I would like to start this review by saying that I am not a die-hard fan of facial tools or gadgets. When it comes to my skincare routine, I am very lazy. I want to cleanse, slap on a couple of hard-working products and be done with it. And while I have used different facial tools in the past and been impressed with the results (LED masks, I’m looking at you), I very rarely find the time or energy to use them.
So when I received news that aesthetician to the A-list Shani Darden was launching a new facial-sculpting tool for a cool £345, it’s fair to say I wasn’t signing up for waiting lists. It’s not that I didn’t believe it could work but rather I didn’t see the point in adding another (very) expensive product to my collection of gadgets currently gathering dust.
But as the launch got closer, I started hearing more and more talk around the tool amongst fellow beauty editors, and I even spotted a video for Vogue, which saw Shay Mitchell (who is, by the way, one of my beauty icons) singing its praises. So with my curiosity piqued, when the opportunity arose to sit down with Darden over Zoom and learn how to use the tool, I figured I had nothing to lose.
First of all, let’s actually address what the tool is and what it promises to do. Essentially, through using acoustic sound waves, the wand can be used to help target wrinkles, boost circulation (and therefore glow) and help to sculpt and lift. "The tool uses acoustic sound waves. I was introduced to vibration therapy through someone I worked with, and they were using a device made to help with muscle pain,” says Darden. "When we used it on the face, we saw amazing results. We had people that used it every day and said they had no jowls as a result. I’ve been using it in every treatment ever since.”
Shay Mitchell is a fan of Shani Darden's Facial Sculpting Wand.
With celebrities such as Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jessica Alba swearing by Darden’s treatments, I’d say the results speak for themselves. But it wasn’t until Darden addressed the very thing that I have found to be an issue with expensive gadgets that I really got on board. "I’m pretty lazy when it comes to skincare. I don’t want 15 steps. I just want to use the most effective products,” she says. So is this new tool really something I can get on board with, and most importantly, is it actually any good?
Shannon before using Shani Darden's Facial Sculpting Wand.
After two weeks of using the tool every single day, I can categorically say yes it is. In fact, considering it only launched into retailers a couple of days ago, I’d go as far as to say this has the potential to be the one of the biggest skincare products of 2022. You see, while the results aren’t too dissimilar from other facial-massage tools out there in terms of lifting, sculpting and glow-boosting, the tool itself is much easier and more enjoyable to use.
"It targets wrinkles deep below the surface by transmitting vertical waves, as opposed to horizontal waves,” explains Darden. And because the device doesn’t use microcurrent technology, unlike so many others out there, you don’t need to faff with a conducting gel. "The product does come with a gel, but it’s there to give a glide. You can use any product you want, as long as it’s not active and it allows the device to glide,” she adds.
The wand comes with two different head attachments: a flat disk and a precision ball. The flat disk helps treat larger areas such as the neck, jaw, cheeks and forehead, while the precision ball helps tackle the eye and lip areas. The whole routine takes around 10 minutes (maximum) and involves moving the device slowly over key areas of the face that typically benefit from a bit of a lift. To really get to grips with the right movements, I followed the brand’s how-to on YouTube.
While the disk does a great job at adding some definition to my ever-disappearing jawline and sculpting me some new cheekbones, personally, I would say the precision ball is the star of the show. Not only does it help to diminish the appearance of nasolabial folds, but it also provides some very impressive lift when used across the brow bone.
Shannon after using Shani Darden's Facial Scultping Wand.
The most impressive thing about this device, though, is just how healthy it makes my complexion look. After just a few minutes, my skin looks plump, glowing and rejuvenated, as though I have just walked out of a facial. I have found myself using the Sculpting Facial Wand multiple times throughout the day, not just because the results are good but also because there is something wonderfully soothing about what it does.
Through massaging out any tension (which makes it wonderful for jaw-clenchers like me), it helps relax tired muscles and deliver all of the benefits of a professional facial massage without any of the effort.
Yes, it is eye-wateringly expensive. However, if you’re looking to invest in a professional-quality face tool before Christmas, I am confident in saying that this is the best place to start looking. While certain LED masks and microcurrent devices with similar price tags are great at what they do, this is the only tool I have ever been fully committed to. And truthfully, that’s the only way you’re ever going to see results.
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