I’m sure by now you’ve seen viral stories of Singaporean beauty blogger, Bun Bun (who’s also a long-time reader of Beautyholics Anonymous. Hello Juli!) circulating on Buzzfeed and other websites about her horrific experience with a particular facial she had that spiraled to epic proportions. Zoe Foster-Blake talked about it on her blog too and shared her story of bad facials.
I cannot even express how sorry I am for Bun Bun and how my skin cries out whenever I see pictures of what that one facial (and subsequent ones to try to “fix” the problem) did to her skin. There were many factors that contributed to what she’s experiencing now but it came down to a very serious skin allergy she encountered. I shan’t be posting any pictures of her here but if you’re interested in checking it out (and give our fellow beauty blogger some support at the same time), please check out her updates on how her skin is faring.
As for me, I’ve been lucky. Up till about a week ago, I haven’t experienced anything bad from a facial before. Me, I love facials. My mum introduced me to my first facial in my teens and it’s something I’ve been doing on an almost monthly basis ever since. I’ve had a bad reaction to a particular beauty product once at the salon where I felt as though my cheeks were burning and immediately told the beauty therapist to remove whatever it was that she applied on my skin. Other than that, it has been smooth-sailing so far, even with chemical peels, microdermabrasion and minor laser treatment on my skin.
That was until last week. If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me ranting about it there. I thought I’d also share my experience here for you just so you know what to do in future if you do experience the same thing as well (touch wood!). Just to be clear, my experience has nothing to do with Bun Bun’s. It doesn’t even compare to the pain and distress she experienced. This is not to take away anything from her nor does it undermine what she did. This is my story.
It was my birthday last Wednesday. I decided that I’d treat myself to a massage and facial on my day so I had the treatments booked a month in advance. This was at a beauty salon in the city. The massage was truly awesome and soon it was time for my facial. Everything was fine up to the point where the beauty therapist started to apply a mask on my face.
Now you know that most if not all beauty products do not go over the eyes. In fact, most beauty products come with a disclaimer that the eye area is to be avoided (wash if product gets to the eyes, yadah yadah yadah…). I have had masks applied over my eyes back in Malaysia, but always with a mesh/muslin cloth over my face first and then the mask applied over it. It’s not something I’m not used to.
However, this time, the beauty therapist applied a very thick mask directly on my skin all over my face. When I say all over my face, I meant she brush this thick layer of goo over my eyelids and lips. The only place she did not cover are my nostrils. I thought something wasn’t right when she applied the mask all over my face but I thought, I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.
Soon after she applied the mask, she dimmed the lights and left the room. The mask started to harden on my face. It hardened to the point where my eyelids and lips were glued shut. I couldn’t open my eyes and mouth at all. It was like someone applied superglue on them. At this point, I became quite distressed. I couldn’t call for help because I couldn’t even open my mouth. I tried opening my eyes but to no avail. Gosh, even thinking about it now and writing this is giving me the heebie-jeebies. I almost had a panic attack on the table.
I finally clawed the mask around my lips to create a hole and heaved a huge sigh of relief. I was about to claw at my eyes when the beauty therapist returned and peeled the thick mask of my face. Another sigh of relief. My heart was beating a million miles an hour throughout the whole time I was supposed to be “relaxing”. I asked the beauty therapist if it was normal for her to directly apply the mask over the eyelids and mouth because I sure as hell couldn’t even open my eyes. Sadly, she couldn’t speak English well and in the end, showed me a pamphlet to the product. It’s from a brand I’m aware of but it didn’t mention anything about applying the mask over the eyes and mouth! I couldn’t get out of the salon soon enough.
This very almost ruined my birthday. I was still hyperventilating when I stepped out of the salon and had to calm myself down with slow, deep breaths. Having my eyes and mouth glued shut for what seemed like forever was really distressing.
That facial thought me a few lessons.
- Don’t cheap out when it comes to facials. When beauty treatments are advertised at $1 a minute, run the other way.
- Stick to brands of beauty products you’re familiar with. Of course, this doesn’t mean that proper hygiene is maintained even with beauty products you know which leads me to point number 3.
- Stick to reputable salons. I’ve been to dodgy beauty salons with services I purchased from group discount websites (that’s another hair-raising story which I’ll tell you another time) and a high percentage of them have cheap services for a reason. You get what you pay for.
