Skin care definitely consists of a balancing act.  What is the situation on-hand showing us.  Am i oily/dryer etc…  Many of us hope one cream, one cleanser will work 365 days a year.

Yet our skin changes with climate, diet, stress and hormones etc.  If beautiful skin is your goal, you must keep on hand a variety of skin care products to address the needs of your ever-changing skin.

I often recommend  using my favorite exfoliating cleanser (and use myself), Bion Glycolic Cleanser, the week before your period, for acne/oily skin. As skin tends to get oilier 7 to 14 days before menstruation.  You may also need to lighten up on your moisturizer.  I love Skinceuticals B5, it is very hydrating, yet liquid.

One of my new favorite finds and recommendations to my clients with hormonal acne is Eminence 8 Greens Serum and 8 Greens Whipped Moisturizer.  It contains natural plant estrogen’s and does wonders to prevent hormonal acne.

Another quick fix is Bion Green Tea Mask does great as a post-treatment and weekly mask during these times.

Sigrid Yorke, Licenced Esthetician and Make-Up Artist.

I am 45 years old.  I have spent a good deal of time outdoors in the construction business and I ride motorcycles and spend a fair amount of time on the coast in the salty sea air.  The sun damage was clearly evident as I gazed into the mirror and started to ask myself when did I turn into an old man? I am of the opinion that you are as old as you feel and I still feel like a seventeen year old at least mentally, I do.  But, after being addressed as ‘Sir’ and asked if I want the senior price for the movie ticket I want to purchase, I realized that now I was indeed a man of a certain age.  i vowed to do something to return some semblance of youthful virility to my tired worn and wrinkled exterior, and so I sought the advice of a trusted and close woman friend (Terri Ward Exum, Licensed Esthetician). She works for a plastic surgeon and she happily evaluated the condition of my skin.

Anyway, to make a long story short, she recommended a few products and techniques I could start right away and see and feel instant results.  First cleanse well and exfoliate the dead skin cells off your mug, then tone with a lotion instead of harsh astringents particularly after a shave, and finally moisturize and protect the skin with at least some SPF non-pore clogging product.

She let me have a YONKA for men starter kit.  Included is a Foam Gel, Barber Shave an allantoin burn-free shave cream, Lotion YK an energizing tone to use in place of an aftershave (which smells like citrus not alcohol), Under Eye Gel which gets rid of puffiness and dark circles under the eyes, and finally a moisturizer called Age Defense, and as all dudes know the best offense is to have a good defense.  Any how this is the last thing I put on before I’m out the door and it is not heavy it doesn’t clog your pores or burn your eyes when you sweat.  Now I swear after only a week of this routine I am back in the game.  I notice women smiling at me at the check out counter at the grocery store.  The bank teller tends to hold my gaze longer and is even friendlier and frankly I am pleasantly impressed by the man staring back at me in the mirror.

I’ll keep this updated as my dates pile-up….thanks BGG!!

-James E. Biker Boy

Although we’re really enjoying the hot summer weather, it does tend to make the skin get oilier. In these conditions, skin is usually happier when you’re using a foam cleanser. Yonka gel nettoyant is one of my favorites. Not all foam cleansers are eye friendly, but this one is. It foams and feels light, but still takes off that stubborn eye makeup, a nice combination.

If you wear a lot of sunscreen (and since it’s summertime, I sure hope you’re extra careful about applying sunscreen), just be mindful to exfoliate more often. If you haven’t tried it, Blinc Resurf.a.stic is a great choice. It’s super easy and does a great job sweeping off dead cells that can lead to clogged pores. I also love Bion Glycolic Cleanser for those folks who get super oily, like I do. It just gives a great clean feeling, without stripping the skin, plus the glycolic acid also helps rid the skin of dead cells too.

I was having a conversation the other night with one of my oldest and dearest childhood friends. We went to Aesthetic school together 27 yrs ago (has it really been that long??) and have both remained in this industry.  In addition to skin care, we both do permanent makeup and makeup artistry, so we view beauty from a couple of angles: beautiful skin, beautiful makeup, well done enhancement procedures.

At any rate, we were chatting about all the different new plastic surgery trends and injectables. Discussing when is the right time to have what procedure done, and so on. Then we talked about serial face lifts and how they’re usually so very wrong…. You know what I’m talking about, I’m sure. We’ve all seen them in Hollywood. I mean, it’s like, enough already! (I work with a few plastic surgeons, so I get all the inside scoop too.)

 We both feel that, regardless of whether or not you’re open for plastic surgery or injectables, you simply must take care of your skin. Smooth, even, glowing, healthy skin just looks great on everyone. In our opinion, you should get only one good face lift at the right time and keep the rest down to injectables. Let’s face it, if your whole body is aging, it’s going to looks odd if your face is pulled tighter that a drum. Equally odd is the outcome if the injectables are overdone. We’ve seen those faces as well, too paralyzed and too puffed. Balance is the key. Having a good skin routine, good diet, healthy life style, exercise and a happy attitude is the best recipe for beauty.

The other trend we see being overdone is the pale look. Naturally, we tell all our clients and friends that they have to use sunscreens and not to over-expose in the sun. But hello…. Now we’re starting to see people like Madonna, so white. Now could someone please show her how to do her makeup? As we age, less is more. And you can put a little color in your face like glominerals bronzing gel or the bronzing powder. Or use a self tanner. I mean, really, she’s Italian! She could handle another 5 lbs too. As we age our face tends to lose fat and get sunken in. (Too bad this doesn’t happen to our hips!) That’s where fillers and other injectables can be helpful.

