This Shocking Facial Will Turn You Into a "Game of Thrones" Character

This week, I booked myself a facial (because, TBH, I'm about to get my period and I wanted to get ahead of any breakouts that might pop up). As a beauty director, trying out a lot of treatments comes with the job description, so unless a facial is called out as life-changing/weird/insane, etc., it's easy to think it's similar to facials I've had before, but this one was far different. The description called it an "enzyme & oxygen" treatment, $150. It sounded pretty routine, so I didn't ask what was involved — like I said, I figured it was the usual pore de-gunking, dead-cell dissolving routine — and for the first ten minutes, it was (think: cleansing, a few extractions… facial Groundhog Day, you get it).

Until licensed aesthetician Lora Condon (who has a roster of perfect-skin clients including Cate Blanchett) started cupping — a type of suction against your skin that increases blood circulation — my face. "Cupping?" I asked, fearing I'd be left with Gwyneth welts circa '04. Lora immediately assured me that I wouldn't bruise (a typical side effect of cupping when it's done on your body), because she used small suction cups (they look like clear, rubber thimbles) that quickly glide along your jawline, cheekbones, under eyes, brow area, and neck, gently lifting the skin to stimulate circulation and lymph drainage, aka skin-pro speak for "makes everything less puffy and more defined." It was super relaxing, but at this point I realized this wasn't your typical facial, so I should probably grab my phone and snap a few pics and take some video (because, if it didn't happen on Insta…).

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Then came the LED treatment from LightStim, which lasted close to 10 minutes. She used the red light on me, which helps decrease inflammation and stimulate the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — think of this as your cell's battery pack; it increases the energy levels of each cell and makes sure it's performing at optimal capacity.

Next up was what I'm dubbing the "dragon mask," or as Lora actually calls it, the "enzyme magic," a milky mask that she brushed onto my skin. She swears by a plant-based skincare system called DMK, created by Danné botanist Montague-King, and refers to it as a "paramedical" line because the active ingredients are so pure, meaning they're not cut with any fillers. "The mask is a mix of enzymes and albumin, the clear, plastic-looking film inside of an egg that lines the shell and is what makes it dry in a tight way," she explained. "But it's really the enzymes in the mask that cause the changes in your skin in terms of bringing new oxygen, vitamins, minerals, and fresh lymph fluid to the areas the mask is applied."

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Here's how it works: The enzymes stimulate circulation and "as the mask hardens, it forces the body to pump blood, oxygen, and minerals to the area," Lora adds. So, unlike many oxygen facials, which mainly just blow oxygen at your face with an airbrush gun, this treatment uses your body's own oxygen to make skin magic. And with that, she left the room, noting the "mask would get really tight," so I set my phone down and relaxed.

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Umm, understatement of 2017, Lora! Clearly I should have filmed the transformation because, as you can see in the below video (which I took after the mask hardened), I LOOKED LIKE A FREAKIN' DRAGON! Or someone who had a serious case of greyscale (R.I.P. Shireen). The mask got so tight that I could actually feel my face pulsing in places — it wasn't painful, just felt weird, mainly down my neck. When I looked at myself in my phone, I almost screamed, "send a Raven to Sam —and tell him to bring his scalpel!" But I couldn't really open my mouth or the mask would've cracked.

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After about 45 minutes of that sensation, because, it takes that long for the enzymes to fully oxygenate the skin, per Lora, she used a wet kabuki brush to soften and remove the mask. Then she applied a few drops of a product called transdermal infusion, a charged herbal formula that helps the topicals she just applied seep deeper into my dermis (the second deepest layer of your skin), while making sure the lipid barrier (your skin's most outer layer) isn't compromised. Finally, she used a jade roller to cool down my skin.

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In an hour and a half, my skin had gone from dragon to Daenerys. It was plump, reflective, and glowing. The best part: it's stayed that way for over 72 hours. I already have a second one booked for next month. And since the enzymes are all about repairing the skin and fighting off dryness and dehydration, it seems logical to keep it up. Because, and let's all say it together, winter is coming.