The Midlife Tune-Up: “Injectable Threads” VS. Fillers, WTF Is PRFM & More Reverse Aging Skin Secrets with Esthetician Shani Darden

Breaking Beauty Podcast

Dear Media, Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins

Jilldunn, Arts, Beautyeditors, Style541811, Beautyexpert, Beauty, Carlenehiggins, Fashion, Society & Culture, Magazineeditors, Fashion & Beauty

4.7 • 954 Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

She’s back! Celebrity facialist Shani Darden returns for the third time, and we’re taking you inside her Beverly Hills skincare oasis to find out what really keeps her A-list clientele – including Jessica Alba, Chrissy Teigen and Amanda Seyfried – looking like they might just be aging in reverse. Plus, Shani reveals the exact treatments she does (and avoids) to stay fresh at 50, what she thinks about injectables in 2025, and how she’s reimagining her cult-favorite Retinol Reform.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

PRFM Treatment Trends: Unpacking the celebrity-loved platelet-rich fibrin matrix, why it's the latest “New Maintenance” skincare addiction, and how it compares to traditional fillers.
Injectable Threads vs. Filler: Insight into injectable threads that “fill” (not lift), and the real differences between thread treatments and classic injectables.
Shani’s Personal Skincare Routine: The professional facial treatments she receives (and the one she opts out of), plus who she trusts to inject and rejuvenate her skin.
Retinol Masterclass: How to launch a retinol routine that avoids irritation, when to assess results before calling it quits, daytime myths debunked, and what the “retinol uglies” phase really means.
Retinol Reform Serum Revealed: A deep dive into her newly updated formula, why she’s now choosing to put the percentage of retinol on the label, and the reason there’s no lactic acid in this version of the cult classic.

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Hosts: Carlene Higgins and Jill Dunn

Theme song, used with permission: Cherry Bomb by Saya 

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The following podcast is a dear media production.
0:08.1	Welcome to Breaking Beauty, the podcast, all about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty.
0:13.8	We're your host, Jill Dunn and Carleen Higgins.
0:24.9	Welcome back to Breaking Beauty Podcast, everyone.
0:27.1	I'm Jill Dunn, one of your co-hosts.
0:28.0	Hey there, Carleen.
0:28.7	How are you?
0:30.2	Hello, Jill.
0:35.2	We are Carleen and Jill back in your feeds for another epic episode today.
0:39.0	We are two longtime magazine beauty editors turned beauty podcasters who chat about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty
0:42.7	every single Wednesday. And we've been doing just that for eight years now. And in our catalog of
0:49.7	more than 400 episodes, you'll find our hashtag damn good episodes where we review products to let you know
0:55.0	what's worth the spend, according to us. Plus, you'll find chats with incredible founders like
0:59.4	Emily Weiss from Glossier and professionals in the industry like Sophia Richie's makeup artist,
1:05.1	Patty Dubrov, Jennifer Aniston's hair guru, Chris McMillan, estheticians like Joanna Check and our guest today,
1:12.5	who's returning for her third time esthetician, Shawnee Darden.
1:18.3	Yes, Shawnee works with major celebs like Shea Mitchell, Jessica Alba, and Laura Harrier.
1:24.9	Shawnee first appeared on our show back in 2019, where she shared her top
1:29.3	treatments for transforming your skin like an A-lister. She and I had a great conversation all about
1:35.5	teen skin care. This was even before Sephora Teens was a thing. So we'll link to both of those
1:42.1	episodes in our show notes. You can get a little catch up.
1:45.5	And Carleen, this time when we interviewed Shawnee, we had an opportunity to go to her spa and get a facial firsthand at her Beverly Hills Oasis.
	...

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