Beautiful Skin Solutions at Estée Lauder

One of the things I like most about Estée Lauder counters is the sales staff. Unlike others you may care to mention, an Estée Lauder assistant is helpful, knowledgeable and will dispense good advice without the hard sell. No surprise, so, that their brow bars are booked up months in advance, and they've recently begun capitalising on their reputation with a free services menu that includes personalised scent consultations, colour matching and a five minute makeup touch-up.

Also available at Brown Thomas Dublin, House of Fraser, Dundrum and Belfast, is their Beautiful Skin Solutions service. A  free skincare NCT, it's brilliant for those who are new to the business of beauty, or anyone who's stuck in a rut and feels they'll benefit from a new routine. Plus, autumn is an idea time of year to head-in store to check if what you're using is the best it can be for the winter months.

I took myself off to BTs last week to check the service out. Counter manager Judith sat me down - the consultation area, while  on the beauty floor, does provide privacy - and asked me a few questions about my routine, my concerns and what I felt my skin needed.

If you're really unsure, the counter staff are well able to make a correct diagnosis themselves, but as I'm pretty savvy when it comes to my own skin, we chatted mostly about what I wanted to get from my routine. Five areas of concern are addressed by the Beautiful Skin Solutions service - hydration, protection, first signs of ageing, lines and wrinkles and lifting and firming - which allow the assistant to point you towards the products that will work best for you. For me, hydration, line prevention round the eyes and congestion are my concerns, so Judith recommended Hydra Complete moisturiser plus Perfectionist [CP+] for the former, Advanced Night Repair eye serum for my peepers, and Idealist Micro Day Deep Thermal Refinisher for my gunk-filled chin.

We chatted a bit more about targeted products too - for extra hydration, I was pointed me towards Hydra Complete Multi-Level Moisture Gel Mask for use twice a week, as well as Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser, ideal for use in-shower.  For night, Judith recommended Resilience Lift Extreme Overnight Ultra Firming Creme and Advanced Night Repair serum.

The verdict? If you're muddled by moisturiser, this is a fantastic service. But everyone will get something out of it - I had a couple of products recommended that I wasn't aware of, and will definitely buy - the Idealist thermal refinisher, for one. There's no pressure and no obligation to buy, just helpful, friendly advice, making this a really valuable service.

If you'd like to book in for a Beautiful Skin Solutions consultation, just ring the Estée Lauder counter at Brown Thomas Dublin on 01 617 1146.