Celebrity esthetician Shani Darden has a cult following in Hollywood. Clients like Jessica Alba, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Shay Mitchell and January Jones count on her to keep their skin glowing. With a Beverly Hills studio and a namesake skin care line, Darden has become an authority on facial treatments.
After training under a Hollywood dermatologist, Darden brought that skin knowledge to her advanced facial treatments. “With my facials, I do everything,” Darden says. Incorporating LED light therapy, microcurrent, ultrasound vibration therapy and top of the line skin care, her customized facials are results-driven and the reason why her own skin care routine is super simple.
She loves an LED treatment — and just launched the new Shani Darden by Déesse Pro LED Light Mask, which is an FDA-cleared, re-engineered version of a previous top-performing mask she made with the company — but otherwise wants her skin care to be uncomplicated.
“I’m not going to do anything where I have to work hard,” Darden says of the convenience of the mask. With 10-minute timed treatments for anti-aging, acne or pigmentation (in red, infrared and blue wavelengths), and a neck piece attachment, the mask allows you to get a high dose of LED therapy. “I like to use it at night, because there have been claims of [LED] helping sleep anxiety, but you can use it whenever you want,” Darden shares. “You just want clean skin and then you follow with the rest of your products after.”
While the mask is the newest addition to Darden’s skin care routine, she has a tight edit of trusted products that she reaches for. Here, the facialist shares her seven daily favorites.
$38 at Sephora
The esthetician starts her morning and evening skin care with this gentle cleanser from her own line. “You won’t ever have to worry about it stripping your skin,” she says. It has hyaluronic acid and oat bran extract to help keep skin plump.
$158 at Dermstore
Darden uses this vitamin C serum in her daily morning routine to help with her melasma. It’s full of antioxidants to protect the skin from free radicals, with the brightening benefits of L-ascorbic acid (one of the most active forms of vitamin C).
From $10 at Supergoop
“It’s an SPF 50, but like an all-in-one and I’m done,” Darden says. This sunscreen lets the facialist keep her skin care minimal at the start of the day, combining the moisturizing and sun-protecting steps of her regimen.
$52 at Sephora
At night, Darden follows up her cleanser with this toning essence that contains sake water to soften the skin and sebocytine for oil control.
$88 at Sephora
To keep skin glowing and fight dullness, Darden’s Lactic Acid AHA Exfoliating Serum keeps pores clear of dead skin. It’s gentle enough for daily use and leaves skin feeling softer.
$88 at Sephora
One of Darden’s bestselling products that has gained a cult following from her celebrity clientele, the facialist reaches for her Retinol Reform when her skin needs a boost. She’ll alternate between the Lactic Acid AHA Exfoliating Serum and the retinol for anti-aging benefits like firming and brightening.
$185 at Saks 5th Avenue
This hydrating serum rounds out Darden’s simple routine. It features hyaluronic acid and plant stem cells to boost moisture and fill fine lines. For summer skin care, Darden says that those with oily skin care stop their regimen here. “You can just use hyaluronic acid serum as your moisturizer,” she recommends.