Exfoliation We all Need it…

Exfoliation

Anti-Aging, Teens, Acne, Pigmentation concerns?

What you need is regular EXFOLIATION!

A minimum of ONCE a week is suggested.. but not EVERY day.. Your skin will tell you, just listen.

Especially as the weather changes, so does our skin.

There are TWO main types of exfoliation..

Mechanical:
TOPICAL
Examples are any product with beads or a gritty texture that is manually wiped or buffed onto your face.
Microdermabrasion (alternative version  I recommend  is a “SILK PEEL” micro infused with hydration = less irritation) and facial brushes like are the mechanical versions.
These products and machines slough (“SLUFF”) off the dry dead skin on your face allowing the newer, fresher skin to appear.
Result: Smoother, polished skin

Chemical:
ENZYMES
These are found naturally in pumpkin (sensitive skin) and pineapple (normal to tougher skin). The enzyme ingredients are placed in a product that is wiped onto the face and allowed to sit for 5-15min depending on skin tolerance.  Adding steam professionally in a treatment or during a shower increased the intensity of treatment. The enzymes act as little PAC men munching and eating dead dry skin off the face and out of pores.
Result: Cleaner, brighter, softer skin

AHA & BHA
These are commonly referred to as “peels”. The come in varying degrees of severity and some can only be performed by a medical professional.
These exfoliators are stronger strengths and go deeper into the skin then a topical application.
Salicylic acid & glycollic acids are most common in milder peels and can be found in safe home care treatments.
Result: Smoother, less pigment, tighter skin

Whichever you choose, professional or home care the important choice is EXFOLIATE.  As you start doing this on a regular basis you will begin to see a change in your skin.  Scars may soften.. Pigment may lighten, or deepen (until the pigment is exfoliated to its base it may get bigger before it gets smaller).. Skin will soften.. Brighten, Tighten & Lighten.. SO wear SUNSCREEN to protect your newly found skin prevent aging & further damage!

“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-butt red lipstick.”    Gwyneth Paltrow quotes

My Fav Trends 4 Summer ’11

So many things that once were hip fade and come back. The revised 80′s trend is back, music and all as I re-live the summer of ’88! (and I really did at the new kids/backstreet boys concert).

My Grama always said, if there is something you LOVE, never throw it out.. It will come back in style! I have lived to see this come true.

So much of what we call beauty these days is not only physical beauty but encompasses the body, mind & spirit. This is also the trend for spas, exercise clubs and healthcare facilities.

body, mind & spirit

Here are my TOP beauty trends of the summer; they are all HOT!

1. Being active (body), liking who you are (mind), and doing something you love (spirit).

2. Using the natural tone of your skin & hair for the season (body), trying something new (mind), taking a moment each day to be quiet (spirit).

3. Getting beauty sleep (body), reading a book (mind), walking barefoot in the grass (spirit).

4. Doing something for someone else (body), saying thank you daily (mind), forgiving someone from the past (spirit).

5. Wearing something colorful (body), getting involved with a charity (mind), enjoying the season (spirit).

PRODUCT HOT PICKS:
: Burt Bees new lip tints (loving Rose)
: OPI shattered polish (you know I love it)
: Bare Esscentuals Buxom lip glosses
: Neutrogena dry touch SPF
: Laura Mercier silk creme foundations & tinted moisturizers
: Urban Decays naked eyeshadow palette (beautiful)
: Bye Bye Blemish (you’ll love me for this)

Shatter & Crack Your Nails 4 Summer

Left Foot with Base Color, Right with "Shattered" Top Coat

(Shown in pix: OPI Koala Berry base on left topped with OPI Silver Glitter Shatter to finish)

This trend followed me across the country. Every place I go, people notice my “shattered” toes and I start to see new “shattered” nails EVERYWHERE… Cool!

What it is:
The newest trend in nail designs and polishes. It all started with the Katy Perry line from OPI.

How it works:
First you apply a base coat and follow with any nail color of your choice.
Wait for first coat to dry completely.
To intensify color follow with second coat, remembering more coats make for longer dry times.
Apply a generous coat of shatter or crackle polish on top. (I have even seen it applied sideways)
As polish begins to dry, you will see the color separate and go matte.
Wait for color to dry and immediately follow with a top coat to seal.
The top coat will bring back the shine to the entire treatment on the nail.
***only use ONE coat of shatter or crackle for effect

Why it’s cool:
Besides being original & unique it is long lasting. Since each application is uniquely cracked, you can’t tell if you get a chip or start growing out. You can easily get a pedicure to last 4 weeks (depending on how fast your nails grow) and 2 weeks from a manicure.

What to buy:
Start with a solid base. Any regular nail polish color. I like either Black on the bottom or a really BRIGHT color, depending on what you want on top.
OPI has a great version of the top coat which is “Shattered”.
China Glaze had a version called “Crackle”.

Then just have FUN!  A great SUMMER 2011 Trend!

(For more color ideas.. just Google pix.. crazy cracked nails is what you’ll find!)

5 Great Beauty Picks 4 the Beach

These are the FIVE recent finds I MUST have in my bag for a day at the beach, pool or water this Summer!

TINTED MOISTURIZER by Merle Norman

Great extra sun protection and seamlessly blends color into my face.
* RE-Apply on your way to grab a bite and your face isn’t burnt, it’s sun-kissed

O GLOSS by Smashbox

Gloss & unique pink tint.  Natural botanicals blend into skin to create your own pink shade of lipgloss.
* Once gloss wears off, tint stays

SPF WIPES by Dermalogica

Because I always miss a spot!
Disposable & easy to carry.
* RE-Apply later in the day & always after getting out of the water

CRACKLE POLISH by China Glaze

I love the fun variety of colors on my toes. My pedicures with cracked polish have lasted for three (3) weeks or more and definitely attract attention.
* I definitely recommend a bright color on top not bottom. It really looks cracked in contrast over a lighter/darker color.

