When it comes to bridal beauty crunch time, a soapy shave, glaze of cherry gloss and coat of drugstore mascara don’t always make the cut. Still, a good spruce-up doesn’t require a synthetic dolling-up. Makeup trends are fickle, and yellow shadow today may inspire a flush of red tomorrow. Good skin, on the other hand, is always in. To achieve that pre-adolescent porcelain mug, replace the foundation cake-on with a premeditated spa treatment of pinchable results.
Though sometimes met with innocent hesitation, microdermabrasion and laser hair removal are beauty staples as far as prepping goes. While typically safe, traditional methods can initially ignite irritation, making morning-of exfoliations a bit risky. PEAU, a medical esthetics clinic in downtown Montreal, enlightens our pre-conceived notions and inspires hair-trigger appointments with refined technologies, sweet-tempered machinery, and innovative spa products for cherubic skin without the prerequisite bruised rouge. This way, no matter where you and your closet full of disappointing beauty products reside, you’ll know just what to look for in skin-care. More importantly, you’ll learn what vitals to interrogate on when placing your prettiest, most salient organ in the hands of supposed specialists.
diamonds are a girl’s two-faced friend
Microdermabrasion is a powerful exfoliant that removes any dead skin shrouding rosy cheeks beneath. To look and feel pretty as a peach can be as easy as consult, peel, soothe, just so long as you know your options and your skin’s likes and dislikes. A formula catered to the individual will ensure the mental ease of any good pampering, as opposed to procedure-inspired anxiety.
Most microdermabrasion machines employ diamond or crystal tips, and while effective, the method is pretty abrasive. Those suffering from sensitivity may find the experience something akin to a sand-papering. Alternatively, PEAU’s oscillating blade pioneers acne and rosacea-ridden skin, gently and gradually purifying the face. Not only is downtime virtually vanquished, the smooth-surfaced blade leaves no room for infection, as extracting the previous patient’s skin isn’t reduced to an art. Elevating the procedure to spa-statue, post-treatment products include a cleanser, mask and cream - all the offspring of a local, award-winning line, and specifically chosen to delight your personal skin type.
smooth sailing
While it’s recommended that you indulge in unobtrusive microdermabrasion the day prior to or of your fete for optimal radiance, laser hair removal requires a bit more forethought. Docility embraces all of PEAU’s technologies, so even this treatment trumps presuppositions of pain and inflammation. Yet however gentle their in-motion machine, (steadily removing hairs instead of instantly zapping the buggers), growth cycles call for at least six treatments over thirty weeks. So, if a honeymoon free of early morning primping sessions locked in the hotel bathroom is your real definition of “vacation,” chuck your razors and kiss hot, drippy, sticky wax goodbye about a year before wedding your sweetheart.
Wherever you go, fresh tans are not welcome (burning a burn is never hot), hiding from the sun is imperative for after-care, and the end result is permanently smooth and silky skin. But most treatments work best on dark hair residing within light skin, as lasers search for melanin (dark pigment) and need that stark contrast to triumph over fuzz, bristle and tuft. If you’re on the dark side, inquire after places like PEAU, who target all skin types and levels of pigment - no creepy bleaching involved.
peau - doctor recommended
PEAU’s best quality is its in-house doctor, an on hand professional offering consultations and providing know-how and blanket-like security for all sceptics. Brides with sensitive skin, or those looking for an alternative to the esthetician’s office shouldn’t hesitate to revel in the extra bit of assurance a certified dermatologist can bestow. For whatever reason, if a doctor’s office is not for you, be sure to do your own research and ask your esthetician any and every not-so-silly question that triggers your nerves.