Some Practical Beauty Advice

Hello all!

Today I will share with you some general information on masks, tonic lotions, and moisturizers, as I am often receiving questions about them from my clients.

MASKS

We all know the wonderful feeling of just relaxing with our face covered in a face mask that will make us look younger, tighten our pores and nourish our skin.  All we have to do is sit back and let the face mask work its magic.  

The question I am often asked is “what happens if I leave the mask on for too long?” The answer is that it depends on the type of mask.  Let me explain.  For most masks (hydration, nourishing type of masks), leaving them on longer than the recommended time – usually 20 to 30 minutes – will not result in any damage to your skin, but at the same time it will not really provide any additional benefits.  The problem is with masks that contain chemicals such as glycolic acid, salicylic acid, or lactic acid.   Leaving these types of face masks on for longer than the recommended time, can and will result in skin irritation, which can range from moderate to severe. This is more so of course for sensitive skins. 

Therefore, to always be on the safe side, follow the manufacturer’s recommended time frames when using your mask. 

An Excellent selection of Masks can be found here!

Skin Care after the Summer

Hello Ladies and WELCOME BACK from your summer holidays! 

Time to start taking care of our skin after all it has been through during these hot summer months.

The needs of our skin change with the seasons. Late summer and early autumn is the best time to start the restoration process of our skin by providing to the skin the tender love and care it needs.  The warm summer months have managed to make our skin more dry and clog the pores, leaving our skin looking dull. If we choose to ignore it, we leave the door wide open for the early visible signs of aging such as fine lines, wrinkles, uneven discoloration and freckles.  We therefore need to follow certain necessary steps to restore a soft, smooth, radiant and healthy skin.

Antioxidant care

Although we cannot undo damage to the skin caused by the UV rays, what we can do is protect it from future damage.  Due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVA / UVB) the

7 Bad Habits that you Need to Stop Right Now

Hello Beautiful Ladies!

When it comes to caring for our skin, there are some things that we should not do, and some things that we should do better. So....here we go!

Use of unsuitable Sunscreens

Sunscreen and sun cream products are not all created equal. A good sun cream should effectively block both UVA (responsible for aging) and UVB rays (responsible for sun burns). If your sunscreen does not cover both types of rays, then better put it aside.  Furthermore, when it comes to sun creams, more is better. Do not hesitate to use an adequate amount. For good coverage of the face, neck, and décolleté you will need about a teaspoon of the product.

Postponing Anti-aging Prevention

We are all well aware that prevention is always better than the cure. It is therefore essential to begin preventative anti-aging treatments early. As a rule of thumb, eye creams should be used from the age of 18 and up, Serums from the age of 25 and up, and creams containing stronger anti-aging ingredients from the age of 35 and above. Of course these are just  guidelines. The main point is that if prevention starts early, then you can effectively delay the signs of aging before they even start to form, giving you smoother, more youthful skin for a greater period of time.

7 Tips For year-round beauty

Hello Ladies,

Today, I would like to share with you 7 easy but necessary steps that we all need to follow year-round to maintain a beautiful and flawless face and body

Moisturizing after Bathing

Most of us enjoy a warm, relaxing bath or shower. Unfortunately it also tends to remove  valuable oils from our skin.  The easy solution to replace the lost hydration, is of course the use of moisturizing body creams,  many of which also offer added benefits such as firming and toning the skin.  A good way never to forget to use your body cream or lotion, is by keeping it in the shower. This way, by having it in sight, you will remember to use it. Finally, keep in mind that you need to apply the cream or lotion on your skin within ten minutes after finishing your bath so that the skin is not completely dry.

Daily Sun Care

Use your sun cream year-round! Yes you read that right. The sun cream should be applied in the winter as well.  The reason for this,  is that the harmful UVA and UVB rays are always present even when it is cloudy.  Of course, using a good sun cream is even more essential in  the warmer, summer months. 

The application of a good sun cream should be the last step in your daily beauty regime, and it is placed on the skin before your make-up application.  For the face and other sensitive areas (as well as for children) choose a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30, and even better, SPF 50 or 60.  Many of you, may also find it useful and convenient to use a sunscreens in spray form. These are very handy to have in your purse and in the car, and can be used throughout the day - even over your make-up. Finally, keep in mind that the lower the SPF value, the more often you need to repeat the application.

