When in New York or LA, Markle credits these experts for glowy, gorgeous skin.
By
Rachel Burchfield
Mar 1, 2021
Chris JacksonGetty Images
Though hard to imagine now, there was a time when Meghan Markle blogged about beauty. On her lifestyle site The Tig, Markle, in between posting about fashion and travel and food, wrote occasionally about skincare, and, in an October 2016 post, stressed the importance of facials. The post titled “Favorite Facialists Around the World” mentioned four women who she trusted with her skin. BAZAAR.com spoke exclusively to the two U.S. facialists Meghan namechecked, Kate Somerville in Los Angeles and Joanna Vargas in New York City, to find out how we can glow like the Duchess, even while at home.
West Coast Glow: Kate Somerville
“This spot is a hometown classic for good reason, with aestheticians who are as skilled as they are friendly,” Markle wrote of Kate Somerville Skin Health Experts in Los Angeles (Markle now lives in Santa Barbara). “Scrubs and red-light treatments are de rigeur, and the beautifully designed space transports you on a little spa vacation for the day.” We spoke exclusively to Somerville herself to find out how to take the treatment room home with you thanks to the facialist’s “five daily do’s.”
Step 1: Cleanse
“This is your first step, always,” says Somerville, who also has a spa in NYC. “If you’re oily or congested, I like doing a double cleanse. If you’re super dry like me, just do a single cleanse.” As with every one of the “five daily do’s,” make sure to know your skin type so you can customize products to your specific needs.
Step 2: Exfoliate
On The Tig, Meghan specifically calls out Somerville’s exfoliating product, cleverly named ExfoliKate, which the Duchess of Sussex wrote “will do the trick for that homegrown glow.” Somerville says she applies the exfoliant and “lets it sit for about two minutes, then I pat my skin with a little bit of cold water.” Somerville also offers an ExfoliKate mask, which “dissolves dead layers of skin, hydrates, and really gets rid of a lot of congestion in the nose or skin area,” she says. (You only need to exfoliate a couple of times a week; if you’re dry–as so many of us are in winter–limit it to once a week.)
Step 3: Hydrate
“We want to push hyaluronic acid deep into the skin, plump fine lines and wrinkles, and get rid of dehydration,” Somerville adds. Her brand’s DermalQuench serums are a great choice for reducing fine lines and plumping skin. The nighttime version contains retinol delivered with hyaluronic acid to lessen irritation. “Hydration is really key,” says Somerville, “and probably one of the most important steps as far as really making changes in the skin.”
Step 4: Moisturize
Don’t confuse hydration with moisture. “Hydration is really the water level in the cell, where the moisturization is going to be more of your lipids and ceramides,” she says. Any good skincare routine will address both: a lightweight serum for adding moisture, then an occlusive cream or oil to lock-in hydration.
Step 5: SPF
Sunscreen is like an insurance policy for all the products you just applied. Even if you’re not leaving your house much these days, you still need a sunscreen. “Blue light from technology is actually really damaging to skin,” she says. Stay tuned this spring for a new product launch from Somerville’s line, an “indoor sunscreen” that protects against your phone’s blue light.
While all five steps are important, “the game changers are exfoliation, which can change skin the minute you do it; deep hydration, which can change the skin in literally seconds; and having the right moisturizer for you to lock in and protect the barrier,” she says.
ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment
Kate Somerville
dermstore.com
$88.00
Dermalquench Wrinkle Warrior Advanced Hydrating + Plumping Treatment
Kate Somerville
dermstore.com
$98.00
Dermalquench Liquid Lift Advanced Hydration Treatment
Kate Somerville
dermstore.com
$98.00
Dermalquench Liquid Lift + Retinol
Kate Somerville
dermstore.com
$98.00
East Coast Glow: Joanna Vargas
When in New York City, you could find Markle at the Joanna Vargas Salon, which is “a New York institution for A-list celebs and anyone seeking that skin that glows from within,” she wrote. “Using only natural products and specializing in microcurrent treatments that send a pulse through the facial tissue, which exercises and lifts the muscle, this skincare oasis is the best in the Big Apple.” (Vargas also has a salon in Los Angeles.)
Ahead, the facialist and celebrity skin expert details just a few of her favorite ways to care for skin. (If you’re looking for even more, Vargas’s book Glow from Within was released last year.)
Glowing skin is about more than just products
Source: www.harpersbazaar.com
