Mystery Shopping #11 – What did our Superhero find?

Article compiled by BR Natalie

^{Being one of our three Superheroes has some perks. The most enviable (other than the cape) has to be the chance to mystery shop a beauty counter, salon or shop.  Oh yes, we give our Superheroes some spending money and send them undercover in the beauty industry.}

^{Here's how our beautiful Superhero Jesse got on!}

^{What was the assignment you were given?}

^{To book into Vital Balance in Hamilton for a Mandelic Peel.}

^{Describe your first impressions of the experience:}

^{When I was first given my task to undertake a Mandelic Facial Peel, I was incredibly excited - it was right up my alley! Then my excitement turned to horror as I remembered I had been undertaking a course of Isotretinoin (Roaccutane), a medication used to treat acne that has harsh side effects.}

^{The cardidal rule of Roaccutane usage is avoiding anything harsh on your skin as it becomes thin and very sensitive, and with this in mind I wasn't sure I would be able to safely complete my mission. I reported my fears to the First Lady and she assured me not to stress, and that I could undertake something else of my choosing. Phew! I contacted the salon to see what they would recommend as after a quick Google I saw that Mandelic Facial Peels were known to provide amazing results.}

^{The therapist who answered the phone was very helpful and invited me to come in for a consultation so she could see whether a peel was possible or if not what other alternative options were available. The salon has long opening hours so making an appointment that suited me was effortless. I've previously been a client of Vital Balance some time ago for waxes so I knew where to locate the salon, just outside the city centre with ample parking. The salon is located in a refurbished character villa which gives it a homey feel.}

^{As I walked through the door I was impressed to see renovations had taken place since my last visit. The rooms had a stylish, boudoir feel to them with embroidered featured wallpaper, chandeliers and vintage furniture and decor. This was a welcome change to the usual 'relaxing space' or clinical layout other salons tend to go for, I felt like here was a place I could go for a luxurious time-out.}

^{What questions did they ask you before commencing your appointment?}

^{Before commencing my treatment Cassie gave me an ipad (fancy!) to fill out a client questionaire that included my basic details as well as current medication, skin conditions and what I wanted from the treatment. She then lead me to the treatment room and asked me more about my Roaccutane treatment, how long I had been taking it and how strong the dosage was as normally she wouldn't recommend peels or microdermabrasion for anyone who was currently taking or recently finished a course of roaccutane due to the effects it has on your skin. She also asked me about my current skincare routine and where I normally experienced breakouts.}

^{I told her I had been taking a low dose of roaccutane for a few weeks, which had cleared up my acne but changed my skin from oily to dry. I told her about my current skincare regime as well and said I was struggling with now rebalancing my dry skin. I also told her that years of suffering from acne and sunbathing had left me with scarring and hyperpigmentation so I really wanted to focus on fading this as much as possible.}

^{Describe what happened during your consultation. Talk about the environment, how you felt during the appointment, your consultant’s attitude:}

^{After examining my skin Cassie reccomended I undertake a Vitamin Infusion Treatment instead of the Mandelic Peel. This delivers the intense active ingredients in products to the skin through sound waves to effectively treat most skin conditions, provides the skin with nutrients needed for cellular repair, helps with collagen synthesis making it fantastic for both anti-aging and skin that shows scarring and pigmentation.}

^{She said that further down the line she would also recommend an Ultraceuticals Brightening Mask, which would be the best of the take-home products for lightening my scarring and pigmentation and if I wanted further down the track we could undertake a Mandelic Peel after my medication course was out of my system. This all sounded like the best course of action for me so I settled down on the fake fur-covered bed ready to begin.}

^{Cassie started with gentle cleansing my skin and then applied a thicker foaming cleanser which was worked into my skin. I began hearing a light buzzing noise and then felt the small exfolliating wand pressed against my face, which was used to give my skin a really deep clean. It wasn't painful but instead felt like a good exfolliation, similar to how a microdermabrasion wand feels but not as harsh. The cleanser was removed and then a treatment of some kind applied which felt nice and thick. The sonic was used to again work this into my skin but this time it was done using something that felt almost like a spatula or rubber blade of some kind, quite pleasant really!}

^{All this time we chatted away about skincare in general and Cassie gave me recommendations, telling me to ensure I wear at least spf30 with my treatments! After the sonic was finished a moisturiser was applied and Cassie said my skin must have been thirsty as it had drunk it up quickly! As that sunk in she went to grab me some samples of Ultraceuticals skincare she thought I may like after I had mentioned my struggle with what to use after my skin changed. She told me a little about each one before finally applying a spf30 tinted sunscreen to end the treatment.}

^{How experienced/professional did you think they were?}

^{I've had a fair few facial treatments in my time at various salons and I can safely say Cassie was by far the most experienced out of all the beauty therapists I have had, showing the right combination of professionalism, expertise and personality.}

^{What did you like about your experience?}

^{This has been my favourite beauty salon experience I have had, thank you so much Beauty Review for sending me on it! Not only was the salon itself a fabulous, welcoming atmosphere but my treatment was fantastic. Facial treatments used to treat pigmentation, scarring or acne are not always the most relaxing but I felt comfortable and like I was having a luxurious experience with a beauty therapist who knew exactly what my skin needed.}

^{Anything you didn’t like?}

^{Nothing! Absolutely fantastic experience.}

^{Were you happy with the outcome from your experience?}

^{Yes!   After my treatment my skin felt like it had been deeply cleansed, with visible blackheads gone from sight! It also felt soft and nourished, I had to try to stop myself touching my face!}

^{Would you visit this place again, if you were paying for it yourself?}

^{Yes! I intend to visit again for another treatment as soon as I can.}

^{Would you recommend this experience to a friend?}

^Yes!

^{Is there anything else would you like to add?}

^{At the end of my treatment I was happily suprised to find my treatment was half price! So be sure to like the salon on Facebook and look out for specials.}

As you can see not really any visible difference in photos but my skin does feel a lot smoother and close inspection spots blackheads removed yay!