Summer, Sun, the Beach, and.....Cellulite?

When the time comes when you will put on your swim suit,  and start enjoying the summer, don't let cellulite stop you.   Instead let’s see some ways that will help us minimize it.

A short explanation of cellulite 

First let me just say that unfortunately cellulite runs in the family, in other words it’s genetic.  That is, if your mom has cellulite, there is a very good probability that you also have it.   The bumpy skin is caused when fat presses up against the vertical connective tissue that surrounds fat cells in our thighs. This creates a bulging of the cells.  In more severe cases we have the “orange peel” effect.

So much for what cellulite is.   Now let’s see some ways and products that will help us minimize it.

Drink Plenty of Water

Water is our biggest ally in fighting cellulite.  Try and drink about 8 glasses every day, which will help to remove toxins, and increase blood circulation.  In addition, by increasing our water intake, our body begins to shed excess fat including fat that is stored as cellulite.  Finally, water helps to strengthen collagen in the skin.

5 Tips for Summer Care!

Summer is closing in and it is time to review some tips on keeping our skin healthy and glowing through the hot summer months that will follow.

1. Exfoliation...cleaner, clearer, smoother 

 

Running the risk of sounding boring at times, I must state once more that exfoliation is imperative towards achieving a clean, smooth, glowing skin. Peeling will remove the layers of dead skin cells that accumulate on the surface of the epidermis. This is very important since the dead skin cells that accumulate cause congestion to the pores of the skin. Basically the skin cannot "breath", the pores get clogged and the skin is not able to receive proper hydration and other nutrients from products that we apply.

For most people exfoliation done once a week or every 10 days is probably adequate. I recommend you do your exfoliation in the evening, and follow it with an appropriate mask, and then with your night care cream. If you want to take it a step further, add an ampoule or serum (prior to the mask). The results will amaze you!

Special Skin Care - Closing on 40

If you are closing on your forties,  or perhaps you are already there,  it is now time to re-evaluate the care you provide to your skin.  Basically, you should now start to incorporate in your daily skin care regime, products with a bit more "robust" active ingredients. These will help your skin to cope with the increasing demands, restore damage that your skin has suffered, and protect it from future hardships.

You've probably noticed the increasing fine lines around your eyes, mouth and on the forehead. Perhaps your skin has also lost a little of its brightness and appears more dehydrated.  Well, the good news is that you have several options at your disposal that will help give your skin the boost it requires to be more healthy and glowing.

I am sure that, over the course of the past years, most of you have developed a good skin care regime, which may include daily cleansing , exfoliating and moisturizing.  However, now is the time to re-evaluate your skin's needs and adjust the care you provide to it.  How much adjustment you need to make?  Well, this depends on how much care you have been providing your skin thus far.

Increase the Daily Care of Your Skin

As mentioned earlier, you will now need to add to the daily care of your skin "robust " ingredients.  Anti-aging, collagen formation boosters such as Matryxil, Retinol, and of course  AHA ( alpha hydroxy acids), which also stimulate collagen synthesis, help to reduce fine lines and wrinkles resulting in a more radiant complexion.

In particular, products with AHA do an excellent job for smoothing the and improving the  skin tone, while products with Matryxil significantly increase the production of collagen and elastin in the skin, as well as the production of hyaluronic acid.

 

Retest Your Skin Type

Over time, our skin is loses collagen and moisture. In addition hyaluronic acid production falls to about 50%.  Because of these factors, our skin type also tends to change over time - for instance loss of hydration make our skin more dry.  Therefore, even if until now you had a normal skin type, you are now most likely to need products for dry skin.  I highly We recommend that you consider making a comprehensive skin analysis to determine the exact needs of your skin.  This way you will know exactly what kind of products you need to buy which will help your skin.

 

Make-Up Simplified

Unfortunately, as we age, many women tend to use more make-up to hide imperfections, such as fine lines, skin discoloration, etc.  Doing this has in fact the opposite effect. As more make-up and powder is used, a cakey complexion is formed on to the skin, and thin lines may also become more prominent since make-up enters into the grooves of the wrinkles. Prefer creamy make-up formulas, as the tends not to "sink" into the fine lines, and helps your skin look more cool and smooth.

