Review: Temple Spa’s Truffle family

The Spa Spies at Good Spa Guide had the good fortune to try Temple Spa’s award-winning Truffle products, a sumptuous range of masques, creams and moisturisers containing gold, black truffle, Champagne and Happybelle-PE, a phyto-endorphin complex that mimics the natural endorphins that create the skin’s natural glow. Here’s what we thought…

Body Truffle

150ml | £60

Key ingredients: Rose quartz, cashmere and black truffles, as well as diamonds, Champagne and anything else luxuriously extravagant you can think of.

First impressions: Comes in a large bronze coloured box with gold writing – a bit like a box of chocolates: deliciously indulgent. The tub is round with a gold lid, and there’s a plastic spatula to scoop out the cream. The cream inside looks like a whirl of praline mouse, and smells richly of Champagne and creamy chocolate. Yum.

What’s it like: You can use this cream every day or on special occasions (it does feel a bit too good to wear to the shops). Scoop out a generous amount and rub it slowly into your skin.

Does it work? It feels sublimely cooling and refreshing after a hot shower or bath and takes a while to sink in, making it feel extra rich. You will notice a lovely sheen on your skin, which is great if you’re planning to head to a party, while the cashmere ingredient reduces any redness. My skin felt nourished, and looked plump and glowing with a glimmer that must come from the rose quartz (also supposed to increase happiness).

Verdict: Whether going out and feeling like a million dollars or staying in for some cosy winter me-time, this is a sumptuous spa treatment in a jar.

Eye Truffle

15ml | £65

Key ingredients: Black summer truffles, Champagne extract, PhytoCellTecTM Argan, sapphire, gold and silk actives.

First impressions: The packaging oozes indulgence with black and bronze covering the box. As I lifted the top of the box I half expected Belgium chocolates to fall out. The eye cream, sitting proudly in the centre, is housed in an elegant black pump bottle with bronze lid. The ingredients sound beautiful – with Champagne, truffle and strawberry extract it almost sounds good enough to eat.

What’s it like: The cream come out ever so slightly pink and is very light to the touch. The instructions say to take a small pea-sized amount rather than a full pump. I used it morning and night and used my ring fingers to gently press it onto the bone above and below my eye. It absorbed easily and left my skin feeling smooth and supple.

Does it work? After a few uses the dehydration lines around my eyes were noticeably reduced, and my skin looked plump and healthy. It’s a splurge at £60, but if you are concerned with ageing - or are going through a period of insomnia - this is a great way to give your eye area a much-deserved treat.

Verdict: Eye Truffle is a pleasure to use and feels really indulgent. I would buy it again but use it sparingly – everyone deserves a treat now and again don’t they?

Truffle Noir

50ml | £90

Key ingredients:  Hematite Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Tocopherol.

First impressions: A large black box holds a black tub with screw top lid and promises ‘ 24 hour Skin Rejuvenation’.

What’s it like: The cream is beyond rich and is chalky grey in colour; I couldn’t identify any particular smell but it was subtle and pleasant. A little goes a long way with this cream - wonderful if you have dry skin – so try not to use too much at once by just dotting it on the face before smoothing it in.

Does it work? The super-rich texture leaves your skin very soft and supple; use it morning and night to combat dry skin, concentrating on the forehead and the area around the mouth – hotspots where wrinkles usually form

Verdict: At £90 it is quite expensive but your dry skin deserves it; once hydrated, those pesky small lines will begin to disappear. If that isn’t worth the money, I don’t know what is.

Trufflesque

75ml | £55

Key ingredients: Honey, Benzimidazole Diamond Amidoethyl, (Strawberry) Fruit Extract.

First impressions: The ‘masque’ is housed in a large black box; inside is a round screw top pot with brush sat by its side. The product oozes luxury before you have even smelt it.

What’s it like: It’s a gold gel that shimmers constantly as you paint it on with the small brush provided. It feels cooling on the skin and remains as a gel throughout, without hardening or peeling off. My skin was dehydrated when I used it, so a lot of the gel was instantly absorbed. Remove it with a hot towel for a spa-like feeling. I loved the smell, which was like soft fruits while not being overpowering.

Does it work? Temple Spa describe it as the ‘Ultra Hydration and Radiance Masque’. My skin felt soft, touchably smooth and had improved skin tone as well as a radiant sheen. So, yes this product absolutely works.

Verdict: This is the ideal product to give you an extra boost of confidence before an important meeting or evening out. Your skin feels, smells and looks lovely afterwards, you can’t ask for much more than that. You don’t need much product either, so this will last a while.

Skin Truffle

50ml | £90

Key ingredients:  Diamond powder gold and silk plus black truffles, Champagne extract and cocoa butter.

First impressions:  A smart black and bronze box - smart enough to give as a gift without wrapping (if you are feeling generous, that is). The jar inside the box is glass with a bronze screw on top so it feels heavy and very luxurious.

What’s it like: The pale pink cream has a whipped consistency, so it feels light on the skin and is easy to apply. In fact my rather dry, hydrated skins lapped it up. It soaked in quickly and my skin felt very soft and nourished. I used this at night and in the morning; only a small amount is required for each application - this 50ml pot lasted me almost two months.

Does it work?  Oh my goodness yes. My skin felt soft and plump after the first application of this moisturiser and it just went on getting better.  Gradually my rather dull skin began to glow, while some of the fine lines around my eyes became less noticeable. My skin felt hydrated and had a lovely lustre about it. 

Verdict: 

There is a saying that when you reach a certain age to have good skin you should only drink Champagne …so maybe the fact that this contains Champagne extract reflects this saying.

You could definitely tell this product was five years in the making by a crème de la crème team of skincare specialists in the field of derma-science in Switzerland. The latest peptide technology along with a fusion of natural actives made a significant difference to the appearance of my skin. You could say that I’m a fan.

Truffle Elixir

30ml | £75

Key ingredients: Gold, silk, Champagne extract, black summer truffles, diamonds and black orchids are joined with high tech ingredients like retinol and marine extracts.

First impressions: This comes in a pump action bottle in black with gold writing on it. Very classy and sophisticated indeed. It would make the ideal gift for someone you love.

What’s it like:  Each pump action delivers a creamy yet clear lotion which rubs into the skin quickly and easily. I used 2-3 pumps and applied it at night.  Apparently it forms a ‘veil’ over the skin which allows the ingredients to work.

Does it work?  I have been using this for almost a month now; the lotion sinks in quite quickly on my face, sometimes leaving my dry neck area quite tight. I added a moisturiser on top which solved the problem. The area around my eyes and my upper lip, where there are fine lines, improved noticeably as the skin was plumped up. No change on my neck though… yet.

Verdict:  I love using this product - it makes me feel like I am taking really good care of my skin and reducing the lines that are starting to show. The black bottle means that you cannot see how much is left. One month in I can hear there is more fluid in the bottle when I shake it, so I am hoping to hit the two month mark.

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