Category Archives: Professional Skincare

Dear Carissa- What Do You Use Everyday?

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I would love to peek into your cabinets and see what you use every single day!

Meghan
Salt Springs, FL

Well Meghan, here you go. A complete snapshot of what’s in my cabinets this very second. Maybe next time we’ll do makeup, today I only had the strength for skin care.
And although it might change 10 more times by the end of this year, this is my current daily (and nightly) skincare routine.

From left to right: Olive Oil, Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser, Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator, Liz Earle Skin Repair Light Moisturiser, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Weleda Refining Toner, Obagi Elastiderm Eye Treatment, Obagi Exfoderm Forte, Osmotics Blue Copper 5 Firming Eye Repair, SkinCeuticals Serum 15, Obagi Healthy Skin SPF 35 Moisturizer, Latisse.

What I do-

Day:

Cleanse:        Weleda
Toner:             Weleda Toner
Treatment:    SkinCeuticals Serum 15
Moisturizer:    Obagi Healthy Skin SPF 35
Eye Cream:   Blue Copper

Night:

Pre Cleanse:  Olive Oil
Cleanse:         Liz Earle Hot Cloth
Exfoliate:         Either Suki or Liz Earle
Toner:              Weleda
Treatment:     Obagi Exfoderm Forte
Moisturizer:     Liz Earle Light Moisturiser

Sidebar; I do this every single night. Doesn’t matter if I get home at 4am, I always take time to wash my face.

Click to Enlarge

Break it down-

Liz Earle:

I know I’m not supposed to be super partial to any one line, but I have to get something off my chest: Liz Earle is one of the greatest lines on the planet. There I said it. Her Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is one of the best cleansers around (so popular it comes in a 3 pack and a year-long subscription).

I’m also quite sure that the Skin Repair Light Moisturiser would turn any moisture-phobic into a devout super fan. Its pump dispenses a tiny amount that disappears right into the skin without a hint of after-feel.

I’m big on exfoliating, so I have two that I rotate out. Earle’s Gentle Face Exfoliator is the one I use when my skin is acting up because its soothing jojoba beads inside a creamy base sweep away dead skin without any harsh scrubbing.

Suki:

I kept reading review after review from people raving about Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser so I decided to pick it up at Whole Foods. It’s a sweet smelling sugar-based exfoliant I use when I mean business. It foams up and buffs away every last impurity imaginable leaving behind totally soft skin.

Weleda:

I didn’t get a shot of it because it’s in my shower, but Weleda’s silky new Gentle Cleansing Milk is what I use every morning always following it with thier Refining Toner. I’ve always preferred a post-cleansing toner for an extra clean feel and this one is a simple base of Witch Hazel with Lemon Juice and botanicals that cleans up what you didn’t cleanse away without stripping or drying out the skin.

Obagi:

My skin really turned a corner a few months back when I started using Exfoderm Forte every night. It felt smoother, looked clearer, and my breakouts were much less frequent. It’s a glycolic-based exfoliant that chases dull surface skin away. I’ve been recommending it to just about anyone who is looking for an overall skin improvement that doesn’t leave the skin dry and flakey.

I could also see a difference around my eyes when I started using Elastiderm Eye Treatment , their much raved about eye cream. It’s what I slather on at night so I wake up with fresh looking eyes that aren’t crepey.

Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35 is my favorite physical SPF I’ve tried yet. It’s totally non-greasy and doesn’t leave a hint of white behind. It’s also a big tube for the price, mine will last about a year.

Osmotics:

Under makeup during the day, I use Blue Copper 5 Firming Eye Repair so I can get some added firming benefits around my eyes. My makeup goes on smoothly over top because the formula is a perfectly weighted gel that soothes sleepy eyes into looking more awake.

SkinCeuticals:

I’m a big believer in using Vitamin C serums in the day to protect the skin from environmental damage and Serum 15 is the perfect kind to use. It’s L-Ascorbic, the best absorbed Vitamin C with a fantastic delivery system to ensure maximum penetration. Even if I’m heading to yoga knowing I’ll wash my face again later I apply it in the morning, the formula can’t be wiped or washed off for 72 hours once it’s in the skin.

Latisse:

No, I’m not wearing false lashes so please stop asking. And to answer the questions I always hear; yes, it itches a little sometimes when I apply it and yes, the skin along my lash line is slightly darker now but I don’t care. The benefits far outweigh the slight disadvantages.

Okay, I promise next time we’ll go over makeup.

Professional Skin Care From the L.A. Experts

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What would 2 L.A. based plastic surgeons and a facialist know about skin? A lot actually. Keeping celebs camera-ready in the age of HD and paparazzi (where grocery shopping can turn into an impromptu photo shoot) is the cornerstone of their businesses, so formulating their own lines to get the exact results their clients need is a natural next step for their successful clinics. Here are 3 I’ve tried recently that give celebrity-worthy results to us little people.

Of the few things I sampled from the Kate Somerville line, I was most impressed by her Anti Aging and Acne collection, a totally underrepresented category of skin care. It’s for those who are still experiencing slight to moderate breakouts in their 30′s and beyond where drying the hell out of your face to banish acne isn’t the best option for a youthful skin texture. Her Oil Free Moisturizer balances skin hydration levels carefully so as not to exacerbate oiliness or breakouts and also uses Pepha-Tight, an exclusive skin toner and tightener for a firmer looking face.

Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer

Also worth checking out is her Anti Bac Clearing Lotion, a 5% prescription strength, time-released Benzoyl Peroxide that’s strong enough to wipe out acne but gentle enough to  protect skin from the typically drying and peeling effects some acne fighters cause.

