Sunday, December 28, 2014

Body Wraps - When, Why and What to Expect!

The holidays can have some less than desirable effects on our bodies - and our skin! Perhaps you're beginning to second guess all those glasses (bottles) of wine and pieces (boxes) of chocolate? After such indulgences you might notice that your skin is dehydrated, puffy, and/or breaking out. So what's a gal to do about it?

I always recommend a post-holiday body wrap! Body wraps contain ingredients in the masque that help to detoxify and nourish the skin, plus being wrapped up with a heated blanket induces sweating, which helps reduce any water retention from all those extra glasses of alcohol you may have consumed over the holidays! My favourite post-holiday wrap is the Blueberry Soy Slimming Body Wrap. Benefits of this wrap include:
- improves elasticity & reinforces collagen fibers for firmer skin
- increases circulation to rejuvenate & revitalize the skin
- moisturizing
- healing
- improves skins texture

What To Expect:
First, I start by exfoliating the body and prepping it for the masque. I massage a gentle sugar scrub on each area of the body and remove with hot towels. I then apply the masque to the body and wrap you up in a plastic sheet, cover you with the duvet and turn on the heating pad. (If desired, this is when the facial would be performed, otherwise you will rest for approximately 20 minutes). Once the masque has had time to do it's job, you are slowly unwrapped, the masque is removed with hot towels and a moisturizing cream is massaged into the skin. The whole process takes approximately 1.5 hours (2.5 hours with a facial).

I recommend coupling this treatment with a Blueberry Detox Firming Facial for the full Head To Toe Treatment!



Get the Blueberry Bliss Head To Toe Facial for only $162.50 in the month of January! (Reg. price $225)
Visit www.skinstudiospa.com now to book online :)

Saturday, November 15, 2014

5 Reasons To Stop Using Soap On Your Face!

If your skin care regimen includes soap, KEEP READING! Soap is used to clean a lot of things - I use it to wash my hands (which I still follow up with a moisturizing lotion), I use it to wash my car, but never - never my face! But why? What's the big deal?

Here are 5 reasons to stop using soap as part of your skin care regimen:

1. It strips the skin of it's acid mantle. Yes, even the "moisturizing" kinds. Our skin keeps the good stuff in and the bad stuff out by protecting itself with a hydro-lipidic barrier, or "acid mantle". This is what prevents moisture loss in the skin and assists in keeping bacteria out. If you strip this layer away everyday by using harsh soaps instead of a gentle Facial Cleanser you are leaving your skin in a constant state of inflammation, increasing your risk for dehydration and irritation such as rashes, eczema and dermatitis.

2. It's too alkaline. Our skin's pH is naturally about a 5.5 (slightly acidic). In order to maintain a healthy pH, our products should be a similar pH to our skin - but soap is about a 9 on the pH scale - way too alkaline to safely cleanse the skin without disrupting it's natural balance. Disrupting that balance can cause a number of issues resulting in temporary or even permanent damage to the underlying tissues.

3. Because even the soaps that claim to be "for senstive skin" likely have artificial fragrances, colouring, detergent-like foaming agents, chemical preservatives and a whole lotta fillers! Not much room for skin loving ingredients in there! Proper facial cleansers can add nourishment, hydrate and calm the skin while they cleanse making them part of your daily skin treatment program.

4. Those of you with oily skin who tend to like that "squeaky clean" feeling are actually doing more harm than good. Remember that acid mantle we talked about? Well every time you strip that, you're stripping away ALL the oils in your skin. Our skin needs a certain amount of oil to maintain healthy skin and keep moisture in. So what does our body do when we take something away that it needs? It goes into repair mode and it makes more! So you are actually contributing to your oil problem by constantly stripping it away. It's a viscous cycle!

5. It changes the texture of your skin - it feels rough and flaky, and if you wear makeup does not create a smooth canvas to work on due to it's constantly dehydrated state. So your makeup will never look flawless no matter what you use! Pores will become more obvious, hyper-pigmentation will look darker and skin will have an overall dull appearance instead of looking bright and luminous! Check out this experiment that a fellow Esthetician performed:

 I think the image speaks for itself....

