Enter to win a Bespoke Facial with Adrienne, Supporting women and families in need

Prior to my mother’s passing I was fascinated by the metamorphosis of motherhood. I’ve written about it in blogs over the years…it is truly a cellular transformation.

When I find out someone else is a mother I love to compare notes. I had a conversation recently with a woman who said “Your child is your cathedral”. What a brilliant metaphor I thought. A cathedral takes a lifetime to create. You might not ever see it’s completion. And yet you build anyway, rooted in pure devotion. Your love and devotion are in every detail, which will last long beyond your time on this earth.

In the last year I have fallen in love somewhat unexpectedly, with charity. My charity often takes the form of helping another woman. Either as a mother, as now that channel is open in myself it flows freely outward to all. Or, if she is herself a mother, I want to lighten her load.

There is nothing worse I can imagine than losing my child, or not being able to protect and provide for him. And I see in the world many women exactly like myself forced into this role. Helping them is the only way I know how to live now.

To this end, this week I am going to raffle off a service with myself for a Bespoke Facial. You can buy a single entry for $10, three for $20. You can buy multiples (six for $40 for example). Next Sunday we will draw a winner, and schedule you with for my return late August or beyond. And all proceeds will go to mothers who need it to survive, or to provide for their children.

I console myself that my charity is an investment in a world that is safer for my own child. I will also mention…many people who know about the charity I provide say they would like to offer the same, but are afraid due to the politics in our country. Please know your entry is a private way to give, and best case scenario you get a treatment with me valued at $330.

Please purchase your entry through our online store, and let us know if you have any issues. Thank you for your generosity, and your visits.

Eulogy for my mother, Lynne

I think you always envision how your parents might leave you. How old they will be, what circumstances will occur, how you will react. Never in a thousand years did I think Mom would go at 74, and with no warning. That was not her plan, and she always executed on her plans.

She was planning for a magical, epic summer of fun for Leo. For those who don’t know my mother was really his coparent. She was with him two days a week at my house from the start, and summers he was spending here at “Nana camp”. She was orchestrating a ten year (or more) plan with him to have summers with her, with me travelling back to DC a few days weekly to work. But it was her time to shine with him. They have always had a very special connection, different than the one he and I have. She could wrangle him better than anyone…we joked it was their shared Taurus energy. They played for hours and joked and talked non stop as they are both chatterboxes. She was his Nintendo buddy, squawking and squealing and conspiring for his success. I knew exactly what she was doing in giving him summers here with her. She was building exactly the kind of relationship with him she had built with me, the incredible intimacy and nuance. She was giving us both the full depth of her love in her last chapter, so that when she did leave us we would have enough magical memories and love with her to last the rest of our lives, and we could console each other in her absence. She was brilliant at many things, but relationship building was top of the list.

Her last day was a perfect one. I woke up with Leo at the house with Graham’s arrival. She was an utter goofball with kids and we all started the day laughing. We played in the pool (she played and I watched mostly) and she taught Leo to swim in the deep end all by himself. We sat side by side and I said God this is so great, I couldn’t give it up if anything happened to you. Annoyed at the idea, she said well I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. Annalise joined us and we all had pizza outside. Then we had a big Nintendo break and played Dance Revolution. She was cracking the kids up with her dancing and everyone was laughing, I mean real belly laughs. Then my brother and Lillian joined us and we all got back into the pool. My brother was challenging the kids through obstacles as they jumped into the water and it was hilarious and we all laughed. She was extremely happy, and at her best.

We planned on Leo Graham Brandon my mom and I to go the carnival that night. So we all took showers, and Mom and I took Leo to Chik fil A for a quick bite. She said she didn’t feel well and drove home, and I met Brandon at the carnival. Mom came home, sat down in her chair with her glasses and iPad, and had a catastrophic heart event. She didn’t even get out of her chair. I’m positive she tried as hard as she could to stay, and she would’ve if she could’ve.

God gave me the greatest gift in the world when he gave me to my mother. It was her life’s ambition to be one. My dad would joke that they forgot to cut the umbilical cord when I was born, and I felt that. We were deeply connected at all times, intuitively and on a gut level. I knew what she was feeling halfway across the world. Everyone knew my mother loved her children and grandchildren, she was very vocal about it. What I want to make clear now is how much I loved her.

