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So my last facial was less than desirable, to say the least. It’s kind of like a bad relationship and consequent breakup—you think you’ll never love (have a facial) again and that you can never trust any other person (aesthetician) again. But like I mentioned in my last review, the aesthetician at Mario Badescu didn’t extract very much from my battered face so I had no choice but to put myself out there again in the hopes of clearing my face.

Name: Blue Mercury

Location: 865 Broadway

Time: 6pm on a Tuesday (July 8)

Appointment: Yes

Service: Purifying Facial

Aesthetician: Alicia

Price: $130

Review: From my last facial, this one was a total 180. Alicia is a very knowledgeable, approachable, considerate, empathetic, and genuine aesthetician. She won’t try to upsell you or lie to you. She knows her stuff and is the real deal—we talked about everything from AHAs to rosehip oil to microdermabrasion. Whenever I asked a question, she gave me the scientific explanation in an understandable way that helped me get the whole skin process.

The extractions didn’t hurt at all—I never really flinched and certainly didn’t shed a tear. All of the products felt great and she opened up my pores with a glycolic mask, not steam. At the end, my face looked just as calm and normal as it did when I entered. Most importantly, her samples were incredible. I got the greatest serums and masks (reviews to come).

However, it’s been two weeks and my skin is definitely calmer (my diet has also changed so it might be another factor as well). Buuuuut I still have a good amount of whiteheads that I wish she would have extracted, but I don’t know if they just weren’t ready to come out. All in all, Alicia is a wonderful aesthetician who will be gentle yet effective, give great samples, and answer any questions you may have post-facial if you call Blue Mercury while she’s there.

Rating: 3.5/5