Bonus reason: Bar soaps harbour mass amounts of dirt and bacteria and are icky!

For recommendations regarding an appropriate facial cleanser for your skin come chat with me - you're friendly neighbourhood Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist! :)

xo Meaghan

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

5 Ways To Keep Lipstick Looking Fresh All Day



Are you tired of touching up your lipstick 20 times a day? Ever wondered how some women seem to have perfect lips all day long? Here are 5 tips to keep your lipstick looking fresh all day - no touch ups required!

1. First of all, you need to start with the right formula. Choose a lipstick that comes with long wear claims. You may need to test out a few to see which ones live up to their claims as there are several on the market. I recommend Mirabella's Colour Vinyl Lipsticks. They last up to 10 hours and won't dry out your lips like some other brands. 

2. Lip liner is coming back in a big way - and there's a reason for it! Gone are the days when we would choose a shade darker than our lipstick, rim our lips and top off with a little lip colour. Today's lip liners are being used in a different way. Lip liners can actually be used to alter a shade of lipstick, either making it deeper and richer, brighter or even to change the undertone of the shade. When applying your lip liner be sure to start by outlining the lip, but then don't forget to fill in the entire lip with your pencil as well! This will give a more consistent colour and will help your lipstick stay put all day!
**Tip: Clear lip liners like Mirabella's Perfecting Lip Definer can give you the long wear benefits of a lip liner, without altering the shade of lipstick you are wearing so you can use one universal lip liner with all your lipsticks!


3. Another trick to make lipstick last longer is to layer. By this I mean, apply lipstick, blot with a tissue, and apply again. You can repeat this process a few times if you want to really press the colour into the lips.

4. If you use a primer, applying a little bit of primer to the lips will help create the perfect base for lipstick and will fill in any fine lines on and around the lips. If you don't use primer, try a little bit of concealer. This will give the lip colour something to stick to, but will also help to intensify the colour. 

5. If you don't mind a more mattified look you can finish your application by layering a finishing powder over your lipstick to set it in place. You can either blot the powder directly over top, or what I like to do is take a single ply of tissue and place it over the lips, and then you can dust finishing powder over the lips with a powder brush. I like Mirabella's Perfecting Powder for this because it has a more luminous finish. 

Thanks for reading - I hope you learned a few helpful tips! For more makeup tips and tricks join me on Thursday, November 27th for One Enchanted Evening - a night of beauty, food and friends! Call or e-mail me for more info!
(519) 766-0003
info@skinstudiospa.com

Monday, September 29, 2014

A Day In The Life Of An Esthetician

I'd like to give you all a peak inside my bathroom... A "day in the life" of an Esthetician includes lots of time at the bathroom sink, cleansing, exfoliating, masquing and moisturizing! 

We spend all day dishing out skin care advice, but what are we really doing behind closed doors? Probably obsessing over that one pimple we got on our chin this week, just like you! But instead of panicking, digging at it until it's a hole in our face and then dabbing toothpaste on it - we know just what to do! (I know you do that, don't lie! LOL)


Products featured: Clear Skin Cleanser, Herbal Eye Makeup Remover, Red Currant Concentrate, Clear Skin Booster Serum, Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant, Clear Skin Probiotic Masque, Lime Stimulating Masque, Eight Greens Whip Moisturizer, Facial Recovery Oil, Lime Refresh Tonique, Wild Plum Eye Cream, Stone Crop Gel Wash, Clarisonic Cleansing Brush.


