The lowdown on multi-level dermal peels
Road Test
This week I try … a multi-level dermal peel
The lowdown I'm visiting James Vivian – the travelling peelsman, who trundles his skin-brightening skills between Melbourne and Sydney – to have his Signature Dermal Therapy Treatment. This is a combination of topical and light-based therapies to target specific concerns – for me it's dehydration and lack of radiance. Each treatment is personalised: in my case, he massages physical and enzymatic exfoliants into my face. He follows this up with Cutera's Laser Genesis, which gently heats my skin to stimulate collagen production, refine pores, reduce redness and plump the skin. Then comes his famous chemical peel – "like ants in high heels crawling across the skin", as he describes it. The last step is a mask and serums.
Pain factor
It feels very active, but is comfortable at all times.
Downtime The process takes about 90 minutes, with no downtime.
Results My skin looks radiant.
Where to get it Melbourne and Sydney: James Vivian Dermal Therapies, jamesviviandt.com. Cost: $305.
At home Aspect Fruit Enzyme Mask (adorebeauty.com.au, $59).
Trend: Facial Spritzers
In a bid to keep our skin permanently hydrated, even at work, we have tracked down our top three favourite desk-side spritzers. These soothe skin, increase radiance and remove residual oil.
Add to Cart
This week's cart love is La Prairie Cellular Life-Lotion (laprairie.com.au, $895). It comes with a hefty price tag but is the perfect pre-winter skin booster, packed with restorative platinum peptides to help soothe skin suffering from summer toxin overload.
Naturally, this soothing lotion goes on like a dream.
Ask Stephanie
How do I apply magnetic lashes?
There is one school of thought that applying a coat of mascara first, then snapping the lashes into place makes this task easier. However, the general consensus is that it's still tricky getting all the lashes to align. So don't give up – practice really does make perfect.
Follow Stephanie Darling on Instagram @mrssdarling. Send questions to stephanie@darlingbeauty.com.au.
This article appears in Sunday Life magazine within the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on sale February 17.