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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In all the years that I have been obsessed with makeup and skincare, I’ve never really thought about facials. They were for whatever reason never on my list of must-do things. I had had a facial maybe once a year if not less in my late twenties, it just wasn’t something I thought about. When I reached my thirties I started to get really interested in skin care, in doing so, I read a lot about facials ands how they could help relieve some of my skin issues.

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How One Facial Per Month Changed My Skin

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I got really serious about this around 7 months ago. I made an appointment at a local place where they do facials. After the first one, I was so impressed with how my skin felt afterward that I immediately made an appointment for a month later.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

My Skin Type

For most of my adult life I have had normal skin but when I turned 30, everything changed. My skin did a complete 360 and all of the sudden I was someone who had dry skin. I’ve battled with this for a few years and for anyone else who has this Sahara desert-like, flakey, dry, itchy skin…I know you get it. It’s so annoying. My skin was constantly dry, flakey, dehydrated, dull, and was a real issue while wearing makeup (cake-face city). Add to that my pretty regular redness, and light sensitivity and I wanted to punch things.

I tried hundreds of products and no matter what, I just couldn’t come up with a routine that worked for me. Even if I found products that worked for a month or two, my skin would go back to dehydrated, dull, and flakey. I decided that I needed to do something, and I wanted a professional to help me figure this out. That’s where Hand & Stone came into the picture. They offer massage therapy as well as many different types of facials. I signed up for their monthly membership, which is like $59 and you get 1 massage or 1 facial per month. That was 7 months ago.

My First Facial

When I went in for my first facial, I spent about 35-40 minutes just chatting with the aesthetician/skin therapist going over my main skin concerns. I gave her a list of the products I was currently using. We talked about the congestion/blackheads I had in certain areas and the overall state of my skin. This was really important for me because I wanted to make sure we could address each issue and see if they were product based, lifestyle-based, or genetics.

The facial itself lasts about 50 minutes, I went with one of their upgraded options for deep hydration. She did a steam and some extractions as well. When all was said and done my face felt and looked AMAZING. My redness had calmed down (likely due to the ice cube she used during the hydrating sheet mask portion of the facial), my skin felt super soft and hydrated. At this point, she gave me product recommendations and we scheduled my next appointment for the next month. I was all in, I wanted to take advantage of her wealth of information so I purchased each product she recommended so that I could change my entire routine and do the monthly facials in tandem.

Post-Facial Tips

DRINK MORE WATER | She explained how dehydrated my skin was and part of the reason why is because I was drinking almost zero water daily. This had to change, if I wanted to change my skin, I needed to get back to drinking water and a lot of it, daily.
CHANGE PRODUCTS | A few of the products I was using were doing my skin no favors. It was time to change it up. Keeping in mind that I do a lot of product testing we left space for that at-times but created an anchoring routine that I could always fall back on.

Product Recommendations

Hand & Stone has a partnership with Dermalogica and these were the products being recommended to me. And it wasn’t in the I’m just trying to sell you this kind of way. She was genuine and excited about these products, I had never tried them but have heard others rave so it was an easy decision to pick some up.

DERMALOGICA PRECLEANSE | Deep-cleansing oil melts impurities and make-up from skin. As the first step in your Double Cleanse regimen, PreCleanse thoroughly melts away layers of excess sebum (oil), sunscreen, waterproof make-up, pollutants and products that build up on the skin, allowing your prescribed Dermalogica Cleanser to penetrate even further for professional cleansing results.

This is the one product I had heard a ton about pre-facial, it seems like everyone was talking about this. I made sure to grab this for a staple in my double-cleanse routine and I am happy I did. I love how easily my makeup comes off with this and when I do this vs a makeup wipe, my skin doesn’t feel as dried out once my makeup is removed.

DERMALOGICA ULTRACALMING CLEANSER | Gentle cleansing gel/cream for reactive skin. Helps calm and cool the redness and heat associated with reactive, sensitized or overprocessed skin, and easily rinses away or wipes off, making it ideal for sensitized skin.

This is the BEST cleanser I have ever used. Seriously. It calms my redness and completely aids in hydration with my skin. I was using a cleanser with a ton of vitamin C when I started my facials and we decided I needed something a little bit more calming. This is the real deal.

DERMALOGICA ULTRACALMING MIST | A soothing, hydrating mist to calm redness and sensitivity. Used post-cleanse, this lightweight mist helps create a shield against environmental assaults and synergistically relieves and restores skin while fighting future flare-ups.

I use this mist multiple times a day. Whenever my redness is flaring up I spritz some on, I also use it in both my AM and PM skincare routine in place of a traditional toner. It’s probably my favorite of this entire line-up.

DERMALOGICA ACTIVE MOIST | Sheer, easy-to-apply Active Moist formula contains Silk Amino Acids and a unique combination of plant extracts that help improve skin texture and combat surface dehydration.

We’re using two moisturizers in this routine, the first one dealing with surface dehydration. I really enjoy this one for no-makeup days,when I want to make sure I’m moisturized even if I’m just staying in my office working.

DERMALOGICA BARRIER REPAIR | Velvety moisturizer helps fortify sensitized skin with a damaged barrier. Use this unique anhydrous (waterless) moisturizer after toning to help shield against environmental and internal triggers that cause skin stress, and minimize discomfort, burning, and itching.

This is for real, the best moisturizer I have ever used and I think is one of the biggest reasons my skin is in the place it is now. I especially love it pre-makeup it works as a moisturizing primer essentially. It leaves my skin feeling super soft and smooth. I feel like the name is perfect because I really feel like not only is it helping my damaged barrier but it’s also acting as a barrier for my skin. I am obsessed.

DERMALOGICA DAILY SUPERFOLIANT | This highly-active resurfacer delivers your smoothest skin ever and helps fight the biochemical and environmental triggers known to accelerate skin aging.

My skin therapist suggested exfoliation in this form but she did make sure to tell me not to actually use it daily. I use this once every three days to exfoliate and I love it.

Final Thoughts

So here we are, seven months later and an entirely new skincare routine. My skin? It’s leaps and bounds better than it has been in the past. My flaking skin is completely gone. Makeup goes on so much better. My skin looks brighter and more hydrated without makeup. While it’s still dry and I don’t think that’s going to change much it’s a lot easier to handle. I can instantly tell when I get lazy and I’m not using the same products or doing nothing at all that my skin goes back to being super dry. I encourage you to go out and get yourself a facial. Just one per month can completely change your skin.