So here is my daily skincare regimen....
A.M.
Cleanse in the shower with a mild cleanser (add a dermafoliant every 2-3 days)
Spritz on some toner
Apply vitamin C serum (plus spot treatment for breakouts and hyaluronic serum for days when I'm feeling a little dehydrated)
Apply moisturizer with SPF

Apply eye cream

P.M.
Remove eye makeup
Cleanse using a deep cleansing wash and Clarisonic cleansing brush
Spritz on some toner
Apply a salicylic serum to prevent breakouts
Add 3 drops of recovery oil to night cream (this is a new step for me, but my skin looks and feels amazing for it!!)
Apply night cream
Apply eye cream


Once a week before bed I apply a deep cleansing masque, usually mixed with a stimulant as a little "mini facial". 
Once a month I give myself a full treatment at the spa, usually including a mild peel, microdermabrasion and a custom blended combination of masques and serums to calm and cleanse the skin.

So what do I do when I get an awful breakout (because let's be honest, it happens to all of us!)? I apply some spot treatment on it before I go to bed. The next day I head to the spa and I do a high frequency treatment and a 30 min LED session. That night I make sure to masque before bed - and I may even sleep in my masque. I make sure all my makeup brushes are clean so I'm not spreading the bacteria and I wait for it to heal. Applying the appropriate treatments and allowing the blemish to heal means it will be gone within a few days, with no scabbing and no scarring! 

Believe it or not, this whole process only takes a few minutes in the morning, and a few minutes at night - not a major interruption to my day, but it does keep my skin looking good! I get very few flare ups and often get compliments on how great my skin looks! (Something I never thought I would hear 10 years ago!) So if you're looking to get serious about whipping your skin into shape - come talk to me about a customized daily skin care regimen for you! Everyone can and should have beautiful, healthy skin that they feel comfortable in for years to come!

Monday, September 22, 2014

Why Facials are totally worth the money... AKA "What you've been missing all these years!"



Have you always been curious about facials but could never justify the cost? Maybe you can justify the cost but you're just too nervous because you really don't know what a facial IS! Well I'm here to tell you why facials are totally worth the money, and exactly what you've been missing out on all these years!

1. Even if you exfoliate and mask at home, the products used in professional facial treatments are much more concentrated than what is available to the general public, so you are getting a deeper cleansing and exfoliation, and a much higher concentration of active ingredients in the masks. 

2. All facials incorporate massage techniques that help increase circulation in the skin, which in turn increases oxygen and nutrients being delivered to the tissues and helps to flush toxins out. Try giving yourself a 10-15 minute facial massage at home - I bet you can't!

3. Estheticians can not only improve your skins overall health during the facial, they can actually aid in correcting common skin conditions such as acne, sun damage, rosacea, etc. 

4. Getting professional skin care advice is something very few Canadians consider, yet so many of us complain that we're not happy with our skin and we've "tried everything". Estheticians can create a customized home care regimen for your skin using professional grade products! 

5. Relaxation plays a key role in your stress levels, your mood, your ability to concentrate at work, your patience with your kids, your sleep patterns...... I could go on but I think you get the point. Taking an hour or two out of your day to focus on YOU, and relax - even if it's only once a month - can do you some major good! You work hard! Trust me, you deserve it!

6. Your skin is your body's largest organ, and it is too often neglected! We visit our Optometrist for our eye health, our Dentist to maintain our oral health, and some of us see a Dermatologist if we are struggling with a specific skin condition. Your Esthetician is here (just like your Dental Hygienist) to help you maintain healthy skin on a day to day basis. Think of your visit to the spa as just as necessary as your quarterly cleaning at the dentist (except waaaaaaaaay more fun!) ;)

7. It's more justifiable than that $100 you just spent on a new pair of shoes, or that beautiful leather purse. Ya wanna know why? Because in 6-12 months you'll be bored with those new shoes or that new purse and you'll shove it in the back of your closet, or give it away to charity - but your skin (whether you get bored of it or not!) will be your skin for the rest of your life. And you can't just march down to the mall and buy a new face now can you? So invest in yourself! That investment will still be worth it 20, 30, even 40 years down the road when all your rooster-necked friends are scowling at you and your beautiful firm skin! ;)

Still not convinced? Come visit me for a complimentary Skin Analysis and we can talk about the various treatment options available at the spa, and how I can help you achieve beautiful, healthy skin! Visit www.skinstudiospa.com for more information and to book online!

