Then we launched into it. With Shani’s facials, you don’t go in for a certain type (i.e. a detoxifying treatment or an anti-aging one) and they certainly aren’t one-size-fits-all. Instead, she tells you what your skin needs and then pulls out the specific creams, masks and machines to help deal with your issues.
My treatment that morning included steaming, extractions (she was definitely thorough with those—even removing some stubborn milia—but also extremely gentle), vibration therapy, a lactic acid peel, a soothing aloe mask, oxygen therapy and microcurrent therapy.
The microcurrent was my favorite because it gives an instant lifted, sculpted effect. Shani ran the device over my cheekbones to create much better cheekbones than I was actually born with and even used it to plump my upper lip. So Hollywood—and totally amazing!
I finished with a long stint under red-and-blue LED lights (Shani is a big believer in the power of light) to calm my dermatitis and also target my fine lines, breakouts and pigmentation. While I chilled under the device, she even painted the backs of my hands with a glycolic peel, so they could get a little smoother as I relaxed. I love a multi-tasker!
Image via Alyssa Hertzig
At the end of the session, she gave me a verbal prescription for Shani-approved products to use at home: IS Clinical Hydra-Cool Serum, $90 and IS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum Advance+, $148, Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel, $150, her own Shani Darden Texture Reform Gentle Resurfacing Serum, $95 (a cult-favorite product that people are ob-sessed with) and Garnier SkinActive Super Purifying Charcoal Facial Mask, $2.49. “It’s a great way to detox the skin,” she told me.
As I got dressed in the adjacent Spanish-tiled bathroom, I briefly stressed when I realized I had forgotten my concealer. (I usually stash one in my purse to cover up that inevitable post-facial redness.) But when I looked in the mirror, I realized I really didn’t need it. I wasn’t red at all, and my skin looked glowy and—dare I say it—good. I actually felt okay without my armor of concealer, so I put on my shades and stepped out into the L.A. sunshine.
My phone buzzed with a text the next morning and when I looked down, I realized it was Shani checking up on my skin. (She does this with all of her clients, apparently. Not trying to claim that I’m going to be showing up sandwiched between Shani and Jessica on Instagram anytime soon!)
I texted back the truth: “It feels so plump and amazing!” And it did. My skin was so plump, in fact, that I wondered if I had previously been walking around in a constant state of dehydration. (Probably.)
So…I think I’m a facial person now? I know, I know—that’s kind of like a person who doesn’t eat sushi trying it at the fanciest, most expensive sushi restaurant in town and then declaring they’re suddenly a sushi person. But whether or not I’m only a facial person after having the Rolls Royce of facials, I feel like I’ve seen the (red and blue LED) light. I’m going to try to maintain my results by getting at least semi-regular treatments from someone closer to home, and I’m going to use my IS Clinical, Dr. Gross and Garnier products religiously. And next time I’m in L.A., I’m going to try to drum up the nerve to see if I can schedule another treatment with Shani.
I’ve got her number now, after all.
Image via Alyssa Hertzig
