On the idyllic, tree-lined streets of Manhattan’s West Village, nestled between rows of understated brownstones and unassuming Michelin-starred cafes, you’ll find a small storefront with 23-karat gold lettering on the glass, a powder-pink window seat, exposed Edison bulbs, and plants in every corner. By all evidence, the 10th Street space looks like any other Instagrammable downtown spot, but unlike the patrons at neighboring establishments, customers here aren’t snapping photos of $17 cocktails or avocado toast; instead, they’re at JECT to get Botox, fillers, and other top-shelf skincare treatments quickly and conveniently. As young women—and the occasional man—flutter through the door and disappear behind a cloud of dark green curtain, it’s clear that the days of booking injectables a month out and spending hours in a joyless doctor’s office are a thing of the past. Instead, it seems, the future lies in comfortable, millennial-friendly destinations, where getting a pinch of Dysport or a dash of Restylane is as seamless as ordering a coffee.
For much of history, beauty treatments—be it a facial, massage, or even facelift—were something to be savored. The best things in life take time, they would say, and these sorts of indulgences shouldn’t be rushed. But as younger generations have become more and more savvy about skincare and aesthetics, so too have they realized the importance and value of their time. While taking care of one’s skin is now seen as a necessity rather than an indulgence, consumers are increasingly wary of wasting their time, and they’re no longer willing to spend entire days at the spa or plan their weeks around a dermatologist visit as a result. Companies like Drybar and Anastasia Brow Bar were of course among the first to capitalize on this shifting approach to beauty, but in recent years, more and more specialized spots are popping up, where clients can get a facial, a wax, or injections in the time it takes to re-watch an episode of Friends for the millionth time.
“I think part of the reason we’ve been so successful is that we’re really selling time,” says Rachel Liverman, the co-founder and CEO of Glowbar, a recently opened Tribeca skincare destination that offers 30-minute facials. “The traditional facial takes an hour and a half, so we’re literally giving people that hour back to do the things that bring them joy.” Liverman, a former Birchbox executive, built the business with her own needs very much in mind. “I was a 30-year-old, busy, career-driven woman in Manhattan, and all of those things kind of made time very precious,” she recalls. The Glowbar CEO couldn’t find a facial that was not only quick but also effective, so she started to think about how much time someone like her would actually have for a facial, ultimately arriving at 30 minutes. “There’s a whole movement right now of only doing things that bring you joy, saying no, and being cognizant of your time,” Liverman says. “I had such a busy life, and I knew that any free time I had was being spent with family and friends or exercising or meditating, but outside of that, I thought, I really only have that 30 minutes.”
Obviously, the shorter duration, appealing as it’s been to busy urbanites, has meant that certain luxuries offered in a traditional, 90-minute facial have been 86’ed here. “I had to create a treatment that was results-oriented, and what that meant is that we couldn’t wash your face for you because we wouldn’t have time, we couldn’t steam your face because that’s not totally necessary, and I wouldn’t be able to massage you,” Liverman explains. “I cut out those three things really so that we could get down to business in the treatment room.” Despite these trimmings, though, clients love Glowbar’s focus and favor the quicker option. “I love it because it’s 30 minutes in and out, and it makes facials accessible in a way that you can maintain over time and see the full benefit,” says Bevin Prince, a master SoulCylce instructor and co-host of the “Be My Neighbor” podcast. “Honestly, taking the 30 minutes once a month has been so much better than taking two hours every few months. It’s definitely not the same as going to the spa and taking all the time and putting the robe on and the whole thing, but having half an hour for myself is great, and the maintenance factor and regularity makes it all worth it.”
Many businesses offering fast beauty have also implemented membership programs, an initiative that has proved extremely successful with their largely millennial-based clientele. “It was really about forming more of a community and feeling like you’re a part of something,” says Gabby Garritano, the founder and CEO of JECT, which recently launched its $99 annual membership option. “You get the membership card, you get perks at other places, like SoulCycle, and of course, you get the discounts at JECT, so pretty much all of our clients have opted for the membership.” The offering builds on the notion that beauty treatments are a necessity for most modern New Yorkers and require consistency. Memberships feature lower pricing, which in turn allows customers to do something like injectables both more frequently and everywhere they’re needed rather than having to pick and choose, but the programs also ensure that clients stay with their treatment plans and therefore see optimal results. “The price point is amazing, and you really can’t beat that,” says Prince, who recently purchased Glowbar’s $55 monthly membership. “But it also kind of holds me accountable to make sure I go and prioritize my skin more than I have in the past.”
It seems only natural that places like JECT and Glowbar have been met with such success in the New York market, where customers have overbooked schedules and busy lives, but it seems the demand for fast beauty is as alive in the suburbs of middle America as it is in urban centers. “I think it’s already widespread,” Liverman notes. “Some of these blowdry franchises already have thousands of locations across the United States, if that gives you any indication. They’re predominantly on the coasts, but obviously, New York and LA are trendsetters, and everyone else kind of looks to those places to see what’s going on.” In the year or so they’ve been open, both Glowbar and JECT have consistently received suggestions of where to open their next locations, and they’ve mostly been in unexpected places. “We have a lot of people saying, ‘come to Chicago, D.C., Philly, Dallas,’ and there are so many middle states that would actually be great places for us to go to,” says Liverman. “Cities and urbanites are definitely looking for quick options and things that bring them joy, but I think that’s actually a country-wide phenomenon.”
