WHILE most of us battle the aftermath of all that festive overindulgence, Ella Brizell, 43, is simply glowing with self-confidence, thanks to 12 game-changing tweakments
Waking up bleary-eyed on Boxing Day, the vast majority of us won’t be feeling – or looking – our best.
Puffy-eyed after too many Baileys and bloated thanks to stuffing ourselves silly on pigs in blankets, we’ll be happy hiding under a blanket in an Xmas onesie.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth for single mum-of-two Ella Brizell.
Today Ella, 43, is looking and feeling fresher and younger than she has in years – all thanks to 12 festive “tweakments” that have transformed her life.
She is one of a growing number of women who have turned to aesthetic procedures in a bid to boost her looks, with a 28 per cent surge in cosmetic tweakments across the UK in just two years.
But Ella’s bright eyes and flawless skin are a far cry from her appearance exactly two years ago, when her whole world came crashing down.
The operations manager from, Bexleyheath, Kent, thought her marriage was solid, unaware that her husband Michael was about to walk out on her and their two little girls.
“It was an unbearable time,” says Ella. “I thought we were having a nice Christmas, but my ex disappeared all day on Boxing Day.
“He then came home that night, said he wasn’t happy and just left.
“I don’t think he even packed a bag.”
Up until that crushing moment, Ella says he had been a loving husband and father.
“We were together for 13 years and I adored him. In many ways, I still do. He was everything to me,” she says.
“I’ll never understand it or fully get my head around him leaving us so suddenly. It was completely out of the blue.”
Unable to contact her husband, Ella, who is mum to Isla, 11, and Sadie, five, heard through friends that he had met another woman — within a week of leaving her.
She says: “He just went completely off radar and me and the girls haven’t heard from him since.”
Two years on from that devastating Boxing Day, Ella is finally piecing her life back together and adjusting to the challenges of single motherhood.
“You think it’ll never happen to you, but then it does,” she says.
“You’re left completely broken and full of fear for the future. I had three jobs at one point, just to make ends meet.
“It was really tough and I was exhausted, but I liked working in the local pub.
“I desperately needed that social interaction — a distraction from how awful I was feeling.”
Thankfully Ella’s parents, mum Pat, 70, and dad Tony, 77, helped with looking after the kids.
“They’ve just been amazing and support me in absolutely everything,” says Ella.
“It still isn’t easy, but I can honestly say that after two whole years, I’m finally coping better.
“My girls are happy, which is the most important thing.”
With her divorce finally complete and wanting to kick-start the new year with new confidence, Ella decided she was ready for a fresh start.
And a fresher face.
“I hate to admit it, but a broken heart and divorce does age you,” Ella says.
“In the first year after my ex left, I didn’t sleep, had horrendous anxiety and probably drank more wine than I should’ve done.
“I wasn’t eating properly either.
“I’d never had skin conditions before, but I developed eczema and my skin looked awful.
“I had massive eye bags and just felt physically unwell all the time.
“I was haggard and didn’t recognise myself at all.”
It’s been shown that relationship breakdowns devastate our skin, as well as our emotions.
Doctor and dermatologist Dr Elif Benar says: “We over-indulge in wine and chocolate when we’ve broken up with someone, but this can cause a reaction called “glycation” in the skin.
“It negatively impacts skin elasticity, hydration, pore size and skin smoothness.
“Stress and lack of sleep also reduce the anti-ageing hormone DHEA in the body.
“A broken heart can literally lead to a ‘sad face’.”
With this in mind — and aware that a few highlights and an eyebrow wax weren’t going to cut it — Ella decided to try a few tweakments in a bid to get her glow back.
“When I looked in the mirror, all I saw was sagging skin, thinning lips and droopy eyes,” says Ella.
“I’m not comfortable with anything really invasive, but I was willing to try anything else,” she says.
Dr Elif invited Ella to her clinic on London’s Harley Street to discuss her concerns and what she would like to achieve.
They decided on 12 non-invasive procedures throughout the run-up to Christmas, to give Ella’s face the lift, contour and plump she was longing for.
Dr Elif says: “Ella was clear that she didn’t want to look unnatural and that she had fears around having a ‘frozen face’.
“So we chose a wide variety of non-invasive, but effective, treatments to lift and tighten the skin and give her definition around the jawline and cheekbone area.”
Dr Elif also pointed out that, as Ella is a busy single mum, it was important she didn’t choose treatments she’d need to top up regularly.
“From a cost point of view, this was also key,” she says. “She should see results for two years.”
See the 12 tweakments Ella opted for below.
1. Eyebrow Lift and Eyelid Tightening £500
Dr Elif says: “This lifted Ella’s brow area and tightened the upper and lower eyelids, giving a more youthful and awake appearance
2. Cheek, Tear Trough and under eye Filler £1,440 and £1,000
Dr Elif says: “This lifted and enhanced Ella’s cheeks and restored balance to her facial proportions and making her look less tired.”
3. Skin -tightening laser £300
Dr Elif says: “This gave Ella an even complexion and visibly improved her overall skin health.”
4. Intraoral Lifting Laser (mouth-to-nose lines) £750
Dr Elif says: “I reduced Ella’s smile lines, lifted the cheeks from the inside, and rejuvenated the perioral area (around the mouth).”
5. Lip Booster, £480
Dr Elif says: “I subtly enhanced Ella’s natural lips, improving hydration and creating a balanced, elegant look.”
6. Smileline and Marionette/Corner of Mouth Skin Booster £960 and £480
Dr Elif says: “This softened Ella’s nasolabial folds (the lines from nose to mouth) and smoothed the area. I also addressed the sagging at her mouth-corners and softened her downturned expression.
7. Botox (eyes and forehead) £400
Dr Elif says: “The injections [Botox] subtly smoothed Ella’s fine lines and wrinkles, particularly around the eyes and forehead.”
8. Skin rejuvenation Laser £300
Dr Elif says: “This firmed and tightened the skin across her face, addressing laxity and fine lines.”
9. Hollywood Laser Peel (and Laser Peel), £250 and £300
Dr Elif says: “The combination of these laser treatments refreshed Ella’s skin, improved texture, and reduced dullness and pores, giving a radiant glow.”
10. HydraFacial with Booster, £280
Dr Elif says: “Ella’s final treatment deeply hydrated and rejuvenated her skin, enhancing overall radiance and smoothness.”
11. Lip Laser, £300
Dr Elif says: “Ella’s lips needed a boost and this reduced wrinkles and rejuvenated the lips, improving their softness, appearance and colour.”
12. 2-Point Jawline, £2,400
Dr Elif says: “[Filler] achieved a more sculpted and lifted jawline for Ella, while improving her facial symmetry and profile side.”
TOTAL COST: £10,140
The whole tweakment process has been life-changing for me. I’ve loved every minute.
I truly feel like I’ve been given a new lease of life.
None of the treatments were painful, which surprised me. I was a bit swollen straight after the filler and the laser was uncomfortable but that was about it.
I changed my social media profile picture and I couldn’t believe all the comments I was getting
I proudly wrote: “NO FILTER”.
My daughter Isla was very direct and simply said: “You’re more beautiful now”, while Sadie says I’m “a cutie pie”.
I’ll take those honest compliments.
My whole face is glowing and my skin feels amazing from the lasers and peels.
But I couldn’t believe the difference the filler made.
I have cheekbones again. And my chin feels more defined.
In terms of feeling pampered, the hydro-facial was a game-changer for me.
I’ve never felt so relaxed and I walked out of Dr Elif’s clinic feeling light and happy.
I was so well looked after by Dr Elif.
I actually like my face again now, after two years of not being able to look in the mirror, unless I had to.
I won’t take dating too seriously and will shrug off any bad ones and move on to the next.
I know it sounds cheesy, but I genuinely feel ready to start 2025 afresh.
I feel hopeful. I’d completely forgotten what it was like to feel good about yourself and the difference it makes to your whole life.
