How I Prepped Hayden's Skin for All's Fair Season 2

Hayden is an actor and a model. He grew up in Los Angeles and lives in New York now. He was in season one of All's Fair, they invited him back for season two, and last May he flew into LA to film it. Which is basically the acting version of a returning client.

Before he went to set, he came to the studio. Season two is out now, so here's what we did. I filmed the whole facial, so if you'd rather watch, the video is below. This is the written version, with a little more of the reasoning.

Where he started

I gave Hayden his first facial. The photo at the top is where he started, and where he is now. Since he moved to New York, he can't come see me very often, so he follows a simple routine I put together for him. And he actually does it, which is rarer than you'd think.

So this wasn't a rescue mission. It was a tune-up. The goal for a shoot day:

• Calm. Nothing red when the camera gets close.
• Hydrated. Skin that looks good under a lot of lights, without looking oily.
• Not puffy. He'd just flown in.
• Nothing anyone on set has to fix.

Step 1: Double cleanse

First cleanse: PurErb Gentle Cleansing Milk, made with plant oils like sacha inchi, jojoba and baobab. It takes off sunscreen and the day without leaving his skin tight. I didn't film this part. If you read the last one, you know this is a pattern now.

Second cleanse: Jaxon Lane Boom Cica Wow, a gel cleanser with centella, ceramides and hyaluronic acid. It cleans but stays gentle on the skin barrier, which is what you want right before a camera stares at your face all day.

Quick honesty: Jaxon Lane isn't a professional line. It's a men's brand I carry in the studio for clients to take home. I used it here because it's a good example of what a guy can actually keep in his own bathroom.

Step 2: Hydrodiamond exfoliation

The Zemits Verstand HD Pro has a diamond tip that buffs off dead skin while the suction lifts whatever is loose. With it, Zemits HydroClear Pro serum, which has lactic acid. Lactic acid exfoliates, but it also holds on to water, so his skin comes out smoother without feeling stripped.

I keep this part light on a shoot day. The goal is smooth, not pink.

Intermission

Halfway through, Hayden asked for a stretch break. In the middle of a facial. I said yes, because he had a big day ahead of him.

Step 3: Rebalance

A mist of Le Mieux Iso-Cell Recovery Solution: amino acids and minerals like zinc, potassium and magnesium. It calms everything down after exfoliation and sets him up for the light.

Step 4: LED

The Zemits VivaLumix, LED light therapy. The goggles are for his eyes. The look is a bonus. I used red light and near infrared. Zemits says red supports firmness and elasticity, and infrared helps with circulation and recovery. There's also blue light, which is for breakouts. He didn't need it, so he didn't get it.

Step 5: The mask, which is really three things

• Serum underneath: Le Mieux TGF-Beta Booster, hyaluronic acid and a growth factor complex. Le Mieux calls it the Collagen Kickstart, which is a great name for a serum and a terrible name for a band.
• Eye masks: Le Mieux TGF-Beta Eye Firming Mask, with peptides, algae and hyaluronic acid, for puffiness under the eyes. After a flight, this one does a lot of work.
• The mask itself: a mix I make. Half Le Mieux O2 Calming Gel (green tea, ginseng, aloe, cucumber) to calm, half Le Mieux Hyaluronic Shea Mask (ten kinds of hyaluronic acid and shea butter) to hydrate. It goes on with a brush: face, neck and chest.

One calms, one hydrates. He needs both, and I'm not doing two separate masks like it's a buffet.

Step 6: Face, neck and décolleté

While the mask sits, I work on the face, neck and décolleté with Le Mieux Pomegranate Massage Cream, so my hands slide instead of drag. Pomegranate, beta-glucan and hyaluronic acid. Rich without being greasy.

Quick note, because I say it every time: I'm not a massage therapist. This is just the part of the facial where his face gets to relax, and so does the person attached to it.

Step 7: Toner, serum, moisturizer, SPF, lips

• Toner: Renée Rouleau Moisture Infusion Toner. Niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. It hydrates instead of stripping.
• Serum: Le Mieux Vita-C Serum. Vitamin C for brightness and even tone, plus more hyaluronic acid, because at that point, why stop.
• Moisturizer: Jaxon Lane Relax and Repair, another one from the studio shelf. Centella, niacinamide, ceramides and squalane. It hydrates without looking oily, which matters under set lights.
• SPF: Kizo Lab UV Defense Clear SPF 50. A clear gel, so there's no white cast, which on camera is kind of the whole point.
• Lips: Circadia Lip Renewing Hydrator, Vanilla Mint. Nobody remembers the lips. Cameras always do.

Why the routine matters more than the facial

Hayden stretched, laughed at something I didn't say, and went to work. The facial was maintenance. The difference in the photo at the top came from showing up for his skin at home, most days, with a few products he actually uses.

If you have something big coming up, a shoot, a wedding, an interview, this is the kind of facial to book: calm, not dramatic. And if you're not in Pasadena, a simple routine you'll actually follow will do more than any single appointment.

I'm a Zemits brand ambassador. Every product here is one I picked for Hayden's skin. The Jaxon Lane products are available at the studio.