Winter is the time we need to be thinking about taking care of our skin – and what better way to do it than with a custom-designed facial.

The Power of Three is About Face’s famous and most potent signature skin treatment facial. It’s a favourite of beauty editors and consumers alike and was recently voted NZ’s Best Facial at the NZ Best in Beauty Awards 2016. A bespoke combination of three technologies to address all facets of the skin, The Power of Three is seriously results driven and ain’t no fluffy facial – but you do get a good dollop of pampering on the side.

Fashion Quarterly’s beauty editor Lucy Slight took the treatment for a test run (what a tough job!) and here she shares her thoughts (which may or may not involve a beach-side cabana in Mexico)…

Firstly, can I start but saying, there truly is nothing better than stepping off a windy winter street and into a warm, towel-covered bed. Nothing. Nestled snuggly into the bed with a prop beneath my knees (heaven for weak lower backs) my About Face skin specialist Loren began by cleansing my skin with an Environ Milk Cleanser so she could see my skin concerns in the flesh. After discussing my skincare regime and what I thought my concerns were too, she moved onto stage one – the skin peel.

For me, Loren chose to use an Environ Lactic Peel, which is gentler option compared with microdermabrasion – another method used in The Power of Three. The lactic peel is packed with alpha hydroxy acids to gently exfoliate and the formula itself felt incredibly cool on my skin. I certainly felt a tingling sensation but it wasn’t unbearable by any means and I felt instant relief when Loren massaged the cool gel into my skin before removing it altogether.

Step two is what I like to call a 20 minute tropical holiday – the Omnilux Revive light. After donning what was no doubt a really snazzy pair of goggles, Loren brought the light across my face and powered her up. I’m not going to lie, when the red light first goes on it’s quite alarming. It’s incredibly red and intensely bright, but after a minute or so your eyes completely adjust and relaxation ensues. The best part? I got to choose between having either a hand and arm massage or a foot and leg massage to fill the 20 minutes. Foot massages are a seriously good time so as I lay there having my feet pampered, with my face bathed in warm light, I couldn’t help but mentally transport myself to a beach-side cabana in one of my favourite places in the world, Mexico. And at one point, I did actually fall sleep – just for a second.

The third step in the treatment is sonophoresis, the process of actively infusing vitamins or peptides into the skin and there are several options that your skin specialist can choose from depending on your needs. For my sonophoresis, Loren layered a Clarins Cooling Gel with three Ultraceuticals products – a C10+ serum with peptides, a B2 serum and an energising mask. Once the products were on the skin, the sonophoresis probe (more like a flat metal spatula than an actual probe) was applied first to the forehead area. It makes a rather unusual sound, sort of like an electric ticking noise, and you feel a warm vibration across the skin – but there’s nothing remotely painful about it. The machine emits low frequency sound waves which help to create a pathway into the skin so that the active ingredients can penetrate deeper.

As the final step, the serums are usually left on the skin, but since I was going back to the office, Loren used a warm towel to remove some of the excess, then applied an Ultraceuticals Protective Daily Moisturiser SPF 30+ for added protection for the rest of the day.

As I type this, I’ve been back in the office for around an hour, and every person I’ve spoken to has asked me what I’ve had done to my skin. Though my face is slightly pink from the treatment, the overall consensus is that my skin is glowing and radiant – nothing but positive feedback. And who doesn’t like a bit of positive feedback on a Friday afternoon?

The Power of Three treatment at About Face takes 75 minutes and costs $259. However, until September 30, 2016, The Power of Three is on sale for just $219 (a saving of $40!) or you can book three and pay only $599 (saving $178). For more information, visit About Face.