Beauty Tip Wednesday

My tip for you today is...

If you want a deep exfoliation with your scrub then use it longer and not harder because too much force is harmful for your skin.

Happy Hump Day!

Fall-Winter proof your skin....

Fall is here and your skin is soon going to be exposed to artificial heating and eventually the cold climate. With our Canadian weather, we never know whether or not we are going to experience warm weather or extremely cold weather during our fall season. So I'm going to write about the best way to fall/winter proof your skin.

During the fall and winter months, your skin is stripped off its natural moisture. This could be caused by wind, the climate, central heating and low humidity. Even people who normally have oily skin can find the colder months take a toll on their skin. The reason being is when the skin become dry, the lipid that helps bind the cells together and prevent water loss are lost. Without them, the cells don’t stick well together and flake off.  This is why dry skin occurs. But have no fear; you can minimize the roll the next few months will take on your skin by preparing now. Here’s my 5-step action plan to help you keep comfortable and looking great.

S             Step One: Avoid Harsh Components

·      During the colder months, a nice hot shower sounds just about right but in reality it is not great for your skin. Hot water will dry out your skin. A tip of mine is showering with lukewarm water and about a minute before you step out, turn it on cold. It does wonders for my skin.

·      If you use the whole soap and water routine to cleanse your skin. Stop! As I stated in my previous blog about the basic of skin care. Soap has detergent in it and that my friend, will indeed dry out your skin.

2             Step Two:  Moisturize

·      It’s sounds like a pretty obvious thing to do but you’d be surprised at how many people forget this step. You need to replace any moisture that the dry air steals away from your skin. The best time to apply is right after you bathe. I would recommend moisturizing in the pm before you head to bed and in the am right before you start your day. Find a moisturizer with SPF or use a sunscreen right after you moisturize. You should protect your skin from the sun ALL year round.

·      Another thing you can add to your skin care routine is a face serum. There are many hydrating face serums that will give extra hydration to your skin. A moisturizer will seal the serum in which will help fight the dryness.

3             Step Three: Exfoliate

·      With dry skin, there is a dead skin build-up so use a scrub once a week will help improve your dryness. However, over-exfoliating can cause dryness to your skin so that is why it’s best to limit it to once a week.

4              Step Four:  In-salon Facials

·      An amazing in-salon facial that is great for the long fall/winter months is the microdermabrasion facial combined with the oxygen facial. This is because sometimes a regular facial isn’t enough to fight the elements in the colder months. Combining an oxygen and microdermabrasion treatment together will provide that extra boost to look your very best through the holidays and the year, especially the fall and winter months. In one hour, your skin will look and feel years younger, your skin will feel nourished and hydrated and cell renewals are stimulated.

·      What is Microdermabrasion? Microdermabrasion is not only beneficial for facial concerns but can also be performed on the neck and hands. Microdermabrasion is a progressive, non-invasive procedure that propels natural mineral crystals onto the surface of the skin for gentle epidermal abrasion that reveals newer, healthier and younger looking skin. Over a course of Microdermabrasion treatments uneven textured skin, the appearance of scarring, fine lines and wrinkles, pore size, and superficial hyper-pigmentation, also known as age spots are dramatically reduced.

·      What is an Oxygen Facial? An oxygen facial replenishes lost oxygen and the active ingredients in the serum helps restructure the skin, visibly plumping the fine lines and wrinkles but also hydrating the deep layers of the skin (Now if you do microdermabrasion, you are going even deeper because you’ve taken a layer of the epidermis off which means the ingredients will penetrate into the basal layer). The results are immediate but it continues to work long after the treatment, stimulating cell regeneration and promotes healing.

You can get these treatment individually or combined but the results are amazing combined.

Hey! No wonder why Madonna has an oxygen machine in every single one of her homes she owns. 

5                    Step Five:  Buy a Humidifier

·      Low humidity does not help our skin so invest in a humidifier or leave bowls of water near radiators.

·      Another thing tip is to visit a warm, tropical climate. If your budget allows you then it’s one way to break up those winter months and have great skin.

Well friends, I hope this helps you for the next couple of months and helps you winter-proof your skin… until next time…. xo

The Basics To Skin Care.

A lot of the times when I deal with clients, they have no clue about having a proper skincare routine. Even having daily conversations with my friends and family, I hear what they use and I don’t understand why! I have to take a deep breath it in and remember that once upon a time, I didn’t even have a skin care routine.

No, seriously, I've never washed my face except for when I went to shower in the morning. Gross eh? Ask me now what I use and I have a 7-minute program every night and a 5-minute program in the morning. Now, I know you are all saying well you are a skin expert so you have to do this. Let me clear this up right now by saying skin care started interesting me more when I turned 25 and I’ve noticed I had dark circles and fine lines around my eyes. I soon started freaking out about pruning up and looking like the lady in the picture below but I never knew where to begin. I didn’t know what resources were out there for me but now I know and that is what I’m going to share with you.

The Basic of skin care is starting with a 3-step program, which are a Cleanser, Toner and Moisturizer. But before you can even start a skin care program, you need to know your skin type. I’ve had clients using a cleanser because they think they are oily but there are actually different types of skin and you could be using the wrong products.  There are different places that can analyze your skin such as certain beauty counters in department stores but I think going to a salon such as Caryl Baker Visage is more beneficial because of the skin scanner they use to help determine your skin type and address your concerns. If you are uncomfortable going to any of the above, you can always go to a dermatologist to help you determine your skin type.

(Please Note: Splashing your face like this will not remove everything off your face and will leave a huge mess in your bathroom. Take it from somebody who tried this when they were younger)

Cleanser – Find a cleanser that is going to benefit your skin type. If you have dry skin, you might lean on a cream or foam cleanser and if you have oily skin you may find a water based cleanser works best. A cleanser is going to help dilate your pores and cleanse at a deeper level.

Toner- I never knew what a toner was and thought it was a silly step growing up but now I realize a toner is a must have and a lot of people overlook it. A toner is going to remove any cleanser or impurities that you might’ve missed while cleansing. It’s going to help tighten your pores and rebalance your skin’s pH level. A toner is like conditioner and you can’t use shampoo without conditioner.

 Moisturizer- is going to seal the deal. It is going to protect your skin from environmental hazards, it’s going to maintain moisture level in your skin and it also acts as a base for makeup. 

 Now that I’ve covered the basics I hope you all can benefit from this information and understand the importance of skin care but before I sign off, I would like to answer a few general questions.

         1.      I’ve used soap and water and my skin feel great. Is soap considered a cleanser?

Soap only cleanses the surface and contain detergent and alkaline which dehydrate the skin and causes the skin to unbalance. This irritates the skin. Soap also leaves a film, which prevents moisturizer from penetrating into the skin.

The best way to show you is the follow picture below. The right side is the film that is left on the skin when using soap. The left side is when you use a cleanser and toner. Ew... now think twice before you pick up that soap bar...

2. I get all the dirt off with makeup wipes. How is that any different?

The fact of the matter is you are only wiping off the base of your face and not dilating your pores for a more in depth cleanse. It is similar to using soap because you are basically wiping dirt off the face and not cleansing the dirt that may have gotten inside your pores. This will lead to breakouts and congestions.

                 Hope this helps my beauties. If you have questions feel free to leave a comment 

                                                                   Until next time….