Beauty with Mi, hosted by Refinery29's beauty writer Mi-Anne Chan, explores the coolest new trends, treatments, products, and subcultures in the beauty world. Follow along on her wild beauty adventures here.
It's a strange, yet exciting, moment when you meet an Instagram friend in the flesh. You already know one another — but not really. Such was the case for me last month, when I met celebrity aesthetician Renée Rouleau at her pop-up at the W Hotel Downtown. The Austin-based miracle worker, who works with Demi Lovato, makes regular trips to LA and New York City, but this was our first time connecting outside of social media.
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It was already exciting — let's just say it's clear why the friendly facialist ends up becoming close friends with her celeb clients. But then she gave me the chance to try a brand new facial that she has been fine-tuning for months. Enter: Her Thermo Infusion Tightening Facial. (Or, what I like to call her "ice facial.")
The facial in question is designed to raise and lower the temperature of the skin through a series of devices and masks to boost circulation, smooth rough texture, and reveal a bright, glowing complexion. This wasn't just an incredibly relaxing treatment, it was truly unlike anything I'd ever tried. Rouleau used a range of devices and products, from hot stones to an ultrasound to ice cubes of frozen serum (!) on my face. I've tried some interesting facials in the past, including an enzyme oxygen facial that made me look like a White Walker, but this had to be one of my favourites.
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