Once upon a time, I was a little Los Angeles Nooooooob (lol, still am).
I was looking for a place to get a quick facial, and I came across FaceHaus, which is conveniently a short walk from my apartment (but they have multiple locations so find your closest locale on their website!). I did a little browsing of their “Menu” online, and I booked myself a little splurge-on-my-skin appointment.
Sidenote: as a blogger, I’m constantly trying to develop my “brand,” so I’m really taking note of branding lately. FaceHaus does an brilliant job of this (so I had to add some photos of their space… obviously).
I can say (hands-down) that I had the best facial of my life at FaceHaus (probably because people like Mally [ just wait, y’all will love her! ] are the estheticians). I got the ‘Powerhaus’ facial, which is a combo of their ‘Haus Special’ and their ‘Power to the Peel,’ and then I added they ‘Eye Do’ Eye treatment & the ‘Cool Blast’ hydrating add-on (which was my faaaavvvvv). I left feeling like a million bucks. Also, they carry Eminence, so you know I’m freakin’ hooked on this place.
Any-who, I have gotten various questions about skincare lately: what to do about blackheads, what routine to go through, what products to use, etc, etc, etc. I felt that Mally was better-equipt to answer these Qs, so I asked her for you! You guys are going to flip….. this is probably my most informative interview yet. I don’t want to give toooo much away, so let’s get to it:
» Introduce Yourself.
Mally: My name is Mally Jones, and I’m an esthetician and one of the managers of Face Haus’ West Hollywood shop. I was born and raised in New Mexico, and moved to Los Angeles after getting a degree in Engineering. My career switch to esthetics came after I received a skin-changing facial; I needed to treat the sudden assault of acne that struck around my 23rd birthday, and this sweet woman with a full understanding of skin and ingredients came along and POW! healed my deal. My job at the time didn’t fulfill the part of me that wanted to help people out, especially through education and empowerment, and I thought getting behind the chair and working with people’s skin would get me there. I feel so fortunate to do what I do! Plus, estheticians are a bunch of nerds like me – we can dig deep and it’s all about ingredient and condition knowledge – it’s a fun environment.
» As a facialist, what is the #1 problem you see with young Womens’ skin?
Mally: Primarily, I’m seeing a lot of problems stemming from lack of hydration and inflammation of the skin. A comment I hear a lot is, “I never broke out in my teens, but since I entered my twenties, everything’s changed!” A lot of us are still relying on teenage solutions for what’s grown to be skin with different needs. The “dry bombs”, drying treatments and intense medications, aren’t always the answer for young adult skin, which can be a lot more sensitive than a teen’s. Often, the simple solution is more surface hydration (night and day) to quell the overproduction of oil, and the use of anti-inflammatory ingredients to calm the skin and prevent perpetual irritation. Of course in some people, hormonal changes (especially for women in their 20s) are to blame and a more aggressive course of action is needed, but I feel like allowing our skin to balance and heal itself should always be the place to start.
» What would you consider the perfect skincare routine for young women at night/ in the morning?
Mally: Start the day with a good hydrating cleanser (foamy and milky options are both great) to balance overnight water-loss and oil-production, and follow with a good spritz of your favorite toner. Toners should smell great without added fragrance or alcohol. While your skin is still moist, apply your favorite moisturizer – aim for one with antioxidants and hyaluronic acid! Applying moisturizer to the skin while moist with your toner assures it can penetrate most deeply. Of course sunscreen is a must, especially in environmentally unfriendly Los Angeles! My favorite is an SPF 30 physical sunscreen from Suntegrity – it’s a tinted sunscreen, which is easily reapplied through the day on top of makeup. Midday, if you’re on the dry side, carry that toner you love in a spray bottle in your bag for a midday aromatherapy refresher. Same routine at night, though if you wear heavy makeup, I advise using a milky/gel cleanser to get that makeup off, and then cleanse again with your foamy/preferred cleanser to sweep a little deeper into the pores. Serums can be optionally applied after your toner – this is where you will find the most potent ingredients – I’m a big fan of Eminence Licorice Root Booster, or a Vitamin C. Regarding exfoliation, I advise my clients to use a gentle scrub 3 times a week at night. There are many schools of thought on this, but for young adult skin, I think exfoliating every day is unnecessary and sensitizing.
» What is your #1, most important skincare tip you can share with us? Mally: Clay masks, man. They are just the best! Used a couple times a week after a steamy shower, applied all over and removed once dry (usually around 5 minutes, followed by a moisturizer) will help get any skin congestion on its dirty little way, gently exfoliate, and soften the skin. Eminence makes a clay mask with a shea butter base that is divine! It can be used as an overnight treatment. Balance that treatment with a more moisturizing mask the next day if you’re on the dry side, and you’re looking fine.
» HELP– Wtf do I need to be eating/drinking for healthier skin?
Mally: Just what you’d expect: water, fruits, and vegetables. Leafy, watery vegetables like romaine lettuce are famously skin friendly. Anti-inflammatory foods and teas, along with those rich in antioxidants, are going to be great healers and inherently help you age gracefully. A lot of people find that dairy and coffee are unhelpful for the skin – each of us needs to listen to our own skin on this one, but caffeine’s inflammatory properties are certainly not helping us. I sub coffee out for green teas. There is still caffeine there, but less of it and a gamut of antioxidants.
» What is the most popular FaceHaus facial?
