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.
"Facials are supposed to be relaxing, right?" This question crossed my mind countless times as I lied on aesthetician Lora Condon's massage table, unable to move my any part of my face. Unlike most facials I've tried that are designed provide a lil' R&R, the Oxygen Enzyme Treatment is equal parts strange and uncomfortable. It is the most bizarre treatment I've ever gotten in the name of beauty — and I've tried a vagina facial.
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I stumbled upon the treatment a couple of months ago after seeing Cosmopolitan's executive beauty director Leah Wyar review it on the site. She dubbed it the "Game of Thrones facial," due to the fact that for 45 minutes of the treatment, you're stuck, immobile, looking like a damn White Walker.
So, naturally, I zipped over to Jersey Boutique Spa to give it a try. The treatment started off pretty normally with gentle cleansing and a few extractions, but things started to get weird when celebrity aesthetician Laura Condon whipped out a peel. After letting the product sit on my skin for a few minutes, Condon began dry-rubbing the product off my skin. It felt (and looked) like my face was moulting a mixture of dead skin and product. Afterwards, my skin was pretty dry, so she applied a facial oil and starting cupping my face. Then, after a short bout of LED light treatment, Condon moved onto the main event: the Oxygen Enzyme Mask by skin-care brand DMK.
The mask itself is formulated with a host of exfoliating enzymes and albumin, a protein found in blood and egg whites that Condon says is responsible for oxygenating the skin and the mask's crust-like appearance. According to Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, albumin can help promote the movement of blood toward the skin which, in turn, improves circulation and brings more oxygen to the surface of the skin. "More oxygen means optimal skin cell functioning, improved antioxidant defences, and greater skin hydration," he told Refinery29.
After smoothing on the glue-like mask, it began hardening and I was left staring at the ceiling for close to an hour with zero facial mobility. Forty-fives minutes later, I burst from that facial cocoon with visibly brighter and smoother skin. Don't believe me? You'll just have to watch for yourself.