How celebrities really get red-carpet ready for TIFF, according to their facialist

Article content

TIFF is almost here. Festival prep has been underway since the moment last year’s festival wrapped, and likely long before that. The films themselves have often been years in the making, sometimes even a lifetime’s work. Preparation, it seems, is the name of the game.

Article content

We see celebrities walk red carpets all year long, but there’s something particularly exciting about watching them do it right here in Toronto. So, how do they prepare to look that good?

Article content

Article content

I sat down with celebrity facialist, Vee Mistry of SKINBYVEE, who has prepped stars for major events like the Canadian Screen Awards, worked with Lenny Kravitz ahead of his tour and treated the cast of Heated Rivalry, to find out exactly what goes into getting stars red-carpet ready.

How celebs get red-carpet ready, according to Vee Mistry

Q: What are the main treatments you’re using on clients ahead of festival season to get them camera-ready? 

“I use a technique called Face Therapy, which combines a multitude of massage techniques to sculpt, lift and contour the 40+ muscles in the face, neck and décolletage,” says Mistry. “What makes it so unique is that I combine a mix of old European techniques, Japanese vibrational techniques and inter-oral techniques to achieve the effect I am known for. By the end of the treatment, the muscles are lifted and sculpted back to the perfect definition for the facial structure.” 

Article content

Q: How long will the effects typically last for a client, and what do you advise to help them maintain the effect?

“As you can imagine, celebrities are dashing here, there, and everywhere. And even with that, they still are able to maintain the results. So the feedback and consensus is that the results have lasted anywhere between two and three weeks, which is absolute madness,” notes Mistry. 

With most treatments being useful for immediate results, it’s rare that the effects can last this long. She adds that there are a few key things that she recommends to maintain that longevity. 

“First of all, I’m going to tell them to drink plenty of water; hydration is absolutely key. We work on skin from the inside out. Second, the majority of them have a pair of my gua sha cryo sticks. By using them for even just one minute a day, whether it’s morning or night (and if you’re a really good student, it’s both), they’re going to help bring that beautiful cryotherapy, which lowers inflammation, as well as cools, calms and soothes. On top of that, you’ve got the gua sha ergonomics to maintain that lift, sculpt, contour that I’ve been able to do within the studio.” 

Article content

Article content

Q: Between red carpet makeup, late-night parties and constant travel, celeb skin is under a lot. How do these factors impact the skin and how can your treatments help? 

“The lifestyle factors really do impact the skin in a multitude of ways. We can see sometimes that the skin is inflamed; it’s angry, it’s red. In worst-case scenarios, there’s congestion under the skin – bumpiness and texture – and that is likely coming from late nights. Sleep has a big impact on how our skin heals, repairs itself and regenerates itself, and nighttime is the best time to regenerate your skin. A lack of sleep is definitely going to impact the skin.” 

“I’m often seeing dryness, making the skin look dull. It’s missing that life and that vibrancy. We are going to reset the skin and hydrate the skin to work at a cellular level, encouraging that blood flow circulation. We’re encouraging feeding the fascia, the cells, the tissues, and all of this is resetting the skin. After the treatment, I encourage clients – if they are going to drink alcohol – to follow up each glass of alcohol with one glass of water. This isn’t necessarily counteracting the alcohol. What it’s doing is keeping them hydrated, so the skin remains hydrated, too.” 

Article content

Lastly, I recommend that they don’t over-exfoliate the skin, so I’m not going to let them go in with 10 different steps of glycolic, azelaic, salicylic – none of that. We’re going to really nourish the skin, so we’re going to lean into ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help brighten, lighten and give that beautiful illumination to the skin.” 

Q: You’re known for utilizing cold in facials, where many people are used to warmer temperatures in treatments. Why is this? 

“This has been a cornerstone of my treatment for over 10 years and there’s good reason for that. What we’ve seen is the skin looking less angry, less inflamed, more even in complexion,” Mistry says.

