Alex Polizzi ex Hotel Inspector, now The Fixer, was helping a beauty salon in Essex a couple of weeks ago. As part of the process to help the owner get back on track, they got to have a Skype conversation with Richard Branson and some training with Virgin Atlantic cabin staff…which got me thinking about the Virgin Cosmetics Company, which then became Virgin Vie at Home and then Vie at Home before they went into administration in 2012. It led me to the back of my beauty cupboard and there between my shower gels, body oils and face serums was a tube of Seventh Heaven cleansing balm… from the company previously known as Virgin Cosmetics Company. I really am not lying when I say that I am a beauty hoarder.
So I decided to use it and as soon as I did, I remembered why I bought it. I have had dry skin on my body for as long as I can remember. For many years I used a not very exciting concoction called Emulsifying Ointment which I got from the GP in huge 500ml tubs. It is a mixture that can be used instead of soap or as a moisturiser. It is full of paraffin/petroleum by products and its efficacy can be debated as decades later I still have dry skin. However the smell of emulsifying ointment which was such a huge part of my childhood that when I smell anything vaguely like it makes me smile.
Vie Seventh heaven does not have any paraffin waxes in it but it does smell like emulsifying ointment… with a swirl of mango in it. The fragrance is sweet but not overwhelming. The texture is softer then emulsifying ointment. It is easily pushed out of the tube and has plenty of slip so facial massage is a real pleasure. I use a cleansing water to take of my make up but I did use it to take off my Black Opal foundation and it worked very well. I use it in the evening rather then the morning, or on non make up days. It is easily removed with warm water or a flannel or the massive muslin cloth that comes with it. I was not a huge fan of the Vie range, but it did have some gems and this is definitely one of them. It is always sad when a company goes into administration but there is a whole world of other products to try.
What is your favourite discontinued product?