Of course, the rise of fast beauty has been most popular with younger generations, who devote more attention and care to skincare than their parents and grandparents could have dreamed of, but also value their time more than ever. But the trend seems to even be catching on with older clientele and will likely continue to attract customers from teenage to nonagenarian as these businesses expand across the country. After all, as JECT co-founder Devon Nagelberg says, “we’re all millennials at heart, and that’s really all that matters.”
Images: Y Photo Studio/Shutterstock
When I scroll through my Instagram feed, there are five types of photos that I see. Influencers with filler for days, influencers who are preaching about their life-changing clean beauty routine, puppies, engagements, and babies. But leaving off the puppies, engagements, and babies for a sec, let’s focus in on the two types of faces you see on Instagram. In 2019, we’re witnessing a war between the filtered-in-real-life influencers, and the ones who preach about their chemical-free skin care routine that nobody actually asked for. We have two extremes, and it’s hard to decide which approach is better (or, tbh, if either are good for you). It’s a lot to sort through, when so many of us have only just started using an eye cream. Don’t worry, I’m here to help.
For those of you who don’t spend all your time on beauty blogs know, the mainstream term for clean beauty is still open for interpretation, and different brands have different definitions when it comes to “clean”, with no industry standard quite yet. However, if you read any of the following ingredients in your beauty products, know that they are not considered clean: Aluminum Compounds, Ethoxylated Agents, Formaldehyde, Fragrances, Hydroquinone, Oxybenzone, Parabens, Refined Petroleum, Silica, Talc, or Triclosan.
Translation: Clean beauty means natural, nontoxic ingredients. If a brand is not clean, it may contain harmful (toxic???) ingredients. Brb while I go intensely wash my face.
Clean beauty products and the “clean” trend as a whole have skyrocketed in 2019, and the concept does not seem to be slowing down. Larger clean brands, such as Drunk Elephant, have quadrupled their sales in the last two years (Shiseido just purchased Drunk Elephant for a casual $845 million), to give you an idea of just how big the shift toward clean products seems to be. But at the same time, fillers too seem to hold onto their reigns… especially if the faces you see on Instagram are an indication of trends.
RN and certified injector Danielle Repetti (@refresh_nurse) explained to us, “With the world of social media being so prevalent in our lives, facial enhancement isn’t going anywhere.”
This did not surprise me, as injections have become more and more normalized in society. With similar price tags, and similar audiences, it made me wonder, do injections go against all ideas clean and green?
I first looked to celebrities supporting clean beauty for some answers. The initial person that pops into my mind is Gwyneth Paltrow, who is miss au naturel. The founder of Goop Beauty (a clean beauty pioneer) has admitted to getting Botox in the past, and all I have to say is, if the queen of green will take a needle to the face, something tells me that we all will.
But will clean and natural beauty wipe away the “Instagram face” trend? There are only two ways to find out: input from a board-certified injector, and an Instagram poll.
I asked Repetti what the current trends are in the injection world, and her answers actually surprised me. “Currently I’m seeing more and more interest in under eye filler,” Repetti explained. “The reason it’s becoming so popular is because when done correctly, it’s near impossible for anyone to know you’ve had ‘work’ done.”
I assumed lip injections were consuming most of her time, but as the age-old saying goes, we know what happens when we ass-u-me things.
I also asked her opinion about the cross between clean beauty and injections, and if there was any correlation or discrepancies between the two.
Repetti explained that people appear to be more concerned with clean/green topical products, rather than injectables. She says that when it comes to clean beauty, “There are some things that people will make an exception for—injectables seem to be that thing. Technically, our fillers are made of hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxyapatite, all of which are found naturally in our bodies. Clients who prefer ‘natural’ approaches to life have nothing to worry about.”
This explains why Kourtney Kardashian preached that her unborn children must be clean and vegan, but she herself has (allegedly) dabbled in injections and gone under the knife.
Clean products and injections have their pros and cons, some overlapping. Both are created with the intention of a beautiful end result. Younger, healthier looking skin can be achieved both ways, depending on the route you choose. Clean beauty says goodbye to toxins and hello to face-friendly ingredients. Injections say goodbye to any wrinkle you thought you once knew, and can make you feel young and alive, regardless of what your skin’s truest form may be.
When you look at the price tag of injections, they vary by procedure and location. Botox typically retails from $10-15 per unit (the average patient requires minimum 30 units), while popular procedures such as lip injections and under eye filler retail on average between $450-700. Compare it to a four-step skin routine from Drunk Elephant, with products retailing from $60-90, the average spend is not far off.
The cons? First and foremost, *the unknown*. We’ve yet to see the long-term results of clean beauty products or injections, and while clean claims to only have benefits, do we really know? Injections, too, claim no harm, but at the end of the day, sticking a needle and foreign substance into your body does not exactly scream health. And… there’s always the option of bad injections or taking fillers too far. (Have you seen Brandi Glanville? Sorry, but it’s true.)