- Speak out at the slightest hunch that something is not right. I should have questioned the beauty therapist when she applied the mask on the first half of my face if she’s doing it right or if she could leave my eyes and mouth alone. I didn’t because I thought she knew what she was doing. It doesn’t matter if she does. If you don’t feel it’s right for you, speak up. I should have done so rather than having to scrape the sides of the table in distress and hyperventilate.
Again, I have to stress that this does not undermine Bun Bun’s situation. The lessons I’ve learned from this do not mean that’s what Bun Bun should have or have not done. It’s just what I’ve experienced and learned.
I hope that this does not deter you from facials, especially if you enjoy them. These are just some tips to keep in mind when you’re deciding on salons/clinics for your beauty treatments. Please remember that there are no stupid questions. Better to ask so-called stupid questions than regret not asking them at all.
Have you experienced any bad facials or beauty treatments before? Do share with us if you have.
oh my god that sounds so horrible. I already have anxiety and I can’t imagine being frozen to a table unable to open my eyes (the last time that happened I had fainted and hit my head and the blood glued my eyes shut- cue lots of screaming)
haven’t had bad facials so far……some mild burning (probably due to chemical exfoliation) but this will definitely make me more aware. the worst experience I’ve had was actually a facial at a dermatologist- the product burned so badly and when I walked out I had droplets of blood all over my face =.=””’
Scared the crap out of me that day, that’s for sure.
OMG, blood on your face?! That is bad! :O
Hi Tine, !!! I would’ve felt very claustrophobic in that situation. I agree, you’ve gotta speak up as soon as anything feels wrong. Unfortunately, as with your experience, we typically place a lot of trust in our therapist so trust that they know what they’re doing!
I vote with my feet – I used to enjoy facials at a particular salon until they hired someone new. Nowhere near as bad as your or Bun Bun’s experience but it was her manner – patronising, rude, and too talkative (I like to relax when having that kind of thing done). I didn’t enjoy the experience at all and have never been back.
Sarah recently posted..Disappointment… (aka my shortest blog post ever?)
I know what you mean. I’ve had facials in Malaysia where the beauty therapist talked and talked and talked some more throughout the entire facial. She asked me what I did, where I lived, which church I went to, if I had a boyfriend and if I did, what does he do for a living and the list goes on. The facial itself wasn’t bad but I reckon it could be the “added flavour” from her saliva hitting my skin from all her talking *_*
I’ve (touch wood) never had any bad experience at any salons so far and I think that’s because I try to stick to a) reputable salons b) products I’ve actually heard of c) treatments I know won’t cause any adverse effect on my skin. That’s all thanks to the Sex and the City episode when Samantha went for this facial peel and came out looking like she had burnt the skin on her face! Eeek…since then I try to stick to what I know, no matter what they recommend that I do.
Norlin recently posted..A Day In The Life of a Blogger
Holy crap, I remember that episode from Sex and the City! Samantha’s face freaked me out, which was why it took me ages before I decided to bite the bullet and try out a chemical peel (at the lowest percentage the clinic would offer). Thank God everything went well despite some stinging and redness (which is expected).
How scary! I’m sure I would have had a panic attack – I even get claustrophobic in tiny cubicles!
I did once have what I thought was a reaction to something put on my skin (stinging sensation) and when I mentioned this, was told, that’s quite normal – it means it’s working! Needless to say I never returned.
Nowadays I stick to the same spa for facials and treatments that uses organic products, is Australian and reputable!
Yes please, do stick to reputable salons. Don’t cheap out like I did. Can’t believe that my usual facials were done at a well-known salon but for my birthday, I treated myself to a cheapie on a special occasion *facepalm*.
OMG Tine! I would go hysterical! I can why some people don’t really speak up during facials, they just thought, ‘Aiya, I can tahan’ or ‘They are professionals, they know what they’re doing’ but like you said, speak out. To date (touch wood) I have not encountered any bad facials but I did have a very bad manicure session once. The girl went too deep with the cuticles cleaning and left me bleeding for quite a bit. She still insisted on going on and I told her to stop when my bleeding did NOT stop after half hour. You know what’s the best part? She still charged me for the uncompleted manicure, saying she’d give me a discount for the next one. I did not pay though as I was raising hell with the supervisor and they finally gave in when they saw some of the waiting customers leaving. And this was in a popular nail parlour mind you. Goes to show that we know our body best and the comment ‘Oh it’s normal’ shouldn’t be used to brush us off.
Jessica W recently posted..Cupcake love
Exactly! That’s what I always think too, that these professionals know what they’re doing so why question? No, YOU know your skin. They don’t know your skin. You should definitely speak out if you have any inkling that something is not right.
