acne tips

Skin Care Coaching by Devyn

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Skin Care Coaching by Devyn

We get one face and how we treat it matters. From exposure to the sun to the products we put on it, everything plays a part in how our skin looks and how it ages. There are so many options out there that I know it can be overwhelming.

So what are the right products for you? That’s where I come in. As an esthetician who has helped many clients near and far, I can tell you that using the right products for YOUR skin makes all the difference.

If I want to help you improve your skin, then this is a joint effort and I can’t expect my job to be done when the consultation ends. This is about you loving your skin and I want to be there to help and guide you along the way. I am excited to start this journey with you. Who is ready?

Click on plans below to purchase now!

Masks!

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Masks. I think this is probably the skin care product that people love to do the most. It’s something fun to do on a girl’s night or even when we just want to have a glass of wine and unwind. At the same time, we put a lot of expectations into a mask. We want them to smooth out our wrinkles and clear up our acne. I wish they could do those things! What they should NOT do is make our skin look and feel dehydrated or make us breakout. What they can do is improve the skin and be a great addition to your regular skin care routine.

Here are some tips to get the most out of your mask, whatever you decide to use.

  • Make sure your skin is clean and makeup free. Don’t forget toner.
  • You can still apply your serums under a creamy mask. The mask will actually push and lock the serums into the skin. It’s a great addition!
  • Be relaxed. Your skin will benefit the most when you are relaxing. So yes, you can do laundry or cook dinner or whatever while wearing a mask but if you can, try to sit and do nothing. Read a book, watch tv, catch up with a friend, etc.
  • Sheet masks can usually be used twice, at least the ones I use and recommend.
  • Once a week is enough for masks.

So let’s talk about the masks that I love…

LM Hyaluronic Shea Mask– Oh my gosh, this is such a great mask! It’s silky and creamy and you can immediately feel your skin drinking in the hydration. And what is so great about this one is that you can use it all over. I use it on my clients hands for a hand treatment during a facial. Deep conditioning cream mask binds moisture to prevent water loss, dryness, and roughness while improving elasticity. Nourishing and rejuvenating blend of soothing oils, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter provides intensive, long-lasting hydration for dry, damaged, or mature skin.

Great for the face, neck, chest, hands and feet!

LM Icy Revitalizing Mask– This is a clay mask but not your typical clay mask that makes your skin feel tight and dry when you remove it. You can also add a little of this O2 Calming Gel to the mask to make it feel even better on the skin. Refreshing, stimulating clay mask features 3 exotic clays and 8 botanical extracts to unclog pores and rebalance oily skin. Soothes irritation, inflammation, and redness, leaving skin moisturized and velvety soft. Ideal for acne-prone or sensitive skin.

Travel Size

 

LM Moisture Infusion Mask– If you’re feeling dry, this is the mask for you. If you want a pick-me-up, this is the mask for you. This serum-infused mask soothes and hydrates dry, sensitive, and stressed skin, brightens dull complexions, and minimizes the appearance of expression lines. Features 3 anti-aging peptides, the most stable form of Vitamin C (MAP ), 7 botanical extracts, and marine collagen to promote collagen synthesis for smooth, radiant skin. Ideal after microdermabrasion procedures. Contains 4 masks and each one can usually be used at least twice!

LM Bio-Cell Mask– When I was first introduced to this mask, I was told that it’s great for fine lines and wrinkles and will make you look younger. The cynic that I am didn’t believe it so I had to experiment for myself. I used it 3 different people and only put it on half the face and couldn’t believe the results. It really did soften the imperfections that come with aging! I love this mask for a date night or any special night. But of course you can also use it just for you! Serum-saturated, marine collagen mask incorporates peptide technology in an advanced microencapsulation delivery system for unparalleled results. Features 2 potent peptides, freeze-dried marine collagen, powerful antioxidants, Vitamin C (MAP), and 8 botanical extracts to hydrate, brighten, and improve the appearance of sagging facial contours.
Contains 4 masks and each one can usually be used at least twice!

