Tried and Tested: The Red Carpet Facial

By: Ruth Donnelly
Created on 05th October 2010

This issue, Ruth Donnelly reveals how Rani Mirza helped her look and feel like a star on her wedding day

What is it?

The Red Carpet Facial combines three treatments in one, and promises to leave your skin smooth and glowing.

At £180 for a two hour session, this is no ordinary facial. Rani Mirza is facialist to the stars and often performs this uberfacial on her celebrity clientele to ensure they look picture perfect for those red carpet moments.

However, there are times when even we civilians want to look the best we possibly can. For some, it’s a first date with the man of your dreams, for others, a presentation at work that could just make your career.

For me, it was my forthcoming nuptials – the stress had begun to take its toll on my skin and the prospect of two hours of pampering was too tempting to turn down!

What really happens?

With less than a week before the wedding, I was in a state of almost constant panic by the time I rocked up to the Knightsbridge salon, but Rani put me instantly at ease.

The first stage of the facial was a double cleanse and gentle exfoliation, then a mask was placed over my eyes and I was left alone as my face was steamed.

After ten minutes Rani performed an extraction to unclog my pores. She then gave me a massage which was out of this world – I could feel the tension melting out of me.

This was followed by a deep cleansing mask with an aromatic compress and then my skin was exfoliated with Diamond Tome microdermabrasion to get rid of any lingering imperfections.

Once Rani was satisfied that my skin was baby smooth, she used Oxygen Therapy to stimulate collagen production and promote more even texture.

Finally, a nourishing fruit mask was placed on my face and neck and Rani left me alone again – I think this time I really did fall asleep, as the next thing I knew she was removing the last traces of the mask from my face and sending me on my way!

Worst bit

There really was no worst bit – unless you count the price, but I felt so truly pampered afterwards that it was well worth it.

Rani didn’t even pass judgement on my skin condition prior to treatment, which was a relief as I think that might just have pushed me over the edge!

Best bit

This is a tough call. I did enjoy the much-needed shut-eye at the end, but I think that was a result of everything that went before as much as the mask itself.

If forced to choose, I’d say the massage just had the edge, but the whole thing was amazing – I have never felt so relaxed as I did when I left Rani’s salon.

Did it work?

Absolutely. I was so paranoid about re-clogging my pores and having spots on my wedding day that I wore no make-up at all for days afterwards, and I received a ludicrous number of compliments on my skin.

I tried to pass it off as the glow of happiness, but if I’m honest I owe it all to Rani!