Mally: The Haus Special is always a great place to start: It’s a super hydrating and anti-inflammatory facial on its own, and anyone who wants to amp it up can choose any of our $10 add-ons to go with it. In lieu of extractions, The Haus Special facial comes with either of our oxygenating treatments: the Cool Blast and Bright Blast are a hydrating, antibacterial, balancing infusion and a Vitamin C infusion, respectively. During the mask and massage portion of this facial, we use our special Cool Globes on the skin. These are fantastic – glass globes stored in the refrigerator are massaged over the skin to calm any redness or sensitivity – a total client favorite! Our clients will often ask to add the Pore Me enhancement, which is 10 minutes of extractions, to complete their treatment. At the end of a facial, we always use Suntegrity’s fabulous tinted zinc oxide on the skin before we send you out the door.
Another popular facial is also our newest, the Dr. Lancer’s Polishing Act. It’s a microdermabrasion facial that uses exclusively products from the Lancer line and includes a Blast and a microcurrent treatment at the end that instantly tones and firms.
» Which FaceHaus facial is your favorite?
Mally: The facial I do most at Face Haus is our Baby Face facial, which is designed to treat mature skin. I love it because it’s also suitable for those who are just beginning to show signs of aging, but who might be dealing with occasional breakouts, too. We use primarily organic products in our back bar from Eminence Organics, and Baby Face is no exception. After a double cleanse, we use Eminence’s fabulous Yam and Pumpkin Enzyme Peel – it’s supercharged with some exfoliating acids that are going to penetrate and turn over those dead skin cells on a deeper level – it instantly improves texture, and makes the skin feel straight up juicy, I love it! Baby Face regulars will generally add the Eye Do or Pucker Up add-ons to their treatment, which target eye and lip areas needing gentle exfoliation and deeper moisture. Baby Face facial includes extractions, and our Cool Blast is a great add-on afterward to knock out any remaining bacteria, and to cool the skin down with our Cool Globes. I tend to use Hylunia’s Antioxidant Vitamin Mask, Beyond C Serum and their Ultimate Antioxidant Moisturizer in this treatment, which are loaded with hyaluronic acid and antioxidants, anti-aging superstar ingredients. Suntegrity on top and they’re good to go!
My other favorite is our Skinceuticals Glycolic peel. This is the treatment I have my coworkers do on me to treat my hyperpigmentation, it is a terrific light peel that retexturizes my skin immediately.
» How often should young women get a facial? Is it worth the splurge? Mally: When someone wants to target an issue in their skin, I recommend coming in every 1-2 weeks for 5 or so sessions in a row. After that, they can switch to “maintenance mode” and come every month or two. This is true because facials are most effectively done in a series, especially with the peels we administer, and getting congestion out is a huge boon to healing pesky breakouts on the chin and jaw area common to young women.
» What skincare line is your absolute favorite? Or, do you have a single one?
Mally: I’m a huge Eminence fan (<< a girl after my own heart!!). It was a situation where I had to see it to believe it, but I’m a strong believer that a number of their products might contain actual magic. Namely the Licorice Root Booster (for hyperpigmentation and any type of inflammation) and the Clear Skin Probiotic Mask and Moisturizer (containing tea tree, shea butter, yogurt, and real-live peace of mind). For gals on a budget, a great drugstore find is CeraVe’s Hydrating Cleanser; it’s super calming, hydrates with fabulous ingredients, and removes makeup, no problem. Andalou Naturals also makes a great drugstore Vitamin C serum for anyone looking for some potent antioxidants.
» Any tips for doing an at-home, cheapie mini facial?
Mally: Clay masks are a fabulous way to exfoliate and clean your skin at home. I’m not the first person to say this, and believe me I too have been guilty of it: Picking our skin at home just isn’t helping. You know in Physics how a particle changes its behavior when someone is observing it? The same thing happens to a blackhead or pimple when we try and pick them on our own skin, it becomes unwieldy and a bad situation! When we pick in the mirror, we can’t see well enough and we don’t know when enough is enough – it’s a recipe for disaster and lasting damage, don’t do it!
» The FaceHaus ‘The Main Squeeze’ is all about getting rid of surprise, unwanted visitors on your face. Any tips for how to do this at home (without the fancy spa gear)?
Mally: Again, I do not advise people do this at home. Let a professional do it for $10 at Face Haus! A pimple that can be popped at home, one where the white pus is totally visible at the surface, should take almost zero pressure to open. Push very lightly using fingers wrapped in gauze around the pimple, and use a wiggling motion rather than pushing down into the skin’s surface. If slight wiggling doesn’t work, give up, I promise you won’t regret it! If the pimple does open, keep softly squeezing the pimple into a tissue at least until it stops bleeding. Gently clean the area, and place a fat dollop of a clay mask on top for a few minutes to dry the area. Rinse, and moisturize. Neosporin goes a long way in this first phase of healing, you don’t want to use drying solutions anymore. But seriously, don’t listen to what I’ve said, go see a professional! 🙂
» Blackheads. My worst enemy: How-to get rid of them (in-spa and at home)?
Mally: Picking at the skin and self-extracting blackheads is not a good idea. Proper prep in a professional environment is the only way to do this in a non-damaging and helpful way. A non-invasive way to keep blackheads at bay is using a gentle salicylic cleanser or serum; salicylic acid is oil hungry and sweeps debris out of pores. Clay masks are also great at loosening skin congestion.
» Since I live right next to this FaceHaus location, I gotta know: What is your fav LA spot for a quick lunch during work hours?
Mally: I am obsessed with Plancha Tacos. I get a tiger shrimp taco wrapped in lettuce and with a side of beans. Their beans are something else, they are a healthier kind of remix of typical refried beans. Every order comes with fresh and delicious tortilla chips – it’s seriously amazing!!!
SO BASICALLY, I’M GOING TO BUY A FREAKIN’ CLAY MASK.
I hope y’all found this as informative as I did!!! Any more Qs for Mally? I’ll relay them to her, just comment below!
Also, check out the FaceHaus website, and their Instagram! Love this place.
Until Next Time. TGIF, amiright?
P