Every day of my 47 years has been interwoven with hers. We were exceptionally close. Her love was like the sun, and I basked in it my entire life. Bright, hot, powerful, clear. When I was five and scared of first day of kindergarden she took me to sleep in a hotel the night before to distract me because I loved them. She dressed me in adorable outfits like a doll, because she believed in the sacredness of stuff. Clothes for her store, shoes, a blanket, a certain cookie all held deep meaning for her as symbols of her love.

When I was in plays in high school she watched every single performance ever and I could see her smilng face in the audience above everyone else. We would eat donuts after and discuss the night’s performance for hours, every time.

She gave us everything she possibly could. She ran her store alone, took care of us alone, took care of everyone alone. She was a quiet powerhouse. She climbed mountains for us. She made the impossible possible. She created order from chaos. She had tons of energy and didn’t let anything stand in the way of what she wanted to achieve. With her by my side there was nothing I couldn’t do. I moved to LA to be an actress with her help. I moved to London with her help. She directed me to study esthetics when I was lost. I had a child alone, with her help. She literally cut his umbilical cord. All of these things I was able to do because not only did she help me logistically, but I knew with her I could not fail. She found my house and helped me settle on it. She found the new office, negotiated the lease and spent six months of infuriating daily visits to the DCRA to get us into it while helping me with an infant. She got the business through Covid, handled every loan and grant. She handled the back end of the business wholly for ten years, and talked with me daily about it in the most intimate of terms. And then with Leo, she was doing what she did best, which is build profound, deeply intimate, rock solid relationships and memories. Above all you knew my mother could be counted on, always.

We were a perfect team, even when we disagreed. She allowed me to dream, she supported my visions as an anchor and this allowed me to fly. Daily I would think about this, my secret immeasurable gratitude, as I walked between my beautiful house, my beautiful office, and my beautiful child. I told her thank you, but I’m not sure she ever really heard me or believed me, and I wish I had showed her more. I soaked up her love every single day of my life.

We are the same, but different…I am more creative and abstract, her more analytical and grounded. But I think I can say my best qualities are a direct result of her. My mother was a truly authentic, caring, generous, funny, kind, fiercely loyal person. She knew literally everything about me, I kept not one secret from her my entire life. Being so close with her was easy. She was such a devoted giver, but I loved her for more than what she gave. I loved her spirit, and I feel that spirit in every cell of my body. Her love was - and is - as immense as the universe.

She would not be happy to not be here, as she still had so much to give. But mom I want to assure you, you did enough. You used every second here to the fullest, and I promise you I will feel your presence within me until I see you again. Leo will know continue to know you deeply. In just six years you’ve impacted his life so greatly, he has known such a true love for and from you it will live in us both forever, in his foundation. And I promise he will continue to know you as I do, and love you as I do. I will do my best to love him not only the way I do, but the way you did as well. I will proudly carry you with me in everything I do, and I feel like that is your final gift to me, the clarity of your vision. I am still being guided by you. This is my time to thank you for everything you have given me, and make good on the roots you planted. I promise you I will do my very best. You are still by my side, and with you there I can not fail.

You have filled in my gaps my entire life, and I can’t thank you enough for that. You are half of me, you are the reference point for every single moment of my life. I promise you in your absence I will do my best to fully be my mother’s daughter now, and to make every dream you had for us in the next ten, twenty years come true. Mommy you did a great job, and I have always known I am the luckiest daughter in the world because I am yours. I love you I love you I love you I love you. Leo and I will be giving you sweet snuggles and butterfly kisses every night until we see you again. Sleep well, you deserve it.

The Five Minute Facial

Intro to Self

As mentioned in a previous post, I had always planned to make more content for us in 2025. But with the recent turns in DC (and world) events, it seeming to me like it’s even more the moment to do so. Recently AOC was answering some questions to followers about what to do in this moment if you are an introvert…”lean into your talents” is what she said. My talents are getting in the trenches with you and your skin, giving you a safe place to heal, and telling a story. I hope that’s of value to you…and if not at least it might give some context to who is behind our posting. Does it represent the office as a whole? I’m sure it doesn’t, but at least it makes clear the spirit of what we do that binds us together.

