Dry Dry Dry Skin

Some of us are born with dry skin and have a beautiful non-shiny complexion when you’re young but as you age it’s harder to find the right products that will work.  This type of skin needs special attention because you can look pre-maturely older than you really are.  A couple of things can help to keep your skin glowing.

The first thing is of course diet.  Believe it or not using olive oil (not on your face) but in your salad dressings and in your foods will help tremendously.  One of my crazy clients used to come in and I would do her make-up for her special occasions, and she would always say “touch my skin, you see how moist it is and you know why.  It’s olive oil, pure extra virgin olive oil, I cook with it, use it in all my salads etc. That’s why I look so young at 60”.  And it was true, she looked great.

Now the next step, is the products you use, Le Mer’s Moisturing Crème de La Mer, is so helpful in keeping that dry cracked look at bay.  It was created for burn victims, so it’s exceptionally good for very dry skin.  Cle de Peau La Crème, just a pea size on a damp face will also keep your skin supple. Sisley’s Facial Mask with Linden Blossom is excellent.  This mask can be used under your eyes, as well as on our entire face.  The results are incredible, an even toned clear radiant glow.  La Prairie’s Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Cream with Extracts is great for dryness around the eyes; this eye cream is one of the best for targeting crow’s feet, lines and dryness.  Chanel’s Sublimage Essential Regenerating Cream seems to cure dryness, aging, dehydration.  So many of my clients love it and they have been using it since it launched 2 years ago.

Remember when using a rich cream, don’t smoother your skin with it, and use a pea size on a damp skin.  The jars should last 3 to 4 months and don’t forget to include your neck when using your moisturizer and mask.  Also, use an exfoliator to get rid of dead dry skin cells; which is important to creating that youthful glow.  A good exfoliator for dry skin is Sicily’s Botanical Buff and Wash Facial Gel.  It’s my favorite.  So all of these tips will help in loving what you see in your mirror.

Rejuvenating & Renewing Your Self, Look like Your Young Self Again...

As I said before, we all age hopefully.  There are plenty of exercises you can do and products out there that may be helpful to avoid going under that beloved knife.

Take for instance, my dear step-mother, 60+ has never seen a knife, but looks as if she is in her 40s.  Her routine is simple, sleeps until 12:00 noon, little or no stress, and great relationship with her husband, trips to the Caribbean, and doesn’t work, drink, smoke or lay in the sun.  Okay, I know I’m repeating myself but what I have learned from my step-mother is invaluable.  She knows everything about skin care. She’s tried every skin care treatment out there and believe me they do work if you get the right products for your skin type.

The first thing is a good cleansing and exfoliating regime.

Shiseido Benefiance cleansers, toners and discs are amazing.  Use the disc once a week to exfoliate and a gentle exfoliator every other day.

La Mer’s cleansing lotion is very soothing; a little goes a long way and their toner brings back the PH balance to the skin.

Sisily’s cleansing system their Cleansing Milk, and their Floral Toning Lotion nourishes, revitalizes and deep cleans the skin without stripping.  In my opinion, their exfoliators are one of the best.  The grains Sisley’s Buff and Wash are very gentle and buff fine lines and dead dry skin away beautifully.  You simply looked polished after using their products.

Cle de Peau has an amazing skin care line La Crème is my favorite.

The next step after your cleansing and exfoliating regime is to moisturize with SPF during the day and a serum & night cream at night.  I’ll tell you a true story about one of my closest girlfriends.  She graduated McGill College in Montreal and got her civil engineering degree.  Her first job was to live and work in the far far north amongst the Innuits (Eskimos) to help them with their housing.  It’s a place beyond the green belt where the weather is way below 32º F and goes well below Oº F everyday.  It’s also very dry.  Well to make a long story short, my friend came back at the age of 23 with major lines around her eyes.  She looked 20 years older.  To tell you the truth I was horrified.  She went to La Prairie and used the caviar of eye cream and within 1 year her lines completely disappeared.  I mean completely.

