Skin Detox Lesson

 

In case you missed it, yesterday I hosted a VIP launch of the New Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant. 

"92% of the world live in areas with high pollution levels that cause inflammaging" ~Dr Diana Howard

To help combat signs of ageing, pollution and to promote glowing skin follow this step by step Skin Detox. 

1. Special Cleanding Gel is a foaming cleanser. Mix 5p size amount with water and massage in upward circles around the face for 60 seconds then remove with sponges. 

2. Daily Superfoliant is formulated with alpha hydroxy acids to gently exfoliate the skin. The activated charcoal helps draw out and absorb the impurities from the skin. An anti-pollution complex with niacinamide, red algae and tara flower protect and calm the skin. 

Use 10p size amount and add water to create a cappuccino foam. Massage into the face, neck & decollate avoiding the eye area for 60 seconds. Remove with sponges and notice an instantly brighter complexion. 

3. Spritz using a hydrating spray all over the face neck and decollate so that the moisturiser is evenly absorbed. Antioxidant Hydramist contain peptides and glucosamine to help fight the signs of ageing whilst rehydrating the skin. 

4. Phyto Replenish Oil helps hydrate and repair the skins barrier function. Use 6 drops to massage into the skin or add 4 drops into a moisturiser, primer or foundation for dewy skin. 

5. Dynamic Skin Recovery is a broad spectrum daytime moisturiser that protects the skin from both ultraviolet A and B rays. It's formulated with antioxidants to feed the skin and an Age Smart complex to protect the skin from free radicals. Apply 5p size to face, neck & decollate. 

6. Skin Perfect Primer contains silicones and hydrogenised pearl to leave the skin glowing and an spf 30 to ensure the skin is fully protected from the sun. 

To protect the skin during the day, a teaspoon sized amount of sun protection should be applied to the face. To obtain this amount of sunscreen layer products that contain a medium or high sun protection factor. 

Follow this skin detox regime daily and use the Daily Superfoliant at least 3 times a week for glowing skin. 

Feature Friday- top 10 hand creams

Healthy hands don't come naturally, they take a bit of tender loving care. Hands get exposed to detergents, cleaning agents, and the elements on a daily basis. All of these age the hands. By applying hand cream regularly you can help to protect and prevent the signs of ageing. 

Smarties nails using OPI Gel Color and Avoplex handcream 

Marie Claire have researched and composed a list of their top 10 hand creams. 

www.marieclaire.co.uk/beauty/galleries/28404/11/best-hand-cream.html 

Skincare Saturday- Feature Product: Skin Perfect Primer SPF30

Dermalogica's Skin Perfect Primer is the 2013/14 winner of The Irish Tatler's Best Primer for Sensitive Skin! 

This is one of Dermalogica's WOW products because it's multifunctional.  I call it my polyfiller because it smooths out fine lines and as a primer it enhances the appearance and duration of foundation and powders. It can be worn on it's own to give a sheer coverage or under a tinted moisturiser or foundation to create a smooth finish. It contains the anti-ageing ingredients hydrolyzed pearl and several peptides to help stimulate collagen production which increases the skin's firmness.  With an SPF of 30, it helps to shield the skin against UV rays and the active ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which are suitable for sensitive skins.  

Skincare Sat: Spotlight- ultra smoothing eye serum

This is a lightweight liquid serum that quickly absorbs into the skin. An eye treatment that is firming, hydrating and helps to smooth fine lines. It's fantastic for sensitised, reactive or recently resurfaced skin. 

A client suffers really badly with excema around her eyes that flares when she's stressed or during hayfever season. After using this product, it's been the first summer ever that she's not had excema around her eyes because she uses the Ultrasmoothing Eye Serum twice daily. 

Two of the key ingredients have phenomenal anti-ageing properties; hexapeptide-11 stimulates collagen and helps firm the skin and MAP also stimulates collagen, fights pigmentation and is an antioxidant! It also contains the ever popular Hyaluronic acid but it's the cross polymer complex so holds 5000x it's weight in water. Two types of algae extract help to minimise puffiness and reduce inflammation. 

After using this product for 3 day I started to notice a difference and after 5 days the fine lines around my eyes started to disappear! This wow product is an asset to any beauty regime! 

Fun Fact Friday- Collagen

Each year after 30 the skin produces 1% less collagen. Collagen is what helps the skin reflect and refract or what is also known as it's natural glow. As the collagen starts to breakdown it starts to yellow giving skin a sallow appearance. It's not only age that is a factor in the breakdown of collagen it's stress, a high sugar diet, ultraviolet (UV) exposure, and lifestyle (that's you- all the late night party goers or those with a work hard/play hard motto!) That's why it's important to look after your skin and use products that help to stimulate collagen production. There are 3 key product ingredients that help to do so- Retinol, Peptides, and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP). 

Retinol- also known as Vitamin A is a popular ingredient in anti-ageing moisturisers. It's known for it's regenerating properties and helps to reverse the signs of photoaging, which is caused from ultraviolet rays (aka sun damage). 

Peptides- are chemical messengers that go deep into the dermis (the living layers of the skin) and switch on the collagen production. They come in many forms and they help with long term benefits. For example, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15 helps build the skins sensitivity tolerance or Oligopeptide-34 which helps prevent discolouration and brightens the skin.

MAP- is a stabilised form of Vitamin C which is an antioxidant. It helps to boost collagen production, strengthen and improve the condition of skin. 

When you're debating over which moisturiser to buy or wondering why that serum is so expensive, check out the product ingredients & if they contain any of these 3 wonders then you'll know it's worth the investment.

Treatment Thursday- Age Smart

Yesterday I went up to Surrey to attend one of Dermalogica's Expert classes. The expert classes are a three hour intensive workshop and our session was about ways to improve ageing. In an Age Smart treatment the aim is to treat, repair, and prevent ageing through many factors such as skincare, lifestyle advice, and professional treatments. 

This week I had a client in who had gone with a friend to a facelift consultation with the top Harley Street surgeon. She came back with an unexpected response and experience- the surgeon told her friend that she needed to take care of 'the canvas' before having a facelift. He said that a facelift won't treat the condition of her (leathery) skin, that it was essential she have a chemical peel and look after her skin before she goes under the knife. This supports Dermalogica's motto 'Skincare is not a luxury, it's part of daily health- like brushing your teeth!' 

The goal of Age Smart is to treat the cause, not just the symptoms of ageing. With their indepth research and product ingredients Dermalogica has formulated some of the top products to help combat signs of ageing. Through exfoliation and hydration the cell turnover and renewal process is stimulated to help moisture reach the deeper layers of the epidermis. With ageing, the skin's natural moisturising factor decreases and through replenishing and restoring the skins barrier function it helps skincare products to penetrate deeper improving skin health. As collagen and elastin breaks down the 'healthy glow' becomes dull and it is important to help brighten and control the collagen production by stopping the free radicals from damaging the skin cells.  The Age Smart products are designed to stimulate collagen production and strengthen the skin cells to help repair the skin and slow down the ageing process. 

The skin starts to age at 21 and every decade the cell renewal process slows down further. For example, in your 20's skin cell turnover happens about every 20 days, in your 30's every 30 days, and so on. It is important to look after your skin at all ages because it's the largest organ in your body and one of its main functions is to protect you!