Posts Tagged ‘cellex-c’

BEHIND BEAUTY: SUMMER’S COMING: A FEW TIPS TO CONQUER CELLULITE

With summer around the corner, it’s important to start getting your beach bod ready. If you’re like 90% of women, this probably means tackling your cellulite. But what is cellulite? Why do we get it? How can it be prevented? Every day, millions of women struggle with these very questions. Today, we’re offering answers.

What is Cellulite?

This lumpy, bumpy skin that tends to resemble the surface of an orange is caused when fat cells press against the vertical connective tissue. Often, this results in the dimpled texture. Cosmo Magazine even compares the effect to you skin pushing through fishnet stockings.

It’s not just an excess of fat that causes cellulite. In “The Cellulite Solution”, Dr. Murad argues that, “cellulite is caused by skin that has deteriorated to the point that buoyant fat cells are able to push into the dermis, the middle layer of skin, and show through the surface.” (pg. 8) Murad believes that to truly treat cellulite, the entire body must be brought into focus.

Most commonly occurring on the thighs and buttocks, there are many theories as to why people get Cellulite. Science has managed to narrow it down to genetics, hormones, lifestyle, diet, and clothing.

How Do I Prevent Cellulite?

There is no magic formula to living cellulite free. However, there are a lot of way you can reduce your chances of developing an uneven skin texture.

First, minimize your intake of saturated fats, junk food, diet pop, sugar and salt. Overly processed foods contain bad fats that accumulate on the body, increasing your chances of developing cellulite. Salt encourages your body to retain fluids instead of passing them naturally. This can increase the appearance of cellulite.  By decreasing the amount of bad fats in your diet, your body will be healthier. Additionally, opt for skin nourishing foods, such as berries, avocado, almonds, and cold water fish.

Most importantly, drink lots of water, about 8 8oz glasses a day. This helps to clear toxins from your body. Hiding between layers of fat cells, toxins can make cellulite look more pronounced. Cut out smoking and decrease your alcohol intake as both these habits add toxins to your body and can aggravate cellulite. Also, limit caffeine. A chemical that actively constricts blood vessels, caffeine can make  your cellulite worse.

How Do I Fight Cellulite?

Exercise 
Combine moderate aerobic exercise with strength training. Aerobic exercise helps to eliminate the fat cells causing cellulite. However, as our bodies require fat cells to function, it’s difficult to completely eliminate cellulite through aerobic exercise alone.  By increasing muscle tone through strength training, skin texture even out. The new muscle cells help to fill in the gaps.

Body Brushing 
Choose a brush with soft, natural bristles and a long handle. Thoroughly brush your entire body. The brushing helps to exfoliate the skin and increase blood flow. This helps cellulite by bringing nutrients and oxygen to the outer layer of the skin. By keeping skin healthy and strong, cellulite decreases. Use on a daily basis, moving from the toes up and finishing with your hands. Avoid brushing your face, as the bristles can harm delicate facial skin.

Massage
Like body brushing, Massage is a great way to stimulate circulation and drain away any excess fluids. It also loosens and softens the cells beneath the skin to help even out the surface texture.

Supplements
Adding a supplement or multi-vitamin to your routine will help to improve overall health as well as skin texture. Some brands produce supplements designed specifically to fight cellulite.

Topical Creams & Treatments
Cellulite products help treat some of the surface issues, but should be combined with deeper treatments, such as massage, bod brushing, and dietary adjustments. Some of the best creams contain caffeine. While on the inside this ingredient can aggravate cellulite, used as a topical treatment, it firms skin and helps improve texture.

Laser Treatment
A little on the extreme and expensive side, there are a variety of laser treatments available and results very greatly from person to person.

There are so many products on the market to treat, fight, and prevent cellulite. We polled our staff and here are their top recommendations:

Golden Moor Scorpion Brush A brush that uses 137 massaging fingers to stimulate the skin to reduce the look of cellulite.
Aromatherapy Associates Body Brush The brushing action immediately stimulates circulation and boosts cell renewal which effectively improves skin tone and texture by removing toxins.
Murad Skin Care The Cellulite Solution A fantastic book that outlines simple changes that can drastically reduce and repair cellulite.
Cellex-C Body Smoothing Lotion Minimizes the appearance of cellulite while helping to tone and firm sagging skin, giving the skin a smoother, sleeker appearance in 5 to 8 weeks
Aromatherapy Associates Enrich Body Scrub A coffee based scrub that cleans and tones to invigorate and revive dull looking skin.
Thalgo Celluceane Supplement – Anti Cellulite, Heavy Leg These are the ingredients that sea has to offer to work on your legs making them look beautiful and shapely, so regain light and energized legs and diminish any unflattering curves.

