The Met may be tonight, but today wasn’t the start of the red-carpet prep. Dior Ambassador and celebrity facialist Sarah Akram (her treatments are trusted by Angela Bassett, Nina Dobrev, Mindy Kaling, Lucy Hale and Aubrey Plaza, to name a few) can attest to that, as she already set up her skin-care shop over the weekend.
“Living in D.C., I’ve become a Delta Shuttle girl when traveling to New York,” she shares of the logistics. “Similar to prior Met Gala pop-ups, I am posted up at the Mark Hotel and use Friday as my set-up day. It’s a ballet to coordinate the basic spa equipment, high-end facial technology and products I use in my treatments. My bespoke facials are typically 90 minutes…though for some clients [who] are crunched for time, I do express 60-minute sessions, and I do six appointments Saturday and four or five Sunday, with another three appointments the morning of the Gala. That’s right, another three appointments the day of! All of my appointments are noninvasive and focused on lifting and sculpting the skin while bringing out the skin’s natural radiance.”
Akram also says it’s important that the overall flow of the client experience is up to her high standard, and that involves some practice. “I do a dry run with a friend, Lina, around 7 p.m. Friday night. I’m lucky to have the best assistant in the world in my dear friend Antoni Luke-Akagi, founder/CEO of Enhancewell in New York, who helps keep the trains running on time throughout the client appointment, including client intake, social, you name it. My client schedule changes by the hour, given celebrity fittings, I have lots of commitments from some really incredible clients.” Here’s what was on Akram’s personal schedule Sunday:
6 a.m.: Wake up. May the 4th be with you.
6:30 a.m.: Glam time. During events like the Met Gala, I am pressed for time, so I keep it super simple. I throw on a face mask and use cryo sticks to depuff, then hop in the shower and rinse off. My hair has been set from the night before, so it rolls up nicely in a shower cap. For my makeup, I’m a true Dior girl; I do my own glam for these events, so I use a wide assortment of their makeup, but the brand’s game-changing product is the Diorshow Brow Styler ($35). I love this because it fills in the gaps in my eyebrows because it has an ultra-precise tip, and a spoolie brush to blend the product and sweep my eyebrows into place.
8:30 a.m.: Breakfast and my Starbucks order. Antoni hooks me up with my Venti Iced Caffe Latte, two pumps of caramel sauce—don’t judge.
9:00 a.m.: This morning, I get to see a dear friend and client of mine, Mindy Kaling. She always brings “it” to the Met Gala red carpet, so I am excited to hear more about who she is wearing. First off, I’m lucky that Mindy already has great skin, which makes my Met Gala prep easier. I’ll start with a light exfoliation for a clean skin palette, followed by lots of oxygen for a nice, glowy/hydrated look and a combination of microcurrent and Sonophoresis for lifting/sculpting and skin-care product absorption. I’ll finish out Mindy’s session with LED (with negative ion infusion) and a custom mask to lock in that snatched, dewy, glowy red-carpet look. I love Dior Beauty’s Capture and Prestige line skin-care products for Mindy’s facial. Dior’s Prestige Le Micro-Sérum de Rose Yeux Advanced ($280), Capture Le Sérum ($145) and Dior Capture Day Creme ($145) are the holy trinity I use to bring out a natural glow and radiance to her skin.
11 a.m. to noon: I typically don’t have lunch regardless of whether I am working an event or not, but I keep myself hydrated throughout the day, unless Antoni orders lunch and there is a long enough break. Today I’m using the break to film some content for the IG. I try to knock out social media early in the day as it’s much easier for me to film content the fresher I am; I get the giggles when I am tired!
7 p.m.: I am wrapped for the day! I double-check the schedule for the next day and reset the room in preparation for the first appointment the next day. I do a quick check of my hair and makeup, then run to an express dinner.
9 p.m.: FaceTime with my family. My one-year-old son will already be asleep, but my five-year-old is a night owl and has FOMO if she doesn’t get a download of what I am up to, who I worked on. She is obsessed with music, so I have a good story for her on an artist I saw.
9:30 p.m.: I am off to an industry party with my absolute favorite person, Jessica Paster (@highheelprncess), downtown, which should be fun and an opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues in fashion and beauty.
Midnight: Lights out, night night and yes, I removed my makeup, washed my face and did my skin-care routine for those wondering.