I then started using eye cream.  La Prairie is one of the finest eye creams on the market.  Their skin care line with serums and moisturizers, are the very best.  I love Sicily’s serums and moisturizers, and their Facial Mask as well.  A little goes a long way.  My favorite mask is the linden mask.  This mask can be used around your eyes.  It is moisturizing without being greasy.  Chanel’s Ultra Correction Lifting Serum and moisturizer has been written up as a great treatment for sagging and wrinkles. Chanel’s Sublimage line the Eye Essential Regenerating, the Serum Essential, also the Essential Regenerating Cream is one of the most sought after creams for dry skin.  Not too many stores carry Sublimage.  Thank god we do.

So to summarize these top skin care companies will help in cleansing, toning and lifting.  These products do work; I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

So many of my clients come to me and say “it sucks growing old”.  I know it does, yet hopefully will all get there with health and happiness.  Here are some things you can do to keep that youthful glow, without doing all kinds of pricey procedures.

Why do we all begin to look older?  It is the breakdown of the collagen and elastin fibers that create those lines, form those sags, and shape those wrinkles.  This is not fun.  And who is the major culprit?  Of course the Sun.  80% of our lines, sagging and wrinkles are because of exposure to all that beautiful Sun.  When we were young and pale, we leisurely basked at the beach.  Although it may not have been apparent it began to age our skin.  So apply that 30 or greater SPF sunscreen when you’re out and about, and when at the beach wear a hat and be sure to use an umbrella.

SPF is the “sun protection factor” and the higher the SPF, the longer you can remain outside shielded from the harmful rays of the sun. For instance, if you burn with 20 minutes of sun exposure and you apply a suntan lotion with SPF 15, supposedly you can remain outside for 300 minutes (20 minutes x 15 SPF) or 5 hours before you’ll burn.  It is also important that the product you choose has broad spectrum UVA \ UVB protection.  Lancaster has an excellent sun care line.  In fact, I was recently in Europe and so many women were using Lancaster and they all had amazing skin.

The next lovely thing that ages us is stress. My step-mother is 60+ but looks 40 because she doesn’t work, has a wonderful relationship with my dad, goes on great trips and sleeps until 12:00 noon everyday.  (Of course she hasn’t seen the sun in 2 decades and takes great care of her skin).  She has very little stress, lucky woman.  I love her life, but unfortunately I have to work just like you.  So it’s up at the crack of dawn, have wonderful demanding kids, and an equally lovely husband all help give us some grief and happiness. The best thing to relieve that stress is to do something that relaxes you for about 20 minutes a day.  Whether it’s a nice long walk, yoga, meditation, or a long calming bubble bath, do something for your own well being.  A lot of my clients do yoga and they swear by it.  They feel healthier and more relaxed.

Need I say the demons that also age us; smoking and drinking?  Smoking is very harmful, it negatively affects every inch of our bodies and you know that you just have to stop.  Heavy drinking is also very damaging.  At the very least, it will dehydrate and prematurely age you.  Moderation.

Instead, have a glass of red wine at dinner.  Red wine is now the new craze and a rich source of resveratrol and flavonoids; it may have some health benefits, but just 1 glass, especially for us women.  Actually there is a new product out called Resversatrol.  It has the same benefits of red wine without the alcohol.  Check it out.

So those are the major culprits, the Sun, stress and demons.

Please see my next blog which is all the products that can help you keep your youthful glow.  Blog on.

Don't Look Like an Oil Slick!!!

Oily skin can be annoying when your young but a great attribute as you age.  Why, because the more oil you have as a young adult the less wrinkles you will have as you get older.  On even swap like my step mother says, pimples go away but wrinkles are here to stay.

Okay, so what can you do for your oily skin to maintain a healthy glow without looking overly shiny? The first thing is diet, water, water, water, no fried foods, greasy foods, helps keep away those pesky pimples.  Next is cleansing, NARS balancing cleaner, and balancing lotion, Shiseido’s Pureness selection. Don’t over strip your skin with toners that have alcohol in them.