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Fall Skin Care Tips: How to get Soft, Supple, Hydrated skin

Ok, so it’s not officially winter until December 21st, but it sure feels like it in some parts of the country!  I think we are all feeling a bit of cold weather dehydration in our skin in the form of flakes and dullness.  And, have you noticed your makeup just doesn’t go on very nice anymore?  Makeup only looks good if you have a clean, fresh canvas to begin with.  The good news is that it is actually quite easy to get your skin back to normal – even better than normal!

Tip #1 – Exfoliate to smooth the skin’s surface and remove dry, dead skin cells

Physical exfoliators (scrubs) are good for polishing the surface of the skin leaving it feeling soft and smooth.

Enzyme exfoliators (peels, alpha/beta hydroxy acid, etc.) are good for gently dissolving the glue that holds your dead skin cells together.  They are usually more gentle, but penetrate deeper than scrubs.  Enzyme exfoliators containing beta hydroxy acid also dissolve hardened oils (blackheads, clogged pores) resulting in a clearer, less congested, smoother complexion.

*Get the best of both worlds by alternating a physical and an enzyme exfoliator or go 2 in 1 and choose a scrub that contains enzymes or acid!

  

 

Tip #2 – Use a hydrating serum

Think of your serum like your doctor’s prescription.  Whenever you have a skin issue, choose a serum for that issue and use it until your skin improves.  Since serums have the highest concentration of active ingredients and they have a light consistency, they penetrate deep and work quickly to alleviate your skin.

*If your skin is combination, oily, or acneic, choose a serum made for dehydrated skin, not dry skin.  Hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid will not clog your skin or cause breakout.

Tip #3 – Mask as often as your skin needs

Choose the right hydrating mask for your skin type and use it as often as necessary.  If you need to mask everyday for a whole week, go right ahead.  As long as you are using the correct mask, your skin will drink up the hydration and thank you for it!

*If your skin is combination, oily, or acneic, be sure to choose a gel-based hydration mask and avoid heavy cream masks.

Tip #4 – Use a hydration spray regularly on top of your mineral makeup

It’s perfectly fine, actually it’s recommended, to spray a hydrating mist to set your mineral makeup.  Don’t be afraid to get it wet – your skin will look more dewy & supple and your makeup will stay put longer.

*Use a hydration spray with added antioxidants to protect your skin from free radical damage.  Keep a bottle in your handbag and re-spritz yourself throughout the day.

 

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Is it possible to get smaller pores? Tips for reducing large pores

As an esthetician, I get so many clients asking about how they can reduce pore size.  While this is not an easy issue to tackle, there are ways to reduce the appearance of large pores (and it’s not as simple as buying one product that promises to close pores!).

The first step is finding out why your pores are enlarged.  Here are some examples and choose which number applies to you (may be a combination of 2 or more):

1. Your skin is oily – your skin is thick, it produces an excessive amount of oil and it gets shiny and feels greasy

2. You’ve had (or still have) acne which caused deep scars and damaged pores

3. You have clogged pores (blackheads) – your oil is hardened and stuck inside your pores causing them to stretch out

4. Your skin has lost its elasticity – mostly caused by aging and UV exposure, the skin loses its firmness causing the pores to stretch

Now that you know why your pores are enlarged you can choose the correct way to go about tightening them.

It doesn’t matter what is causing your large pores, you will need to exfoliate your skin properly to resurface and  remove build up, allowing the pores to appear more refined.  Unfortunately that drug store apricot seed scrub won’t quite cut it in this case!

Here are my favorite intensive exfoliating products:

   

1. Jan Marini Clean Zyme Cleanser & Skin Zyme Mask – Best for all skin types

2.Yonka Alpha-Complex Wrinkle Defense Retexturizing Gel with AHA’s – Best for dull skin with fine lines & wrinkles

3.B.Kamins AHA & BHA Daily Peel Pads – Best for normal to oily skin with clogged pores/blackheads

4.B.Kamins Lactic-10 – Best for all skin types including sensitive and skin showing signs of aging

5.B.Kamins Anti-Blemish Pads – Best for oily skin with acne, and/or clogged pores.

*If your skin has a lot of sun damage, deep dilated pores, has acne damage, or is very thick and oily you would benefit most from a professional, intensive exfoliation series such as microdermabrasion or chemical peeling.  These must be done in spa or medical center by a professional only.

If your pores are enlarged because they are clogged, you need to remove what’s clogging them before you can think about tightening them.  Salicylic acid (beta hydroxy acid) helps to dissolve oils including hardened oils trapped in the pores.  Choose an exfoliator that contains salicylic acid and kill 2 birds with 1 stone! Exfoliators 3 and 5 contain salicylic acid.  If have lots of deep clogged pores I recommend that you go into the spa and have a professional esthetician extract them for you so that you can start off your new skin program with clear pores.