LM TGF Eye Firming Mask– Sometimes our eyes just need a lift and these eye masks will do that for you. This cooling eye mask dramatically minimizes the appearance of expression lines, dark circles, and puffiness around the eyes. Features 3 potent peptides, red and green algae extracts, and hyaluronic acid in a sophisticated micro-delivery system to smooth, brighten, and firm the eye areas while stimulating collagen synthesis. And guess what? You can use these around your mouth too!
Contains 4 eye masks.

Start Shopping!

www.PureSkinOC.com

What is Your Season?

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My mom has always been into wearing her right colors. And by right colors, I mean the colors that look best on her. She says that she instinctively knew what looked good.

Each person is a season. Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn. Each season has a palette of colors that look best on us.  A lot of people are naturally drawn to the colors that look best on them and don’t know it.

Winter
Summer

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn
Spring

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing up my siblings and I always wore our colors. My mom taught us from day one what was best for us. Between the 5 of us, we are 2 winters, 2 autumns and a spring. I passed my knowledge about colors to my friends and most didn’t care. They thought I was crazy and that everyone should have a little black dress in their closet. My response was always…not if you don’t look good in it!

I’m a Winter. Since I’ve always known it, I’m not sure if I’m drawn to my colors because I already know what works or if it’s instinct like my mom. It doesn’t matter though. You will never see me out of my color palette. Same with my siblings. We never strayed. And now most of my nieces and nephews (all except 2 and I have 11) wear their right colors.

We aren’t crazy, I promise. Here is why. Everyone looks better when they are wearing their colors. That is simply a fact. It’s a very easy way to improve your appearance without effort. The other side of it is when you wear the wrong colors, it brings out the imperfections in your skin. The things you are trying to hide with makeup, like redness.

One of my sisters and I rarely wear makeup. If we also wore the wrong colors, we would be disasters. We are pretty much relying on the colors of our clothes to do all the work. Well, that and great skin care products!

Now, if you still insist that you must wear that little black dress…you can. Get a style that the color isn’t close to your face. Wear a sweater or scarf or whatever works with the outfit that fits in YOUR color palette. That way you get the dress but still look good!

Red is in my palette. A true red. I don’t feel comfortable in that color because it’s eye-catching and I like to blend in rather than stand out. I have noticed over the years that a lot of people who don’t look good in red, will be the ones who wear it. It’s not as eye-catching on someone who is a spring, for example. Springs can wear red, but an orange-red is what is best.

So how do you figure out what season you are? I will also post pics of each seasons color palettes on my blog and also some examples of women wearing the right vs the wrong color. Here are a couple of ways to break it down first…

  1. Do you look better in silver or gold jewelry?
    1. Silver- Summer and Winter
    2. Gold- Spring and Autumn
  2. Find different (solid) colors in your closet and hold them up to your face. Make sure you’re in good lighting. What looks best? For me as a Winter, if I hold up an orange shirt, it’s going to make me look blah and probably a little sickly. If I hold up a black shirt, all of sudden my skin looks great again. Ask a friend if you’re not sure. Shades of white are good to use too. Winters can wear pure white, whereas a spring would wear ivory. You want the colors you wear to warm you up, not make you look pale.
  3. You can also pay attention to what people compliment you on. If you every time you wear a certain blue shirt and people say you look good, then find out what color blue that season is and go from there. I’ve said it about makeup. You want someone to compliment you on your face, not how pretty your eyeshadow is. It works with clothes too. You want someone to look at you and say how pretty you look rather than tell you that you’re wearing a pretty shirt. Not that you can’t do both, but wouldn’t you rather look good than have a pretty top?

Look how much redness is in her “before” pic!

 

Moisturizers

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For this week on product talk, I am going to discuss moisturizers.