They only over dry and create more oiliness, because your skin is trying to balance out its PH and too much alcohol in toners is not a good answer to shiny skin.  Next is exfoliating Clinique’s newest, Turnaround Instant Facial Masque Exfoliator is great, Sicily’s Botanical Buff & Wash Facial Gel and Chanel’s Gommage Microperle Purete is great as well to maintain a smooth skin . Believe it or not moisturize your skin is also important because a lot of moisturizers have kaolin that is a clay that helps to control that oil from coming through all day.  Bobbi Brown’s oil-control lotion is a good choice and Shiseido’s Pureness Matifying Moisturizer Oil-Free is great as well.

I love masks; they can help even out your skin and maintain a good balance between too shiny and dry.  Chanel’s Precision Purifying Cream Mask is excellent, La Prairie’s Cellular Balancing Treatment Mask, NAR’s Mud Mask.

These all help in creating a beautiful face.  Keep Smiling.

Don't End Up with Dry Skin Revitalize it....

Have you ever noticed that you can tell when someone’s been out partying the night before?  Their skin looks a bit dry and cracked and there eyes look puffy.  It’s because they are dehydrated.  This can also happen when the weather is very dry and cold or if you had too much sun.

An easy test to find out if you are dehydrated is to smile and feel your cheeks.  If there are visible small creases, little lines, and your cheeks feel dry; you know you are dehydrated.  A couple of things to help this dilemma are to drink more water, avoid salty foods, and alcohol.  A great clear mask to help that dehydration; you simply sleep within item and wake up to a beautiful face.

Is Aqua Gel Mask from NARS.

The linden blossom mask from Sicily is a great one also, can be used around the eye area as well.  Chanel’s hydramax cream is well known to help soften the skin and hydrate. La Mer’s moisturizer cream is hands down an amazing cream for every day moisture keeps the dehydration away.  This line was developed for burn victims and it is by far an amazing line for dryer skins. La Mer’s cleansing lotion is so gentle yet effective in removing make-up and dirt, you feel totally pampered using their products.

So keep smiling, I promise you, won’t look dehydrated.

Get Rid of Brown Spots and look Younger...

Freckles and Brown Spots

The next type of skin that I want to talk about is sun damaged skin.  As you approach your thirties and forties, some woman experience freckles, age spots, brown spots, reddening of the skin.  To me, I love freckles.  I think they are a sign of youth but brown spots and age spots are no fun at all.  I remember there was a client of mine who had a mask of age spots and freckles all over her face.  I recommended a product that had a vitamin C derivative from NARS Lightening Cream, and within 6 months, her skin became much clearer.  It was amazing and today, she has virtually even looking clear skin.  

The trick I told her was to use the lightening cream at night, exfoliate every other day Sicily’s Gentle Facial Buffing Cream and use a SPF 30 during the day.  You must use a sun screen during the day because by using a lightening cream at night, your skin becomes even more sensitive to the sun, so a SPF is key during the day.

If you have raised dark spots it’s important to see a dermatologist.  They need to be attended to and monitored.  But sun damage can be lessened by using products that have a vitamin C derivative.  Shiseido has a whole line of products called White Lucent Brightening that are excellent.  La Prairie Cellular Anti-Spot Brightening Serum, and Sicily Phyto-Blanc White Tensor as well.

Stop Acne Before It Becomes You!!!

Unfortunately, women can have Acne at any age, from their young teens until late in life.  I once had a client who had some unattractive cysts on her face at the age of 65.  All she said for the entire session was “I can’t believe I have pimples at my age”.  It was sad but true, however there are things that you can do to make those bad pimples be gone forever or at least keep them at bay. And what causes acne?

Bacteria – Bacteria can cause pimples and spread them.  It is so important to cleanse with the right products for your type skin.  Personally, I love Nars skin cleansers which are manufactured by Shiseido labs.  The Nars balancing foam cleansers are wonderful to remove make-up and dirt.  Also try Shiseido’s Pureness; all of their cleansers and toners are great.

Always wash your make-up off at night and follow-up with a toner.  In the morning wash your face again with your cleanser and then exfoliate with one of the gentle exfoliators from Clinique, Shiseido or Chanel.  They are all good.  Remember to use the exfoliators every other day. This will help get rid of the dead dry cells, black head removal and keep your skin clean.

