Forget everything you know about celebrity facialists – Lord Gavin literally fell into the A-list’s lap. When his first-ever client, Halle Berry, needed a pre-Met Gala glow-up and her facialist fell through, he had 48 hours to learn how to sculpt a face. The result? A star was born on both sides of the treatment bed.
Now the go-to for Hollywood‘s elite and Global Ambassador for Augustinus Bader, Lord Gavin has perfected the art of the ‘event-ready’ facial with zero downtime, maximum glow, and the ultimate confidence boost.
So, what’s the secret behind the sculpted, snatched skin of your favourite stars? He reveals the treatment he considers a total waste of money, the cult cream Kim K personally pressed into his hands, and why your 12-step skincare routine might be doing more harm than good. The man who brings Mariah-level energy to facialistry is here and he’s serving nothing but truth.
CosmoME: What made you choose to be a facialist, and what’s the most unexpected lesson you’ve learned?
Gavin: It chose me. I was the PR director for the inventor of the oxygen facial and it was so hard to get press. They didn’t create timely products or advertise, and they were only sold in the professional categories. I thought, wow, I’m really up sh*ts creek without a paddle, how am I going to get press!? Madonna and Kim Kardashian were fans, so I had the idea to do complimentary pre-event services for talent.
I sent out invitations for treatments pre MET Gala 2018, and the only team to respond was Halle Berry’s. The facialist didn’t work out, so they said “You have to do it”. I practiced on everybody I knew for two days.
When I met Halle, I was struck by the vulnerability of the moment and the huge sense of pressure on her. I instinctively put hands to face and knew I wanted to lift and sculpt. I had no training whatsoever, but I had instinct. She was really struck by the result, and I saw her confidence shift from small energy to “b*tch, where’s my weave? Let’s go!” I knew that if I could emancipate someone from the pressure, ground them in their deservingness to be there, and amplify their energy to meet the expectation of the event, that would be an incredible gig.
Whilst it’s very exciting to be around celebrity, there’s a huge part of parking one’s ego because you are in service to people. They get all the focus and attention. I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed taking the attention off myself and putting it onto somebody else. I wasn’t expecting that because I have a robust ego [laughs].
CosmoME: What’s the biggest misconception clients walk in with?
Gavin: That when you get a facial treatment, you’ll look like you ran away from a house fire. That you’ll be red, agitated, and a little dazed and confused. People get nervous. Most clients come from referral, and their manager or assistant will say, “such and such is terrified she’s going to break out” or “such and such is nervous about having technology on their face”. I always like to reaffirm with people that if I couldn’t treat you the day of, I wouldn’t have a job.
There’s a misconception that facials make you look insane, but mine isn’t that type of treatment. We’re not doing extractions, we’re simply sculpting, moving, and working what Professor Barder calls “your biological wisdom”. Making you glow and snatched but with none of the downtime.
CosmoME: Share a career “pinch me” moment.
Gavin: A few come to mind, but the one that stands out was when I was featured in the September issue of American Vogue a couple of years ago. It was a story centred around sculpting facials and the trend towards facial massage, which in and of itself was a huge accolade. But it was seeing myself alongside contemporaries Joanna Checz and Iván Pol, The Beauty Sandwich. I became part of the Holy Trilogy – we had Whitney, we had Celine, and I became Mariah [laughs].
I get to meet incredibly dynamic, thoughtful women who have paved a career based on their fortitude, like Demi Moore or Julianne Moore. Or someone not with the same last name, like Sharon Stone [laughs] – who has become one of my dearest friends. That’s a pinch me moment. I get to surround myself with people who have stories to share and I can learn from. Every time I get to interface with someone of that level of iconography, I take away a higher meaning about myself and what’s possible.
CosmoME: What’s your ultimate ‘holy grail’ treatment?
Gavin: The Method I created for Augustinus Bader, of course! Post-COVID, there was a real desire to be connected and, quite frankly, to be touched. I wanted to bring that holistic, congruent expression to the skin, so The Method layers products in a systematic way and is punctuated by fascia facial massage. When you tap into the fascia layer, you trigger and elevate communication in the dormant cells. You also expunge the face and do lymphatic drainage, sculpt, tone, and lift.
