Microcurrent & Chill with Josette D’Agnenica

While self-care may not always have a place in your schedule, blocking out an hour (or two) for some me-time is vital for resetting your mental health. And what’s better than killing two birds with one stone -- healing both the body and the mind, simultaneously?

Maximize all the feel-good benefits with skin genius, reflexologist, and facial sculpturer, Josette D’Agnenica. She’s the in-house, licensed aesthetician at our go-to OC wellness center, Magnolia Wellness. We’ve already covered the ins and outs of this wellness haven (scope the article here), so today we’re diving deep into the bespoke treatments D’Agnenica crafts specifically for you. Much more than a menu-picked facial, the skincare guru is here to shift your cellular vibration on a psycho-spiritual level.

“Most aesthetics are done with the intention to endure wound repair,” she describes, cautioning against peels, needles, and lasers that often end up burning your skin. “If you reach for externals, it’s never going to be enough… inner confidence doesn’t come from external validation.”

D’Agnenica’s self-love mantra stems from her early years working in retail cosmetics and conventional aesthetics. Although she loved working with people’s skin and watching them light up post-treatment, lash extensions and eye-brow tinting weren’t quite fulfilling enough. Along her career journey she discovered a holistic approach to skincare, which ultimately led her to Magnolia Wellness.

Today, she focuses on treatments and products that feed the skin, rather than wound it. This, in turn, allows the skin to stimulate its own natural systems without manipulating it. “Retinoids, retinols, and over-the-counter glycolic products are only manipulating the natural skin cycles,” D’Agnenica explains, before warning “there will be a price eventually -- it’s going to cause some issues.”

This is exactly why D’Agnenica opts for and recommends nurturing treatments like Gua Sha, manual lymph drainage, and her specialty: microcurrent. For those unfamiliar with the natural facial lifting innovation, microcurrent penetrates an ionized solution (containing + or - ions) into the surface skin tissue by using an electrical current. This safe, low voltage level delivers nourishment to the epidermal tissue, seals in moisture, and stimulates intracellular activity.

D’Agnenica correlates the technique to pilates, “If we have a facial expression that we are repeating over and over again, those muscles get really strong. What the microcurrent impulse does is works those muscles to fatigue. The weaker muscles then have to step up while the stronger muscles are relaxed.”

In a nutshell, you’re getting increased blood flow, lymphatic drainage, movement, and more communication in the body, while detoxing the skin on a gentle level. Unlike Botox, which paralyzes the muscle, microcurrent exercises your muscles (similar to being sore after pilates). 

Your facial muscles are tightened, firmed, and toned after just one treatment -- literally, a workout for your skin! 

Contrary to the messages mainstream beauty corporations tend to promote, D’Agnenica encourages clients to have a commitment to be kind to yourself first. “It hurts me when people are getting injections, fillers, and altering their face,” she says, “because at some point we shut off the communication — organ wise and emotionally wise.”

With her sensitive hands, years of experience, and honest intuition, D’Agnenica selects the combination of treatments best fit for your skin (and soul). Her consultation is more of a friendly conversation and she takes time to understand you and the blockages your skin carries.

“I really encourage people to zoom out. Don’t lean into your mirrors!” she laughs. “There’s a three-foot counter distance between your vanity and the mirror for a reason. Once you start zooming in the perception is completely off and you’ve lost sight of the balance.”

D’Agnenica prompts everyone to come back inside themselves and recognize they are a whole person. “Your body talks to you, your skin talks to you, and you talk to yourself. It’s become acceptable to talk negatively,” she says. “But that’s where we can make the change.”

Book your next treatment with Josette D’Agnenica, and be sure to indulge in our Saffron Latte Wellness Powder, also sold at Magnolia Wellness.

Emily Moore is an LMU summa cum laude graduate of Communications and English studies. She is an avid trinket collector, self-proclaimed poet, trail runner, and lover of all things found in Erewhon Market. She is the project manager at the fullest. Find her at @emmmmillyy or on her website. 

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