First thing to know…everyone should wear one. Moisturizers offer different things but the one thing they all do, is protect the skin. The name itself is a little misleading in my opinion. Most people think that if you are feeling really dry, then just add moisturizer to fix it. This isn’t necessarily the case. You need actual hydration, like water, to hydrate the skin. Moisturizers lock in hydration. So if you are applying serums on damp skin and then immediately applying your moisturizer, you will be locking in that hydration and protecting your skin.

Now those that have oily skin or even those with acne tend to shy away from moisturizers. Please don’t. When you have oily skin, you need hydration. Your skin produces oil because it feels dehydrated and since it cannot produce water, you get oil. If you do the steps I said before…apply serums on damp skin and then immediately apply your moisturizer, then your skin will have hydration and therefore will begin to balance itself out. This is not going to be a quick fix. It’s something you have to do everyday. It’s also why I love grapeseed oil so much. It deeply hydrates your skin at night and in time, helps to balance the oil your skin is producing.

So now you know that everyone should wear a moisturizer but now I’m going to help you find one that works for you. I of course have my recommendations I am going to talk about but here are some tips.

  1. Figure out your issue. Do you have dry skin? Oily skin? There are different moisturizers for different skin types and someone with dry skin will not like a moisturizer for oily skin.
  2. Avoid moisturizers that contain mineral oil or petrolatum (another word for petroleum jelly). Definitely pore clogging ingredients. I’ll also throw in coconut oil since that is still a thing I hear about all the time. And yes, I know that some people use it and don’t have a problem…at least one they know about. It can irritate the skin and cause issues down the road. An important thing to know is that coconut oil doesn’t even penetrate the skin, it just lays on top. So if you are looking for hydration, this one won’t do it for you.
  3. Once you pick one out, then here is a test you can do to see if it is appropriate for your skin. Apply it and wait 5 minutes. If you can still feel it, it’s too heavy for your skin.
  4. For those that love a moisturizer that does a lot of things like a BB Cream, remember that skin care and makeup should always be separate. Anything that can correct the skin needs to penetrate. A BB Cream is only going to sit on the surface because it’s also a moisturizer. It’s not possible for it to do both, penetrate and sit on the surface.
  5. Tinted Moisturizers- I think the idea of these are great but here is my suggestion. Find a moisturizer you love that is appropriate for your skin and also a foundation that also meets your needs. Then make your own tinted moisturizer. You get what you want and need from each product without compromising. And as an extra tips, apply your regular moisturizer first (and then hopefully your spf) and then your tinted moisturizer. Skin care first, makeup second. Also, if you have dryness or crevices in your skin, as most people do, the tinted moisturizer will lay more evenly on your skin if you apply the regular moisturizer first. And just as a side note: don’t bother with spf in your foundation. You have to wear 7x the amount you would (hopefully) normally wear to get that number on the bottle. If you always remember skin care first and makeup second, it will help you make a lot of decisions.
  6. Moisturizers with SPF- This is fine. I prefer it separated but it’s not the end of the world.
  7. Sometimes you need to change up your moisturizers for seasons. Those with dry skin don’t seem to need to as much (I know I don’t) but if you have oily skin, sometimes you feel like you need something lighter in the summer.
  8. Moisturizers are important and should not be skipped. They do offer benefits for the skin but are not the skin changers that people expect. That’s why we have serums.

Now I will discuss the moisturizers I use and retail.

SS Light Aloe Moisturizer– I love this moisturizer for my teens, acne and oily skin clients. It’s very lightweight. Aloe is great for helping to heal the skin.

Benefits: Improves surface hydration
Encourages proper moisture levels
Normalizes water / oil balance
Soothing and Calming
Improves Skin Function

SS Ageless Skin Moisturizer– This one is a step up from the Light Aloe. It gives the skin a little bit more so usually when the skin improves, my clients will move from the Light Aloe to this one. It’s also just a good basic moisturizer. And it’s only about $15 so you can’t lose.

