Nov 7, 2012

This could save your life!!! (okay not really but…)

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I spend a lot of money on products, I mean a lot, (we don’t judge here, remember).  I certainly spend more than I should, but lucky for you that I do because this is how I’m able to bring you all the best of what’s out there  (oh the sacrifices I make so that you all can look fab)!

Today’s blog however is about 3 skin care practices that are often misused, abused and/or sometimes overlooked all together.  It’s one thing to have the best products out there at your disposal but it’s another to use them incorrectly and waste all of your hard-earned cash.  This is where I come in…

1.  Exfoliating your face.   All too often people complain about exfoliators being too harsh on their skin.  What you need to remember is that your face is not gyproc and the exfoliator is not sandpaper.  Gentle, upward circular motion is all it takes to do a great job.  You’re trying to brighten your complexion by removing it’s dull outer layer,  not strip it like you would  an old piece furniture.  (Ren Micro Polish Cleanser $30 at Sephora.com and Renskincare.com and Tracie Martyn’s Enzyme Exfoliate  $90 at Traciemartyn.com)  These are my two very favorite exfoliating products out there.

2.  Applying moisturizer to your face.  Essentially your goal is to keep your face hydrated and therefore delay the signs of aging.  In other words “do not pull and yank your face like you are fighting with it!”  When you pull your face you are stretching your skin, loose skin is not generally associated with young looking skin.  Moisturizing your face is a kind thing to do, therefore do it kindly, gently pat your moisturizer on, again in an upward, circular motion.  Some days can be rough, the 60 seconds you get during the day to moisturize your face may be the only good ones of that day…enjoy the moment!  (for my product recommendation see “All the leaves are brown…” )

3.  Washing your face at night.  I am told and find it very hard to believe that there are people out there who go to bed at night and do not wash their face.  This is the closest thing to blasphemy in my book (and sadly I am not joking)!  Whether you are at work, at school, at home, wherever you may be throughout the day, your face comes into contact with a lot of nasty stuff.  I don’t care if it’s a great aunt that pinched your cheeks or smokers outside your office building,  kisses from friends or your own hands that come into contact with your face, you must wash it before bedtime.  All you party animals out there that come home too late or dare I say too intoxicated to wash up before bed…unacceptable!  I am now going to make your lives much easier and well, quite frankly, cleaner.  Amore Pacific Treatment Cleansing Tissues  $40, are the easiest way to clean your face before bedtime.  They come in a great little box with 30 tissues (plus another 30 replacement pack) and all you have to do is swipe it all over your face.  It removes dirt, grime, makeup and leaves your face pillow ready.

So you’re welcome world…I sort of feel like a skin care super hero trying to save the universe one complexion at a time…;)

A girl can dream, can’t she?  xo Elisa


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Oct 18, 2012

A Hazy Shade of Winter…

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While everyone is putting their beach bags away, stuffing their swimsuits into drawers that won’t open again until next year, there remains one item that people often forget to leave out and actually use during the winter months.  Sunscreen is that item.  We all tend to think that with winter on its way sunscreen is a thing of season’s past.  That is just not the case, every dermatologist will tell you the importance sunscreen plays in preventing your skin from aging all too rapidly.  That doesn’t mean you can’t still look good while using it!  I am not referring to your beach day sunscreen that leaves your skin chalky white.   Todays products, of which there are 2, (I’m all about the choices these days) do double duty, they both have an SPF 15 (0r higher) and they both keep your skin from turning that horrid shade of Blah, that most skin turns during the winter months.

I am caucasian and yet come winter time I don’t turn pasty white like most, I get this ever so unflattering shade of gray, not so pretty.  Were it not for Amore Pacific Time Response Skin Renewal Foundation the last two winters I’d have turned 50 Shades of Gray (not in the good way I assure you).  Not only does this stuff smell amazing, it doesn’t clog your pores, stimulates skin cell renewal, decreases collagen loss for healthier, younger looking skin and most importantly it lights up your face so that you look like you have the worlds clearest complexion.  Not bad for curing the mid winter skin Blahs.  (available at neimanmarcus.com for $90).

Your second choice for SPF winter skin perfection is Giorgio Armani’s New Maestro Foundation.  This is new on the market, but as promised I’ve tested it and I have to say it’s pretty wonderful.  I am not a lover of foundation’s in general, they tend to clog my pores, feel very present on my face, like I’m wearing a second skin.  With Armani’s Maestro Foundation I felt nothing on my skin at all and my face looked great all day, 2 very big plusses in my book.  It comes in 12 different shades, so finding a match shouldn’t be a problem and you’ll find it at any Giorgio Armani Cosmetic counter for $62 u.s.  (neimanmarcus.com, saks.com).

I am quite certain you’ll find that both of today’s featured products will revolutionize your winter complexion.  Bye bye blahs…Hello gorgeous skin!

So this winter, treat your skin kindly, stay out of tanning booths, (orange is not the shade I was referring to in the title) and feel great.

“Look around, leaves are brown, there’s a patch of snow on the ground.”

xo Elisa

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Oct 9, 2012

Tony! Toni! Tone!….Toner!!!

