The Green Ticket by Samantha March Page B

the déjà vu from our earlier conversation at the desk. I wondered how many times stylists repeated themselves throughout the day. I wondered how many times I would repeat myself when working the desk.
    “Do you have any make-up on, like foundation or blush?” Allie asked, sitting on the short black stool that was by my head.
    “Um, yes and yes. Sorry, I didn’t even think to take it off!” Duh, Alex. Obviously you couldn’t wear make-up during a facial.
    “No problem at all. Most women do, and I can easily remove it. We also offer a complimentary make-up session after all facials, just a touch-up to get you on your way. It’s near impossible to go anywhere after a facial since we remove all make-up, so we just put a bit of foundation on, usually a bit of eye make-up as well so they can feel good about themselves and not have to worry.”
    “Wow, that’s a great idea. I guess I don’t know what I’ll look like when I’m done, but I’m sure I’ll want the make-up application.”
    “Our clients really appreciate it, and that’s what we care about. Most other salons don’t offer that.” Allie wiped a cool cloth around my face then concentrated on my eyes, wiping away all traces of eye shadow, liner, and mascara. “I’m going to look at your skin under the light to determine what we need to use today on you. I’m just going to put these over your eyes so I don’t blind you,” I felt little pads cover my eyelids, “and just take a look. Now, what kind of skin do you think you have? Oily or dry? Any problem areas or trouble zones?”
    The light flickered on but didn’t really affect me thanks to the eye pads. I considered Allie’s question. “This time of year I think I have really dry skin. I try to use a moisturizer a lot because sometimes it looks like my skin is just flaking off, which is really gross. I’ve never had the best skin and I still get breakouts, especially on my chin, but not many other problems that I can think of.”
    Allie ran the tips of her fingers along my forehead, both cheeks, my nose, chin and even felt my neck and décolleté. “Your temperature is nice and even, which is a good sign. You have fairly healthy skin, but I can feel little dry spots. It’s important that you keep using your moisturizer, and aim for twice a day, once in the morning and again at night when you remove your make-up. We have a super-hydrating moisturizer that you could try as well that should help clear that up.”
    The light flicked off and Allie removed the pads from my eyes. I blinked a few times to get my contacts moist, then closed my eyes again as Allie began to smooth something on my face with what felt like a paintbrush. “I’m starting with an exfoliant first. This helps slough off the dead skin and reveal the sparkling skin underneath all those dead cells. Is the steam bothering you at all?”
    “I really didn’t notice it until now,” I answered, feeling warm puffs of air reach my face. It was kind of nice actually.
    “The steam helps open up your pores so I can really get down to what’s beneath your skin and bring everything up and out. It’s like a detox for your skin. If you use an exfoliant at home, the shower is a good place to apply it. Get in, shampoo up first and then put it on. The steam from the shower will be like giving you your own facial at home.”
    As soon as the gritty material was slathered over my face and neck, Allie promptly removed it, running a washcloth over the applied areas until my face was bare again. “I’m going to turn on the light again and just do a couple of quick extractions here for you.”
    “Uh, Allie? What exactly is an extraction?” I finally worked up the nerve to ask. Could I get some anesthesia or a Vicodin first?
    “It’s pretty simple. I’m just going to remove your whiteheads. I don’t see any blackheads on your skin, which is great. It might be a little uncomfortable. I’m just going underneath the skin to bring everything