OCEAN WAVES by John Frieda

Salt Spray gives you the beach tousled look for easy styling.
* No fuss way for hair at the beach (not just for blondes) spray, scrunch & GO

_______________________________________________________

You may also want to try a LASH TINT (dyes your lashes for up to a month!)
* Go Black then it looks like you have fabulous mascara on without any running. (won’t dry out your lashes like waterproof mascara)

Remember your reader or a good BOOK (I’m loving beachy stories)
* Two great picks: The Island by Elin Hilderbrand & One Summer by David Baldacci

And I NEVER leave without my floppy HAT, oversized/moviestar SHADES and bottle of H2O!

Hawaiian Inspired: Summer Facial

Anyone who has been to Hawaii know how contagious it’s splendor is. So I’m coming back with a beauty inspired facial: Mau Loa (beauty) facial.

Not only have I fallen in LOVE with the scents, the views & the music, I have found a few of my new favorite things: lilikoi ANYTHING (passionfruit), dolphins & sea turtles, tropical flowers & orchids and donkey balls (chocolate covered macadamia nuts!

So I will try to bring Hawaii to YOU!
Entering my treatment room, you will be greeted by melodic Hawaiian music. Your treatment will begin with a foot soak and a Hawaiian candle that is lit while you silently make a WISH..
The facial will begin with a few deep breaths of my favorite tropical oils while the steam lightly mists your skin.
Cleansing, exfoliating & a massage follow with an abundance of vitamin filled fruit products.
A green tea mask is applied while your scalp is lightly massaged to release stress & tension.
An oxygen splash of vitamins A, C & E is lightly airbrushed over your skin and sealed in with a hydrating moisturizer & lip balm.
To finish the service, your choice of oil is rolled over your pulse points, another silent WISH of GRATITUDE is made as YOU blow out the candle and sip your choice of tea.
Ahhhhhh. Paradise just for YOU! Aloha!

A Spa Basket for Charity: A Few of My Favorite Things!

I work with the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank each month. I teach them Broadway Style Jazz and actually have a official DANCE TEAM (yay!).

Last year the girls placed in the TOP TEN out of 800 National Submissions in a National Talent Contest.

This year, they WON! They are flying to New Orleans all expenses paid mid May to perform, “All That Jazz” number. (Happy dance, happy dance & Smiles!)
Their big Charity Event for the Club is on Saturday, May 7th 2011. I wanted to donate a basket for the event and I decided besides the BASIC Gift Certificate, I would give it a theme.

So these are a few of my favorite things! I hope you enjoy the list as much as the winner!

1. Spa Gift Certificate for a Full Set of Lash Extensions & a Blow-out with a Custom Feather Extension

2. A Plush, Cuddly Robe, who doesn’t need one?

3. A Favorite Book: “Saving Cee Cee Honeycut” by Beth Hoffman, my pick of the YEAR!

4. Handmade Bookmark from Megs Marks, perfect for anything not on the NOOK/KINDLE.

5. My favorite line of Homemade Soaps from Lather Soap Co., these are so yummy, original & suddzy.

6. A Scentsy Warmer and wickless melting wax, my spa always smells so good!

7. A Spring Scarf, a perfect accessory for a cool evening.

8. Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara, nothing better!

9. Epicuren lip balm, my lips love this EVERY nite.

10. China Glaze Nail Polish, my fav – this brand lasts!

11. Tip Essentials makeup removers, great for those m/u oops or cleaning.

12.  Margarita Bloom’s Cabana Boy roll on Parfume – I wear it every DAY!

13. CD: Sting’s Symphonicites, ahhhhhhhhh!

Sunscreen. Good enough for a Baby, good enough for me!

I can’t wear sunscreen with chemicals in them. A few years ago, on our Hawaiian vacation, I broke out in a rash after using my favorite Coppertone Sunscreen (and we finished the bottle) two days before going home. Itching like C R A Z Y! I was MISERABLE! We spent the last day looking for cortisone so I could make it home on the flight without scratching off my skin.

When I finally got home, I decided to go back to the basics = Zinc Oxide & Titanium Dioxide (these are natural sunscreens).

My FAV SPF

From Wiki: When used as an ingredient in sunscreen, zinc oxide sits on the skin’s surface i.e. is not absorbed into the skin, and blocks both UVA (320-400 nm) and UVB (280-320 nm) rays of ultraviolet light. Because zinc oxide (and the other most common physical sunscreen, titanium dioxide) are not absorbed into the skin, they are nonirriating and nonallergenic.^[47]

So started the search for consumer products with only these ingredients. First I only found Neutrogena oil-free face screen. Then last year, while in NJ I found a Sunscreen STICK from Neutrogena for BABIES Pure & Free (All Natural) & I fell in LOVE. I recommended it all year but I wasn’t out on the West Coast. In getting ready for this years sun I tried to find a refill and in the process I came across Aveeno for baby with mineral protection. But look, they have a stick now too! (I LOVE the sticks!)

Natural SPF Stick Aveeno Baby

Remember most mineral powders are natural sunscreens with zinc, titanium dioxide and mica as their main ingredients. So layering a coat of mineral powder on your face can help boost SPF protection as well!

GO!SCREEN powders come in a convenience refillable brush and convenient for reapplication throughout the day and travelling.

Whatever you choose, remember Daily SPF is the best kept secret to slowing down the aging process & the key to beautiful SKIN!