I think facial modalities, especially physical touch, amplify, extend, and enhance any of the more invasive procedures. They just allow the skin to take on much more of a natural expression, even if you are botoxed and filled with an inch of your life.
CosmoME: What’s one trend you’d never spend your dirhams on?
Gavin: PRP for skin – I think it’s a waste of time, energy, and money. It can be good for hair recovery, but I think there are so many better modalities out there. I encourage my clients to really lean into tried, tested, and true treatments that have been in the market for a while. I’m not a big believer of jumping into the newest thing.
CosmoME: Name 3 non-negotiable products in your bag right now…
Gavin:
1. Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream. I was introduced to the brand by Kim Kardashian and this was the product she pried into my hands. I’ve been using it exclusively morning and night for about seven years – I think it’s extraordinary. I’d wash my face in a ditch but still use this. It’s just beyond in terms of the emolliency, the cascade of glow on the skin, deep hydration, soothing and calming – all of those good things.
2. Augustinus Bader The Elixir. It’s a really fast concentrate that addresses all ageing concerns – fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, lack of elasticity… I think the combination of that with The Rich Cream is just, in emoji world, chef’s kiss.
3. Lumify Eye Drops. I cannot live without them. They make your eyeballs so white. So if you’re fatigued, rundown, or you land in Dubai and are jet lagged, they’re phenomenal at making you look alert and awake. I take them everywhere.
CosmoME: If you could ban one beauty myth on social media, what would it be?
Gavin: There are so many that just agitate me beyond compare. One is that everyone needs to have a 20-step regime, or that every product has to be hardcore and active. I saw a girl on TikTok who had a regime of at least 12 steps. She was using tretinoin, then a really high concentrate AHA, then a vitamin C on top… I thought, do you want to have a face?!
The overdosing of hardcore products and thinking the stronger the better drives me insane. The culture now is to think we have to wound ourselves to heal and improve ourselves. This idea that everything has to be hardcore is ultimately not good for skin health or wellbeing.
CosmoME: Beyond the clinic, what’s your ultimate personal “unwind and recharge” ritual that keeps you looking and feeling your absolute best?
Gavin: My husband Atarah’s business The Seed Level helps reprogramme people’s subconscious, subliminal loops of low self worth. He gets people to the point where they can show up and shine in their lives, separate from their programming, childhood, society, and things like that. You have guided meditation and journal prompts, so every day I’ll do some sort of reset meditation through his work.
I’ve also studied Kabbalah for 23 years. It’s a spiritual belief system that acts as a guide on how to navigate the world being proactive rather than reactive. Showing up and spreading what we call The Light. How do you take compassion, kindness, and nonjudgment in a world that is highly hypercritical? That helps me. I also attend Shabbat on the weekends and that is another grounding thing.
Between Atarah’s work and Kabbalah, I’m really trying to plug into a higher consciousness. Something that doesn’t value me based on my client list or my last success. Instead, my value comes from how I behave and how I treat people.
CosmoME: Give us the scoop! What’s the next big thing on your radar that you’re obsessed with?
Gavin: This is an exclusive: I’m launching my first beauty tool in February – a microcurrent device 500x stronger than the industry leader. It comes with a gum shield (no twinged teeth!) and really provokes the contraction of the muscle with no pain, just sensation.
I’ve wanted to bring technology into the market for a long time as I couldn’t find anything that delivered on a professional level. It launches mid-award season, and it looks a bit like an Academy Award, so it’s a vibe.
CosmoME: If you weren’t a facialist, what would your dream job be?
Gavin: A long-form interviewer in the guise of Larry King or Charlie Rose, where there’s a discourse about a person, their belief systems, their purpose, their product or projects. I think what keeps me really engaged in what I do, way more than doing facials, is the connection and conversation. It’s about the dialogue and the inspiring moments that I share with people. I would love to bring that to an audience in some way, and it’s something I’m working on…