Toners 101: Your go-to guide to this powerhouse skincare step!
A skincare routine can be really tricky to orchestrate without direction. To create a custom regimen it’s important to consider all of the steps offered in the multi-billion dollar industry that is also known as the beauty industry. There’s the obvious, sometimes confusing, often forgotten, and the overused steps. Today I’m going to talk about the often forgotten and sometimes confusing step of toning. I never truly understood why this step would even be left out because it is incredibly easy and sets your skin up for success. That’s when I realized that there is little to no education out there on the why and how of toning. Here is an easy breakdown of this skin changing step you will soon not be able to live without.
Keeping up with Skin Food Talk
I have been blown away with the response my partner in crime, Tara Curran and I have received since our first "SKINFOOD" talk at SOHO House in West Hollywood. We have been working together for so long and we were finally able to create something really special. I would really love to invite you all to come to our first ever "Beauty and the Belly" brunch on Sunday March 6th at 12. The brunch is a great way to share our "SKINFOOD" talk and create a conversation about your skin, nutrition and overall health. Please RSVP now and we look forward to brunching with you soon! xo
My Deal Breakers
We all have deal breakers in life, love and work. They are the things we just absolutely do not put up with and will not tolerate no matter what. As a skin coach my deal breakers went from non-existent to a concrete list of no-no’s. It seems odd that a service provider like myself should have any boundaries as I am in the business of providing care to anyone who needs/wants it. The truth is if I were to be agreeable to everyone no one would progress. No one would see change and I wouldn’t be doing my job. So let me let you in on my skincare dealbreakers.
What to do: Your skincare rules for exercise!
One of the most common issues I have with my clients is their confusion with exercise and skincare. The statement that makes me cringe the most when I get done with a facial is “I’m going to go workout after this”. It feels wrong to tell someone no because I truly encourage everyone to live their healthiest life. There are a few reasons why exercise and skincare often don’t get along. Our initial instincts with it are sort of off. This isn’t anyone’s fault, there is just no clear information out there. Here are a few ways to avoid some skincare sins while implementing exercise in your daily routine.
sugar addicts anonymous
Growing up I was always sick and had a severe addiction. The kind of addiction that no one talked about, worried about or even knew about. I had an addiction to sugar. Sugar doesn’t seem that bad you may think, but looking back over my entire health history it is clear that I was one of the many kids who suffered for no reason. From unnecessary illnesses, non-stop anxiety and many unexplainable symptoms I specifically remember feeling helpless and it was all due to inflammation. I always wondered why most kids were never as sick as I was. The vicious cycle of going to the doctor and constantly getting prescriptions (some packed with added sugar) for benign issues made me feel like I was an anomaly of a kid. This led to severe depression I battled for years. The crippling pain of not understanding why I was feeling as nervous, anxious, sad or even immobile at times was so much to take while all I wanted was just to fit in and have fun. One of the main issues I struggled with with my non-stop, highly inflamed acne. I struggled for 11 years with what felt like my “normal” skin and once I was able to dive into my health and really dig for some answers I was shocked at how simple the fix really was.
My skincare heroes!
Everyone asks me what I use in my skincare regimen and I never give a good answer. That isn’t quite true, I give an honest answer: “I use a lot and I do a lot”. People want a miracle product and an instant fix. It’s the world we live in and it’s what we are conditioned to expect. There is no such thing in my opinion. Slowing down the fast paced tempo of the outside world and truly connecting with yourself is the key to success. That being said I do have a love affair with a few products and I’m not often moved. Most skincare can be redundant and not transformative. Here is a short list of my recent WOW products, my skincare heroes if you will:
Holiday Skin Saviors
There are two very distinct feelings we get when the holidays roll around. The first is absolute merriment as we get to take some time off and enjoy the company of our loved ones. The second is pure dread over the temptations of holiday treats, drinks and late parties. I’ll be the first to tell you that I usually fall into this pattern: work non-stop, eat all the sugar and drink all the eggnog, then crash and get sick. This sickness usually pours into the new year so any health related resolutions immediately fall out the window as I’m just trying to go a day without coughing or sneezing. Most people I know fall into this as well which in turn can create a large amount of skin issues that we normally don’t struggle with. How can we break this cycle so we can actually enjoy the holidays? Here is my top 5 list of holiday skin saviors:
Recover from a facial flawlessly
I will be the first to admit that I can’t stand the aftermath of a facial. I’m a prime candidate for the non stop extractions, too much exfoliation and not enough love. For my skin to look good after a facial it can take about 5-7 days for it to recover. If this is a problem for an esthetician it can obviously be an issue for anybody else. In order to recover from a facial flawlessly there are a few steps you can follow no matter what your skin is going through. Here are my go to steps to insuring your skin’s best health post facial.
How to select your skincare
There are many skin related issues that are absolutely preventable. The number one being using skincare products that are not appropriate for you. With so many different brands, fads and miseducation out there how on earth are you supposed to determine what’s best for you? Here’s why I come in. Therapeutic skin coaching is all about figuring out the root of the issue while providing a supportive and educative atmosphere so you can become your own skin expert. Here are some ways to help you prevent the preventable.
Skin Care Elimination Diet
While having worked in many different spaces and places as a licensed aesthetician and skin guru for the past 9 years, the number one skin care problem I have seen is: FOOD ALLERGIES (or intolerances). It is incredibly common for people to not show signs of an allergy or intolerance to say sugars or gluten in their digestion since it has built up slowly over time. What happens is it slowly starts to make it's way onto your skin in many forms that can easily be mistaken for other skin conditions such as rosacea, cystic acne and melasma. Don't get me wrong, the root of all pesky skin conditions is inflammation and heat so it can be hard to differentiate without the proper guidance but here are a few tips and tricks that I give my clients in order to make them their own skin healer.
My Top 5 Best Skincare Practices
My love of skin care started at a very young age. My mom would take me grocery shopping with her every week and if I ever strayed, she would know exactly where to find me: The cosmetics/skin care aisle. After struggling with many inflammatory conditions that consistently kept me sick in my childhood, including horrible acne, I became fascinated with what could solve these problems. So after many years of research, self care and a decade as a sought after esthetician I have developed my top 5 best skin care practices.