I took an Instagram poll and asked followers whether they felt clean beauty would prevail in 2020, or if injections were here to stay. 76% of these trusty souls chose clean beauty, and while I do believe they are right, I still think injections will rule the world as long as social media is thriving. As someone who overdraws their lips and (poorly) contours their face in hopes of some Bella Hadid cheekbone action, I’ll openly admit my temptations to try injections are there. I also think the shift toward clean is very real, from beauty to food, and we will see more and more integration of these products into our everyday lives.
So, I guess what I’m trying to say here is, in 2020, you’ll see more clean products on the skin, more injections under the skin, and the same amount of Facetune for final touches. In other words, even more pressure to look perfect at all times. Great.
Images: Giphy (5)
Kim Kardashian has now been in our lives for a very, very long time. We’ve seen her adapt from an Armenian princess who cleaned celebrity closets to the Illuminati cyborg clone we know and love. Kim’s changed her style a lot over the years, but somehow not as often as she’s changed her face. We literally could do a whole series on each of the Kardashian/Jenner clan and their ever-changing faces, but for now we’ll focus on Kim. (Although my favorite Kardashian is Khloé, because she’s sassy.) And remember, if it weren’t for Kim having sex on camera and Kris Jenner being a marketing genius, none of these people would have careers. Let’s take a look at how much has changed since Kim first came into the limelight.
2006
Ah, 2006 Kim. She looks so different here, it’s insane. This is actually even before KUWTK, when she was simply holding Paris’s handbags and cleaning her closet. The good old days, if you will. Who would have thought Kim would turn into who she is now?
2007
This is the year KUWTK started. Kim decided that the real essential to her look would be very dark glitter eyeshadow. But the nude MAC Lipglass stays. This is also when Kim discovered fillers.
2008
Kim figures out how to give herself a forehead! This is actually how I remember Kim in general: like, she’s cute, dating Reggie Bush I think, but very much still looks like a naturally pretty Armenian girl. This is before the white-washing begins.
2009
2008 Kim to 2009 Kim isn’t even the same person??? Like, what exactly has happened here? I want to say she had a nose job, but her nose looks the same. Her skin is way lighter, so I don’t know if this is like a skin-bleaching regimen or she just learned to use sunscreen like the rest of us. Her lips definitely have a bit more filler, but it’s nothing compared to what’s coming up.
2010
This is the year that every woman thought they could be Angelina Jolie with enough injections. It doesn’t work that way. I know this because this is exactly what my mom also looked like that year: puffy and her face doesn’t move correctly. Yikes.
2011
Ok, THIS is the year of the nose job (it looks way thinner) and when Kim really, really needed to lay off the fillers and botox. Look at those eyebrows! She’s an inch away from cartoon movie villain. Maybe it’s just the spidery bottom lashes, but she looks a bit scary.
2012
Oh good, this is the year that Kim learned to blend. These must be the Kanye years. It also seems like she laid off some of the fillers (except for her lips, for sure).
2013
Kim lightens her hair and gets a better makeup artist. I actually still really love this look. I don’t know if it’s just the softer eye makeup and the lighter hair, but she’s looking very, very different to me from the last pic. Is her nose the same? Her skin even looks way lighter to me too? How is this the same woman??
2014
LOL remember how I said Kim looked way lighter in the last photo? Kim has now eschewed her Armenian heritage completely. Her nose looks even thinner, but I’ll guess it’s a contour. Did we do contours in 2014? We must have, because her face looks way thinner and more chiseled too. Or I guess that could be fillers? She’s gotten very thick, Muppets-y eyelashes from 2007 on as well. IDK.
2015
Kim’s lashes and lips keep growing. She explores vampy looks. She lays off the cheek and brow filler (highly recommend) but adds more to the lips. I am rapidly losing interest in this. Is anyone still reading this?
2016
Kim decided that while Kylie was building her billion dollar empire on having huge lips, Kim would be the queen of zero lips. Not a great look, Kimmie. Also, her forehead is a different color than the rest of her face. She looks very, very pale. Also, her eyeshadow is from The Lion King. That is all.
2017
Kim gets a tan and is a blonde. I hate the roots on this wig. I don’t mind roots showing with intention, but at least blend a little. Her eyebrows are super thick for this look. Her nose and cheeks look super different as well? Like, the nose is way thinner? Is this another nose job or a contour? I can’t even tell with these people. The cheeks are so big and sharp they could cut glass.
2018
Kim’s lips are huuuuuge compared to 2017. Maybe she had just gotten them done. I do like when Kim decided to go more natural with less makeup and dark, casual waves. But is it considered more natural when it’s 100 pounds of foundation and lighter makeup? Or more natural when she’s walking around with a gigantic mane of fake hair? IDK?
2019
And here we are, our current Kim K. She looks a bit… puffy to me. It’s v similar to 2010 with all the fillers. But what’s really crazy is that this woman now has completely generic features compared to her 2006 counterpart. I mean:
Do these people even know each other? They don’t really even look related. And if you want to see a GIF of Kim’s faces over the years, here it is:
Which Kim is your favorite? Do you think her face has changed a lot? What do you think about celebrities that white wash themselves once they’re famous? LMK!
