The Glow Lounge at Kenneth Brandt Salon & Spa

When my good friend Daelynn asked me to come into Kenneth Brandt and play with some ‘new to the spa’ Dermalogica products and tools, you KNOW it was one of the quickest yeses to come out of my mouth. Kenneth Brandt Salon & Spa was first an Aveda based salon/spa but has since been adding other lines to it.

My only experience with Dermalogica was from my days as a Benefit Cosmetics Arch Expert years ago. It’s the line that Ulta’s use for their skin therapy treatments, but I never managed to get in the chair and try them out. So I was really excited to meet Georgia (@kb.georgiaolson) and have a fun skin date!

In order to get the full experience you’ll have to visit Kenneth Brandt (@kennethbrandtsalon yourself, but in this post I wanted to share some of my favorite parts of my treatment that I think make a great spa experience. If you’re new here, I used to be the spa director of a spa and have done hundreds of facials. I’m all about details and think every bit matters.

First off, I loved that I was offered a drink when I arrived. I chose the Aveda tea which is heaven and I was so excited to have it since it had been years since I had drank some. I love that the Glow Lounge is in the basement because it feels separate from the hustle of the salon and cozy.

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The first thing I noticed was that the chair was super comfortable. It wasn’t quite a bed, so it wasn’t completely flat and uncomfortable. I have back issues so comfort is a big thing for me if I’m going to be laying down for a little while.

Georgia was so sweet and easy to talk to. Even though we had tons of things in common, I can tell she enjoys all the conversations she gets to have with her guests based on how easy she was to talk to. I personally like to talk during services so it was nice that I was able to connect with her and have fun!

She started the treatment with a cleanser but I was super excited for her to add the Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant to the mix because it’s an amped up version of a product I already know and love from Dermalogica (the daily Microfoliant). This one has charcoal added to the rice starch powder so it’s great to detox and exfoliate the skin. (Spoiler: this is the product I bought at the end of my treatment because I couldn’t leave without it)!

After a really great mask, we got into the tools, which you can probably guess I am ALL about. First, she added a serum to my face then used the Conture Toning System on my face to stimulate and tone my skin. The tool has a little head that created waves of suction on my face, kind of like a fish sucking. That’s the analogy that Georgia used, and I totally agree that that is what it felt like! haha I was shocked at how calming and good it felt.

After the Conture toning, Georgia did some blue light therapy on me (the also offer red light for Anti-Aging) to help with my post-birthday breakout situation that was still dealing with. Your girl couldn’t stop celebrating with cake and Oreos and that’s fine! The blue light helps to kill bacteria that leads to breakouts so I was happy to enjoy that.

After some other products like moisturizer, eye scream, SPF and more, I was all finished and I felt great. My skin was GLOWING so smart move on Daelynn’s part for naming this the Glow Lounge because that’s what it did to me. I felt relaxed and refreshed and cannot wait to go back and see Georgia again!

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Look for a future post on my thoughts on the Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant, once I use it a little longer. In the mean time, feel free to reach out to me, Georgia, or Kenneth Brandt Salon and Spa directly, to get more information about the beautiful new Glow Lounge.

Thank you again to Daelynn and Georgia for letting me come in and have some fun last week!

GO GET YOUR GLOW ON,

Andrea

Disclaimer: While the spa treatment was gifted to me, the product was purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own and I was not paid to write this review. Kenneth Brandt is just really GREAT!

Tips for Creating a Solid Skincare Routine

I know that skincare routines can seem tedious and like a waste of time to some people, but the reality is that we only have one face. It’s important to take care of our skin, but your skincare routine should be specific to you. How do you find the motivation to actually develop a routine that works for you? Follow some of these tips and I think they will help you.

Do your routine when you get home for the night.

This is my number one tip. For some reason, we think we have to do it right before we get in bed. If you struggle with feeling too tired to do your skincare at the end of the day, do it when you get home from work and change into your comfy clothes. This will also give you extra time to do treatments; say a face mask while cooking dinner…Doesn’t that sound nice? As long as you won’t be sweating or going out into the sun again, you can do that skincare as soon as you are in for the night.

Create a soothing environment in your bathroom while doing a skincare routine.

If you look at your skincare as an opportunity for self care, your attitude can change about it. It will no longer feel like a chore, but a fun experience. Create an environment that is relaxing and inviting so that you look forward to taking care of your skin. Soothing music, aromatherapy, lighting a nice candle; all of these things can add to the ambiance and make your skincare routine the best 10 minutes of your night.

Organize a special area of your bathroom as your skincare corner.

If your products are organized and easy to access, you’ll be much more likely to use them. I like to keep mine on a special shelf that is only for skincare so that I see them every time I walk into my bathroom, but they still look clean and neat. This way I am always reminded that I need to spend time on my skin.

Do your research, learn to understand your skin, & meet with an esthetician.

I find that we are less likely to do something when we don’t know why we would be doing it. We know we should be cleansing our faces but do we know why and how to properly do it? Take some time to meet with a licensed esthetician who can help you understand what your skin needs. The reality is that our skin can change day to day and the best thing we can do is learn to understand what our skin needs so we can properly treat it at home. Your esthetician is a great resource for this. I offer beauty therapy appointments to help you discover your skin specifically, so email me if you would like more info on this.

Only try one new product at a time.

This one may surprise you, but this is one of my big beliefs that I am always talking about. I firmly believe that we should only introduce one product at a time into our skincare routines. Here’s why…if you have an allergic reaction, you know exactly what caused it. If you don’t like the effects or oppositely, LOVE the effects, you know exactly what caused them. It also helps keep the cost of amping up your skincare routine spread out over a course of time, instead of having to drop a bunch of money at once. I am all about helping you create a great routine for yourself, but I also want it to be realistic and I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed.

Let me know what you do to make your skincare a part of your daily life! Comment your tips below.

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea