By: Julia Weston
Flashing back to early 2016 I was the brand new to the Centre for Plastic Surgery and trying to come up with fun ways to get people engaged. With the non-stop flood of beauty and skincare information out there it’s always a challenge to stand out. I had just transitioned from a job in make-up and a big spring focus had always been about bridal makeup. I thought “why not focus on brides here too?” And what’s more exciting than FREE stuff when you are getting married? Thus, our Beauty and the Bride Sweepstakes was born.
Thanks to our incredibly generous physicians and vendor partners we were able to give away a seriously fabulous package of treatments and products we knew one lucky bride would love. It included Laser Hair Removal, Latisse, Fake Bake, SkinMedica Vitalize Peels, Coolsculpting, Botox, a private party with gifts and more for the mom’s and bridal party! (Getting jealous here just writing about this again!). Beyond just getting our name out there, we really wanted the winner to have an opportunity to experience all that we offer in our Centre for Pure Skin. I crossed my fingers and put it out on Facebook.
Over ten thousand views and many entries later that lucky bride turned out to be Jessica Smith, a beautiful, fun, and interesting twenty-five year old woman getting married to her dream man Casey in November 2016. Flash forward to early 2017, and I finally had the opportunity to speak to her about her wedding, her very cool new job, and of course her experience at the Centre. Here are the highlights of our conversation:
Me: “So! How was the wedding?”
Jessica: “It was amazing. It ended up being a beautiful 70 degree day in NOVEMBER. We couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
Me: “That’s wonderful! How is the new job? You are doing something very cool now, right?”
Jessica: “Yes! I am working for the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan with their be nice. program.”
Me: “Okay, I should probably know what that is?!”
Jessica: “We go into schools and businesses to create awareness about the warning signs of mental health issues and suicide. We teach people what to look for and how to talk to someone that might be struggling. It’s very cool. I am learning so much!”
Me: “I bet! Now that is something I would love to get involved in. It’s such an important topic.”
Jessica: “Yes. We are really growing our program for schools and businesses right now in Kent County.”
Me: “We would love to be involved. Definitely keep me in the loop! Now on to the Centre, what did you think? How was your experience with us?”
Jessica: “It was really awesome. I was so surprised when I actually won because a friend of mine who is getting married in March had to talk me into it. I wasn’t really sure if I could use everything!”
Me: “I get that, it was a big package! You gave your Coolsculpting away to your groom. How did it work for him?”
Jessica: “It ended up being really effective. He has always struggled with some extra fat around the jawline, even though he’s fit. We can totally see a difference in the definition of his chin, so he’s very happy.”
Me: “I feel like we really got to know you guys while you were coming in for your treatments. How did you feel about us?”
Jessica: “Everyone was so nice! I was really surprised at how comfortable I was. Jill was very real with me about everything so I felt very informed and educated about the treatments I was receiving”
Me: “Speaking of the treatments, what ended up being your favorite one?”
Jessica: “Laser Hair Removal! It was something I always wanted since I constantly had red bumps from shaving under my arms. It totally got rid of that which I loved for my wedding day.”
Me: “How was everything else? How about the products? Was there anything that didn’t work?”
Jessica: “No. Everything ended up being really good. The Latisse was awesome. I even loved how the peel turned out, though the story is a little embarrassing!”
Me: “Oh no, what happened?”
Jessica: “Jill told me that my face would probably shed in the first few days following the peel. At first nothing really happened except a few little flakes. Since it wasn’t bad, I went out to dinner with my family. Then half way through the meal, it all started flaking off! Of course it had to be when I was in public. But by the next day it was done and my skin looked amazing. I have never gotten so many compliments!”
Me: “Murphy’s law, right! So other than that. Was there anything that surprised you?
Jessica: “I guess I was surprised at how much I learned about the aging process. I had never thought of Botox as a preventative measure. I also learned a ton about what products to start with in your 20’s from Jill and your SkinMedica expert, Jan. I just wish I could afford all of it all the time!”
Me: “You’ll get there. Just making skincare a priority is a great place to start. One product or treatment at a time is just fine and we are more than happy to work within a budget. Speaking of one product or treatment, if you had to suggest one for any bride before her wedding, what would it be?”
Jessica: “Definitely a peel or maybe that HydraFacial treatment. My skin just glowed. It was amazing and I think every bride should have that glow on her wedding day. She’d just need to time it right!”
Me: “Good choice! HydraFacial is a really fabulous peel too. I wish we would have had it when we put the package together. You would have loved it.”
Jessica: “I know! I really want to try it. One of my bridesmaids came into your office right before the wedding and had one done. She really loved it!”
Me: “So happy to hear that! Well, we wish you luck! Stay in contact with us.”
Jessica: “I’ll be in touch about be nice. and I’ll definitely be back! Thank you so much!”
Contact us at 616.454.1256 or www.gr-cps.com for more information or to make an appointment.