Benefits: Ageless Skin Moisturizer Benefits:
Improves Surface Hydration
Encourages Proper Moisture Levels
Soothing and Calming
Improves Skin Function

SS Hydrating Moisturizer– This one is for dry skin. It has aloe, shea butter and rose hip which all helps to heal, strengthen and soothe dry, inflamed skin. I used this one for years before I became obsessed with another. At only about $23, this one is great for dry skin and isn’t expensive.

Benefits: Binds moisture to the skin to reduce wrinkle depth
Boosts collagen to improve appearance of wrinkles
Soothes and heals chapped and irritated skin

SS Cacteen Balancing Moisturizer– I like this one for my sensitive skin clients. Gives the skin what it needs without anything in it to possibly irritate it.

Benefits: Provides anti-inflammatory-like benefits                                     Normalizes water/oil balance                                                                                  Soothes and calms

SS Peptide Restoration Moisturizer– This is a good anti-aging one. It has antioxidants and peptides to help with the growth of epidermal cells. Feels great on the skin. I like this one but I do have 2 others that are my favorites to recommend for anti-aging.

Benefits: Skin repair and wound healing
Reduces wrinkles
Reduces inflammation
Antioxidant/anti-aging

LM Essence Moisturizer– Lightweight and hydrating moisturizer. It’s an anti-aging one but more lightweight than most. Our skin gets drier as we age so this is the beginners anti-aging moisturizer.

LM 24 Hr. Age Defying Cream– I can’t say enough about this moisturizer. It’s what I use now and I am in love with it. I love the way it feels and I love the way it makes my skin glow. Definitely for normal to dry skin. Really great to use on the neck and chest! This one is a little pricey and honestly, if I didn’t love it so much, I wouldn’t retail it. I always am aware of what things cost but this is a special product. This is worth it, in my opinion.

LM Bio Cell Rejuvenating Cream– Another fantastic moisturizer from Le Mieux. While this one actually costs less than the Age-Defying Cream, it is the one to use for anti-aging so I recommend this to clients usually 50 years and up. It’s creamy and silky and makes your skin look and feel amazing. It’s got lots of amino acids and peptides to help you age gracefully. It even has hyaluronic acid in it!

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Acne and Acne Scars

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Acne is frustrating but I am trying to break it down for you to make it more clear…no pun intended. So let’s talk about blemishes…

I don’t know about you but when I learn new things or even want to start something new, I need to understand why it needs to happen. The more information I have, the easier it is to do it. So this is what your blemish needs to do to heal itself and how to get rid of them correctly.

  • Blemishes have an infection within the pore and that is why they can be painful and red. What should naturally happen is that the infection comes up through the skins surface (the white stuff). Cysts are different.
  • You aren’t going to like what I’m about to say but there is a way around it. If you are using something that dries out the surface of the skin, like most over the counter spot treatments do, your blemish will stick around longer. The dead skin stops the infection from being able to come to the surface, which as I explained above, needs to happen. I do have a product that kills the infection without drying the skin.

Here are the steps…

  • Apply a non-drying spot treatment
  • When a whitehead comes to the surface, you may then GENTLY squeeze it out. I think it’s best to do this after a shower when your skin is soft and hydrated. Once removed, apply the spot treatment to kill any infection left.

A lot of people dealing with acne or even just breakouts, wonder why they are left with red or dark marks long after the blemish is gone. It’s caused by the inflammation within the dermis that triggers the skin to product the pigment cells. And sometimes you are left with distended capillaries or broken capillaries as they are often called, and that causes more redness. If these areas are not properly treated then you will end up with a scar. The darkness of the mark varies based on different things.

  • The darker the skin, the darker the mark.
  • If the infection came up and broke through the surface, it will be darker. A cyst usually doesn’t cause as much damage because the body reabsorbed the infection and didn’t break the surface.
  • The time the blemish lasted plus how long YOUR skin takes to heal. Everyone is different.
  • And the most important last two and more easily avoided…how much you picked at it or used the wrong products. When you pick, it pushes the infection deeper into the skin and can also spread it. Using the wrong products can hurt the health of the skin.

