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The stars you see looking so gorgeous on the red carpet come Academy Awards time may be born beautiful, but our guess is that they’ve had at least a full 24 hour prep to get red carpet ready (if not weeks of slow but steady progress, not unlike the most beautiful of butterflies). Here is a handy guide to the treatments you need to get—and when you need to get them—before Oscar Sunday.
ONE WEEK BEFORE
2. FILLERS. Smooth out fine lines and add volume to your face (if you’re aging) with fillers, which take under an hour to receive. Recommends Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. John Diaz, “The hottest filler for the red carpet right now is Volbella. Volbella is a filler specifically designed and formulated for the lips. It is lighter and softer than Juvederm, but works even better. It goes in extra smooth and very gently and beautifully enhances lips. Lips look plump and 100% natural. Volbella should be done at least 3-4 days before the red carpet to allow for any potential swelling or redness to resolve.” He adds, “Voluma has been around for a while now, but it is still one of my favorite red carpet secrets. This is a thicker and longer lasting filler designed to add volume to the cheekbone area. Experienced and expert injectors like myself know how to add just the right amount of Voluma to give you beautiful and natural looking fullness of the cheeks. No one in front or behind the camera will be able to tell you had it done. Voluma should be done at least one week prior to an event for the best result.”
TWO DAYS BEFORE
3.FACE. There is a fully encompassing treatment we recommend, new to the Beverly Wilshire for awards season time. The Elemis Targeted Toning Treatment does it all. This $505 facial helps you to rediscover the architecture of your face with a ground-breaking blend of massage and sculpting technology while targeting and toning the arms for a more defined contour. Using the Elemis Biotec system, wrinkles and fine lines are visibly reduced to leave the complexion softer, smoother, and brighter. At the same time, a powerful blend of salts, minerals and seaweeds are applied to the arms to work together to target cellulite and skin tone. The treatment is completed with a cooling rubberized mask, rich in super-detoxing caffeine, green clay and red algae clinically proven to redefine areas prone to sagging. The results will leave you red carpet-ready from top to toe. (FYI, for an extra bit of “help” the day of, Beverly Wilshire spa therapist Gillian Garcia recommends, “Eye masks are amazing to instantly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I suggest applying the Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-gel Eye Mask under the eye area while your stylist is perfecting your hair. Leave on for 20 minutes and your eye contours are left looking visibly smoother and rejuvenated.”
4. NAILS. There’s no need to be stressing about getting your nails done on Oscar day—they’ll last for at least a week, after all! We recommend getting your tootsies painted in a relaxing ways, such as with Bellacures’ new Spiritual Awakening Pedicure two days before the big day. To calm the nerves and center the spirit before the red carpet, the treatment begins with your choice of one of six essential oils. Each aromatherapy treatment has a different healing quality. While you get pampered with a pedicure, a detoxifying foot scrub, and a 10-minute foot massage, you’re given a dissolvable piece of paper and a marker to write down any negativity in your life and throw it into the water to vanish. At the end of the treatment, you’re given the choice of one out of three crystals to put your new energy into and take home.
ONE DAY BEFORE
5. MASSAGE. You need to CENTER yourself, lady (or sir). The best way to do so is with an Ayurvedic massage. Burke Williams offers two—the Shirondhara and the Ananda.The former is a deeply soothing traditional Ayurvedic treatment that calms the central nervous system and integrates the mind and body to achieve a heightened state of awareness, relaxation, and contentment. Your treatment begins when you select the herbal massage oil specific to your mind-body constitution (dosha). You will be expertly massaged with the warm herbal oil, ending with the Shirodhara, a constant and gentle stream of oil poured over the third eye to create a profound state of happiness and mental clarity. The latter is a traditional Ayurvedic practice which focuses on the five energy channels of the head, feet, and hands. Ayurvedic herbs are applied to the five points, followed by a nourishing, rhythmic, flowing massage with heated therapeutic oils. Special emphasis is placed on the Marma points, the vital energy points that move electromagnetic energy through the body. Finally, a traditional Ayurvedic Balancing Bowl is used on the feet to balance the doshas and remove excess heat and energy from the body. A sublime combination of polishing, moisturizing, and massage, this Signature Burke Williams body treatment is the ultimate experience in relaxation and healing.
THE DAY OF (“O” DAY)
6. HAIR. Thanks to Alli Webb‘s ingenuity, there are seemingly a million of her Drybar locations to choose from. As the Academy Awards are fancier than most red carpet events, expect to see a lot of updos on the red carpet. That means you should choose the “Uptini” from Webb’s inventive, cocktail-themed menu… which is also a perfect way of saving your tresses should it rain (and let’s be honest, with our recent weather, it could happen).
7. MAKEUP. Most starlets have their own glam squads, but if you don’t, you can still feel like a star at Blushington. This is a one-stop shop for all things beauty (including lash extensions and tanning), but for all intents and purposes, it got it start as a makeup studio, and that’s what we’ll recommend. Pop into one of two locations—West Hollywood or Topanga—and order up the Red Carpet Ready, a full face makeup application that will leave you with flawless skin.