 

What Products do I recommend

There is a great variety of products that you can start using to enhance your skin care routine.  Click on the Hi-2 COSMETICS link to see some products I recommend to my clients. 

http://www.hi2cosmetics.com/shop/index.php?l=product_list&c=54

Beauty Ingredients vs Time

Today let's talk about those ingredients that really help our skin and become our allies in our effort to eliminate the signs of aging that passage of time leaves our skin .  Of course , there are many ingredients today in cosmetic formulations (creams , masks , serums , ampoules , etc. ) which help the skin to address the signs of aging .  Nonetheless, today we will focus on five ingredients that are widely recognized for their therapeutic action on the skin. 

 

Hyaluronic acid

Perhaps the most well known ingredient to emerge in recent years. It%u2019s ability to bind extremely large quantities of moisture ( approximately 1000 times its molecular weight) contributes immensely to the production of collagen and elastin. It also provides protection against  free radicals. Hyaluronic acid is a substance produced by the body itself from the day we are born. However, the production of hyaluronic acid is reduced significantly over time. For example, at the age of 40, it  decreases to about 50 % while at the age of 60 the production is as low as 10%. It is therefore very important to replenish the skin with this valuable ingredient.

Some products I recommend to my clients are:

Hyaluron Emulsion 30 ml

Hyaluron Ampoules (6 x 2 ml)

Hyaluron Cream with 3 Ampoules

 

Retinol and Vitamin A

Together with Vitamin E , Vitamin A is often called the beauty vitamin. Retinol is also a form of vitamin A.  Vitamin A is known for its protective effect on the skin because it neutralizes free radicals and prevents deep wrinkle formation. It is also crucial for the development and structure of the skin. Other positive effects of vitamin A is that it normalizes the activity of the sebaceous glands and neutralizes keratinization of the skin.

Some products I recommend to my clients are:

 

Nanoparticles Exclusive  Cream 50 ml with 3 Ampoules

Vitamin A Cream 50 ml

EUR 26.50 Vitamin A Concentrate Ampoules (6 x 2 ml)

 

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is a very important enzyme that protects cells, regenerates the skin and fights wrinkles . 

Specifically , coenzyme Q-10

 

Activates the skin. Young skin has great amounts of CoQ10 and thus has adequate energy %u2013 that is, energy required to repair the damage and make sure that the skin cells healthy.

 

Protects against photoaging - premature aging that is due to exposure of the skin to sunlight

 

Rejuvenates the skin and stimulates cell activity . The active skin cells can easily get rid of toxins and make much better use of nutrients.

 

Stimulates collagen production. Collagen is the protein that decreases as we age, which in turn leads to wrinkly skin

 

It is a powerful antioxidant that works against oxidative damage  (such as from the sun's UV rays , pollution , toxins , stress ) all of which lead to premature skin aging

Some products I recommend to my clients are:

Co enzyme Q-10 Ampoules (6 x 2 ml)

 

Vitamin E

 

Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant that combats the harmful action of free radicals, and also protects and repairs the skin from damage caused by UV radiation . It also combats skin dryness by helping the skin to maintain its natural hydration .

 

Finally , clinical studies have shown that when creams with vitamin E are used before exposure to the sun and the UV rays, the skin suffers less from redness, swelling, and dryness.

Some products I recommend to my clients are:

Oxygenium Cream 50 ml  with 3 Ampoules

Nanoparticles Exclusive  Cream 50 ml with 3 Ampoules

La Creme - Pearl Skin 50 ml

 

 

Peptides

Mixtures of peptides are used in almost all skin care products.  They are especially effective skin care ingredients that help reduce wrinkles and improve overall skin quality. Furthermore, they increase the production of collagen and help skin to maintain a uniform appearance .

 

In recent year, we%u2019ve seen the emergence of peptide mixtures of peptides like Matrixyl, which stimulate the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid . Other popular mixtures of copper peptides are peptides , which reduce inflammation of the skin. Finally , some of the most innovative peptides are neuropeptides which ( according to clinical studies ) relax the muscles of the face, and therefore , reduce the appearance of wrinkles - similar effects as i.e. injection BOTOX.

 

Some products I recommend to my clients are:

Anti-Aging Cream 50 ml w/ 3 ampoules

La Creme - Gold Skin 50 ml

That's all for today ladies. Until our next appointment ... Be Beautiful!