Happy Tuesday friends!
I am so excited for today's blog post. If you follow me on Instagram you may remember about a week and a half ago, I got a facial. My first facial to be exact. Rayanna who used to do my lashes, (she still does my waxing), recently got back into the skincare game. When she asked if I wanted to try out a facial I immediately said YES!!!
Today I'm going to share my full experience with y'all! (Spoiler alert... it was AMAZING!)
Let me start by telling you that Rayanna has moved to a new office and it is so freaking cute! It's the ultimate girly office which in my opinion is exactly what you want when you're going to get pampered with lash extensions, a facial or anything like that.
We always start out appointments catching up and then she walks me through what we'll be doing. This visit she told me all about the facial, and that she would be doing a microdermabrasion, if my skin could handle it. When she said this I got a little nervous. I immediately had images of Samantha from Sex in the City!!
Image via Instyle
When I told Rayanna this she started laughing and she promised that would not happen in the slightest! Once I got over my fear she left the room so I could change into a little robe and get on the heated table under a sheet. (If you've never had a facial think of a similar situation as when you get a massage.)
Once Rayanna came back she put a wrap around my hair and got to work.
She starts each facial with a skin analysis. This helps her determine the thickness/thinness of your skin. (This is especially important if you are getting a microdermabrasion because it will help her determine if your skin can handle it.)
After that is done she turns on a steamer and starts to steam your face. This helps to really open your pores, so when she cleanses your skin, all the dirt really comes out. (Side note: Since she does cleanse your skin you can wear any products & makeup that you want. I didn't because I wasn't sure and I wasn't really doing anything earlier in the day. This is a good thing to know in case you are getting a facial after work so you can wear makeup to the office.)
Rayanna gets your skin nice and clean by doing a double cleanse. The first one is just a surface cleanse and the second one is more of a deep cleanse. Again, really working to get all the dirt and grim off your skin. This was probably my favorite part of the facial. I never knew how relaxing it could be to have someone else wash your face. Forget a glam squad... I want someone that will wash my face every morning and every night! haha
After your skin is double cleansed it's time for Rayanna to go over your skin with the ultrasonic. This is essentially a skin scrubber/scrapper and makes sure everything gets out of your pores through vibration. This is really hard to explain as far as feeling goes. It doesn't hurt in the slightest and it just feels like she is rubbing some type of tool over your face. Again really hard to explain. Just know it doesn't hurt. I feel like that's always the most important thing in beauty treatments.
After that if you choose to get a microdermabrasion it's show time!! (This is an add on for facials and again will depend on your skin and any past medical history.)
Rayanna had me feel my nose and chin before she started everything and then after she was done. My skin on my nose was so rough and it felt like there was a ton of dead skin. After she was done it was so so smooth. This was due to the microdermabrasion. It really helps with any congested areas. The treatment itself is basically a suction tool she runs over all the areas of your face and décoretage 2-3 times. (She also showed me the filter after and it was not pretty. haha Just keeping it real for y'all.)
After that it's time for masks. The first one is a Vitamin C enzyme mask. This starts with steam as well because it needs the steam to stimulate the enzymes. This one is active and the enzymes eat away all your dead skin cells. After this one works it's magic it's time for a balancing gel mask. This one sits on your skin for about 10-15 minutes and Rayanna gives you a hand and arm massage. (It felt amazing. She was also the first person to ever give me a massage and tell me that I felt relaxed. Normally the massage therapist say relax and when I say that I am they reply with NO! You are not!)
Once the mask has sat long enough she wipes it off and finishes the facial with a serum, SPF moisturizer and a lip treatment. Once all of that is applied you finally get to see your beautifully glowing skin! (Check out my smile in the after pictures below.) This is also when she let me touch my nose and I could feel such a HUGE difference.
Afterwards Rayanna went over aftercare with me. This is very important especially if you get a microdermabrasion.
Aftercare:
1. Avoid sun exposure for 24 hours.
2. Avoid any serums/creams/moisturizers/etc. that contain acids for 48 hours.
3. Make sure to use SPF (more than just what's in your makeup like I normally think is fine) to avoid hyperpigmentation and burns.
4. Makeup and normal cleansing is fine.
Facials just might be my new favorite thing! I can't wait for my next one. Rayanna decided to do a 3 series facial on me to help with the congestion on my nose and chin. It's been about a week and a half and my skin still feels really clear.
Check out my before and after pics below!
If you are in the Jacksonville area I cannot recommend Rayanna enough if you need a facialist. If you've never had one you definitely need to check her out!! (She's also a great lash artist and awesome at waxing.) You can use code "KATIE10" for $10 off any service too.
