Photography: Estheclinic
Great looking makeup is a result of great looking skin. So before you go for a makeup trial, do set aside time and money for a few facials, to fix nagging skin concerns that could potentially affect the outcome of your wedding day makeup. We recommend these facials that address a whole laundry list of concerns.
Dehydration and clogged pores
Part of the reason why many of us suffer from acne, blackheads and dullness is because we don't exfoliate or moisturise enough, thereby causing an imbalance in our water-oil ratio. Bella Skin Care addresses this problem with AquaDew Pro facial ($300 for 90 min) – a skin resurfacing technology that provides non-invasive exfoliation and delivery of exclusively formulated serums to renew, exfoliate, and hydrate, giving skin an overall luminous glow.
As with every facial at Bella, the treatment starts with a hand paraffin treatment. After a deep cleanse, the therapist conducts exfoliation using a spiral-tipped applicator with abrasive edges. As it presses onto the face and neck, a serum made of a skin-softening cocktail of lactic acid, algae, glucosamine, yeast and green tea, is dispensed onto the skin. Then the tip gently glides along the skin to clear debris with a mild suction to aid lymphatic drainage.
Without any need for steaming, extraction starts, followed by a soothing massage using a rich face cream. Another round of spiral tip serum infusion is done using a different cocktail blend, either an Antiseptic Serum to address oily blemished skin, or Antioxidant Serum to combat anti-ageing issues.
Finally it ends with a cooling spirulina mask and back massage. There's a remarkable improvement after just one session – refined lines, clearer and smaller pores, luminous supple skin and no more neck creases! First-timers, do take advantage of the trial price at $168.
Pigmentation and dark spots
If you have dull skin from all those late nights, emerging sun spots or old acne scars that haven't disappeared, D.C.M Revitalizing Skin Treatment ($338 before GST for 120 min) at d'skin is the perfect remedy. The secret is not the machinery, but really good products formulated in Japan made for Asian skincare concerns.
For this treatment, Mira White brightening products are used to effectively control and prevent factors that contribute to uneven skin tone, pigmentation and ageing issues. It also helps to nourish, hydrate and plump up fine lines and rejuvenate your skin. It's believed that your complexion will look 20% fairer in a week with daily use.
Before the facial commences, we undergo a thorough check on hydration, pH, sebum, elasticity, pores and melanin levels, using Soft Plus computer-generated skin assessment system. Based on the report, the facialist will be able to determine the right products to use for the treatment.
Using traditional facial steps, skin is double cleansed, exfoliated and steamed. Then manual extraction commences, with the added bonus of eyebrow trimming. After that, the therapist used ultrasonic and high-voltage pulse technology to deliver a potent cocktail of skin brightening ingredients into the skin.
That is followed by a deeply hydrating face massage that extends all the way to the arms, head, shoulders and mid-back. We guarantee you will fall asleep! After that, we enjoy not one but two masks layered on top of the other.
Puffiness and sagging
The perfect solution to chipmunk cheeks and a droopy smile is Face Endermologie at LPG Endermospa. The French brand, known for its skin firming and cellulite-blasting technology, now has a miniaturised machine just for the face and the results are quite extraordinary. We tried the Anti-Aging Resculpting Endermolift ($750 for 45 min) which includes Face Endermologie, LPG Peel, and Post-Treatment Collagen Mask.
This uses a handheld applicator that massages the face using rollers and a vacuum suction that gently tugs the skin to bring back the spring, awaken sluggish cells, rev up collagen production and give your fat cells a good workout. The sensation is akin to being kissed by dozens of sucker fishes or tiny pitter-patters depending on which part of the face is treated.
The therapist Serene did half my face and the results were tremendously uplifting (pun intended). My face looked less bloated, my brow arches were higher, and she even managed to rebalance my lopsided jaw. To retain a slim face, it's recommended that you do 2 sessions weekly for at least a month before the wedding.
After that she proceeds to manually apply LPG Peel onto the skin and leaves it on for a minute or so. Packed in a large syringe, the peel contains a customised percentage of glycolic and mandelic acid, to exfoliate skin and boost cellular regeneration. After that, skin is cooled and soothed with a nano-gel collagen mask enriched with nourishing collagen, hyaluronic acid and licorice extract.
Brought in by Mary Chia Holdings, which also launched medical aesthetics arm Scinn Medical Centre next door, LPG Endermospa focuses only on LPG Endermologie Cosmétiques, offering a full array of face and body solutions, plus skincare for retail.
Dullness and fatigue
If you haven't got much time to spare, Skin Inc Mask-to-Perfection Treatment ($160 for 45min) is the perfect lunchtime quickie you need to revive dull skin. This is a quintuple treat for your skin to deeply cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, oxygenate and micro-circulate. Available at Skin Inc Concept Store at Ion Orchard, and pop-up boutique at B1-23 Scotts Square Tel: 6536-6789 (open till end-March 2016).
