But she had made her come back in full force.
The school’s summer ball was fast approaching and as head of the PTA, Sandra was pulling out all the stops.
With only 1 month left to go, the competition was fierce. On Monday, when Sandra stepped out of her sports car, complete with personalised number plate, I was almost blinded by her cheekbones.
How much highlighter could one woman use? She must have been buying it by the bucket load. I have to admit, her foundation was flawless, not one pore in sight.
The few dads who were brave enough to tackle the morning school routine stopped in their tracks.
Alright for some.
If I make it out of the house with time to brush my hair through once beforehand, I consider that to be a great achievement. There was no way I would have time to get through a 20-step makeup routine.
I was going to have to go another way…
I had overheard my daughter Laura talking about ‘skinfluencers’ with her friends on the phone a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but if it was trending on Instagram, Sandra knew about it.
It was time to level the playing field.
I opened up the web browser on my phone and entered ‘skinfluencers’ into the search bar.
Skinfluencer: someone who searches for the glow from within
…glow from within, beauty from the inside out… that’s it! I had to change tack, it’s not about makeup, more the canvas that you paint it onto.
Your skin!
I had seen a recent post from Hampson Beauty Clinic promoting their range of advanced facials and knew that they were the best way to really target the underlying issues with my skin and achieve long-lasting results.
We decided to start with dermaplaning. I was told that this treatment is based on gentle facial exfoliation that scrapes away dead skin cells to reveal a smoother, brighter complexion. More importantly, it is a great first advanced facial treatment to book in for, as it helps to prepare the skin for more intrusive procedures such as microneedling.
After just one session, I already noticed a huge difference in my skin. I looked brand new! My skin had a youthful, dewy appearance. Laura couldn’t believe it was me when I walked through the door. I made sure to book in again for 4 weeks’ time.
The week after, I tried microneedling. I was a little nervous for this one, as it was slightly more invasive. Usually anything that involves a needle made me run a mile, but my therapist reassured me that numbing cream is applied before the treatment begins. They use a tool called a dermaroller and this device creates tiny pin pricks across your skin. These help encourage your skin to produce more collagen and elastin, improving your skin’s elasticity. For best results, it’s recommended that you receive this treatment every 4-6 weeks.
We saved the best treatment till last. After my consultation, I couldn’t wait to see it in action. It was called BB glow facial. If this wouldn’t help me outshine Sandra, I didn’t know what would. I’d read online that it is one of the latest trends in the beauty industry. So for once, I had an idea of what it involved before the therapist explained it.
I knew that BB cream was a type of tinted moisturiser. The one makeup product that I always had time for. A subtle blurring of the pores whilst covering any redness and blemishes. Perfect for lathering on at 8:23am when you need to leave at 8:25am.
However, the BB glow facial sounded like it had a little more structure than my personal approach. This minimally invasive treatment applies a highly effective, tinted BB pigment into the skin using a nano-needle. While the BB glow pigmented serum adds your desired colour to your skin, it also inserts the nutrients needed to boost your skin’s natural radiance.
This treatment can help reduce the appearance of acne scarring and uneven skin tone. As a teenager, I suffered badly with acne, so this particularly appealed to me. After my treatment, the described effects really had taken place. My skin shone with the appearance of a BB cream application. I booked in for a package of 4 treatments to achieve the most effective results.
It was safe to say my 3 weeks of self-care had paid off. Even my husband noticed a difference and that’s saying something.
The evening of the summer ball had finally arrived. I decided to brave it, bare faced with no makeup on apart from mascara. It was my time to shine (literally). I had made my husband take our car to be cleaned inside and out, ready to chauffeur me to the event.
We pulled up a few cars behind Sandra. I watched her step out and swish her hair to the side, her sparkling earrings dazzling. Her highlighter was bright enough to light the whole of the M25. I waited until she had almost reached the entrance.
It was go time.
I opened the door and stepped out onto the pavement.
Sandra looked at me in horror. I smiled as I turned to walk to the entrance. Once I reached Sandra, she whispered in my ear…
“Where do you get your facials done?”
Get that glow with Hampson Beauty Clinic. Click here to book your next advanced facial treatment
Feeling adventurous? Explore our exclusive summer packages here.