Images: Getty Images
While most people have been obsessing over Kylie Jenner’s breakup with Travis Scott, I personally have been focusing on Khloé Kardashian. That is mostly because Khloé has once again gone dark on IG and disabled all comments after posting a photo of herself where she looks virtually unrecognizable. In other news, the sky is blue! The photo in question is a sultry selfie that could be Khloé but also could be a random VSCO girl she found on the internet to pass off as herself and thought we wouldn’t notice. Well guess what, Khloé? WE F*CKING NOTICE. Fans are saying the photo is an egregious use of FaceTune, and while I’m inclined to agree (seriously, her photo editing skills are a crime against humanity), I’m starting to wonder if this selfie, along with countless others, isn’t just a terrible filter or Khloé projecting the fun-house mirror self-image she keeps in her mind unto the masses via a sh*t ton of FaceTune. Maybe Khloé Kardashian really did get an entirely new face.
I know what you’re thinking: florals for spring Kardashians getting plastic surgery? Groundbreaking. But the thing is, Khloé has adamantly denied having any work done over the years. Back in April, Khloé took to Instagram to be petty AF when responding to fans who commented that perhaps she had gone a bit overboard with recent plastic surgery. I mean, her exact response went something like: “lol, oh man… but sure whatever you want to believe,” which is actually the exact wording I use when my sister confronts me about stealing her shirt and I am definitely wearing said shirt as she puts me on blast over the phone.
Look, I’m of the mind that anyone living within a 50 mile radius of LA has probably had some plastic surgery done, the Kardashians included. And can we really blame them? If I lived in a city where the most skin you were allowed to cover in public was 12 cubic inches then I would also like to look permanently airbrushed at all times. But what do I know? I’m just a 27-year-old woman who spends her free time presenting elaborate powerpoint presentations to my dog on Kardashian conspiracy theories.
ME TO MY DOG AS I WRITE THIS ARTICLE:
But I guess I’m not the only one with this theory about the Kardashians because according to Dr. Manish Shah, a board certified plastic surgeon in Denver, Colorado, Khloé Kardashian has definitely had some work done. “Khloé Kardashian has certainly undergone some major physical changes over the years,” Dr. Shah said. And while some of these changes can be attributed to weight loss (she is killing it with her workout regimen and she does have the receipts Insta stories to prove it) and normal maturation (aka losing her “baby fat”) the rest definitely involves some cosmetic enhancements.
We asked him to look at a few of Khloé’s most recent Instagram posts and weigh in on if he thought these are just the result of a very warped understanding of photo editing or the work of a skilled plastic surgeon. Here’s what he had to say:
On Her Rumored Nose Job
Look, I love KoKo, I really do, but the nose that’s been showing up on her face in her most recent Insta posts look less like the one she was born with and more like the one He Who Must Not Be Named debuted after his resurrection. I’m sorry, but it’s true!! It’s been rumored for years that Khloé might have gotten a nose job, and just last year Khloé herself even admitted that she’s always wanted one, but that she was “too scared” to go through with it. Her stance has always been that she’s just really good at contouring but, like, I’ve never been able to contour my face so good that I could successfully enter myself into Witness Protection and not even have to change my name. Dr. Shah agrees. “It’s clear that she has had rhinoplasty to give her a much more contoured nose,” he said. “Her original nose had a much wider tip and bridge. This nose is sleek.” And it does look sleeker. So sleek that I have to believe there’s more being done to that face than just going to town with a bombass highlighter.
On If She Has Lip Fillers
“Although Khloé never had thin lips, it seems as though some filler has been used to sculpt them in such a way as to make her face as proportional as possible,” Dr. Shah said. He also thinks she’s had some fillers added to her cheeks to give them more shape and definition, which would make sense considering Khloé used to have a rounder face and now her face has more angles than an isosceles triangle. These seemingly new face angles can also be attributed to some work she might have had done on her jawline. “Before, her jawline was very heavy, and seemed to weigh her face down. Now, it is very balanced, delicate and feminine,” Dr. Shah said. “This could be the result of liposuction of the jawline, in tandem with weight loss, and perhaps some artful fillers to give the jaw the desired shape.”
On Her Other Enhancements
Like any good girl from Calabasas, Khloé has also probably dabbled with Botox. “Her forehead is completely smooth,” Dr. Shah said. “That would indicate Botox. Her eyebrows are also in a higher position which could also indicate that they have been elevated by strategically placed Botox.” Dr. Shah thinks she may have also undergone a skin tightening treatment like radiofrequency (a technique that uses radio frequency energy to heat tissue and stimulate collagen production in order to reduce the appearance of fine lines or loose skin). Either way, Khloé looks absolutely unreal these days (no, seriously, it’s absolutely not real) but if it’s making Khloé feel good as hell, then who am I to judge?
So there you have it! Definitive proof that Khloé Kardashian has had some plastic surgery. Sort of. For those of you who are shocked by this turn of events, I think you should also know that the Easter Bunny isn’t real either. It’s just your mom buying discounted CVS candy and whatever else was featured at the checkout aisle at 2am the night before. Kisses!!