If your pores are enlarged because your skin is just plain old oily you should choose skincare products that are formulated to balance your oil secretions without stripping your skin of its natural moisture.  I recommend Skeyndor Clear Balance Pore Normalizing Factor and Skeyndor Clear Balance: Pore Refining Repair Serum.

If your pores are enlarged due to loss of elasticity you should get on a skin firming program or use a skin firming serum to tighten the skin and pores.  Here are some great skin firming products:

                           

GM Collin Visible Lifting Concentrate             Cellex-C Advanced-C Skin Tightening Cream

Remember, our estheticians are always ready to answer your specific skin questions or recommend products tailored to your skin’s needs – just ask!

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog! Feel free to leave your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to get rid of dark eye circles, puffy eyes, and eye bags: Causes and Treatments

Dark eye circles and puffy eyes are concerns that have come up time and time again with my clients.  I wish there was a magical eye cream that would just take care of both issues, but unfortunately it’s a bit more complex than that.  First of all we must find out what is causing the dark circles and the puffiness.  Let’s take a look at some of the causes:

Dark Circles

Dark circles can be a genetic, ethnic trait.  In this case the dark circles are most likely caused by pigmentation in the skin (excess melanin).  This type of dark circle looks like a half moon shadow under the eye and sometimes surrounds the whole eye.

Lightening this type of pigmentation is very difficult if not impossible.  It is necessary to find a product that stops melanin synthesis as well as lightens the skin AND it has to be safe for use around the eyes.  The problem is that effective skin lightening products are usually too strong for use around the eye.  You are better off investing in a good concealer like Jane Iredale Enlighten.  Enlighten conceals, but also contains the natural pigmentation inhibitor arbutin (extracted from the bearberry plant).  Jane Iredale Enlighten Concealer is to be applied with the Camouflage Brush.

Dark Circles can also be caused by blood pooling in the tiny blood vessels under the eyes.  As we age our skin thins and the blood vessels become more visible.  This type of dark circle usually has a red. blue, or purple cast to it.

This type of dark circle can usually be improved by using an eye treatment containing ingredients that help to increase circulation, strengthen and/or clear backed up blood vessels (Chrysin, Vitamin K, Caffeine).

Jan Marini Age Intervention Dark Circle Eye Defense (see trial below) – rapidly lessens the appearance of dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles with chrysin enzyme, peptides, and retinol.

See Product Review/Trial: Jan Marini Age Intervention Dark Cirlce Eye Defense>

Stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, drinking, and allergies are also culprits in causing dark eye circles.  This type of dark circle is normally accompanied by puffiness.  It’s usually temporary and can be improved with use of a stimulating, decongesting, eye treatment.

VivierSkin Dark Circle Diminishing Eye Cream – medical grade under eye cream enriched with Vitamin K.  Puffy, tired eyes and dark circles are diminished, fine lines & wrinkles are improved.

Phytomer Regard Delicieux: Dark Circle Eye Cream – marine based formulation that activates circulation and decongests the eye contour to reduce the appearance of dark circles.

 

Puffy Eyes & Bags Under the Eyes

Eye puffiness can be caused by something as simple as lack of sleep or it can be a much more complicated issue.  Here are the most common causes of eye puffiness:

•toxin and waste build up in the body

•sinus problems

•side effect from medications

•allergy

•stress

•putting eye product too close to eyes (especially at night)

•alcohol consumption

•high salt intake

•hereditary

Cellex-C Under-Eye Toning Gel – specifically formulated with plant extracts that stimulate and tone the skin around the eye area. Combats dark circles and puffiness caused by late nights, stress, water-retention, allergies, colds or sinus problems.

Puffiness/Dark Circles Associated with Aging

As we age we naturally lose elasticity in our eyelids and they begin to sag.  As this occurs, normal fat that lies under the eyeball pushes forward against the lower eyelid and creates a bulge, eye bag or puffy eye.  A shadow then forms beneath the protruding puffy eyelid and creates a dark circle.  This type of puffy eye cannot be corrected with cosmetics and topical treatments.  This type of puffiness may be corrected with cosmetic surgery.

How to conceal/cover up dark eye circles:

If you like a creamy nourishing concealer with good coverage you will love Jane Iredale Circle Delete Concealer.  It comes in a pot with 2 shades and is applied with the camouflage brush.

If you prefer a light, more sheer, brightening concealer you will love the Jane Iredale Active Light Concealer.  It comes in a tube with attached brush for easy application and it contains decongesting plant ingredients!

If you want a multi-use concealer that covers up all types of dark circles and imperfections you will love the Jane Iredale Corrective Colors Concealer.  It’s a palette that comes with 4 different shades!  Use the Camouflage Brush for best results.

 

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog! Feel free to write your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!