The products Raquel Medina-Cleghorn uses to the last drop

Photo: Raquel Medina-Cleghorn

Esthetician Raquel Medina-Cleghorn previously worked in the fashion industry before moving into the world of skin care. Given the chic atmosphere in her studio, it makes sense, Raquel New Yorkand her wardrobe, which has a lot to offer Simone Rocha, one of her favorite designers. Apart from this, the facials she offers to her clients are considered the best in the fashion world. Your specialty? The snapshot. She is known to make clients feel lifted, as if they were constantly wearing a high ponytail.

Before the San Diego-born esthetician started her own facial treatment practice four years ago, Medina-Cleghorn worked as a stylist. But after a few years, she wanted a change: “I started spending all my free time learning about ingredients, skin care and products.” This interest led her to enroll at the Christine Valmy beauty school. While she was there, she contacted celebrity beautician Joanna Czech via direct message and asked her to work in her office. She got the job and worked there throughout school until she became a senior cosmetologist.

For Medina-Cleghorn, self-care includes weekly Pilates and LED light therapy devices at home. But she also noticed a societal shift towards a greater appreciation for slowness, which she hopes will continue. “After all, all systems in the body work together,” she says. “So if we don’t take care of our bodies and our mental health, it’s definitely going to show up in different ways.”

7:30 – I like to do Pilates three times a week. In general, I’m not really a morning person, but I try to do this as often as possible. However, I enjoy the time in bed. Sleep is really important to me. And then I like to eat a small breakfast after Pilates.

9:00 – I start washing my face with this Environmental cleaning gel. And then I usually apply an enzymatic cleansing mask from the light salon – It really helps improve LED light treatments.

9:03 – Then I go inside Environ C-Quence Serum. I love that it contains both vitamin C and A. I like this Auteur Definitive Eye Cream. It’s crazy, I see such huge results.

9:06 – For my moisturizer I love this Verso care cream. I love it because it contains niacinamide and fatty acids that soothe the skin.

9:08 – I love this for sunscreen Author Definitive Sun Drops to protect my face. It also protects the skin from fine lines and loss of elasticity.

9:00 – I do my normal skin care routine and then shower in the evening. I feel like I can’t go to bed without taking a shower first. I like using this Verso body oil cleanser. I wash my face with it in the shower Sofie Pavitt’s cleaner.

9:15 – I usually co-wash my hair once a week Fable and Mane Shampoo and Conditioner. I like to use that too Oribe Gold Lust Oil. Then I braid my hair every evening.

9:30 – I always drink mine every night Dr. Stolberg rest + digest tea.

Overdoing it. I try to educate my customers so they can make the best, most informed decisions instead of using too many products at once.

I think it’s really great to see more chemists and toxicologists talking more about ingredients. I think there has been a lot of greenwashing over the years. But chemicals aren’t necessarily bad, so it’s important to have experts speaking on the topic.

When it comes to ingredients, I’m personally very open-minded. I try a lot of different things. I think it’s important to know how to use certain products and ingredients correctly.