Images: @khloekardashian /Instagram (3); Giphy (1)
Guys, RHOC is finally back on August 6th! For those of you that do not have absolute trash taste in television, RHOC is Real Housewives of Orange County, aka the franchise that started it all. For what it’s worth, I am still absolutely beyond livid that OG of the OC, Vicki Gunvalson, was demoted to a friend, but I will still watch. It seems like the ladies of OC have been busy, with Gina getting a DUI (she is the worst, why is she still on the show?), and ex-Housewife child Alexa Curtin getting arrested for drug possession. A lot has gone on in the THIRTEEN YEARS the OC ladies have graced our televisions. Seriously, the early episodes somehow look like they were shot in the 80’s compared to now. I don’t get how that happens. I was in high school when this show came out and I don’t remember TV looking so bad? But anyway, nothing has changed more than the Housewives’ faces. It’s not really that surprising, considering that in Orange County, plastic surgery is a necessary chore, like going to the gym or the grocery store. Everyone uses the same two surgeons and it’s all very, very creepy. Vicki alone has had three full face swaps. Let’s take a look at the current cast’s face from their first episode until now.
Tamra Judge
Tamra Judge started out in season 3 as Tamra Barney, and she was a sad, pathetic woman that followed around her gross, controlling husband. Thankfully she’s definitely had a personality glow-up with the new face (seriously, that season 3 pic is UNRECOGNIZABLE) and is now super strong mentally and physically (since she owns a gym). She definitely had her face frozen via Botox, possibly her chin shaved down (OUCH), definitely got some veneers, but it seems like she kept her original nose! What a rarity in OC.
Shannon Beador
Shannon Beador entered our lives in season 9 as a super thin, insanely rich resident psycho who wouldn’t have Wifi in the house because she believed it causes cancer. Since then, she’s gained and lost some weight, most noticably 180 lbs of douchebag cheating husband. I live for Shannon Beador and her use of everyone’s first and last names. Face-wise, she looks completely different, but it looks like a standard frozen face/lip injections/Botox kind of deal, plus basic aging and weight change.
Kelly Dodd
Is there anyone messier than Kelly Dodd? Kelly looks like she had a lot of work done before the show, so her face hasn’t changed that much in the years since. She’s always had a kind of Michael Jackson nose, filler-lip sort of look to her. Plus, she was dating a plastic surgeon. I always had mixed feelings about Kelly. On the one hand, I hate her. But on the other hand, with Gina and Emily back on the show, I’m grateful for her presence because who else is going to fuel the drama for us to watch?
Gina Kirschenheiter
I dislike Gina so much, I can’t stand it. She is just such a bummer of a person. First of all, she belongs on RHONJ if anything, and let’s be real, she’s way too dull for that show. She spent the entire last season crying about her marriage. Stay with him, leave him, shoot him, dammit Gina, I do not care. We do know now that Matt is allegedly abusive and was arrested for domestic violence right after season 14 filming ended, which I do feel horrible about. But I still don’t think I should have to watch her on TV. Also, she recently got a DUI. Is she trying to audition for Celeste on Big Little Lies? Get. It. Together. She’s only been on the show a few seasons, but honestly, she doesn’t look like EITHER of these pictures IRL. She did kind of go from 30-something with a lot of makeup on to aging evil stepmother, though?
Emily Simpson
Emily is another one that I audibly groaned when she was announced back on the season 14 roster. She is just so boring. In sorority recruitment, we’d call her “vanilla”. Meaning, she’s nice but there is literally nothing else you can say about her. There was no room for vanilla in my sorority, and there should be no room for vanilla on my reality TV. Since she was only added last year, there isn’t a major difference to her face, except her cheeks look puffier this year, which could be from fillers. When people start getting cheeks that look like full circles, I get suspicious.
Honorable Mention: Vicki F*cking Gunvalson
Although Vicki was demoted this year, I refuse to accept it and I’m including her anyway. Also, she has had SO MANY FACES, which she openly admits to. Vicki started season 1 as this super religious parent and it took quite a few years before we discovered that Vicki really cheated on her husband a bunch (hey, he cheated too!), and lived a crazy, secret life. It was awesome TV. This woman has brought us so much insane drama, I can’t believe having her around is even questioned. I do have to say, even with three new faces, Vicki looks good this year. Remember that one season where her hair was a mess and she was sweaty literally every episode of the entire season? She said she thought she could do her own hair, and turns out, no she cannot (#relatable). She’s at least improved upon that. Let’s hope she’s invited back into her RIGHTFUL PLACE for next year!
Images: Giphy; Bravo (12)
If you were watching Big Little Lies this season, then you may have noticed that something looked well… different. And no, I’m not referring to Shailene Woodley’s wack-ass hair or Meryl’s terrible wig. Rather, I’m referring to Nicole Kidman’s face. Now, she’s always been beautiful, and that will never change, but I couldn’t help but notice that something looked a little off. At first, I really couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was. I asked around, and one of my friends thought something was off with her jaw, commenting that it looked “uneven”. Another avid BLL fan noted that her face was “very sharp-looking”, specifically pointing out her nose and chin.