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Generally the second step of any skin care regimen, toning is often overlooked as an essential part of complexion maintenance.  Like the strength training you do at the gym (I say “you” because, well frankly I don’t do gyms), to make your muscles stronger, toning does the same thing to your skin.  A good toner doesn’t rid your face of excess dirt or oils, your cleanser should do that, nor does it strip your face of the essential oils it needs to stay hydrated.  Toners help to strengthen and balance your skin so it looks as good as it should and readies it for your next step, be it serum or moisturizer.

Before I “reveal” today’s recommended product I will stress that an alcohol free toner is always the way to go.  Alcohol doesn’t penetrate below the skin’s service and does nothing more than dry your skin from the outside, leaving your skin deceivingly matte, when in fact the oils below are still very much there and planning a revolution on your face.  Toners should balance your skin’s ph levels leaving yours skin healthy and well…toned.  So today I offer another two-fer, simply because I use 2 different toners.  (You do not have to, I am merely a crazy person.)  The first is my morning wake up call, Origin’s A Perfect World Age Defense Treatment Lotion, if the scent doesn’t win you over, its gentle, non sticky texture absolutely will.  Not too oily, not too drying (it’s alcohol free), its pure bliss on your skin and at $22 it’s very affordable.   My number 2 choice is my evening toner, Amore Pacific Treatment Toner, another aromatically pleasing scent.  This too is just toning perfection, it balances my skin and leaves it moisturized without feeling oily or sticky (again, alcohol free).  It costs a bit more at $40/bottle, but I assure you it is money well spent.  My face is smooth and dewy fresh when I wake up the next morning.  Both toners are available at sephora.com.

So with winter coming, take good care of your skin…and don’t forget step 2 in your skin care regimen, whichever one you chose.

Happy Shopping…xo Elisa

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Sep 19, 2012

“All the leaves are brown…and the sky is gray…”

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Yup, fall is among us and with it brings a change in your skin care regimen.  The leaves may be brown, the sky may be gray, but your complexion doesn’t have to be!  For this to come to fruition you need to up your moisturizer game.  What has been working for you all summer long probably wont cut it for the fall and winter months.  Breaking up is always hard to do, but it’s time for you and your summer moisturizer to spend some time apart.  It’s okay, embrace the change, you’ll see each other again next spring.  Until then trust me, I’ve kept hydrated with the best of them and for me…nothing beats Amore Pacific Future Response Age Defense Cream.

During the summer, many of us go with lotions that are slightly lighter in texture so as not to clog our pores when the heat and humidity are out of control.  In winter, it’s time to transition to a cream.  Future Response Age Defense Cream hydrates in addition to helping the skin’s cells regenerate themselves, but that’s not why I love it.  This stuff goes on smooth and light,  keeps my face moisturized all day long and nary a poor is clogged.  So when it’s 15 below zero (as it is in Montreal sometimes) and your “epidermis” is showing, you won’t care because you know you’ll be well protected.

Amore Pacific Future Response Age Defense Cream is sold at Neiman Marcus stores, Bergdorf Goodman, Sephora and on the Amore Pacific website (it sells for $195 for 1.7 full oz.).  I know it’s not chump change, but it will last you an entire season and then some.  It’s my go to winter moisturizer and I hope you all like it.

“California Dreamin’ on such a (hydrated) winter’s day…”

xo Elisa

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Sep 9, 2012

Goodnight Moon…

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I used to babysit as a kid, ALOT, and all the parents used to leave me Goodnight Moon to read to their kids.  I gotta tell ya, I kinda found it a little boring.  I wanted to read them something exciting, with different voices, and action, maybe cute puppies, but no, Goodnight Moon was always their first choice book.  Cut to 2012, my friends all have kids, and many of them still read Goodnight Moon to them…the difference is, I get it now!  Goodnight Moon is the bedtime Zen book, it mellows the kid out, gives parents the hope of a good night’s sleep, knowing their children have been tucked away with “goodnight noises everywhere” and a chance to wake up to a fresh new day.

Today’s product is the Goodnight Moon for grown ups.  It’s Amore Pacific Green Tea Seed Treatment Oil ($195 at Sephora.com, neimanmarcus.com, and it is available at Holt Renfrew in Ontario).  It may seem pricey, I know remember I use it, but it is well worth it I assure you.  This is great for all skin types and I mean all skin types.  Two or three drops each night, applied on clean skin will change your skin forever.  I imagine some of you are thinking, “oil? on my face?”…I know I did before I tried it and now I think this may be one of the greatest skin care treatments out there.  First of all the oil is not oily, and leaves your face smooth and dry.  I no longer wake up to a face that resembles the unfortunate Exxon Valdez oil spill  of ’89.  This stuff seems to repair the damage done to your skin during the day and allows you to wake up fresh-faced and fabulous.  A few months ago I got wind burn on my face, too afraid to use anything too greasy but desperately needing to fix this issue I went right to my Green tea seed treatment oil and after one night’s sleep my inflamed face had faded and I was completely rehydrated.

When I wrote my intro to this blog, I stated how I wanted  people to take the time in their day to do something nice for themselves, this is that something.  The smell of this stuff is amazing, it’s like zen in a bottle and it’s texture is pure bliss.  Take my word on this one, treat yourself to it or put it on a birthday/christmas list…my only complaint is that my night-time ritual doesn’t last longer.

Enjoy it….I know I do…

Oh and “goodnight stars. Goodnight air.” Goodnight to products everywhere.

xo Elisa

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