Quiet Luxuries
To me this is deeper than a trend. Quiet luxury isn't a fabric, a handbag, or a specific brand or item. It's about setting boundaries with yourself (and others), having a bedtime that I adhere to, and unapologetically giving myself my own space and privacy when I need it. The most luxurious gift that I can give myself is rest and a life that I am in charge of.
Grown-Up Skincare
Long gone are the days of falling asleep in my sunscreen or makeup from the day. Today I am turning to skincare that requires consistency, and at times a prescription.
Personal Rituals
I have found so much mindfulness in developing personal rituals. Be it how I prepare my coffee in the morning, reciting my daily affirmations, journaling my intentions, or tracking the moon phases, rituals play a meaningful role in my day-to-day life.
So where does VBeam come in? Well, I say it neatly fits with the first two: quiet luxuries and focusing on grown-up skincare. As women, we are often subjected to a constant stream of unsolicited opinions: how we should dress, how much we should weigh, how healthy we should be, whether or not we should embrace Med Spa level skincare, and how much makeup we should or should not wear. The quiet luxury of setting personal boundaries for ourselves is to decide just how much of this we will tolerate (I'm bordering on next to none). I ultimately get to decide what is right for me, my face, and my body.
A few weeks ago I was spending time with the sweetest and most energetic puppy - and those of you who have spent enough time around a puppy know two things: they have razor sharp teeth, and they are wholly unpredictable from one moment to the next! So, a few kisses and an unexpected head-butt later, I have found myself with a nice little bruise on my chin (of all places).
I had tried a concealer, but that wasn't working too well. I reached out to my Dermatologist for makeup recommendations, and she leveled me up by inviting me in for a complementary VBeam session.
Until my Dermatologist had suggested the treatment, I had never heard of it. As a biracial woman I had been told to be wary of laser treatments: skin which naturally contains higher amounts of melanin can absorb more laser energy; making it super important to go to only highly trained and knowledgable professionals to avoid unwanted side effects. VBeam is generally considered safe for all skin tones - but please always speak to your Dermatologist and Med Spa nurse and/or doctor before any laser treatment.
So how was my session? Short! A little bit painful. Lovely results! The whole appointment lasted less than 10 minutes. We disinfected the treatment area, no numbing cream was needed. I was instructed to wear eye protection to reduce harm from the laser beam. It was a series of five quick zaps, and then it was over. My Dermatologist told me that it would feel like a hairband snapping against my skin, and she was right. It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't too uncomfortable either. Then we applied sunscreen and I was out the door! To see my before and afters (taken less than 24 hours apart) head on over to my new Instagram account.