For reference, here’s a picture of Nicole at the 2018 Oscars. I know it seems like a million years ago, but it was objectively not that long ago.
And for contrast, here are some screenshots from Big Little Lies this past season.
And just to clarify, I by no means am throwing shade at Nicole, or anyone, for possibly getting something done. Look, I got Botox for my jaw, and I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I didn’t ask for an extra shot or two in my forehead as well since I was already there. (Just don’t tell my insurance that.) I’m trying to say is that I’m down for whatever makes anyone feel more beautiful, and I know from experience that Botox for my jaw and forehead have definitely made me feel more beautiful and confident.
So while I’m not shaming anyone for getting a little extra *ahem* enhancement, I’m pro being up front about it. Like, it’s not enough that celebrities are using Photoshop, Facetune, and contouring to (appear to) look the way they do—they’re also getting injections and surgery on top of it and acting like their faces are all natural. It doesn’t benefit any of us for celebrities (or anyone, really) to pretend their perfectly engineered faces are just due to a little puberty, and in fact, putting forth this false narrative is harmful to all of us, who didn’t magically gain pouty lips and a new nose during puberty (because that’s not at all how that works).
With that being said, a girl can wonder if the face she’s viewing every Sunday night has had a little extra help. To get to the actual truth of whether Nicole Kidman had something done or not, I consulted with Dr. Manish Shah, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Denver, Colarado.
Dr. Shah says, “I’m a firm believer in the idea that Nicole has probably had a facelift and brow lift.” Which gives me hope because it means Nicole Kidman isn’t just some mutant human who magically doesn’t age. According to Dr. Shah, as we age, we lose bone support in our faces. He says, “When you have a facelift, you are tightening the loose skin that develops with this bone loss.” He assures me that we all have natural asymmetries in our face that can be hidden by the loose skin. Therefore, when the skin tightens, the asymmetries are more easily seen. And, he points out, this is more likely in slim women, like Nicole, who doesn’t have extra fat to hide bone loss.
So like, are these asymmetries the sign of something gone wrong? Dr. Shah insists, “Not at all. It is entirely normal and expected in 100% of people getting facial plastic surgery.” I don’t know how comforting a response this is, though—like, if I’m trying to tighten my skin, it’s because I’m trying to look better. So tightening the skin just to look less even doesn’t necessarily sound like a win to me. Dare I say, I may just have to age naturally?
If you do decide to get a brow lift or facelift sometime far off in the future, how can you make sure that you won’t have asymmetries? Dr. Shah says, “When patients have large asymmetries, it is important for the plastic surgeon to try and reduce the amount of difference,” which often requires the use of filler, fat, or facial implants. Or, you could just not stress too much about it. In general, Dr. Shah says, “Our eyes can overlook minor asymmetries—large asymmetries are hard for our brains to ignore.” If it’s a minor asymmetry, chances are nobody will notice.
When it comes to facelifts, there are a few things to keep in mind. Number one, Dr. Shah says people should not have a facelift too prematurely. He says, “There is so much that can be done with fillers nowadays with what is known as a liquid facelift. There are times when a woman has a facelift too early (such as early 50s) and this can actually serve to age her if her face is pulled too taut and some of the natural fullness is taken away.” We’ve all seen a bad facelift, right? Good, so I don’t need to explain to you what it looks like. Somebody tell Kylie Jenner that getting plastic surgery too early in life can actually make you look older…
For brow lifts, Dr. Shah expresses that the same rules apply. “We’ve all seen women who have that perpetually surprised look because the brow has been raised to an unnaturally high position.” (See every Real Housewife, for example.) He urges those considering a brow lift to find a skilled plastic surgeon who knows just the right place to inject Botox in order to give the brows the right amount of natural lift. Also, according to Dr. Shah, there are techniques women can do with brow shaping to achieve youthful, nicely arched eyebrows without injections. So maybe I do need to find my way around a brow pencil after all…
All in all, it’s not shocking that celebrities are using things other than expensive face creams to slow down the aging process. We just wish they’d be more open about it.
What other celebs are you positive have had work done, but they won’t admit it? Let us know in the comments and we will get to the bottom of it.
Images: Shutterstock; HBO; thefacesurgeon / Instagram
It’s 2019, anxiety is a national pastime, and if you’re in your mid-to-late-twenties or beyond, it means you’re already worried about aging, which is probably not helping the situation. Now more than ever, there are options available to slow the formation of wrinkles, most intriguing among them being preventative Botox. In the procedure, smaller doses of Botox are used to relax fine lines so they will not become deeper and etched in over time. But injecting neurotoxins into your face also creates a stress of its own. Before you convince yourself everyone’s doing it and you should, too, read on for questions you should consider first.
Do I Have To Start Now?