To this end seems like a good opportunity to introduce myself to any followers…I don’t think I ever have. I grew up in St Michael’s/Easton MD, which is a small town. I was a big theater nerd, and had acne. I moved to LA as a young adult to pursue a life in the arts and my dreams, and had acne. I sought all kinds of treatment from derms for that acne…nothing really worked. I struggled with it for over a decade before getting fully fed up and attempting to fix it myself. I did some research and managed to make progress…but years of frying and damaging my skin trying to kill the acne left me with really severe pigmentation scarring. And a lot of knowledge, mostly about what *not to do.

After LA I moved to London, in an attempt to try to move on with my life. LA was not my town…London was. At some point I did some real soul searching about what the next phase of my life was to hold, and the result was to study esthetics. LA and the entertainment industry is brutal, and I wanted something science based, a trade, and solitary. My own experience with acne had been its own education, and became a foundation to my formal training. Immediately after school I opened a solo practice in medical esthetics, and ran it for five years.

At a certain point it became clear to me it was time to move back to the US, to be closer to family. I chose DC as it was the closest city to home and wasn’t New York. I underestimated DC…I didn’t really have high hopes for a life here. To my surprise I found incredible communities, intelligent and caring people…most of whom were under immense stress trying to make our world better and had skin that was on fire due to their type A personalities and overly aggresive skin treatments. I could relate, as I had lived a lifetime of perfectionism and aggressive skin treatments.

Moving to DC was a time of personal healing for me, and opened my mind to new ways of practicing esthetics. And so I shifted my practice to better suit the skin I met here, and began to explore working from a holistic perspective. It struck a chord, and within a year I was hiring staff. Within two years I had a team of six. I didn’t aspire to have a business this size, I just rolled with the opportunities handed to me. The Universe has a plan, and it’s not often mine lol. I’ve learned to trust that.

When I opened my business in London fifteen years ago it didn’t have a name. It was just my name and then the descriptor of what I was hoping to do, “Bespoke Aesthetics”. The idea was really simple, I wanted to give people the kind of care I was looking for but could never find. A single person who was fully accountable, flexible, knowledgeable. Who knew many different facets of esthetics and could weave them together anew at every service. Prior to training in esthetics I was worried it would bore me, as I fancied myself an artist. Instead I found esthetics to be a place where I could exercise endless creativity, as well as innovative problem solving with science. Most of all I wanted to create a place that felt like home for the person visiting. Like “I am going to visit my friend who happens to know a lot about skin and she’s going to help me to fix mine”. A place with warmth. And I wanted a place of healing not only for you, but for me. Because through helping you heal I get to heal as well.

And life is good. I am a single mother by choice, having used a donor to have my boy. I am proud member of DC’s incredible recovery community…I mention this as it informs everything I do in the office and my philosophy of healing. If you have been with the business awhile you know that I thankfully attract many wonderful people to work with me, clients and estheticians alike. And most of all I love what I do. When you walk through our doors you are given the tools to heal yourself, I’m just with you on the ride. I wish you could sit where I sit and see what I see, because it’s beautiful. I want you to see yourself the way I see you.

Going forward I’m going to be writing and sharing more…a few years ago I wrote about burn out and people seemed to really connect with that. Connection is the most healing thing there is I think, so if I have to reveal a bit more to facilliate it in this moment I don’t mind. There is at times I think a misconception that I am some perfect skin, kale eating yoga doing (ok I love yoga) zen robot. The reality is I am very imperfect, often tired, I make mistakes…but it’s worth it if what I learn is useful to you.

Bottom line is I - we - want you to be well. So if you need that, know it is here for you. I can’t control what happens outside our walls but when you are in it you are safe, and seen. You are a part of our community, all I ask is that we pay it forward.

Lash & Brow, Plus Hair Reduction!

You asked, and we listened.

New on the menu, lash and brow services with Paulina and Permanent Hair Reduction for the face and body with Kathy and Mikayla!

