Get Me Glowing!
Who wants bright, clear, glowing skin?
I do! 🙋♀️
Client Question: How do I get bright, clear, glowing skin?
Aesthetician Answer: A little education, and excellent, purposeful skin care.
Let's talk about it...
Beauty is only skin deep, right?
Maybe, but let's be honest... our complexion can have a lot to do with our mood and how good we feel about ourselves. So let's get glowing in 5 easy steps:
Step #1: The right cleanser. It starts here. Let's make sure our skin is clean and clear of toxins and environmental stressors first. My personal favorite for this job is Brightening Cleanser by LeMieux because it contains Mandelic acid (gentle and skin perfecting) and THE skin master antioxidant glutathione, and other natural ingredients to boost clarity and radiance. ($28)
Step #2: Exfoliate! There are lots of different ways of doing so; the trick is to figure out which method works best for You. If you've ever used a high-quality professional physical exfoliant (scrub), you know there's a huge difference between the drug store brands you may have used in the past and a very fine, high-quality professional type of exfoliant.
My favorite? 6 Minute Miracle by BlackBox ($32).
Ask for a free sample, you will love this product! Other ways to exfoliate include chemical peels (and within this modality there are several to choose from), microdermabrasion, enzymes, etc.. The goal for each of these is to remove dead skin cells sitting on top of your skin and reveal soft, smooth skin which is receptive to receiving skin-brightening nutrients. (These dead skin cells make it impossible for the heavy-hitting brighteners to penetrate your epidermis so they can do their job).
Step #3: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! You'll want to do this on the inside and the outside. We all know that we're supposed to drink lots and lots of water. However, what most people don't consider is that they can be drinking tons of water every day (great for the body), but that water in and of itself will not help hydrate your skin. Hyaluronic acid is like a sponge, attracting water to itself to keep our skin plumped up, hydrated and "springy". Without adequate amounts of good quality of hyaluronic acid, you can drink all the water you want but it will not benefit your skin the way you hope without adequate amounts and weights of Hyaluronic Acid. As we enter our mid to late 20's, we begin to make less Hyaluronic Acid than we did in our younger years, so we need to make sure we are replenishing our supply with a very good quality Hyaluronic Acid at different weights so that it can absorb into the various layers of the skin and do its job, which is to keep our skin hydrated and "plump".
My favorite? I can't pick just one, but they would all be by LeMieux because they specialize in Hyaluronic Acid. They have many options and every one of them beats all the others as far as I'm concerned. Although LeMieux has an entire skin care line, Hyaluronic Acid is the #1 ingredient in almost every single one of their products, so you could say they built their business on helping us stay moisturized.
Here are just a few options they offer:
Sheer Hydration (a whipped gel cream, $38)
Hyaluronic Serum ($38 and $70, 2 sizes)
Ionized Oxygen Infuser with Oh My Glow Serum & Activator (This is an ultra fine mist oxygen dispensing tool which propels the Hyaluronic Acid serums into the skin, leaving you with a super glowy complexion - $280 for the system and serums)
Step #4:
I have two favorite ways to pro-actively brighten the skin. One is with acids (specifically, Mandelic acid, a very mild and gentle acid which also helps to lighten the skin and fade dark spots). My other favorite is Vitamin C, and even better if you use several different forms. These two can be very effective used hand-in-hand, just not at the exact same time. (My preference would be to use Vitamin C in the morning and a Mandelic acid at night). Options: Perfect Renewal Pads (Mandelic Acid to combat hyperpigmentation, dullness, lines & wrinkles, congested pores, blemishes, $45); (Infusion Serum by BlackBox containing 3 different forms of Vitamin C, $53.95); (Vita-C serum by LeMieux, $38)
Step #5: SPF. Yes, believe it or not. If you are not protecting your skin from the harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays Every Single Day, rain or shine, everything we've done beforehand is useless. Using a good quality mineral-based SPF will leave your complexion even more luminous, but more importantly, it will protect your skin against further damage. It's the finishing touch and so necessary if you don't want that glow to turn into hyperpigmented age-spotting. I carry several SPF brands which I love, but for the face, my 2 favorites are:
Just Glow BB Cream by LeMieux ($35); and
Reozone 40 tinted SPF by Arcona ($42)
Both are safe, effective, and will leave you with a healthy-looking, dewy glow.
If I'm giving you a facial, I'm also going to want to put you under my Illuminate LED light for 5 minutes so you can absorb all the benefits of the sun without the harmful rays. You can't get any better than that!
The truth is that skin and how to treat it is as individualized as we are. There are, of course, tried and true methods, and these are the basics, but this is not a one size fits all prescription. Please reach out to schedule a facial or a consultation to go over the best options for you, or schedule a time to chat and look at options that would suit you best.
