'I tried the go-to facial celebrities swear by before red carpet events'

Made popular by stars like Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian, the 'China Doll Facial' is meant to give you porcelain doll-like skin, with no downtime. 

Promising radiant, porcelain-doll-like skin, The China Doll facial is also known as ‘The Hollywood Facial’ as it’s essential pre-red carpet skin prep for many celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie and Kim Kardashian.

And if there’s one thing we know about those celebs, it’s that they all have IMPECCABLE skin, so we’re sure they’re onto something.

With claims to target uneven skin tone, fine lines, redness, enlarged pores and sun damage, I was super curious about trying it out as someone who has been blessed with… all of these concerns.

So when I got the opportunity to put my dull, tired face on the line at Contour Clinics, I jumped at the opportunity to see whether or not it lives up to the hype. 

It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it! 

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Image: Supplied

How long does it take and how much does it cost?

First things first, we need to address the elephant in the room. This treatment doesn’t come cheap, $499 to be precise. 

Annnnnnd it takes around 15 minutes.

“WHAT?! Do you think I’m some sort of celebrity or something?” we hear you say, and no, no we don’t (are you though?!)

Like I said before, this boujee treatment really packs it in and targets multiple skin concerns in a short amount of time as well as promising immediate results.

It’s for those time-poor people who have a bajillion of other things to do in the lead-up to an event and want that glowy, glass-like skin, without the faffing, ya get me?

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How does it work and what’s involved?

The ‘China Doll Facial’ is also called the Carbon Laser Facial as it combines medical grade carbon serum with a q-switched laser to create that bright, radiant complexion.

If you’re like WTF does that mean, to put it simply, it de-gunks your face to reveal a brighter, more even complexion.

BUT HOWWWW?

Well, the laser ‘zaps’ off the carbon mask on your face, penetrating the skin and breaking down dirt and oil in the process and pulling it to the surface. 

It’s this deep cleaning effect that helps to reduce imperfections as well as stimulate collagen so you’re left with that porcelain, clear skin. 

Sound satisfying? It was!

The beautiful clinic. Image: Supplied

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The China Doll Facial review

Alright, before we get into the juicy details let me quickly give you my skin’s resume, so you know what we’re working with. 

Eleanor’s Skin:

• Loves a bit of congestion around the chin/jaw area
• Has seemingly-permanent blackheads on her nose
• Has an oily T-section, not to be mistaken for a glowy T-section
• Face has an identity crisis and is extremely dry in places

I also had some hormonal acne on the day of my treatment just to reallyyyy put the facial to the test.

So now that’s out of the way, how was the actual treatment?

I went to Contour Clinics in Newtown which is like a skincare oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of King Street. 

As soon as I sat in the chair, I felt super relaxed and the lovely skin therapist, Catalina, made me feel super comfortable and talked me through every step of the process.

First up, was a cleanse and then a second cleanse because two cleanses are always better than one I like to say. 

By the time the exfoliation came, I knew every previous step was compounding to work some serious magic. 

Dead skin and dirt were visibly being scrubbed off my face in order to create a clean canvas for the following carbon mask. 

At first when I saw all of the gunk coming off I was like ‘gross’ 🤢 and then I was like ‘keep going pls’ 👀 and I ended up being completely mesmerised by how much sh*t was coming off my face.

Don’t pretend you wouldn’t be too.

Look at that dead skin! Image: Supplied

Anyway, now it’s time for the main event and a thin layer of medical-grade carbon was spread over my face. I was a bit nervous about the laser, as I get laser hair removal done and it absolutely kills. 

But I was pleasantly surprised when it started passing over my skin and only stung a little bit, kind of like a small elastic band flicking your skin. If you’ve had Fraxel before, it’s gentler than that.

Side note: If you’re claustrophobic, you might be slightly scared wearing the eye goggles, but the whole thing is super quick so you shouldn’t be uncomfortable for too long. 

A thin layer of carbon is spread on your face. Image: Supplied

All in all, this was my favourite part of the facial, even though it wasn’t the ‘relaxing’ part. I liked being able to hear and smell the carbon being blasted off my face because I just knew it was taking all that grime with it.

Again, don’t judge me. 

The second part of the facial was back to being super relaxing and Catalina massaged and moisturised my squeaky clean face. 

Zap zap zap. Image: Supplied

Final verdict?

Bloody loved it! 

My skin was clear, hydrated and most importantly, glowing - and not in the aforementioned oily way. 

The blackheads on my nose looked smaller and that hormonal acne was noticeably less angry. 

Hoorah!

So, should you get one? Depends. It’s not an essential beauty treatment that you need to get regularly. But if you have the money to invest in a high-quality, results-driven treatment like this, then this is the facial of all facials.

It’d be perfect if you’ve got an event/birthday/wedding coming up and want flawless skin or just want to treat yo' self. 

Before and after pics

The GLOW! Image: Supplied

A follow-up extraction facial

After my China Doll Facial, my therapist recommended I follow it up with an extraction facial a few weeks later. 

This isn’t required after the China Doll, but just a personal recommendation based on my skin concerns (remember all those pesky blackheads?)

While the China Doll did give me immediate results, the extraction facial was great to ensure those blackheads stayed away just a little bit longer. 

It’s called the Societe Oxygen Facial and it’s $120 for 45 minutes and includes a deep extraction mask and manual extractions too. 

Originally published as 'I tried the go-to facial celebrities swear by before red carpet events'