Begins with a Skin Identity Check to determine what three kinds serums the facialist needs to use to create your very own My Daily Dose Custom-Blended Serum. Head to the cosy treatment room and commence a two-step cleansing ritual using Skin Inc's awesome products. That's followed by the Oxy Miracle Peel where the therapist uses an Oxyjet applicator wand to gently exfoliate and pressure-wash skin with oxygen and saline. The light scraping of my skin and immersion of oxygen cleanses skin thoroughly and boosts circulation.
After that, I enjoy a face massage with my custom-blended serum and a multi-masking treatment of Pure Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask followed by the super creamy Get Glowin' Brightening Mask. By the end of it, skin feels springy like a wet sponge and very luminous.
Enlarged pores and wrinkles
For all you IPL addicts, enjoy radiance boosting remedy without the pain with EstheClinic Glow To Go IPL Skin Rejuvenation Treatment ($220 for 30 min). Instead of the usual painful heat zaps, EstheClinic's IPL machine uses a cutting-edge MacPeel technology which gradually raises the heat of the dermis, for a more comfortable and pain free experience, and is twice as fast.
No more rubber-band snapping sensation or numbing cream needed, that's a promise! And there's no post-treatment irritation or redness, so you could even do this just before the wedding for a radiance boost.
The session is pretty much a cleanse-IPL-skincare application process that lasts just under 45 minutes. Not only does IPL boost radiance, lighten pigments and overall skin tone, it promotes regeneration and collagen production to refine skin, shrink enlarged pores and decrease fine lines and wrinkles.
A series of 6 to 8 sessions once every 3 to 4 weeks is recommended for optimum results and packages are available – $1100 for 6 sessions or $1650 for 10 sessions.
All signs of ageing
If signs of ageing are creeping up on you, it's time to address it with Haach Diamond Age-Defying Marine Miracle Facial Treatment ($800 for 90 min). First timers enjoy a trial session at an exclusive rate of $99. Text 8242-8811 in this format
No fancy machines here; just a traditional six-step facial using high-quality products from the ultra-luxe Diamond line, containing marine trace elements, seaweed, herbal extracts and nano-fine diamond powder. Together they work to reset the skin, minimise pores, improve tone, smoothen wrinkles, lighten scars and stubborn pigmentation, and promote lifting and firming.
Instead of a granular exfoliator, the therapist applies a Marine Concentrate and lets it dry till it's hard enough to manually rub off. This puts less stress on sensitive skin and really erases away dead skin and dirt effectively. You can already see glow after this step.
After eyebrow trimming, extraction and luxurious face massage, we enjoy a dual-mask session of creamy Micro Marine Renewal Mask to strengthen elastin and collagen, and Hydra Illuminating Marine Mask to lock in moisture and energise dull skin. Once removed, I looked so rejuvenated like I went on holiday. Skin tone was evened-out and considerably fairer!
The mega all-in-one
Everything that could possibly go wrong with your skin has already gone awry? Then you need the mother of all facials – the geneO+ Super Facial ($758 for 90 min) available at Estetica Beauty Studio.
Addressing everything from dullness to dehydration, blemishes, pigmentation, open pores, saggy jowls and wrinkles, it combines three facials from its ala carte menu. They are Tripollar RF Face Therapy, OxyGeneo 3-in-1 Face Therapy and Ultrasonic Face Therapy, made to nourish and oxygenate, and give you younger looking skin after just one treatment. It is recommended that you do this once a week for at least four to six consecutive weeks before the wedding, followed by monthly touch-ups.
The session begins with Tripollar RF Face Therapy using a wand that emits radio frequency energy to the dermal layer of the skin. The very comfortable deep-heating effect increases collagen production resulting in tighter, younger looking skin and more refined lines.
The OxyGeneo 3-in-1 Face Therapy is my favourite step. Combining a customised gel of natural active ingredients (NeoRevive for anti-ageing, NeoBright for brightening) and a sandpaper-looking exfoliating pad, the therapist scrubs my skin raw to reveal skin as smooth as my 15-month-old niece! While this is going on, the gel filled with carbon dioxide, causes an oxygenating effect that infuses the active ingredients deeper into the skin to increase blood flow and cell metabolism. If you are keen to just try this step, register online and pay a trial price of only $98.
Lastly, skin is quickly calmed with Ultrasonic Face Therapy. Anna, the facialist massages in a hydrating serum using a smooth metallic pad emitting ultrasound waves to stimulate absorption, cellular metabolism and circulation. At the end of it, my skin did not just feel baby smooth, it had a glow that I hadn't seen in a decade!
