Posts Tagged ‘eye creams’

The Complete Skin Care Routine

I’ve recently written a series of posts about the various skin care products that can be used in a routine.

Having been an esthetician, I very quickly learned that you never assume anything when it comes to how people will use things at home.

Stories about women drinking facial serums as opposed to applying them to the skin come to mind.

So here you go! The order in which your skin care routine should happen. Please keep in  mind to ALWAYS follow the instructions on the actual product and please, please, please ask your esthetician if you aren’t exactly sure how to use something.  Certain lines may have you use things in a different order, or have additional kinds of products available. This is an overview of the basics with links to articles that will expand on the product.

***Sunscreen. Always. Every day. Sun damage is responsible for up to 90% of aging in the skin, and it takes years for it to show up. This is the greatest thing you can do for your skin next to getting a lot of sleep.***

Step 1: Cleanse. You can’t effectively do anything else to the skin if it’s covered in a layer of oil, sweat, makeup, dirt and leftovers from the air outside. Don’t be scared to do it twice either if you’re particularly oily of have a lot of makeup on.

Step 2: Tone. This step isn’t always necessary, but does have added benefits. They can have a variety of purposes depending on the formula, but most notable they really ensure the face is completely clean.

Step 3: Exfoliate. This is a flexible step. It can be done gently every day, or slightly more aggressively a few times a week. Either way, everyone can benefit from exfoliating. It brightens skin, evens texture and tone, reduces lines and helps control breakouts. Why would you skip it?

Step 4. Mask. This is done once a week. It is also the most frequently not done at all. Like toning, it’s not critical to a skin care routine. But the will be definite, added benefits to using one. They have a high concentration of ingredients and are the most effective way to see immediate (if temporary) results. Fantastic for special occasions.

Step 5. Serums. These come in many forms. Usually as a treatment, they don’t necessarily need to be used year round. Applied under your moisturizer they can provide a boost to your current routine when you find skin just needs a little oomph in a certain direction.

Step 6. Eye Cream. If you are at all concerned with puffiness, dark circles or those pesky little lines starting at the corners of your eyes, this is an important step. Most skin care professionals are of the opinion that eye cream use should start in the mid 20′s at the latest. Eyes are where we see aging first, and those signs are difficult to reverse.

Step 7. Moisturizers. The last step before makeup application. Most often people choose the wrong one for their skin type. It’s important to have a firm grasp on your actual skin type and use the appropriate one. 1 or 2 pimples does not mean you need an anti-acne one, just because you fear aging while in your 20′s does not mean you should find the most intense anti-aging cream you can get your little mitts on. It will not work and you will not be happy.

If you are in a position where you can only invest in the minimal products I would suggest the following in order of importance:

1. Moisturizer. This is the one that sits and stays on your skin. Go for the best quality you can, which does not mean the most expensive. Learn what works with your skin.

2. Cleanser. While you do rinse this off, using the wrong one can affect the rest of your skin care. Go gentle and soap free.

3. Exfoliant. Find a gentle one (no crushed nuts, pits or shells). I’ve always found cheaper, poorly formulated ones sensitized and irritate the skin like crazy. A good one will give you beautifully smooth, bright skin almost immediately.

That’s a stripped down, bare bones routine.

What’s your routine? What products do you scrimp on and what can you not live without?

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!

Puffy Eyes: Can we actually control them?

Under eye puffiness. Those betraying bags that show exactly how tired we are, or worse yet, they can be there even when we aren’t tired! How is that fair!? For the most part there are solutions to this problem. Some of them are common sense and responsible such as:

• Getting enough sleep
• Keeping hydrated

But life doesn’t always present us with common sense events now does it? What happens if you knowingly make the decisions that can result in puffiness the next day? The world does not need to be made aware of that. It is none of their business. There must be a way.

Puffiness=Swelling. Treat as such.

Like any other injury, cold therapy helps to reduce the edema, or excess of fluid. It slows everything down by constricting the blood vessels and reduces the fluid in the area. Fun and useful cold things to put over your eyes include:

• Cucumber slices: how very spa. Really it’s just the temperature that helps here, not the actual cucumber.
• Cotton pads soaked in cold water or milk. Added bonus: milk contains lactic acid which is softening, Cleopatra style.
• Frozen spoons: this requires forethought but is nice because the clean up is minimal.
• Black or chamomile tea bags: steep them in cool water for a few minutes, give them a little squeeze and place over the eye. These are great because they contain tannic acid which also constricts blood vessels to reduce inflammation. Double the effect! Efficient!
• Apple or raw potato slices: more tannic acid and a tightening effect.
• Also there are those fancy, reusable cooling gel masks. They stay cool for a longer amount of time. Set them in a bowl of ice for 10 minutes and then apply.

Eye products.

Ah product. What can’t you do? Using a good quality product designed specifically for under eye puffiness is a great option. They come in every formula imaginable so there is absolutely something out there that you will love. Ingredients and words to look for:

• “Decongesting”: these are usually plant extracts such as horse chestnut or ivy
• “Hydrating”: when we’re dehydrated, our body starts to retain water. So keep hydrated, in and out! Hydrating eye products will keep the area supple. If you’re prone to puffy eyes all the time, look for gel formulas or lightweight creams. Heavier ones can weigh down the area and create little white bumps called milia.
• “Antioxidant”: aging cause a loss of elasticity in the skin which can result in selling. Anti-oxidant products help slow this down and include vitamins E and C or Green and White Tea Extracts.

How to use eye products.

• Never pull on the eye area. Use the size of half a grain of rice for each eye and gently tap onto the orbital bone around the eye, no farther in. Getting the product in your eye does not improve the situation. The tapping motion stimulates drainage and usually activates the product.
• For a quick pick-me-up when you don’t have product you can use gentle pressure. Again following the bone and starting at the inner corner, gently press with the ring finger and release, move over a little and repeat. The key word is gentle.
• You could put a cream eye mask under one of the reusable gel ones as well. After keeping them on the eye area for 10 minutes, remove and witness a brighter, bushier-tailed you!

How to avoid puffy eyes.
Now that you have some solutions for the immediate situation, let’s look at some of the ways to have avoided it.

• Sleep: this is a pretty standard tip. Try to get a full night’s sleep, while sleeping on your back with your head slightly elevated. This helps keep any possible fluid from accumulating where we don’t’ want it, like under your eyes.
• Hydrate: Give your body water so it doesn’t feel like it needs to grasp onto what’s there and tuck it away.
• Remove your makeup: all of that smoky, gorgeous eye makeup is going to look for a place to go while you’re sleeping, and the options are onto your pillow (eew) and into your eyes (also gross). This causes irritation and inflammation.
• Be healthy: The most irritating of tips. But exercise and veggies, they seem to be a cure all. Too much alcohol and salt also increase water retention as they dehydrate you.

If nothing seems to work:

• Sometimes our bodies have an agenda of their own. Heredity, allergies, high blood pressure, kidney disease, thyroid disorders and some medications are all know to contribute to under eye bags and puffiness. If this is the case for you and you have tried everything out there, the options become a little more limited. Since most of those are medical issues, it’s always best to talk to your doctor about solutions.

Whether homemade or professional, there are a lot of options available to you. The fun part is trying them out. It gives you an excuse to relax, maybe lie down for a few minutes and give into “Me Time”. In no time you can have bright, beautiful eyes.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post 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!