Winter...even in southern Calfornia

Ok, I get that compared to other parts of the world I shouldn't really be complaining about the weather and I'm not really. My complaint is with my skin...somehow despite my best efforts to take care of it I've ended up with an obnoxious little red irritated patch of dry skin in the center of my face!  

Not sure if it's the combo of cooler air outside and warm dry air inside, if I'm not staying hydrated enough or if one of my little samples was just not right for me.  The hardest part of skin care has to be patience when something goes wrong.

I alternated between using Dermalogica's Barrier Repair and good old Aloe Vera.  Still took a few days to clear up, and when I felt a tiny bit more confident (and when it was getting a little flaky) I added an exfoliant to the mix (Dermalogica's Microfoliant).  At night I'd use a layer of Eminence Organic's Linden Calendula Treatment for dry/dehydrated skin and make sure my humidifier was on.  I've tried to up my tea intake as it's been too chilly for my usual large glass of iced water.  

ULTA Spa Day

We get our ULTA catalogs every month.  Every month they have their specials for their salon and spa.  This month I decided to give it a go.

The one I went to didn't have a treatment room, just a small sectioned off space on the main floor.  No worries for me though if I can relax in a class full of people I can relax just about anywhere.  My skin therapist was super nice, we chatted for a bit about schools and such.  She had a very nice touch, gentle and relaxing.  

As far as Dermalogica goes, she used some items from their Ultra Calming line and some from their Age Smart line.  My skin is a little sensitive (it gets red very easily) and I tend to be more dry.  She gave me my face chart to show me her analysis of my skin which is awesome because it tells you exactly which product were used. My favorite product of this skin care session was the Age Smart MultiVitamin Power Firm for my eye area (and a little on the lip area). 

If you haven't checked out your local ULTA for their spa services it's worth looking into.  I think that finding a good skin therapist is a lot like finding the right hair stylist and manicurist.  You've got to try out a few (or a lot) to find the right one for you.  Overall, it was a really good experience.  

21 Days of Beauty...and my best buy

I love when ULTA has their 21 Days of Beauty...I've been trying to watch my budget lately so I didn't indulge myself too much. However, when they had Clarisonic brush heads for buy one get one free...well I could not pass that up.  (Total $27 for two!)

My Clarisonic Mia was probably one of my best purchases when I was a Macy's (employee discount woot woot).  It's been a few years now and I still love it.  Plug in to charge it every once in a while and change out the brush head every few months. Done. I've never tried the other brushes on the market because I've never needed to.  

You can use any type of cleanser you'd like with this brush, lately I've been using it with Murad's Essential-C Cleanser and Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant.  Exfoliating with the brush is really nice, it leaves your skin so soft and smooth.  Bonus being that when you give your skin a nice exfoliation your follow up (serums and moisturizers) will go on more smoothly and penetrate deeper into your skin.   

What has been your best beauty purchase?  

Starting over, all over again

                                                                      Here I am at the starting line once again.  Feels like it's happened a lot in the last few years.  Luckily, I'm at the excited for a new beginning part.

I've been taking some continuing education classes over at the Dermal Institute.  I took the 3 Day Skin Care Technique class and met a great group of fellow Estheticians. I really enjoy taking classes there, the teachers are all great and a bonus is that we use Dermalogica (which is cruelty free).  Up next is a "skin series" class and a class in gaining and retaining clients...which will be pretty important as I currently have a whopping ZERO clients in my roster.

After these classes, I'll be hopping to the application process.  I'm not even really sure where to begin...but I'll figure it out.  Just need to get organized, be focused, and keep up my skills.

Unfortunately my workouts took a backseat when I was in class last week (2+ hours in traffic sure takes a lot out of you!)...but I will get started again, no wagon falling off for me!

Back to school...the education continues

This week I'm going back to school (International Dermal Institute style).  Taking the 3-day Technique course.  I'm at a strange point of my life where I'm still struggling with the whole "What should I be when I grow up?" 

Part of me totally wants to pursue being an Esthetician, but I know that that goes hand in hand with sales.  I just have never been confident in my salesperson skills.  I guess for me, I'm a look around shopper myself and don't particularly like having a sales associate checking in on me. 

The other part of me really enjoyed working in an elementary school.  I love working with kids...you will always have a good story to tell when kids get involved.  Add to that the fact that I don't have any kids of my own (and having them in my future is looking a bit bleak for the time being) I kind of miss the school environment.  Weekends and holidays off? Yes please.  

For now, while I'm in the gray area I'm taking a couple of classes at the Dermal Institute to brush up on some facial giving skills.  Also, I get to go to the student store and pick up some products...yay! (For info on Dermalogica/Dermal Institute/Continuing Education click here).

taking sides on pretty (organic vs. lab made)

It's a choice you make for yourself. All organic and natural sound great...but in my experience sometimes it's a little lacking in the results department. An ingredients list with words as long as my arm doesn't seem much better, and even though I own ingredient dictionaries it is a bit time consuming to look it all up.

At an International Dermal Institute (Dermalogica) class I was at they talked about how their products are made in the lab and how the only guinea pigs they use are their employees.  It was pointed out that when a product is created in the lab it can synthesize the ingredient from nature...but it will turn out the same every time which in turn would create consistent results.  To me, I think seeing and feeling results is a bigger issue than the ingredients list.

Also, I'm currently more concerned about whether or not a product was tested on animals.

What are your main concerns when picking out products?  Do you look for organic certifications? Do you look for the bunny?  Do you go by price? Let me know...I'd love to hear your thoughts.


Cheers xoxo~~Tam