Nikkia Joy: review

Hello everyone!

I hope you have all had a fantastic week so far! I would say TGIF but I’m working all weekend haha…

Anyway before I jump into the blog post, I am going to advise you grabbing a snack – or even a hot cup of cocoa (which I’m obsessing over at the minute) as this post may be a little ‘wordy!’.

I was lucky enough to be invited to experience an ‘Extraction Facial’. I still remember the email arriving in my inbox and thinking to myself ‘What the $#@! is an extraction facial?’, but seeing as the sentence involved the word ‘Facial’ I of course immediately signed up. I was informed that extraction facials are all about clearing acne, blackheads and pores in the skin, essentially like dry cleaning your carpet, but for your face!

The salon offering this service is called ‘Shine Skin & Body’ and it’s a lovely, cosy salon located in Melbourne (Kew) that actually specializes in extraction therapy. Upon arrival to the salon I was immediately impressed with how the salon felt. I have found in the past that many skin clinics and salons have a clinical type feel about them and don’t particularly feel welcoming, but Shine was warm, ambient and it felt friendly. I was met at the door by the owner Sheridan and ushered into the reception area. Sheridan was extremely friendly and genuine and very happy to explain the whole process to me. She explained the concept of ‘Extraction Facials’ in great detail and who they are best targeted towards, and to put it in simple terms, extraction facials are targeted towards people who suffer acne (including teen acne), blackheads, persistent oil production, or any lumps & bumps on the skin. Sheridan explained that a large portion of her clientele are in fact teens and how having these facials performed from the start can actually prevent full blown acne breakouts and the development of acne scarring. I know so many people who suffer from acne scarring, and I can remember how I felt as a teen with acne at school - If I had known about extraction therapy back then I would have booked the treatment in a heartbeat!

The treatment room was just gorgeous, so warm, comfortable and cosy. I immediately felt relaxed, which for people who know me personally is a big deal as I am always on the go, running around with so many things to do – I definitely struggle to relax. The therapist completing the facial (Sharaya) was friendly and approachable and she left the room while I disrobed (you keep your undies on!) and climbed into a lovely heated treatment bed – ahhh bliss! The treatment began with an in-depth discussion about my skin, problem areas, skin type, issues that I had in the past, any questions that I needed to ask, what I wanted to get out of the treatment etc. For those of you that are new to my blog, I have always had oily skin, with enlarged pores on the apples of my cheeks. I do not have issues with sensitivity, and I develop ache around that time of the month and also if I’ve been a bit naughty with my diet. I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an ‘acne sufferer’ but being a female I’ve definitely had my fair share of hormonal acne (especially in my teenage years).

So after this discussion Sharaya started to remove my makeup, which admittedly is quite a task on it’s own when your dealing with a makeup artist! I just remember it feeling so good to be all tucked up in a heated bed and all the products smelled so delicious! After my makeup was removed Sharaya did an AHA/BHA peel to exfoliate my skin and relax the pores then brought a large light over to the bed and began to examine my skin closely. She explained that she was looking for areas of oil congestion, oil production, blackheads, acne, millia (which I later learnt referred to small solid balls of oil? Sounds grosse right!?). Once this analysis was finished I was ‘steamed’ (basically a steam machine is placed over your face for several minutes to allow the heat and moisture to really open up the pores and surface of the skin. And then, the extracting begins! Now I’m not going to dress this part of the treatment up in ribbons and bows – it is not exactly the most pleasant experience as the therapist is using tissues and her fingers to basically push gunk out of your pores, but at the same time it also wasn’t unbearable, and Sharaya chatted to me throughout the process to keep my mind off the unpleasant parts. Bear in mind I also don’t consider myself to have the highest pain tolerance – I would think many people would not find it painful in any way - I'm just a sook! It was actually fascinating (and a little grosse I must admit) how much Sharaya was able to extract from skin. I honestly went into the treatment think that I didn’t have any blackheads, as I am constantly checking my face for blackheads and removing them as soon as I see them – but she found heaps! It would seem that under that fancy light several little monsters reared their ugly heads!

After the extracting was done I was then placed under an LED healing light – which once again was all explained in great detail, and while I was ‘healing’ away I was treated to a lovely hand massage (I was well and truly back in 'zen mode'). The treatment was then finished with a Vitamin B serum, which felt lovely and refreshing after being under the healing light.

Now I must admit, following the treatment my skin was looking a little angry, but you would expect that after having your face extracted for 20+ minutes! BUT despite the redness, it was probably the softest my skin had ever felt, and my nose! It seriously felt like I had a new nose – soft as a babies bum! There was no pain following the treatment but Sharaya did advise that I avoid putting any makeup or product on my skin for the rest of the day (just to allow the skin to recorrect itself).

So that brings me to today – approximately 2 weeks after the treatment – and I must admit, my skin looks pretty damn awesome! It looks clearer, brighter and for some reason I just look healthier? Like I’ve been on a detox or something (and trust me I definitely have not!). Would I go back for a repeat treatment? ABSOLUTELY I would! Extraction therapy is recommended as a longer term treatment program (requiring repeated appointments) and over time will clear and prevent any future breakouts. But even after just one session I can see a dramatic difference in my skin - even my makeup goes on and looks smoother. I think that for those of you who suffer cystic acne, hormonal acne, teenage acne, persistent congestion and blackheads then this treatment is definitely going to be a God send for you! I really love that it’s all about fixing the root of the problem rather than just trying to cover it up and put a ‘band-aid’ on it.

And if you’re going to look into the treatment, I really couldn’t recommend the girls at Shine any more – with 16+ years of experience in the industry I knew my skin was in safe and knowledgeable hands, but also the time and effort taken to explain the entire process and the friendliness that came with it, made it overall an incredible experience!

If you are wanting to learn more about extraction therapy and the Shine Skin & Body salon, please click HERE. Please also feel free to contact the girls at Shine if you have any questions regarding the treatment!

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

NJ xx

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Nikkia Joy

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