Kate Somerville’s clinic on Melrose Place in Los Angeles is a well-known celebrity haunt, though the facialist is extremely discreet about who her clients are. If the regular paparazzi photos of big names leaving the premises are anything to go by, she has worked on almost every famous face you can think of.
Her products are expensive, but they have a reputation for being effective yet friendly to sensitive skin. Kate Somerville was long one of those US brands you could never get here or in the UK – but SpaceNK, on Grafton Street in Dublin, has been stocking it since early this year.
The brand is well worth trying. Its five current bestsellers are a reliable place to start. I’ve been testing them for several weeks and already have my own favourites.
Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser (€38 at SpaceNK) is a permanent bestseller, and a product with a cult online following. I like it as a second cleanse – the brand sadly doesn't offer a cleansing oil, which is my preference. I cleanse first with an oil and then follow with this. It is creamy, soothing and leaves skin feeling plumped and comfortable. It is also lovely for morning cleansing.
Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream (€65 at SpaceNK) is a fantastic sensitive and dry skin moisturiser which restores a compromised skin barrier and is wildly comforting to apply after cleansing.
The brand's EradiKate Blemish Treatment (€26 at SpaceNK) is ideal for those hot, angry hormonal spots that stretch like vicious little mountains from the chin and jaw area. They respond well to this salicylic and sulphur treatment. Don't shake it. Just dip a cotton bud all the way to the bottom, dot it on to your spot, and get a good night's sleep. It isn't a miracle worker – no spot treatment is, but it makes a more significant visible difference than any other product I have tried and the bottle will last for a very long time.
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (€85 at SpaceNK) is the sort of product that makes an immediate difference to the skin, but it might be slightly more challenging for sensitive skins to use – there is a gentler liquid version available. With pumpkin, papaya and pineapple enzymes, lactic acid and vitamin A, you will feel the tingle immediately as the acids work on the skin. You can leave it on for up to two minutes – skin is instantly exfoliated, brightened and smoother.
For a superhydrating follow-up, try the Dermal Quench Wrinkle Warrior Advanced Hydrating & Plumping Treatment (€98 at SpaceNK). It promises to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles instantly. The delivery method – a spray nozzle – felt a little gimmicky to me, but the hydration it gives is impossible to argue with, and you can apply serum and moisturiser on top.
