I’ve had what Naomi’s having
At last week’s Sarah Burton for Alexander Mcqueen show in east London, the chief topic of conversation was not so much about the big, whooshy skirts on the catwalk, lovely though they were, but of Naomi Campbell’s glowy complexion.
I don’t suppose any of us imagines Naomi, who is 51, hasn’t had, at the very least, a few aesthetic sprinkles, but you can’t manufacture radiance. “And that,” says Fatma Shaheen, is what really makes a face look youthful. “It’s really not about pumping skin full of filler or Botox,” she says. “The aim should be tone, texture and lift before anything else.”
You may not be able to produce radiance surgically, but you can create optimal conditions. These are what Shaheen’s bespoke facials deliver. I’d expect that from someone who until now has worked out of John Bell & Croyden, the magnificent pharmacy in London patronised by the Queen, and whose skincare line skindesignlondon. com is gold standard in cosmaceutical efficacy.
She uses a blend of facial massage, radiotherapy and microneedling to achieve one of the most effective “noninvasive” treatments around for lifting and smoothing. (She also treats acne, which is on the increase in older women.) And that’s why Campbell has become a regular at the deluxe treatment room that Shaheen recently set up in Mayfair, as matchesfashion.com’s first guest resident beauty guru. I’ve had a couple of sessions, too, and I can vouch for their efficacy. I’ve had a lot of compliments on my skin lately.
There are so many facials that are essentially either a waste of time or way too drastic and cause long-term damage. Personally, I don’t want harsh peels and zealous abrasive machines and acids anywhere near my skin. But I do want results and some straight talking, which is what Shaheen provides.
On Ultherapy (a skin tightening procedure that uses ultrasound with visualisation energy), she’s succinctly to the point: “Not worth the money.” The same is true, she says, of anti-pigmentation creams, the latest of which I note, clocks in at around £375 a tube. These potions will make skin nice and glossy but they can’t get to the roots of the problem. That, she says, is what microneedling and radio therapy are for.
I thought the microneedling would be painful – there are lots of home kits with spiky rollers and it’s all too easy to draw blood. I know, I’ve tried them on my legs (they’re supposed to reduce cellulite). There’s no way I’d trust myself to use them on my face.
Shaheen’s machines, however, are pain-free while doing the business, allowing products to penetrate more deeply and boosting those precious supplies of collagen and elastin. She also uses facial massage, so the treatments are a combination of high-tech and hands-on soothing.
Until now, matchesfashion. com has forged a reputation as a cutting edge clothes retailer, but senior team members were such fans of Shaheen’s methods that they persuaded her to bring her treatments to the plush salon on the upper floors of their flagship store for a temporary stay. It makes sense – she’s appropriately forwardthinking in her approach to beauty and has proved to be in such demand that they’ve extended her tenure. I wouldn’t be surprised if they expand into beauty e-tailing.
Not everyone can make the pilgrimage to Mayfair, so what are her tips for long-term skin health? Regular – although not necessarily daily – use of Retinol and Vitamin C; limiting exposure to the sun, of course; gentle cleansers; facial massage (starting at the chest), either with a gua sha stone or using your knuckles to knead along the jawline, under the brows and cheekbones, and always taking your product right down your breast bone and remembering to rub any spare into the backs of your hands.
“It’s all about five minutes here and there rather than draconian hits. The main thing is to improve the health and equilibrium of your skin. If it’s glowing you won’t notice the labial folds or droop so much. Or if you do, switch focus and stop getting hung up on your perceived flaws.”