Hormones – The next culprit is hormonal.  You’ll probably notice more outbreaks when you’re having your period or if you’re stressed.  Once again the best thing to do is follow your skin care regime and watch what you eat.  I know that we all love and crave chocolate when we’re moody.  But have only 1 instead of 4.  No fried foods either. And of course drink plenty of water, 2 liters per day.  I promise you it will diminish the outbreaks.

Makeup – Use oil-free water based foundations.  A great one that I love is Nar’s Balancing Lotion, Shiseido’s oil-free lotion.  They are both fragrance free and without harsh chemicals.

Diet – Another thing that causes breakouts is diet.  Sometimes the skin will react to what you eat like an allergic reaction.  When I was in my early 20’s I started getting bad cysts on my chin.  I found out that I was allergic to all milk products, chocolate and peanuts.  The dermatologists treated my cysts, but they had could not determine the cause.  After that I went to a food allergist and discovered that when I completely eliminated the foods I was allergic to my skin totally cleared up.

I still had some red marks on my chin, and so I began to exfoliate gently every other day and my soon my skin looked great.  The products that I recommend to control and keep pimples away are: La Prairie’s Cellular Balancing Mask, Chanel’s Purifying Cream Mask, Nar’s Mud Mask.

Again avoid products that over-dry your skin and watch what you eat.

Have Flawless Skin!!!

The first kind of skin I’m going to talk about is sensitive rosacea skin.  This can happen at any age, when the skin becomes reddish around the cheeks, nose, and forehead.  The skin may become irritated, flake and have some dry patches.  In severe cases, there may be broken capillaries and some topical small pimples.

No worries, I’ve had rosasia since I was 2 years old and I have tried everything out there.  Here’s what I suggest to help my kindred spirits.

To begin with, be aware of the foods and beverages that you intake.  Wine can aggravate roasia and make you look redder.  If you’re out on a date, drink a light-colored alcoholic beverage in small quantities that will ensure you won’t be blushing “except for him”.

Also, avoid hot, spicy foods that may fan the flames. A great alternative is sushi, not too much wasabi though, and miso instead of sweet & sour soup.  You’ll find your balance.  Drink plenty of water and add some unsweetened organic cranberry juice to cleanse the system.

Next is skin care. Avoid heavy creams, abrasive exfoliants, oils, menthol and products with fragrance, which may worsen your condition.

What I’ve used for the past 10 years is a blend of products, that I have come up with that works for me and my skin looks great.

Cleansers – I love the Shiseido line.  Their products are good for us blushers.  It’s a gentle line great for sensitive skin.  It is one of the oldest skin care lines.  All of their skin care products are developed by dermatologists.  They know what they’re doing, since the results are amazing.  Best of all, Shiseido is not that expensive and your purchase should last 3 to 4 months.

The first product you’ll need is a cleanser.  If your skin is the oily type, use the Shiseido Benefiance Skincare Purifying Cleansing Foam. Drier types should use Shiseido’s Benefiance Creamy Cleansing Foam.  Shiseido’s tones are great as well.  They are gentle and don’t strip the skin.

Exfoliaters – The Shiseido Bio-Performance Super Exfoliating Discs are the best for those of us with rosasia; 1 or 2 a week should do the trick.  Wet the discs, squeeze a bit and with the rougher side buff your face in a circular motion starting with your forehead, around the temples (be sure to avoid the area around the eyes), down the cheeks and around the chin.  After that, your neck and delicately over the nose. Then repeat this procedure using the softer side of the disc.  Your skin will look polished and beautiful.

Moisturizers – If you are more mature, use the Shiseido Benefiance age-targeting moisturizer and serum during the day and at night. If you’re younger, use the Shiseido Pureness selection. This will keep your skin healthy, even toned and help stop the redness from being reactive.

Masks – I love Chanel!  They have a mask that calms the skin down called the Chanel Precision Instant Purifying Mask.  Nars, which is owned by Shiseido, also has excellent skin care products. Nars has a water mask that you sleep in and you will wake up refreshed and hydrated.  It’s called the Aqua Gel Hydrator.  It’s 87% water.

Foundations – Bobbi Brown newest skin foundation is my favorite.  Another favorite is Chanel’s Double Perfection powder foundation, along with a no oil sun screen. It covers and calms the skin down.  I love it.