As for your manicure, woah, that’s a bad one 🙁 Cuticles should be pushed back but not cut. Definitely not pushed back so far till it hurts and bleeds!
Hi, I read your blog quite often but have never left a comment (unless was soooooooooo long ago I forgot, haha!)
This time I felt I should comment because funnily, I’ve had facials done quite often where the mask covers the eyes and mouth!! Oh, actually it’s the same mask all the time, and I love it so that’s why I keep going back for that mask! It’s supposed to be a hydrating mask, and it’s applied as a thick gooey layer on the face, and dries to a “solid” layer that the therapist eventually “peels” off. When the mask is on, I think my eyes also feel glued stuck — I say “I think” because it has never bothered me before and I never really tried to open my eyes during that time because why would I do so anyway! (mask times are for you to relax and sleep) — but the therapist did tell me the mask would cover my eyes the first time she used it on me, so it did not come as a “shock” when it happened. Like I said, I liked the feel of the mask so much (very cooling effect) that I’ve gone back to request for that particular facial many times. Needless to say, the therapist doesn’t need to “warn” me anymore that the mask will cover my eyes and mouth! 🙂
Of course it’s also a reputable salon and I’m a regular there so I don’t have any issues that they might be using dodgy products in the first place. Anyway, this is to share my experience since I didn’t know this could be a “horrifying” experience to some! 🙂
Hi hi Polly, thanks for coming out of the shadows! Hahaha! 🙂
I’ve had masks that cover the eyes and mouth before but always with a couple of cotton pads over the eyes, a mesh over the face and then only the “painting” of the mask all over the face. With the facial cotton over the eyes first, it didn’t feel like my eyes were glued shut. This one did and it was really distressing.
But thanks for sharing your experience with us and I’m really glad it was a positive one for you 🙂
Had a bad facial yesterday at a new salon. The body massage was good but not the facial. The facial therapist picked on the 2 weeks old zits (3 zits close to each other) on my left cheek for 10mins if not more. I was wondering why is she pressing and squeezing the same area for that long because usually after 2 or 3 attempts, they would leave the zits until they pop up on their own to be extracted on next visit. But because it wasn’t very painful so I didn’t voice out. Now I had a big bruise ( the size of the big 3M acne patch ) with dark maroon blood on the area and I have to be super gentle when applying skincare . It’s even worse than before my facial. I should have ask her to stop when I feel something is not so right.
OMG that’s bad! I hope the area doesn’t scar. I never understood why beauty therapists insist on picking on blackheads or pimples that just won’t come out. It’s not coming out, so just move on! Not popping one is not a big deal. I haven’t had extractions in a long time because I don’t find them necessary anymore. In fact, I find them more harmful and irritating to the skin than beneficial, especially when some do such a bad job that they leave scars behind 🙁
And oh, about mask applied over eyes, I had 1 or 2 before but cotton pads were placed over my eyes before the mask but never over mouth, and that the mask was rubbery when it dried. If I move my facial muscle, the mask just come loose. I can imagine how horrified it was for u Tine… Eeeeks!
Yes yes that’s what I want if the mask is to go over the eyes! You gotta put cotton pads first! My eyelids were stiff, couldn’t move. I was literally clawing the sides of the table in distress >.<
I’m reading BunBun’s story now. I can’t believe what she’s gone through from just a facial gone wrong. o_O Especially as someone who doesn’t have the luxury of down-time, because her face is part of her business. ‘Poor thing’ doesn’t even cut it.
Your experience sounds pretty unsettling. I’d definitely freak out in that situation. Not relaxing at all. Sorry your birthday treat backfired. x_x
Bethany recently posted..Etude House Color Pop Shine Tint Sunny Pop #2 Review + Swatch
Sigh, that’s all right, Bethany. I’m already counting my blessings that as unsettling and distressing my ordeal was, it was for a short period of time (even though it felt like hours!). Bun Bun had to deal with it for so much longer 🙁
OMG!! I would’ve had panic attack too if that happened to me!! Thankfully, so far I’ve only been doing my own facial at home… and so yeah…
I feel so bad, for BunBun… her allergic reaction to the facial is just… gives me the shivers! I hope she recovers real soon!
