The Best and Worst Beauty Treatments Allure Editors Got in 2022

The best beauty service, without a doubt: “Ummm… Botox : )”  

Microneedling with radiofrequency is trendy, it also hurts: “In January, I tried a microneedling with radiofrequency treatment. It was, by far, one of the most uncomfortable and painful experiences I’ve ever had. And I’ve had some painful beauty treatments — extractions (ouch), inflaming lasers, and slightly-uncomfortable Botox injections. But nothing, and I mean nothing, prepared me for the pain that is RF microneedling, which is supposed to boost collagen production over time. After administering a numbing cream, the practitioner began to move the device across my forehead, cheeks, and chin. With every movement, I felt both the pressure and pain of a small plate of needles piercing my skin, followed by a stream of tears (my own). I couldn’t even get through the first round of passes before asking to end the treatment — it was absolutely excruciating. After calling it quits, I took the train home with bright red, inflamed skin, which led to a few questioning looks and comments during my commute. And the results? Imperceptible. Although, to be fair, I did abort the mission halfway through.”

Loving a rich facial … not into lip flips (again)

Jennifer Hussein, commerce writer

The facial that calmed rosacea: “One of the biggest skin-care lessons I learned this year is simplicity, which is why I loved visiting Casa Cipriani’s spa in downtown New York City. I had a simple, no-B.S. facial that addressed my main skin issues — redness and sensitivity — with a gentle exfoliating face mask and facial massages with a hyaluronic acid-infused serum and a moisturizer. After my 30-minute session, my skin was radiant and bouncy, and my rosacea-induced redness was invisible.”

If you like doing things like eating and drinking, you need to be able to move your top lip: “I gave in to all of the hubbub around lip flips and boy, I will never do that again. I tried out the lip flip a day before I was retouching my lip filler and the combination made my lips look a little too big for my liking. And not being able to move my top lip was more of a daily challenge than I’d thought it’d be.”

The massage that’s intense in the best way, and the Long COVID treatment that was just too much
Taylore Glynn, beauty and wellness editor

The fix for tight muscles is heavenly: “My go-to fix for a tight neck or a sore back is a deep-tissue rubdown at Renew Day Spa in New York City. But if there’s one kind of massage I can’t resist when I want my whole body to feel energized, it’s a full-body lymphatic drainage massage, which involves targeted pressure and pulling and pushing movements against the skin that are supposed to stimulate the lymphatic system to reduce inflammation. Mova spa, owned by Brazilian esthetician Camila Perez, offers the best I’ve tried in New York City so far. The space feels warm and tranquil, like you’re lying in a beach-side cabana in Rio de Janeiro, and the massage itself is as relaxing as it is therapeutic.”