at home in Lymington, Hampshire. I can’t say I’ve always been careful to apply sunscreen, either, but because I eat super-clean and take a lot of exercise my skin has always fared pretty well.

Then I started to approach 40, and noticed with horror that my skin was beginning to look more lined and even drier than it did normally (I had eczema badly as a child and consequently have skin that needs constant moisturising — with my trusty E45 cream). After some experimenting, two years ago I started using a collagen serum that helps reduce fine lines but nothing stopped my face feeling (and looking) as if it were on fire when I came in from a day on the slopes or on the water.

Then six months ago, a friend introduced me to Rosalena. Charlotte knew that I look after myself and (wine aside) am incredibly careful with what I put both in and on my body. The natural, organic, bio-active ingredients and gorgeous smell of Frank & Sense were an immediate draw but it wasn’t until I started to use it that I realised this little face oil is magic potion in a bottle.

Throughout the last ski season I used Frank & Sense morning and night, and after showering when I came in from skiing. Because the oil is smaller on a molecular level than the cells in the skin, it is absorbed incredibly quickly and I could do so without fearing that I’d walk around with a shiny face, or get it stuck in my hair. From the first use I found it soothing, moisturising, nurturing and incredibly hydrating. It worked well to combat the effects of wind, sun and cold on my face — I can’t remember once having supper with a face glowing like a beacon.

But soon, it became more than that. Frank & Sense comes beautifully wrapped, and the essence of Rosalena is that when you apply it you take time to pause, breathe and be. A moment in your day for calm. Without even knowing what was happening, this twice and thrice-daily application of the beautiful-smelling face oil had become a ritual during my hectic world when, if I am not careful, I have no time for myself. Applying Frank & Sense to my skin became reparative for face and mind and it is now firmly part of my daily ritual.

Halfway through my second bottle in six months (a little goes a long way) I am now mixing it up and using Rock & Rose on days when I may have over-indulged the night before — Rock & Rose contains enough rose otto to have a detoxifying effect on the liver — and carry Beauty & The Beast around in my handbag because its matt finish means you can apply it wherever you are (over or under makeup).

I’ve also invested in a bottle of Goodness & Tonic face mist — a perfect saviour for long-haul flights and afternoons when I have to go to London (the two are equally toxic to me these days) — and sharing the love by gifting these goodies to family and friends. I’m evangelical about Rosalena face oils and want others to experience their wondrous benefits for mind and body, too.

Images & Article by www.abibutcher.com

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