Paulina, in addition to being a gifted therapist for your skin, is also a very experienced lash and brow artist!  She will be performing lash lift and tint, brow shape and tint, and brow lamination.  You can even add a Glow and Go facial with her for $180, for a truly comprehensive service.

And then, in preparation for the spring and summer...we have added hair reduction services for the face and body!  Kathy and Mikayla will be performing treatment, with pricing starting from $120 for an add on.  What areas can you treat?  Any!  Underarms, bikini line (even brazilian) upper lip...you name it.

How to book?  You can book a standalone service online, or ask your therapist to book an add on to your regular facial with us and they can get it all done in one visit.  In fact, the add ons are not just for hair, but for spot treatment for pigment and vascular issues as well.  Ask your therapist if you are a candidate and she will help you book.

We will also be adding "Laser Days"...one Saturday per month each of them will be focusing on these services to get you in and out the door quickly.  This is the perfect opportunity to get spot treatment for skin issues, and squeak in a few sessions of hair reduction.  To book look under "Laser Promo Days", space is limited!

Books are open!  I'm so excited to expand our services, so we can care for you even more thoroughly.  See you in the office!

We are at peak revision season. Have you done the work yet?

What is that?  Think of it like a housecleaning.  A deep purge of old belongings, a deep clean in corners and crevices.  As we age, we accumulate damage in our skin.  This is both externally (environmental, like UV damage) or internal (inflammation, stress, dna damage).  It builds up over time, altering the way we age.

So once at least once a year, preferably when we are not outside in the sun, is the time to go deep and start to clear all that away.  To reverse it.  That's the work.

How do we reverse it?  Well we can't stop time.  But our bodies are designed to heal.  It wants to!  If we remove the things that damage it and give it a catalyst to heal it will reverse that damage to the best of it's ability.

What is the catalyst to healing?  Ironically it's typically a controlled wound of some sort.  A wound to heal a wound, really.  But to wound to the skin to set off that cascade of healing is not enough...we must support the healing process through proper nutrition and rest.  We kick off these miracle healing capabilities in your skin through something like IPL, Genesis, Microneedling or a Peel.  The trick is to walk the line of challenging your skin to a place it can recover from!  Then we support with homecare and Enzymes.

Think of it like a workout.  When we workout we challenge the body, our muscles and our respiratory system.  The body in response heals and makes us stronger.

It's a great metaphor.  And if you do the same workout all the time your body will adapt to it and cease to grow.  A useful hack therefor is to try different workouts...shake it up!  Then you can challenge the body to grow in new ways.  But once again, balance is key...to push just enough to incite change without wounding ourselves.

So the work is those deeper treatments...do two sessions of IPL minimum per year and to clear pigment and allow dna repair to occur.  Studies show those who get IPL every year age in a vastly superior way having done that yearly house cleaning!

Or do needling for collagen induction...every year our collagen production declines.  Needling (and Green Sea Peel, which is "liquid microneedling") is hands down the best treatment to combat that.  So though it's not "fun" and requires delayed gratification, I happily do it as I know it's money in the bank when it comes to my thinning skin.  And the pain and downtime are so low, it's an absolute winner.

Or do a series of peels.  Micropeel, Biorepeel, Green Sea Peel.  Micropeel best for texture and pigment, Biorepeel great for aging and those who need no pain or downtime, Green Sea Peel great for all of it!  Our peels are very targeted to give you the most result with the least discomfort or downtime.  And they have an incredible price point for those on a budget.

We are in late January...revision season last until Memorial Day in my eyes.  I encourage you to take this opportunity to dig deep and make strides in your skin before then...and then we can coast through the summer months.

To this end I've put together an offer:  Book a course of 3 peels with Mikayla, Paulina or Kathy to be performed on a Tuesday Wednesday or Thursday and receive a FREE homecare support kit of a $300 value.  Products by DMK, you get a full size Betagel, Foamy Lift mask kit, mini Melanotech Drops, Milk Cleanser and Solar Damage Gel.  The perfect products to help you get the most out of your hard work.  You can even mix and match your peel sessions and get one of each if you like!  

This is an incredible value as the package is priced at $720.  Please be aware that our prices go up end of February, so this is a great opportunity to lock in treatment at our 2024 price!  All treatment must be completed within 90 days to be redeemed.

