Five Skincare Tips From a Beauty Consultancy Founder Who Uses Science as Her Compass
Alina sits down with Cayli Cavaco Reck, owner and founder of Knockout Beauty, which has four locations on both coasts
Do you ever do something and think to yourself, “Why did I wait so long to do this?”
That’s how I felt after I got a facial two weeks ago at Knockout Beauty.
Knockout Beauty, Bridgehampton, NY, Source: The New York Post
Knockout Beauty, Bridgehampton, NY, Photo courtesy: Cayli Cavaco Reck
All summer long, my friend, Cayli Cavaco Reck…
Photo courtesy: Cayli Cavaco Reck
… owner and founder of Knockout Beauty… has been gently asking me to “give it a try, see how you like it.”
“Those sunspots, we can fix them,” she told me.
“Come in.”
Now, if you got an offer like that… wouldn’t you sprint to the treatment room?
I mean, seriously.
I finally got around to it… and call me crazy… but I feel like my skin is… different.
Better.
Could it be? So soon?
Cayli is fashion royalty.
Both of her parents – mom and dad – were editors at Vogue.
Anna Wintour and Paul Cavaco, Photo courtesy: Cayli Cavaco Reck
Kezia Keeble, Photo courtesy: Cayli Cavaco Reck
But Cayli’s calling was beauty.
We sat down recently to talk about her business, the best time of the month to get a facial, the one gadget you should buy if you’re over 40 and the five most important skincare takeaways.
WHAT IS KNOCKOUT BEAUTY?
ALINA CHO: Let’s talk about Knockout Beauty.
Knockout Beauty, Locust Valley, NY, Photo Source: Forbes
Because it’s a multi-pronged business.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Yeah.
ALINA CHO: You talk a lot about consultancy.
Knockout Beauty, Brentwood, CA, Photo courtesy: Cayli Cavaco Reck
So, you book a consultation and what happens?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: It starts by someone sending in photos of themselves. We do it this way because we found that in person, when I would do a consult and I'd have to get close, you see people retreat.
ALINA CHO: Interesting. So, when you’re looking at the photos, you're zooming in?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: I'm zooming in. Exactly. So, I’m really able to get quite close.
ALINA CHO: That's scary. [laughter]
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: But it's better than kind-of being up in someone's face.
ALINA CHO: Good point. Are you doing the consult yourself?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: I am.
ALINA CHO: Wow.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: All the master skin consultants do consults.
ALINA CHO: And how many do you have?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: There's one on each coast. And then there's a master skin consultant at our franchise in Locust Valley.
ALINA CHO: There are four Knockout Beauty locations.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Bridgehampton.
Knockout Beauty, Bridgehampton, NY, Photo Source: KD Hamptons
Manhattan.
Knockout Beauty, New York, NY, Photo courtesy: Cayli Cavaco Reck
Knockout Beauty, New York, NY, Photo courtesy: Cayli Cavaco Reck
Brentwood, California.
Knockout Beauty, Brentwood, CA, Photo source: Instagram: @knockoutbeauty
And Locust Valley.
Knockout Beauty, Locust Valley, NY, Photo courtesy: Cayli Cavaco Reck
ALINA CHO: [Back to the consult]. That’s where it starts. And then you prescribe a skincare regimen?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Correct. So, it's not about selling product. It depends on what you're trying to solve. Sometimes the consult is really just me reorganizing what you're doing. Maybe you're putting things on in the wrong order.
ALINA CHO: Got it.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Or maybe you're not thinking about a step as being important, so you're skipping it sometimes. And actually, the toning step is key. So, it's a little bit of an education, a little bit of a reorganization.
ALINA CHO: And if you add products, you add products.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Exactly. But it's not meant to do that.
ALINA CHO: How do you choose which products to stock? Because there are so many brands.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: So, it's [about choosing brands with] high-quality ingredients. Then, there’s the science piece — peptides that are potentially exclusive to that particular brand or a patented peptide that they're licensing and using in a certain way. The first thing I'm looking at is, does it keep its promise?
THE ONE GADGET YOU SHOULD BUY IF YOU’RE OVER 40
ALINA CHO: Let’s talk about the gadgets.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Yeah, the gadgets.
ALINA CHO: What's the number one gadget that someone should have, anyone over the age of 40, let's say?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Probably the derma-roller would be my number one thing.
Environ's Gold-Roll Cit, Photo Source: Knockout Beauty's Online Shop
ALINA CHO: And what is that?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: It's a little tool that rotates on a little wheel with tiny, tiny, tiny needles that allow for a product to penetrate deeper and creates a tiny micro-injury that then begins the healing process. What's special about it is that it allows for deeper product penetration.
ALINA CHO: It’s not painful?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: No, no, not at all.
ALINA CHO: Is it like self-micro-needling?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: That's exactly what it's like.
THE BEST TIME OF THE MONTH TO GET A FACIAL
ALINA CHO: How often should you be getting facials?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: I think if you are 35-plus, every month is key.
Source: World of Printables
ALINA CHO: Ideal.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Because you're looking at being in sync with your body.
ALINA CHO: What do you mean?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Almost all women at 35 are still menstruating.
ALINA CHO: Yeah.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: So, we can look at when your body is most responsive, because the machine is zippy, as we like to say.
ALINA CHO: And generally, when is your body more responsive?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Your body is most sensitive right before your period.
Photo Source: Verywell Health
ALINA CHO: Right. Of course.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: That’s when the estrogen is kind-of coming up. When the estrogen starts to drop down, the progesterone takes over.
ALINA CHO: So, is that the time you should be getting a facial?
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: That's the best time. [In the middle of your menstrual cycle].
FIVE SKINCARE TAKEAWAYS
ALINA CHO: Give me five skincare takeaways.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Every woman should be washing their face morning and night.
ALINA CHO: Some women don’t use cleanser in the morning.
Photo Source: Currie Hair, Skin, and Nails
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: The problem with that is you lose about a liter of water from your body when you sleep. So, you want to replenish and rehydrate [when you wake up].
ALINA CHO: So, wash your face.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Number two, every day it's important to check in, look at your eyes, look at what's happening in your neck area, that's where your glands are. Your eyes will tell you a lot about your health.
Photo Source: Verywell Health
Take the time to visit with yourself every day to check in, because that is how you will stop disease from starting.
ALINA CHO: Got it.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Number three, treat your body topically as you do internally. Supplement with the vitamins that you're deficient in.
Photo Source: US News Health
ALINA CHO: Okay.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: Number four, make sure that you have a combination of self-care as well as expert care.
Photo Source: Bio Health Club
It’s not enough to go into a store and buy a product, get guidance. Yes, being at home and using a machine or a device is great, but also have an expert work with you as well. The idea of cutting your own hair or doing your own nails seems foreign to people. So, the skin, which is an organ, should be taken care of in a much more holistic manner as well.
ALINA CHO: Good point.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: And then the last one I would say is to remember that perfection is the enemy of good. A lot of what we are thinking about with our skin is how do we solve? How do we change? And that can create more issues. We should be asking ourselves, “How do we optimize?”
Photo Source: Beauty Packaging
ALINA CHO: Right.
CAYLI CAVACO RECK: How do we become more radiant as opposed to, how do I fix my problems?