“The warmer temperatures, yes, they may feel good. The steaming, the hot towels, all of that may feel good, but it’s aggravating the skin – it’s encouraging more inflammation. It’s making the skin look red. There’s going to be more downtime to any facial treatment when you add those layers of heat into the skin. But a lot of my clients will go straight from my treatment table straight into glam hair and makeup, and there is no downtime. That’s why I really find it essential to lean into cryotherapy, so I’m using cold water, masks straight from the fridge and gua sha straight from the freezer.” 

Article content

Q: You’ve been working on celebrities for years. How did you get started? 

“Most people think that this is an overnight success, and it really isn’t. I’ve been doing esthetics as a whole for 30 years,” Mistry laughs. “Celebrities have landed on my table by a couple of things. I have a few clients who are absolutely wonderful. They are big cheerleaders and really are women who support women and they just happen to be really great friends with these celebrities. They’ve had their own great experiences with me and because of that, they felt comfortable referring their celebrity friends to me. It does become a bit of a trickle effect, but I’m not saying that it is that easy. It’s not once you’ve got one in, they all just flood in. We still have to work for it.” 

But for Mistry’s high-profile clients, the treatment itself is only part of the appeal.

“The reality is, celebrities want to come to a place where they can have complete privacy, the ability to switch off. They don’t have to worry that ‘Vee is going to share all of my deep secrets that I share.’ Let me tell you, celebrities do open up. They say a lot of things, but there is a certain level of confidentiality and comfort for them that what they tell me is therapy. It doesn’t go any further than that.” 

Article content

Q: Do you find that most celebrities prefer to prep ahead of events with a facial, or choose to unwind and take care of their skin post-festival? Or both? 

“I would have to actually say both. Pre-red carpet glam is absolutely essential, but post-red carpet glam is the ability for them to completely switch off and disconnect and take a moment of pause. I have been known to treat people within 24 to 48 hours on either side of occasions.” 

She explains: “For pre-red carpet, we’re getting the skin really juicy, dewy and ready to go into glam, versus post-event where the focus is really allowing them to have that moment to completely unwind and take a moment. Because for a lot of celebrities, that moment might only be the couple of hours that they have on my table, and then they’re on a plane and straight to the next event.” 

Q: You’re focused, of course, on the face and skin but also on the physiological act of relaxation. Why is that aspect so important? 

Mistry explains that often when she sees clients – celebrity or not – there are a few key things she notices in the body that her overall treatment can help with. She explains that when people are stressed, their breathing becomes shallow, breathing from the upper chest instead of the diaphragm, which builds tension and inhibits them from truly relaxing. 

Article content

“Your body needs to relax so that I can do my work properly and thoroughly, and you, as my client, can actually see the results. When they are very tense and stressed, the muscles don’t move. When we talk about putting back the 40+ muscles in our face, neck, and décolleté, I can’t move them. I can’t put them back because everything is so tense.” 

“Think about when your body is under stress: you might hold it in your shoulders, in your neck, in your back. Everything feels rock hard. That’s a similar experience that I have when I’m touching the face. Everything is so stiff,” Mistry adds. 

“The goal is breathing, allowing them to know they need to breathe, and teaching them to remember that they have to breathe from the diaphragm. This starts a beautiful reaction where the cells are starting to create energy. Now we’ve got a beautiful flow of oxygenation and circulation; all of this is going to help give the skin this beautiful, nice glow.” 

Q: For those who aren’t walking the red carpet but maybe have a big event (like a wedding) coming up, what are a few things you recommend to prep the skin? 

Article content

“It’s funny you ask about weddings – I actually just prepped two brides this week,” she laughs. “First of all, make sure you stay very hydrated and try to get as much undisturbed sleep as possible. Do not use a lot of exfoliators the week leading up to your big event – really think about nourishing and hydrating and keeping the skin very juicy and dewy and dumpling-like.” 

“Think about leaning into cold therapy. Try to use the gua sha cryo sticks every single day, one minute, morning and night, and really just work on lifting, sculpting, contouring, even at home.” 

Why trust us: We research, test and vet so you don’t have to. Learn more about our methodology or subscribe to our newsletter for the best of Canoe delivered to your inbox.

Article content