You may purchase your package through the website, or ask you esthetician about it when you see her!  We will run sale of this offer through end of February.

Commit to yourself and  your progress this winter, and give yourself the gift of beautiful skin with us.  We love to do the work with you.

Time for that Mad Dash to the Finish Line

Let the holiday shopping begin.

I don’t know about you, but this year I’m going to make an effort to shop smaller.  It just means more… Right? I also want to support our clients in this, and to thank you for your continued business.

With this in mind I have designed our Black Friday and Small Business Saturday offers this year.  That’s right!

For the first time ever I will be hosting a Small Business Saturday event here in the office, from 12 to 2pm on Nov 30. Just me, nibbles, drinks. . . helping you to purchase gifts for loved ones or yourself, and doing short consults to find you the optimal laser treatment package!

RESTORATIVE EYE TREATMENT

What’s on offer:

Gifts with Product Purchases…

• BUY $300 in DMK products, and get a gift set worth $150! Includes mini Deep Pore or Milk cleanser, Herb & Mineral Mist, Melanotech Drops, Seba E, Super Serum, Biogen C or AcuCreme, head and wristbands and travel bag.

• Exclusive DMK Holiday kits: Bright Eyes Kit for $160 (DMK Eye Tone, Super Serum, occlusive under eye patch sleep mask) and Foamy Lift Kit for $180 (Foamy Lift Kit, Milk Cleanser, Seba E, Herb & Mineral Mist, Betagel).

• BUY $250 in SkinBetter products and choose one of two gifts ($135 Value): Option A: Travel size Alpharet Overnight (15 ml), travel size Trio Moisturizer (15 ml), 3 Alpharet Peel Pads, headband and travel bag OR Option B: Mini Cleansing Gel (2 oz), mini Alpharet Overnight Cream (5 ml), mini Alpharet Overnight Body Cream (5 ml), mini Trio Moisturizer (5 ml), mini Interfuse Eye Treatment (5 ml) plus a headband and travel bag.

• BUY $350 in SkinBetter products and receive a gift set valued at $180:
Gift set includes travel size Alpharet Overnight Cream (15 ml), travel size Trio (15 ml), and 3 Alpharet Peel Pads OR travel size Alpharet Overnight Cream (15 ml), travel size Alto Advanced Serum (15 ml).

• BUY $150/$175 in Osmosis Product get a mini home facial gift set ($60 value): Osmosis gift set includes mini Purify (5 ml), mini Tropical Mango Mask (5 ml), mini Rescue MD (5 ml), mini Quench (5 ml), & Pure Lip Balm.

Gift Cards…

• PURCHASE a GIFT CARD with a value of $300 or more and GET A FREE Deluxe mini home facial set from Osmosis (value $120). Gift includes mini Purify, mini Lift Away, mini Enrich, mini Tropical Mango Mask, mini Polish MD, mini Rescue MD, mini Remedy MD, and mini Stemfactor MD, (all mini's are 5ml).

And then as requested...We will be

OFFERING PACKAGES on LASER & NEEDLING!  Buy a course of treatments, and you will receive a gift worth $300 in supporting homecare.

 Packages on offer…

• Three sessions of IPL,  $1350

• Three sessions of Genesis, $1200

• Three sessions of Microneedling, $1200

• Two sessions of Secret RF Microneedling, $1300


PLUS YOUR GIFT:  The VERY BEST supports for ANY REVISION-focused treatment are DMK Betagel, Foamy Lift Mask Kit and Melanotech Drops.Betagel boosts your skin’s immunity and ability to repair, making it vital for proper healing.  Melanotech drops work to help reduce and prevent the appearance of red and brown pigmentation.  AND, DMK's Foamy Lift Mask is the homecare version of our beloved DMK Enzyme Mask Treatment.  This mask speeds healing immeasurably and visibly improves results.

Been wanting to try laser with us, but not sure what to book? That’s what the open house Saturday November 30th is for! Drop by, let me take a look and we will help you get scheduled.  Or, if you prefer to book online go ahead...your free gift can be collected at the time of your first session.