My FBI agent has been working extra hard because every Ad on Hulu & social media is something to do w/ Botox or plastic surgery. I ain’t mad at em tho
— Cydney Kessler (@CydneyAg18) June 30, 2019
Preventative Botox has been shown to prevent signs of facial aging, but that doesn’t mean that it is a one size fits all treatment. “I have 22-year-old patients who could potentially benefit from it and 42-year-olds who may not,” says New York Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman. “It’s more important to pay attention to your skin than your age.” Skin type, amount of sun exposure, and how expressive you are are a few contributing factors. Don’t inject anything into your face without first getting a clue as to where you need it. A good rule of thumb: see if your skin holds an expression line beyond when you’re making that expression. “Just because your friend or sister is doing it doesn’t mean you should,” says Engelman. She adds, “Even if it would be helpful, you may need it in a different part of your face than your friend for your best result.”
What Are The Risks?
Does botox help resting bitch face? Asking for a friend.
— Lady Disturbed ? PAX West (@lladydisturbed) June 30, 2019
The increased interest in Botox, especially among a younger clientele, has given rise to aesthetic bars, designed in the style of blowout bars. They make injections both accessible and nonthreatening, because you can order them off a menu in a less clinical-looking space. But be wary of being able to order your injections à la carte. “You may end up getting what you ordered, but that doesn’t mean you’ll like it,” warns Engelman. She notes patients often don’t understand the best method to get the look they want, which makes shopping around for an injector problematic for your face. But that’s nothing compared to the risk of nerve damage and (although extremely rare) blindness. So don’t lose sight of the fact that’s it’s still a procedure. Engelman expresses concern that injectors at aesthetic bars may be less skilled than doctors who are constantly trained in new techniques, have extensively studied facial anatomy, and can expertly guide you through all available treatment options.
Who Should I Go To?
one thing I love about the women in my generation is how transparent so many of us are about getting filler/Botox/plastic surgery – like yes go off get those smile lines filled honey get those new and improved titties and be proud of it
— it’s ya boy, uh… (@SierraMayhem) June 30, 2019
“Anything that makes you feel prettier can be addictive,” says Engelman. So, overdoing it is a possibility, especially if your injector is unlikely to tell you when enough is enough. If you start preventative Botox young, you should only need about two appointments a year, so be cautious of anyone who allows or suggests more. The best part about living in a time where people are open about their treatments? If you like someone’s look, you can probably just ask someone what they’re doing or who they’re seeing. Similarly, Instagram can be a great way to research a doctor’s particular aesthetic. But first, always check a doctor’s certifications: “Just because there’s an MD behind their name doesn’t mean they are necessarily an expert in the field,” advises Engelman. She recommends you go to a doctor who’s board certified in dermatology or plastic surgery (these specifications should be easy to find on their website). And ask to see their personal patient before-and-after images, not just theoretical results. They should have them. “You want to make sure you’re both on the same page,” says Engelman.
Is Botox What Even I Need?
Remember years ago when Nicole was getting a ton of shit for her Botox treatments and now she’s 52 looking 37 on Big Little Lies lmao pic.twitter.com/J2MQnXJjgZ
— Noah Cassiel (@NCassiel) July 1, 2019
Engelman says that young patients tend to come into her office asking about aggressive treatments when what they need is to focus on healthy skin care practices. She recommends getting into a prevention routine including antioxidants, a vitamin A derivative (aka a retinol or retin-A), and most importantly, SUNSCREEN. If you don’t protect your skin but you’re interested in Botox, “It’s a little like sitting in your pulmonologist’s office and smoking,” says Engelman. Studies show up to 90% of your skin’s aging is determined by UV radiation, which can come from the sun, infrared, or blue light. Translation: wear sunscreen 365 days a year, indoor and out, if you want to head off aging at the pass. See what an improvement it makes if you stick to a skin care routine for at least 8-12 weeks. It sounds simple, but you might be surprised at the results you get if you start taking care of your skin differently.
The amount of open discussion surrounding Botox and its widely increased availability makes it seem that the stigma surrounding injectables has all but disappeared. That is great. It was not healthy for us to believe that celebrities look the way they do year after year just because they drink a lot of water. It is great that, if you need intervention for something that you’re self-conscious about, you need not be insecure about the treatment as well. These “tweakments” are now an open beauty secret. But just like anything else, scrolling through your Instagram feed can make the lives and decisions of others feel more effortless than they actually are. Feeling like you have to change your look or freeze your face in time—because otherwise you will look out of place around the people you surround yourself with (on the internet or in real life)—is still a problem.
Images: NCassiel, SierraMayhem, lladydisturbed, CydneyAg18 / Twitter
It’s 2019, so we’re not going to pretend anymore that getting plastic surgery is some kind of weird taboo that women do in dark rooms on their 40th birthday. Embracing the chance to change something on your body that you feel insecure or uncomfortable with is f*cking awesome, and stigmas are not. And if you’re going to do something, it’s better to have all the information than to go in blind because you were too embarrassed to do research and end up with a botched procedure, right? Right. That’s why we chatted with Dr. Gary Linkov, a Facial Plastic Surgeon from New York to answer all your questions about preventative, non-surgical, and surgical facial procedures.
Which Facial Procedures Are Most Popular?
Nonsurgical: Botox, Filler, Chemical Peel
Surgical: Rhinoplasty (nose job), facelift, blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), and lip lifts are growing in popularity
When Should You Start Non-Surgical Preventative Treatments?