Dana recently posted..My Lips but Better… With Simplicité Angelica Lip Care Balm
I’ve been following her updates and thank God, she’s recovering. From now on, I won’t wish death of a thousand suns upon my enemies. I’ll wish them millions of postules instead. Oooh wicked heart! 😛
This is why I strongly strongly believe that one should never ever skimp on a facial or go for those unknown beauty salons. Its not about being elitist, I prefer to have a place I can hold responsible for anything that happens. In your case, I do believe the application of mask over your eyes and lips without a muslin cloth isn’t right. For one, it could have ripped out your lashes once it dried 😛 I’d let the salon know of your discomfort and how you felt.
Paris B recently posted..When you use the Nvey Eco Moisture Rich Fluid Foundation, organic makeup now fits your organic lifestyle!
Exactly. No more dodgy or cheapie salons for me from now on, that’s for sure. I told the salon about it and guess what? They said “oh but it’s just a regular mask. Nothing out of the ordinary!” Ugh. I didn’t want to spend a minute longer in there so I just left and swear I’d never go back.
I am really sorry to hear about your bad experience and on your birthday as well. What a bummer! I am going to try a new salon next month and they are using Thalgo products. Fingers crossed that it would be a pleasant experience 🙂
Hope you enjoy the new salon Victoria. Thalgo products for facials are awesome 🙂
That sounds like a horrible experience, sorry that it happened on your birthday. Did you end making a complaint to the salon?
I did but they said it was normal. I didn’t want to spend a minute longer at the salon so I just said “oh really?’ and just left swearing I’d never return. Ugh.
I had a mini panic attack while reading your post. Just reading about it makes me nervous :S
I used to be quite ok with having a mask applied over my eyes. Until one time, they applied it to my mouth too. At first I thought I would be ok with it, but as the beautician was applying the mask to the rest of my face and neck, my heart started pounding and I told her to remove it from my mouth (mumbling and hand gestures). She said ok, after she’s done with the mask on my neck. But after a while, I started having a panic attack and was scrapping it from my mouth. The beautician had to calm me down so she could remove the mask and keep me still enough so she can cut open the muslin cloth around my mouth.
And from then on, not only I couldn’t have a mask on my mouth, I can’t even have anything other than a thin piece of cotton covering my eyes. T_T
Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 I actually clawed my mouth too and broke the mask so that I could breathe. I was already hyperventilating on the table >.< It's a good thing you told her to remove it. Not everyone is okay with masks over eyes and mouth. I don't think it's necessary at all for masks to go over eyes and mouth. The eyes are delicate and sensitive areas that masks shouldn't even go near (heck, even facial sheet masks have eye holes in them and they're much lighter than creams) and the masks wouldn't do diddly squat to the mouth anyway. Why cause distress when a facial is supposed to be relaxing?
Oh no! What an awful birthday experience! I was having a little panicky feeling for you, just reading it. 🙁
I’m so sorry that you had that experience Tine!
Amber recently posted..Strange Invisible Perfumes Review of “Rose with a Broken Neck”
Thanks Amber. I still shudder thinking about it now >.<
Hey! I hope I can get some advice from you… I really feel that I’m being cheated/scammed by the company.
My story:
I’m 22 years old. I have combination skin. My pores are clogged “strawberry nose” and I get occasional acne.
I came back to Singapore for my summer holiday and went to a chain store beauty parlour for facial. The manager told me to come down for facials every week as it is beneficial. (The manager said that she had customers that would come down for facials 3 times a week when they return to sg) And I’ve done that for like a month. But what I found strange was that when I went the other week. The “beautician” was surprised when I said to book a facial for the next week. She was like. That is fast! You should be doing it every month. So I told her that I don’t know. That that was what the manager told me. So the beautician kept quiet and booked the slot for me.
So I went online to check and what I found was that the best is to do it every month. And that the most is to do it once a fortnight. Can you advise me? are they just telling me so they can earn my money? I really don’t know about such thing. And I trusted them 🙁
I’m inclined to agree with the other beautician. Facials should be done on a monthly basis (me, sometimes once every 2-3 months, but only because I keep forgetting to book myself in). To be honest, I’ve never heard of weekly facials. There’s no need for weekly facials because you can do it yourself and have a nice pampering time once a month. Facials in Asia tend to like to squeeze blackheads too and doing it once a week is, in my opinion, a bit much.
Unfortunately, from what I can gather from your comment, I’m afraid the manager was trying to fleece you. Weekly facials can be very expensive (e.g. if $100 per week then it’s $400 per month. That, in my opinion, is frightfully expensive). I’d suggest keeping your facials as a monthly treat.
Good luck!