Here is what you can do to treat the skin and avoid a scar.

  • Exfoliate the skin. Using a gentle acid exfoliant along with a gentle scrub will help lift off dead skin cells and the scarred cells. Don’t use them on the same days.

  • Vitamin C is also highly recommended to brighten the skin, calm the redness and help fade acne scars.

  • Wear SPF. It’s super important to protect the skin in general but when trying to heal the skin and avoid scarring, it becomes even more important. If you are acne-prone, make sure you aren’t using a sunscreen that will clog pores.

Using the right products is vital to getting rid of and healing acne and acne scars. What you were using when you were a teenager is not good for you as an adult. Many things change and we have to change accordingly. The breakouts that you had as a teen could be different than what you have as an adult. Plus, as we get older anti-aging products become important. And just because a product says “for acne,” doesn’t mean it’s good for your skin.

People with oily skin and/or acne tend to want to wear less product and skipping sunscreen seems like an easy thing to avoid. You shouldn’t. The sun is the #1 reason we scar so you have to protect your skin everyday of the year.

Over-exfoliating is another thing that some people do. Once we see results, we want to keep doing the thing that gave us those results. Less is more. You should never be exfoliating twice a day. It’s too much and is causing inflammation. And don’t forget that exfoliation can be physical like a scrub and also chemical like glycolic or salicylic acids.

Like I said above, those with oily/acne skin want to wear less product. Skipping moisturizer saves your skin, right? Nope. Letting your skin “breathe” is not a real thing. Here is why you want to wear a moisturizer.

  • Skin needs hydration. Applying a toner and serums on damp skin allows the moisturizer to lock all of that in. Without hydration, the skin will produce more oil.

And I am introducing something new. I get a lot of emails and social messages asking about different products. As much as I love my products and think they are great for the skin, not everyone uses them. Helping people love their skin is my goal, in whatever way it gets them there as long as it’s safe. So I am now offering Product Consultations. You send me a list of your products and I will give you my honest, educated opinion. I will go over each product. This will be done over email so that you have everything written down for you. After, if you have more questions, we can do a 15 minute consultation over the phone, email or messaging. I recommend email or messaging so again, you have it all written out and you don’t have to memorize what I’m saying. You will not be pressured to buy anything.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PRODUCT CONSULTATION

Teen Acne

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The teenage years are hard enough but then you add the complications of breakouts and it just seems unfair. Hormones are to blame. Around the age of 13, although I have seen earlier, the skin starts to change…fast and it usually begins in the t-zone. It can almost feel like it happens overnight!

Boys generally experience more acne during the teen years than girls do because of the testosterone that can over-stimulate the sebaceous glands. Girls usually have fewer breakouts during these years but are more likely to deal with breakouts later because of the monthly cycle. Sometimes women are still dealing with breakouts past their 40’s. I don’t think we ever really get a break!

Here are some tips to help manage breakouts. But please remember that it can take time for you to see improvement. Usually there is a difference in how it looks and feels after a few days because once you are using products that are good for the skin, the skin then reacts in a healthy way. But big improvements will take longer. The more consistent you are, the better the results. At the same time, we are still fighting hormones though.