Although rumours and Instagram ads may suggest otherwise, Dr. Linkov believes that the only truly preventative strategy is botox. He’s had clients who start as young as their early 20s, ranging to about late 20s to early 30s. So if you’re still a child and scared of needles like me, there’s no need to panic. You can still prevent those wrinkles in due time.
How Do You Know If You’re Overdoing It?
It’s not hard to spot an overkill face (we’re looking at you, Tori Spelling), but when you’re in the heat of it, how do you know if you’ve gone overboard? Dr. Linkov says that with Botox, you’re too far once you’ve lost the ability to show emotions through facial expressions and have difficulty animating your face. This low-key sounds like a really good thing that I’d 100% be down for, but it doesn’t look so cute.
In terms of filler, you want to avoid anything that looks disproportionate to the rest of your face. Like, you can legitimately pick anyone from the cast of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and go as far in the opposite direction as possible. The facial procedures are meant to enhance what is already there, not build cheeks from silicone. For lips specifically, you want to avoid an anterior projection that is unnatural, aka you don’t want to look like you’re making the duck face all the time (unless that’s your strategy, then go for it).
How Do You Fix Botched Work?
In his line of work, Dr. Linkov has seen plenty of botched faces. He says the most common type of corrections he performs for non-surgical procedures has to do with too much filler being injected or filler being injected in the wrong place. In that case, he needs to dissolve all the filler and start from scratch.
For surgical facial procedures, rhinoplasty is often one that needs correction. Sometimes too much cartilage is removed during the initial surgery, causing the nose to lose shape or sink in. Or Maybe Becca from Long Island got her nose job the summer before college and did way too much coke so now the bridge of her nose is collapsing. But like who really knows, we all started with a deviated septum anyway, right?
How Do Patients Decide The Best Course Of Treatment?
A lot of what Dr. Linkov spends his time doing is actually talking to patients and truly understanding their concerns. He likes to get a background on what procedures they’ve done prior to coming to see him, as well as their tolerance for various intensities of treatments. It’s also vital that Dr. Linkov has time to properly analyze a client’s face to choose the right method of approach. The bottom line is your surgeon should work with you, not for you, to help determine the best way to achieve what you’re looking for.
When Is The Best Time To Get A Facelift?
Dr. Linkov suggests getting a facelift once the jowls start to show *shivers* and there is some heaviness forming in the neck. Usually, this happens in the mid to late 40s for most women, but it can be later for some lucky betches. The trick, he says, is to do the facelift while the underlying muscle still has good integrity and strength. If you try to get a lift too late, the muscle will have already thinned out and will not support a transformative lift.
Do Facial Gyms Help Wrinkle Prevention?
So apparently taking a spa day to have someone smack your face doesn’t count as going to the gym. Shame. Dr. Linkov says there is very little data to show that facial gyms and wrinkle-prevention exercises actually do anything. In fact, strengthening muscles may even promote wrinkles, since wrinkles are from the activity of the skin’s underlying musculature. It’s fine, you tried.
Who Would Preventative Treatments NOT Be Beneficial For?
If you have limited wrinkles (even when you smile or do a double chin or whatever weird sh*t Snapchat prompts you to do) you don’t actually need preventative botox. Lucky. Fillers, on the other hand, are never really 100% preventative, according to Dr. Linkov, so no one should be trying that out before they want to commit to it.
How Do You Choose A Location And Person?
While these procedures can be pricey, there’s no benefit in trying to cut costs. Dr. Linkov says a lot of people often hunt for the best price per unit of Botox or syringe of filler, but those are also the faces that get botched and have to end up paying more for corrections in the future. Dr. Linkov instead strongly recommends picking a doctor by their experience to treat the face and maintain safety as their top priority. Some treatments can have side effects that range from mild to more severe, so having someone who knows what they’re doing and can do it well is very important. He also suggests that you make sure your injector has the appropriate antidotes, such as hyaluronidase for fillers, and to ask what type of filler is being injected.
What Are Typical Price Points For These Procedures?
Botox: Anywhere from $10-25 per unit or $200-500 per area
Filler: $500-1000 per syringe
Chemical Peel: $200-300 per treatment
Rhinoplasty: $9000-15,000+
Facelift: $10,000-20,000+
Is There Any Downtime?
Botox: Rarely any downtime
Filler: Can have bruising or swelling for up to two weeks, but usually one to two days of downtime
Chemical Peel: Depends on the intensity of the peel, but about one week
Rhinoplasty, Facelift, Liplift: One to two weeks of downtime
What Are The Side Effects?
Botox: Paralysis of neighboring muscles, bruising (rarer)
Filler: Bruising, swelling, vascular occlusion (including skin changes, or in rare cases, blindness)
Chemical Peel: Scarring, skin pigmentation changes
Rhinoplasty: Swelling, bruising, breathing issues, cosmetic deformities
Facelift: Scarring, bleeding, facial nerve damage
Liplift: Scarring
If you want to learn more about Dr. Linkov and the procedures he specializes in, feel free to check out his website. To keep up with his daily surgical antics you can follow him on Instagram.
Images: Giphy (2)