Black Friday offers open Nov 29, and they will run through Dec 2, Cyber Monday.  Our store will have limited in-person hours on Black Friday (open for product pick up 10am-2pm) to give our staff some well-deserved time off.  

Product orders can be placed at orders@adrienneshostak.com.  

Stay tuned, we are looking forward to helping you put your best face forward in 2025!

Missing Sculptural FaceLift with Gabi? Good news!

Andrea honing her NeoLifting Technique!

Andrea has recently trained in NeoLifting massage, which is extremely similar.  Neolifting is a worldwide famous technique for lifting and defining the face through using gloved hands to massage inside the mouth and jaw. You've never felt anything like it! The ultimate holistic facial treatment, promoting deep relaxation on both a physical and emotional level. Ninety minutes of hands-on treatment. Double cleanse, exfoliation and extractions, serums and mask, Forty-five minutes of massage for chest, neck and shoulders, face and jaw. 

Andrea is new to the technique, so for the rest of the month of October we are offering $50 off, for a price of $240.  Use code NEOLIFTING in you booking notes to receive your discount upon checkout.  Don't miss this, you will be hooked!

With Love,

Adrienne

Your Skin Bootcamp has Arrived!

Did you notice? We’ve quietly brought in a new brand specifically for acne…FaceReality.

In fact we’ve carried a few key pieces of the line for years, but recently we’ve decided to fully commit to learning the philosophy and treatments. The success rate for Facereality and acne is unparelled…they boast a 90% clearance success rate!

How does it work? Biweekly bootcamp sessions with extractions, high frequency to kill bacteria, and a tca peel in varying strength. Short and sweet! Session are typically 30 to 45 min hands on, and priced at $180. Eight sessions over a 4 month period is recommended.

Homecare is equally well priced, which was so key to me in bringing this line in. Many people who have acne are young…I was one once! And the products need to be affordable as they are so necessary to success. Products range in price from $30 to $60! How incredible is that??

To get started book an Initial bootcamp session with consult, so we can have extra time to get you started. From there your therapist will do your first treatment, and get the necessary homecare in your hands.

If you have peristant acne…this is our gift to you. Straight forward, affordable acne care…that really works.

Let’s Talk About Green Sea Peel

If you have been with us for awhile you have probably noticed...we have a pretty extensive

menu. Really I can’t help myself. If I see it and I see results and like the technology I gotta have it. So

really...we have so many different ways to acheive your goals in the office that we can really

tailor your experience to your taste. There are so many ways to give you the results you want,

the art it is in doing it to fit your budget, your timeline, and your temperment.

Enter: Green Sea Peel. Full disclosure, I’m in love with it. I’ve been doing a bit of a dive

recently into Korean skincare methods, Green Sea Peel is the first additon in that vein but

definitely not the last!

Also called “Liquid Microneedling”, Green Sea Peel drives tiny spicules (sea sponge

exoskeletons! 800,00 ppm!) into the skin. This stimulates collagen, exfoliates, pulls pigment...

all while delivering a polypharmacy of vitamins and nutrients into the skin, which helps improve

numerous concerns. It is a low downtime treatment that is natural, safe for all skin tones and

helps address texture, pigmentation, aging and acne from the inside out.

How does it compare to microneedling? More channels, less redness. Better for acne...great

for texture and scarring! Needling is also great for these things but I’d use it for deeper

scarring and for thinner skin. As mentioned very little actual peeling from this! Pain level...

medium lol. Not great but not horrible, it feels kind of like having your skin rubbed with sand

paper. There is a prickly sensation when applying...the solution is rubbed into your skin for

about 5 minutes, until dry. It sits for 20 minutes, then we wipe away. You feel that prickly

feeling for about 24 hours as the spicules dissolve and create that collagen induction.

Once that is done...magic begins! Pores are smaller, acne wanes, skin glows!

Everyone who gets itwants it again...including myself. I have even started

doing it on my body to combat crepey skin.

So yes feels weird, works wonderfully! And a great price point, at $240 this is a steal really!

Homecare wise I’d recommend Betagel and Melanotech drops to go with it to enhance results.

Get to know the Green Sea Peel, its an easy tool for revision that we are loving and hope you