Posts Tagged ‘toner’

Wake up your Skin with a Yonka Mini Facial

It doesn’t get much better than skin care with the amazing aroma and power of natural essential oils! Yonka is a pioneer in phytoaromatic skin care and has been researching and developing amazing products since the 1950s. At the heart of Yonka’s skin care range is their exclusive blend of 5 essential oils which includes lavender, cypress, rosemary, thyme, and geranium. Yonka also uses plant, fruit, and marine extracts which act to balance, soothe, revive, and regenerate the skin.

One of the (many) things we love about this line is the immediate result you get from using these products. Many of our clients complain about lack of vitality, dullness, and de-hydration around this time of year. Our answer? A mini at-home Yonkaa facial to get your skin ready for holiday celebrations! Here’s how:

1. Cleanse with Lait Nettoyant if you have normal-dry skin
This milky cleanser will remove makeup and impurities, smooth, and soften the skin.

1. Cleanse with Gel Nettoyant if you have normal-oily skin
This foamy gel will remove makeup and impurities, refreshes, and purifies the skin

2. Tone with Yonka Lotion (either normal to dry & sensitive or normal to oily)
An alcohol-free mist with natural, invigorating aromas

3. Exfoliate with Gommage 305 if you have normal-dry skin and Gommage 303 if you have normal-oily skin
These non-abrasive, gel exfoliators reveal smooth, supple, radiant skin by gently removing dead skin cells.

4. Tone with appropriate Yonka Lotion

5. Mask with Hydratant 60
This is a refreshing gel mask which deeply hydrates, softens, firms, and helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

6. Tone with appropriate Yonka Lotion

7. Apply either Dermol 1 (normal-oily skin), Dermol 2 (dry skin), or Dermol 3 (sensitive skin)
These highly concentrated formulations hydrate, smooth, and brighten skin while providing an excellent make-up base.

8. Moisturize with Pamplemousse (normal-dry or normal-oily skin)
This lightweight cream energizes, brightens, and alleviates skin dullness with grapefruit extract and essential oils.

9. Apply Phyto-Contour to eye contour
This eye treatment cream reduces dark circles and puffiness, firms, refreshes and relaxes the eye area.

Now that your skin has been made-over with this beautiful skin care line all that you have to worry about is your hair (and that’s another blog post altogether!). And please, use pure mineral makeup so that you don’t clog your newly de-toxified skin with a gross, mystery ingredient-filled, conventional makeup. As always, our favorite mineral makeup lines are Jane Iredale Mineral Makeup and Youngblood Mineral Makeup.

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!

To Tone or Not to Tone – That is the Question!

As an esthetician I have been asked time and time again whether or not it is necessary to use a toner.  And the answer?

Well, lets start from the beginning… Toners originated as alcohol-based, astringent-style liquids applied usually with a cotton pad after the cleansing step.  Cosmetics tended to be more oil-based and were not easily removed by cleanser alone.  The alcohol in the toner would help to cut through the oil-based makeup for ‘squeaky-clean’ skin.  The problem is that alcohol is very stripping and drying to the skin and can lead to long-term imbalance and sensitivities.

Cosmetics nowadays are less and less oil-based and therefore those harsh toners are no longer necessary.  Toners now are made to compliment your skincare regime in many ways including soothing, softening, hydrating, and purifying.  Also, toning after cleansing leaves your skin damp which allows your next step (serum or moisturizer) to penetrate better.  Many toners can also be spritzed right on top of mineral makeup to help set, as well as refresh the look.

I noticed, while in the facial room at work, that every time I soaked my client’s cotton pads in a high quality Toner, the cotton pads would become unbelievably soft and silky – just imagine what it does for the skin! You really want to make sure your toner complements your skin type here are a few of my favourites:

Eminence Mimosa Champagne Tonique

Sensitive eyes? No problem!  This make-up remover soothes, protects, removes puffiness and nourishes. Ph-Balanced, it’s designed to be as soothing as possible. Plus1 it even has anti-aging elements! This is a heavy-hitting product and the perfect compliment to your daily routine!

Yonka Lotion normal to oily skin

Paraben-free, this tantalizing toner helps to balance your natural oil production. It’s soothing mist refreshes your skin and invigorates your routine. Easily one of the most popular toners

Institut’ DERMed Brightening Toner

Balance and protect your skin with the Institut’ DERMed Brightening Toner formulated with L-Ascorbic and Glycolic Acids to prevent free radical damage and fade skin discoloration for a vibrant, even-toned complexion.

 

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!

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!

Do You Really Need to Use a Toner?

Toners are confusing. There are a bunch of different versions, some lines have them, some don’t. Alcohol is bad for the skin, so why is a toner okay?

In this post we’ll take a look at how and why toners are included in skincare routines.

What is a toner?
Liquids that are applied to the skin after cleansing and before moisturizing.

What do they do?
Depending on the ingredients of a specific formual, they can rebalance the pH, hydrate, finish the cleansing process or absorb oil.

 

How do you use one?
Again, this depends on the formula.
Ones that are meant to freshen, balance and hydrate are usually sprayed onto the skin. Others that are designed as Step 2 of the cleansing process are orften wiped over the face with a cotton pad to ensure no cleanser or debris is left on the skin.

Which kind should you use?

Always read the instructions of the particular product you are using as some lines have specific ingredients that need to be used in certain ways, but here is an overview of the basic kinds:

• Fresheners: Mostly sprays. Best for dry, mature or sensitive skin these are used before a serum or moisturizer and can be used throughout the day to rehydrate and brighten the skin. Often little to no alcohol is used. Sophisticated formulas will actually improve absorption of any products put on after application
• Toners: These will often contain a slight percentage of alcohol or similar ingredient. Designed for more normal to combination skin types. They remove left over cleanser and debris from the skin ensuring it’s clean, tight and ready to receive the next products.
• Astringents: This is the tingling clean those with oily and acne prone skin crave. Higher amounts of alcohol or witch hazel remove excess oil. These should be used sparingly as they can be quite drying.

In professional use we’re instructed to use a toner after everytime water is applied to the skin. Sometimes tap water has deposits of minerals or metals. A toner wiped over the skin will help to remove any of those.

As for re-establishing the pH, the skin is designed to do that on it’s own. That’s getting into some pretty complicated skin care if the pH of water on the skin will immediate neutralize any active ingredients in further products used. I’ve never really been given an acceptable explanation of why that is so necessary. I feel they should be highlighting other advantages.

While toners can definitely improve any skin care routine, make sure to really understand the particular toner you are using. If it’s just a light spray  of alcohol, I would say it’s time to upgrade to something a touch more sophisticated that gives more benefits.

As listed above you can find ones that hydrate, exfoliate, plump and freshen the skin, really a benfit is available for most skin car conditions. I myself enjoy the routine and have always found that a swipe of toner does actually pick up any leftovers on the skin. You can always be sure that skin is completely clean.

What have been your experiences with toner?

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!