So what I’m saying is, in the end you can age gracefully and nip tuck on the conservative side if that’s your cup of tea, but do not overdo anything. BALANCE, BALANCE, BALANCE. It truly is the key. And remember, beautiful skin is just beautiful, so take care of your complexion.  It’s fundamentally the most important component.

I recently went on vacation and it took me almost as long to pack my cosmetics as it did to pack my clothes. Why? Well, I’m definitely a tad high maintenance in the clothes realm, too, but my whole career is about beautiful skin. So it’s a given I know better than to overdo it in the sun. Like most people, I believe that a bit of color make us look better, but we now know that the fleeting glow of a tan comes at a pretty steep cost. Like any skin loving 21st century woman would, I prepared myself to do the great faux bronze look and protect all of the time and energy I’ve already invested in fighting Father Time, and into my trusted cosmetic bag went:

SkinCeuticals C E Ferrulic  which was the very first thing that went on my face each morning. This was followed up with Skin Ceuticals SPF 30  on my face and Skinceuticals SPF 45  everywhere else. Then my face got a nice dusting of Eminence Minerals, which I also brought along in my bag. In the strong Bahamian Sun, I wasn’t taking any chances. I reapplied the every hour to make sure I would not burn. Let me tell you, I saw a crazy amount of sunburns. I was shocked that with all we know about sun (uh, skin cancer anyone??), so many people were just throwing caution to the wind. Quite a few of those vacationers are going to be spending time at dermatologist appointments in the future. I just might be on another cruise!

In the evenings, I’d get back to my room and shower all the sunscreen off and apply Fake Bake  and Yonka Tan Prolonger. I alternated those each night. I’d also use Glow Minerals new Bronzing Gel  to recreate a fresh tan. Then we would all meet up for dinner. Everyone around me was red and complaining of sunburns and/or peeling. And there I was getting darker by the day, as I was building up my “faux glow”. By the end of our week long journey, I was the darkest, no peeling, no burn. It was actually amusing. Most importantly I kept my skin free of ultraviolet damage. I had great fun and I still got my share of required vitamin D.

One last thing I should also mention. I took Yonka Gommage  with me to make sure I could keep my complexion clear, since I knew I’d be making such heavy use of sun screen. Using so much sunscreen can wreak havoc on you if you are oily. But with Yonka Gommage, my skin stayed clear. Most importantly, it’s such a gentle way to exfoliate. And it didn’t make my skin more photosensitive, as harsh scrubs, enzymes or acid exfoliants could have. It’s a must have for summer smooth skin.

I’m in love with the new resurf.a.stic.s they are really cool. First they are easy to use, second they are REALLY effective. You apply it like a deodorant then you wet your fingers and spread it all over the area (they make 4 types, for different body parts). Then you massage in a circular motion and rinse. Voila, very, very smooth skin. You are ready to proceed with other products. They will be so much more effective as you have exfoliated off all the dead cellular debris.

Many times, when clients come in for a facial and we get to talking about some of their skin issues, the discussion turns to things like the dark circles under their eyes or trouble with blemishes. Some have issues with ruddy skin, and others are bothered by a sallow complexion. Often, these clients also have visibly dehydrated skin. So I ask them about their water intake and a typical response is, “Oh, I don’t like drinking water.” Or, “Yeah I’m bad about that.”

This has been by far, over the years, my favorite. Why? Well, because when it comes to removing your make-up, it does it all! It’s gentle to the skin, but it removes eye make-up (even stubborn mascara) in one clean sweep and also lifts and washes away make-up, dirt, and secretions. So it does 2 in 1 and it smells lovely, too, making life easy. After all, isn’t that what it’s all about? No wonder make-up artists, celebrities, and aestheticians, like myself, covet this luxurious cleanser. Best of all, it’s suitable for all skin types. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll be happy to know you can share the joy with all your friends.

Prepare your lips for the most romatic day of the year with SkinCeuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair.  This powerful treatment with vitamin E and silymarin, prevent premature signs of aging, while restoring moisture and smoothing the surface of the lips, making them extra kissable.  The special blend of botanical emollients hydrate and heal dry, cracked lips, while its AHA-free exfoliating complex accelerates cell renewal to smooth deep lip lines for full, lucious lips.

Price: $32

Eminence launched a new line of Citrus Facial Products earlier this year. The line includes: Citrus Exfoliating Wash, Lime Refresh Tonique, Pink Grapefruit Clarifying Masque, Pink Grapefruit Vitality Masque, Pink Grapefruit C Gel, and Mandarin Grapefruit Body Butter. (We absolutely can not keep up with the Lime Refreshing Tonique orders!) We are overjoyed about the new line but and today we to used the Pink Grapefruit Clarifying Masque to reduce sucsessfully reduce a volcanic-sized zit. We have always found a face mask has the power to brighten our outlook and our skin.

This product is perfect. It feels like a rich creamy milk bath filled with large chunks of grapefruit. A surprising combination of powerful astringent and milky comfort. It oozes a muted tanginess that provides essentail nutireints for our skin.

Benefits:
• Removes impurities from the skin
• Helps heal and prevent blemishes
• Balances excess sebum production
• Infuses high levels of antioxidant vitamin-C and bioflavonoids