Star facialist Lord Gavin discovered this must-have for ‘high-voltage, radiant skin’ from Kim Kardashian

Lord Gavin McLeod-Valentine has had a (literal) hand in more red carpet moments than he can count, but it all started by accident.

The celebrity aesthetician tells Page Six Style he was working in PR in 2017, when a last-minute snafu meant he had to personally give Halle Berry a facial for her first-ever Met Gala.

“I don’t know if it was just intuition [or] inspiration,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘I’ve done baking with Granny, I can do this.’ And so I lay my hands on her face. I started to move the contours as I would want them to move.”

Years later, he’s treated everyone from Demi Moore to Sharon Stone to Emily Blunt to his famous “The Method” facial. The sought-after treatment incorporates both facial massage and a systematic layering of all of Augustinus Bader’s luxe products — including some he first discovered from Kim Kardashian in 2018.

“She pressed The Rich Cream and The Body Cream into my hands and told me to go away and use it for 30 days,” recalls McLeod-Valentine, who now counts the face moisturizer as an ultimate must-have.

Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream

Augustinus Bader

“If you like a high-voltage, radiant complexion, The Rich Cream is an undeniable leader in this category,” he explains.

Should you prefer less glow and a more “rested, settled, vital present energy” instead, he recommends the luxe label’s original The Cream.

Augustinus Bader The Cream

Augustinus Bader

Augustinus Bader The Body Cream

Augustinus Bader

After picking a moisturizer, he suggests incorporating products targeted to different skincare concerns — including The Vitamin C Serum to help address pigmentation.

Augustinus Bader The Vitamin C Serum

Augustinus Bader

The Foaming Cleanser is also a top seller, though the beauty pro recommends finding whichever product you’ll “love to do when you’re lazy and you’re drunk and you come in late — [but] you still want to make sure that you wash your face.”

Augustinus Bader The Foaming Cleanser

Augustinus Bader

One aspect of his celebrity treatments you can’t try at home, however? His guided meditations, which help get A-listers ready for whatever they’re about to face.

“When I meet a new client I really want to lay my hands on and feel [their] needs,” says the beauty guru, who recently prepped Nikki Glaser for the Grammys.

“I wanted to make sure that she was resonant and radiant … and [so] that she could dazzle that way that she does on the stage,” he adds.

“I wanted to make sure that she was as resonant and radiant … and really lift the high points,” he said of working with Nikki Glaser for the Grammys this year. WireImage

Emily Blunt, one of his longtime clients, presented McLeod-Valentine with a WWD Style Award this year. Getty Images

After all, whether he’s prepping someone for a red carpet, their first Oscar win — as he did with Zoe Saldaña last year — or a major photo shoot, his services go well beyond creams and contouring.

“It always feels special to be part of that moment because I know the pressure,” he says. “I know the things that people don’t see.”

Why Trust Page Six Style Shopping

This article was written by Hannah Southwick, Commerce Associate Editor for Page Six. Hannah spies deals on actually affordable celebrity-worn styles, puts celebrities’ brands to the test and finds the beauty products that keep stars red carpet-ready. She consults stylists and industry pros — including celebs themselves — for firsthand product recommendations, trend predictions and more. In addition to writing for Page Six since 2020, her work has been featured in USA Today and Parade.