Advice from Strangers

ok. So i am gonna talk about the most important piece of your makeup: SKINCARE!~!!!!!!!~! Now, remember folks, I am by no means a doctor, But i have had 8 years of experience selling and using various types of skincare. I have worked for such lines as Lancome, Estee Lauder, MAC, Prescriptives, Y.S.L. and philosphy, just to name a few. So, I'm gonna give you the skinny on what to really look for when choosing your skincare regime.

Let me start off by saying this: Price tags mean ABSOLUTELY nothing, especially if you get yourself a 300 dollar jar of beeswax and it sits in your cabinet, unused. Also, for those of you who are lazy, and expect extreme results, find yourself the nearest frying pan and hit yourself in the head with it. I cant tell you the amount of times that I have had clients bring an unused jar of moisturizer back to me and say, "Its not doing anything." My question is always this: "Are you using it?" Answer: "No." I scratch my head and move along. You must have dedication to get the results that you want. Whether you are using a 5 dollar or 300 dollar jar, it will happen if you are dedicated.

I wanna speak about advice from strangers, too. How many of you are afraid to walk up and ask for advice from someone you dont know, especially at a cosmetic counter?  How many of you watch Oprah or Ellen on a regular basis, and run right out and buy what they tell you to? Its the same concept. You no more know Oprah than I do. SOOOOOOOO dont be afraid to ask these people for help, that is what they are there for. Now, granted, you SHOULD do LOTS of product research before you make a plan. Each counter is trained by its standards to sell you whats in its cases, whether you like it or not. I will tell you, there is a simple solution to the overwhelming amount of products that are available.

First off, you need to decide what your target skincare need is. You cant just buy a regular mositurizer and expect it to take away wrinkles or sun damage. Its not magic. You can however beat the wrinkles and lines if you find the right regime. For those of you ladies who are in your early 20's, this is the crucial point for you to be able to fight off anti-age at the pass. I urge all of you in that age group, to at least have yourself an eye cream. Most important product for you. You will thank me in 10 years. Trust.

Washing the face is a super crtical part of your routine. First off, DO NOT USE MAKEUP REMOVER AS CLEANSER. It does not work that way. You should remove all of your makeup and then cleanse your face. If you use a cleanser in lieu of makeup remover, cleanse your face TWICE. Simply because on the first round, all you are doing is breaking down the makeup, not actually penetrating the pores and dermis to clean it. For you oily kids, get yourself something that is a foaming gel. Gel cleansers are generally designed for oily skins, however, most gel cleansers will leave you dry. Even if you are oily. This in turn, will cause you to over produce oil, and therefore have yourself a nice little breakout. Foaming gels actually give you the deep clean of a gel, but add detergents and things that will foam, and not let you dry out. They act sort of like a hydrator. Combo skins, always use a foaming facewash. Works SO much better. Keeps you dry where you should be, and oily where you should be. So, all of your face is happy :) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not buy a cleanser with a built in exfoliator. All they do is strip the skin of the essential oil you need, and will dry you out. There is NO need for ANYONE to exfoliate every day (unless your face is made out of leather) Dry skin people: Get a HYDRATING creme cleanser. (estee lauder cream cleanser) You will thank me for the hydration. As far as exfoliators, thermal are the BEST. Used 2x a month, these exfoliators are self heating, giving you a SUPER good deep exfoliation.

Mositurizers come in all shapes and sizes. Truly, until you decide what your REAL need is, there are plenty of BASIC creams that will hyrdate you and provide anti-oxidant protection. Plain and simple. Do your research, but I will tell you that I love Hydramax from Chanel, and I love Daywear Plus from Lauder. The difference is the PRICE. Honestly. Now, as far as mass market goes, my best experince has been from Olay Regenerist. Works good for the budget. Got the same results as with my cream from Lauder.

Serums are my FAVORITE. There is one product in the world that I will not live without. The worlds NUMBER 1 serum is Advanced Night Repair. Estee Lauder. By FAR the best on the market. I did a test with a 450 dollar serum and my 49 dollar ANR KICKED ITS ASS. Not even kidding. It holds 1500 times its weight in water (proven fact) which is CRUCIAL for skin cell turnover at night. It will also boost the action of whatever moisturizer you put on top by 200%. YOu should always have a seperate day serum. I like Olay Regenerist for my day. Actually helped take away some sun damage on my neck. LOVE it.

So, thats a little more on my skincare tactics, If you have any questions, leave me a comment. I must eat now.