  1. Use a gentle cleanser. Teenage skin is more sensitive and so it’s important to use products that are non-drying. I realize that this is the opposite of what is advertised but trust me. Most of the acne cleansers you can find at Target or anything over the counter, including ProActiv uses harsh detergents that strip the skin, irritate it and causes further inflammation. I actually recommend two different cleansers because you want a second cleanser to use a few times a week at night that contains salicylic acid. Too much of that can dry the skin. Salicylic acid reduces acne-causing bacteria and oil, exfoliates and helps to lessen post-breakout redness. It does all of that without irritating the skin.
  2. Alcohol Free Toner– This is an important step that people either skip or use but don’t know why. Toner helps to remove any residual cleanser left on the skin but also is the first step to hydrating the skin. There are different toners to use and depending on the severity of the breakouts or even how motivated someone is to clear the skin, I might recommend 2 different toners. Just like the cleansers, you would use one toner for everyday and another a few nights a week to hit those breakouts hard. Again, the second toner can’t be used all the time because it will dry out the skin.
  3. Wear a sunscreen everyday, even when the sun is not out. This is a hard one for teens, I have found. They don’t care about aging yet. I know I didn’t. My goal was to be as tan as possible every summer. Let me tell you, I regret it. I wish I had listened to my mom when she told me to wear sunscreen. The one I do recommend for the face contains zinc oxide. It calms the skin, protects it and can help fade the post-breakout marks. Now since teens rarely care about sun damage, let’s focus on the two benefits that sunscreen can offer those suffering from acne or just breakouts.
    1. Look for a sunscreen with zinc oxide. It can be anti-inflammatory when it’s on the skin, which makes it perfect for calming red and inflamed blemishes. And did you know that zinc oxide is the main ingredient that’s used in diaper rash creams?
    2. The other reason to use sunscreen is that it can help with the fading of discoloration after the blemishes are gone. Now stay with me while I explain this. Acne scars are caused from the inflammation of the dermis layer of the skin. The inflammation then triggers the pigment cells, which is why you see red and purple discoloration. When the skin is exposed to UV light (365 days a year), that keeps the pigment cells awake and thus preventing the blemish scar from fading as easily. If you wear a sunscreen with zinc oxide that is lightweight and non-pore clogging, it can protect those damaged cells and allow them to heal properly so the skin can become even-toned faster.

So wearing sunscreen becomes more than just worrying about sun damage. It can save your skin from those acne scars and blemishes.

  1. Moisturizer– I recommend using a lightweight one with soothing benefits. This will protect your skin and also keep it hydrated, which is so important with oily skin. It’s all about balance.
  2. Weekly Mask– I think masks are fun. When I was a teenager I used to rummage through my sisters cabinet, she had all the fun stuff because she was older, and so I would play with her masks. Unfortunately we have very different skin but I didn’t understand that then so I just had fun using them! A great mask for acne prone skin is one that will unclog pores, rebalance the skin and soothe irritation, inflammation and redness. Not all masks are created equal so make sure you don’t use one that just dries out the skin. I posted one that I love for acne and breakouts.
  3. See an Esthetician– What I can do in the treatment room is much different than what you can do at home. I have stronger products and I know how to use them gently so the skin is not damaged. Extractions are another reason to see an Esthetician. Everything I do in a facial leading up to extractions is to make it easier to do them. It’s easier than you think to damage those pores. This may not be the favorite part of a facial but it’s necessary to achieve healthy skin. And I’ve actually been told that I am pretty gentle. Seeing an Esthetician is also a good reminder to stay on track with home care. You can’t lie to an Esthetician. We know whether you have been taking care of your skin or not.
  4. Some parents might opt to take their teen to a Dermatologist. This will likely mean that a prescription will be given. I’m not against that route because I think some have it so bad, it’s the best way to clear the skin and usually the fastest. I would still recommend seeing an Esthetician because then the teen will learn how to properly care for the skin too. A quick fix is never the answer and they may pay for that later. Most of the prescription products are really drying to the skin and so using good products become even more important. Damage that is done at 15 won’t show up until later and then it’s too late.

For the most part, my teen clients are using the same products but the frequency of the stronger products might be different. When you see me or even do a consultation (if you don’t live in the area), I am available for questions or concerns. My goal is for you to have healthy skin. The most important thing to remember is that it takes time. Teenagers are impatient and they want results now. Be patient and it will be worth it.

www.PSBLounge.com