Victoria Beckham's Facialist Believes in the Triple Cleanse

From ELLE

Melanie Grant will soon become a beauty name that will need no introduction. But for now, in the US, a newcomer's first impression of the Australia-based esthetician who treats the likes of Victoria Beckham, Karolina Kurkvova, and influencer Nicole Warne, involves a mirrored-wrapped staircase up to her new second floor salon on Melrose Place in Los Angeles. The similarity to the famous mirrored staircase of Coco Chanel’s atelier at 31 rue Cambon in Paris is unmistakable, especially as you encounter the vintage Chanel campaigns hanging as artwork or the pile of Chanel bath products in the in-salon bathtub. After many years as Chanel Australia’s facialist, Grant has signed to make it official with Chanel US as of this month.

An hour and a half prone on Grant’s treatment table experiencing her signature microdermabrasion, ultrasound, and light therapy treatments, leaves no question as to why the iconic beauty brand tapped her. Grant's technique of using multiple technologies (she uses even more advanced machinery at her salons in Melbourne and Sydney—she previously worked in the offices of plastic surgeons in Australia) along with very firm massage, leaves skin completely sculpted and glowing. Grant, whose own skin is so clear and bright she doesn’t wear any foundation, started to grow her international fan base when her treatments spread by word of mouth at Paris fashion week four years ago. Today, she now has more than 55 thousand followers on Instagram and four international studios, and she is currently on the hunt for her New York location. We caught up with the Grant in Los Angeles last week during the celebration of another new Aussie Chanel hire, Margot Robbie for Gabrielle Chanel Essence, and asked for the esthetician for her skin care secrets.

What is your airplane beauty routine?

As I get on the plane I cleanse with micellar water as a little refresh. I’ll always apply an antioxidant serum because the free radicals in the air are crazy. Then I like to apply an oil—I like the Chanel Huil de Jasmine. I apply it to my face and—I probably shouldn’t do this, but—I put it on my body and my feet and hair as well. Otherwise I arrive like a little crisp. Then I also use a cream mask—you don’t need to sit there with a sheet mask—you have the time on a plane to massage them in. I also like the Chanel eye patches, I always think they look really pretty and they just cover your circles. I mist a lot on the plane, too.

What's your morning skin routine?

I’m a mom and I travel and I have a hundred things to do in the morning other than my face, so I’m all about multipurpose products. I always cleanse in the morning. In the winter I’ll use a cleansing oil and in the summer I love Bioderma micellar water, I travel with bottles of it. Then I do an antioxidant serum, generally vitamin C because I like the firming and brightening. I press it in, then I always tap around my eyes and do a massage. Always massage upward, don’t drag your skin down. Going upward and toward your lymph nodes is nice and draining. So, basically I quick cleanse, use antioxidant serum, then an eye treatment, and then a moisturizer with a built-in SPF. I take everything down my decolletage to my bust. For each layer, my tip is to massage each product in until the skin is tacky and the slip goes away and then you’re ready for the next one.

What about night?

I do an oil like the Chanel Sublimage oil to gel cleanser, then I use a lactic acid cleanser. Then I still finish with a micellar water on a cotton pad because it’s just perfectly clean. I do a liquid exfoliant twice a week. I like lactic acid because it’s more gentle, but thicker or oiler skin will like a glycolic acid. Salicylic is good if you’re getting blemishes. Then I use a retinoid always. I never use prescription strength, I don’t think you need to. It’s too harsh and the formulas are outdated. Retinol serums now are slow release and low dose, and you can use it every night without redness and irritation. Then I use a night cream or oil on top or sometimes both. I do a mask one or twice a week. It’s the easiest way to really boost your skin. I like a really nourishing mask on my cheeks and something more purifying on my nose.

What do you do around the eyes?

I like a lightweight eye gel or serum during the day and something more rich at night. I just pat that under the eye with my ring finger and around the bone, you don’t need to put it on the lid as it will travel there on its own. Most don't realize that their crows feet are really from dehydration. In a facial, I give them a peeling solution and then a beautiful hydration infusion and the crows feet are gone. At home, I would do a gentle liquid exfoliant around the eyes, never a scrub, and that way your eye serum and creams penetrate better for similar results.

What about your gorgeous lips?

I brush them with a toothbrush so they are all swollen and pink, and then I use a lip balm. I like this Australian brand called Lanolips, I have them everywhere, and I also use Chanel Hydra Beauty lip balm and Biologique Recherche BioKiss. I don’t use lip plumpers—the tingly sensation actually makes them dry.

If you're getting ready for a big event like a wedding, how far in advance should you start getting facials?

If you’re doing corrective things for pigment and broken capillaries, we start at 12 months out because we have to stop with corrective treatments like lasers or chemical peels three months prior. There is always risk and the three month mark gives us time to correct if something is going wrong. You don’t want to do something like Fraxel two weeks in advance—you don’t know if you could take you a month to recover. I think if you don’t have anything to correct, it’s nice to do a course of light therapy 6 to 8 weeks out from the event and some monthly facials. And there is so much you can do at home with a purposeful skin care regime and a regular facial every 4 to 6 weeks. Then a final facial 48 hours before the wedding.

Do you see a big difference in women's skin in different continents?

Pollution is really big in the US and the skin here is really dry. There is a lot of sun damage in LA and Australia. It’s funny because in Paris they have such a different lifestyle, like my clients smoke and which I think is crazy. It’s interesting with French women, they don’t mind having a bit of pigmentation or a few crow’s feet. I love that they don’t overdo the injectables. But in Paris, people are quite stressed, too. It’s a harder lifestyle compared to Sydney where everyone gets off at 5 and goes to the beach. So you do see the difference.

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