Kate Somerville Anti Bac Clearing Lotion

Dr. Solieman is a double board certified plastic surgeon who developed Jolie MD Metamorphosis to refine lined, blemish-prone, hyper-pigmented, and oily skin into a clearer, more vibrant version of itself. His two step system uses an arsenal of proven ingredients that helps overall skin clarity like Glycolic, Salicylic, Vitamin A, and Whitonyl to name a few. The two light lotions are layered together nightly for a deep down exfoliation revealing the clearer skin you’ve been hiding all this time.

Dr. Garth Fisher is known for his appearances on ‘Extreme Makeover’ as well as the guy who fixed Bruce Jenner’s earlier too-tight face work. Even Kim Kardashian raves about his line, CellCeuticals and says her whole family has been using it since they’ve met him. Extreme Defense is a best-seller because it’s a good-for-all skin protector that targets daily environmental pollutants known to advance skin aging. He uses Vitamins A, C, E, Green Tea, and Vitamin B5 along with Almond and Avocado oils to soften the skin without a heavy cream. His line is straightforward and so effective that he touts visible results in just 2 weeks.

Fade Dark Spots Without Hydroquinone; SkinCeuticals Phyto +

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Hyperpigmentation, melasma, sun spots, whatever you call the darker areas on your face it’s just a huge bummer that makes skin appear older than it really is. I’ve been fighting with some spotting on my forehead and chest for a while now (thanks to irresponsible tanning bed use in my teens and early 20′s) and this stuff has really put a noticeable dent in my dark splotches.

Phyto + uses old faithful Kojic Acid along with a few other skin lightening stars to gently fade away discolored skin without the use of hydroquinone. It’s also a great lightweight hydrator for sensitive skin since it’s botanically based and light as air.

I haven’t tried anything from SkinCeuticals over the years that I haven’t loved. My facialist noticed a lightening after I used Phyto + for just 3 weeks on my dark spotting that’s 10+ years old. Sure it’s a little pricey ($78) but it works.

SkinCeuticals Phyto +

Best Anti-Aging Skin Care From WebMD.com

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There’s a fantastic article at WebMD about skin aging and what ingredients truly deliver results. You can check out the article HERE, but I’ve highlighted 2 that seem to be the most effective of the bunch; Coffee Berry antioxidants and Peptides.

While Vitamins, C, A, E, Green Tea, and other antioxidants are perhaps the best known, WebMD found studies that suggest Coffee Berry is not only the clear leader in antioxidant effectiveness, but the most powerful anti-aging ingredient around . Priori has created a natural line (and a mineral makeup I love) around Coffeeberry extract. Check out their Day Complex for an A.M. dose of big-time environmental protection.

Also among the darlings of skincare are peptides, a chain of proteins that have been used in studies to promote wound care and stimulate collagen. Now tripeptides are all the rage, an uber-advanced designer peptide that helps to break down aging catalysts while promoting collagen production. The article mentioned Osmotics Anti-Radical Age Defense Barrier Longevity Complex, a Tripeptide packed cream that assists damaged skin on all fronts.

Also mentioned about a bazillion times in their video report – sunscreen, it’s still the very best anti-aging solution to prevent damage to the skin. Use it daly no matter what.

Heal and Plump Lips; PCA Skin Peptide Lip Therapy

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Former smokers and sun worshipers might see some signs of aging around their lips sooner than others do, although those pesky lines do appear on the rest of us as if from nowhere. Lip plumping has joined the anti-aging craze with new technologies that far surpass the ol’ cinnamon-to-burn-the-lips-making-them-irritated-and-swell routine from 10 or so years ago.

PCA Skin’s Peptide Lip Therapy uses shea butter, vitamin e, aloe, and sunflower oil along with peptides to hydrate the lips and dramatically reduce fine lines around them giving the appearance of plumper, fuller lips. You’ll feel a moisture surge that penetrates deeper than a lip balm can with a fresh and light rush of minty coolness. Use it twice daily to heal lined lips and to protect from future damage.

PCA Skin Peptide Lip Therapy

Vitamin C Serums For All; SkinCeuticals, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, Naturopathica

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With the confusing, overly-cluttered skin care landscape it’s hard to narrow it down and find something that benefits your skin. The thing I recommend the most to people is to use a Vitamin C serum. It’s the universal skin-bettering wonder that brightens, correct, protects, hydrates, and nourishes skin of all types. It’s available in every form imaginable, but I like it best in an easier-to-deliver super light serum. Here are a few I’ve tried recently that help bring dull skin back to life.

SkinCeuticals Serum 15

SkinCeuticals‘ serums are legendary in the pro-skin arena. I used their best selling C E Ferulic for years before recently switching to their Serum 15, a 15% megadose of L-Ascorbic acid, the purest and best absorbed version of Vitamin C there is. It fades out fine lines and adds a ton of healthy radiance to your skin while protecting it from daily damage at the same time.

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Hydra-Pure Vitamin C Serum

Hydra-Pure Vitamin C Serum uses Ascorbic Acid to brighten dull skin along with their own Hydra-Pure Chelating Complex® to detoxify your skin from heavy metals found in tap water. You’ll notice a brighter, clearer complexion without any irritation.

Naturopathica Vitamin C Revitalizing Complex

It’s not quite a moisturizer, but it’s a little thicker than a serum. Naturopathica’s Vitamin C Revitalizing Complex blends Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Ascorbyl Palmitate (forms of vit c) with Vitamins A & E, aloe, and plant-based enzymes for a holistic skin care approach to making skin more youthful.

Find a Vitamin C that works for your skin type and budget so you can discover what the power of a good C can do for your skin.