A Facial With Diane Higgins
“Before moving to New York City, I never really considered facials as part of one’s skincare routine, my mom (who I owe all my beauty tips to) never had one, and I associated them only with celebrities and spas.”
Then I started Passerbuys. I wasn't sure where to begin—everyone seems to have their person they swear by—but I knew I wanted the best, because why not? My first introduction to Diane Higgins was through passerby Erin Allweiss, who told me about this woman with a modest salon on the Upper East Side who does miracles, and on top of that, she has her own plant-based skincare line made from ingredients mostly grown in her garden upstate. Apparently Diane is every beauty editor's best kept secret, and when I met passerby Maura Walters, she confirmed just that. And so I booked my first appointment.
I was definitely in good hands. Diane was warm and caring—she made sure to leave a full 2 hour block for me, giving that extra time to feel relaxed. Before starting, she asked me a few questions so she could tailor her facial to my needs, showing genuine interest and sharing insights I wasn't aware of. She brought light to some issues my skin was battling, but it felt educational rather than a harsh "it's a disaster, you must use all these products" (she actually told me to use less). She also never pushed her own line of skincare, which I appreciated, and to be honest she really doesn't need to—she uses them during the facial and that's enough to sell you on them. They smell and feel incredible. She does extractions by hand so they are gentler. She also has some state of the art equipment for LED and ultrasonic facials as well as gentle fruit acid peels.
““Diane Higgins proved to me how natural products can be as effective as those more aggressive chemical ones—my face showed no marks from the extraction, only an incredible glow—which with the helps of her oils, has been lasting.””
I left with my own bottles of her Balancing Facial Elixir and her Retinol Serum, and in two weeks have already seen a difference (Diane mentioned the Retinol will have that effect, and I remember Passerby Bianca Boutilier being one of the first people to praise the magic of Retinol; she was very right).
