Every red-carpet appearance is prefaced by a multitude of beauty treatments, but perhaps the most important are those performed on the face. Facials not only help improve the quality of the skin, but also what’s beneath it, creating the ultimate canvas for beautiful make-up–a nonnegotiable when you’re being photographed. So what, exactly, does it take to create award-winning skin? Here, Vogue speaks to some of the world’s most in-demand facialists to find out more.
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Lena Bratschi of Carasoin
“Our clients are in the spotlight, in front of millions of people in full HD, and what most people don’t realize is that, behind the glitz and the glamour, awards season is a demanding and grueling gauntlet of late-night events, press luncheons, ceremonies and interviews, all packed into a three-month sprint. My job is to make them look as fresh-faced as possible, despite all this stress,” says Los Angeles-based Lena Bratschi.
With clients that include Ryan Gosling, Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Debicki, Rooney and Kate Mara, Michelle Williams, and Jessie Buckley, it’s a busy time for Lena. “I like to work on different layers of the skin, so I always start with a gentle exfoliation–I might use the ultrasonic exfoliator or a jet peel that uses medical-grade IV saline to ensure there are no reactions pre-event,” she explains. “I then work on a sculpted look, using non-fractional radiofrequency to smooth fine lines and build collagen. It’s like doing a warm-up before a workout, and I like to follow with intense microcurrents, sometimes with probes, other times with contouring gloves.” These techniques work synergistically to create the ultimate sculpted, lifted appearance.
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Jasmina Vico specializes in prepping skin for the camera, with clients including Margot Robbie, America Ferrera, Jodie Comer, and Elizabeth Debicki. Her go-to before the red carpet? The Vico Elevate treatment, which is all about sculpting and toning the face. Combining lymphatic drainage “to get rid of excess fluid, detox the lymph and oxygenate the skin” with buccal massage and TMJ release to lift some muscles and relax others, the treatment isn’t just great for those who are traveling, but also those who are (inevitably) tired.
“The final step is electro-muscle stimulation and radiofrequency to lift the muscles and define the cheek and jawline area,” she explains, adding that she applies her hydrating and plumping serum, Screen Star, before each client leaves. “Skin looks lifted, energized and illuminated.”
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Keren Bartov’s aim is always to create a natural-looking glow, whatever her clients’ skin concerns. Before the red carpet, she performs her Bespoke Ultimate Glow Skin Treatment, which the likes of Florence Pugh, Carey Mulligan, Natalie Portman, and Rashida Jones have enjoyed in their time. “My treatments incorporate a combination of facial massage, lymphatic drainage and light peels, combined with clinically proven medical technologies,” she explains. “One of my new favorites is the TriLift, a new facial muscle stimulation device that tones and lifts, boosting natural volume.”
She combines it with NuEra Tight, a temperature-controlled radiofrequency machine which tightens and sculpts, and Geneo X, which triggers the skin’s regeneration process using a combination of ultrasound, massage and “oxfoliation” to achieve camera-ready, confidence-giving skin.
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Jennifer Aniston, Dua Lipa, Riley Keough, and Jessica Chastain… just some of the names on Melanie Grant’s client list, many of whom are “opting for more natural, skin-centric beauty looks” nowadays. She achieves a “bright, refined and plump finish” through a bespoke treatment that marries ultra-fine diamond microdermabrasion (to dust away surface debris) with an energizing enzyme peel (to metabolize dead skin and flood the tissues with nutrients from within), creating the most incredible glow.
“I love to infuse Augustinus Bader’s The Serum with sonophoresis [ultrasound] to quench and hydrate, followed by a firming, lifting and sculpting European massage with the brand’s The Cream Face Mask,” she says. “I always finish my pre-event treatments with LED light therapy to revive the complexion, boost collagen, elastin and hydration, and guarantee instant, red-carpet-ready luminosity.”