Monday, September 1, 2014

8 Things You Need To Know Before Getting Eyelash Extensions

Individual Eyelash Extensions have become very popular over the last few years, hitting hard as a mainstream addiction. Salons have tried desperately to cash in on this trend, but not all of them are willing to throw down the thousands of dollars it costs in training and supplies that it takes to perform this service safely! Here are 8 things you need to know to help you choose a knowledgeable lash technician and get safe, damage-free lashes!

1. Eyelash extensions CAN cause permanent damage to your eyelashes. The key here, is that it is not actually the extensions that are dangerous, but the technician who is applying them that can put you at risk. Make sure your technician is certified, and has the paperwork to prove it.

2. The volume and length of your extensions are dependent on your natural lashes. Your lash technician must respect how much weight your lashes can carry. Unfortunately, if you have short, thin lashes, you will not achieve long, dramatic lashes like Kim Kardashians! There are various techniques, such as Russian Volume or "3D Lashes" that can make it appear as though you have lots of lashes, but even with this technique, you cannot achieve a great deal of length. **Remember that when I say you "can't", I mean "you can, but never should as this would be damaging to your natural lash health." And as stated earlier, if your lash technician is using new techniques (ie. 3D), she should have separate formal training in this as well.

3. "So how do I know how long my lash extensions can safely be?" This is a question that is debated even among technicians in the industry. Some will say that the extension should never be more than double the length of the natural lash. In my opinion, this is still way too long for the natural lash to support. As a general rule of thumb, if the natural lash is 10mm long I would not go beyond a 12mm extension. Bear in mind that your lashes are all different lengths throughout the lash line and 4-5 lengths should be used to achieve a natural look.
On a side note, you will achieve a fuller look by using shorter length lashes. Consider a vase full of roses... if the stems are long, the vase will not appear as full, but if you trim the stems, all of the rose heads will touch, making the vase appear more full. So length should not be the main goal with lash extensions!

4. Eyelash Extensions also come in several "thicknesses" or diameters. Some lash technicians will use a thicker lash to create a "mascara" look or a more voluminous look if they are not trained in Russian Volume/ 3D Lashing. The lash extension should be no thicker than your natural lash. Period. Applying thicker lashes than what your natural lashes can handle can lead to your lashes shedding prematurely, lashes getting twisted and causing discomfort, or feeling weighed-down and getting in your line of vision. If you want to get technical with your technician, ask them what diameters they use - I personally don't use anything over a 0.15, as this is the standard for "damage-free" lashes. Anything thicker is what we in the lash industry like to refer to as "tree stumps". Once you've seen beautiful light-weight, voluminous lashes done properly, you will realize how awful these thick extensions look.

5. It's also important to remember that not EVERY lash can handle an extension. You're lashes shed at a rate of about 45-60 days, which means there are always immature or "baby" lashes growing in that are not yet strong enough to handle the weight of an extension. You should be maintaining your lashes with visits to the salon every 3-4 weeks - by this time those baby lashes that weren't strong enough at your last visit are ready to be lashed.

6. When applying individual lash extensions your technician should be able to isolate one single natural eyelash, pick up one single extension and glue it to the natural lash. This process takes approximately 2 hours at your initial visit, and approx. 1 hour at infills. If the lashes are not properly isolated, as they grow out they will cause a great deal of discomfort because not every lash grows at the same rate, they will start to twist, itch and could even hurt. Remember - eyelash extensions should NEVER be painful! Eyelash extensions should also never touch the skin. They should be glued 1-2mm from the base and should be securely adhered at this point, otherwise the extension could pierce the skin, again leading to a great deal of discomfort, and potentially infection!

7. A lot of lash extensions are adhered with a black glue which means that even if you have light coloured lashes, the glue should coat your natural lash blending it with the extension. A small bead of glue is all that is needed, and once the lash is placed you should no longer see a "bead" as it should be evenly coated over the natural lash. Too much glue will cause lashes to clump together, could irritate the eyes and create unnecessary weight added to the extension.

8. This one should go without saying, but just in case (I've heard some horror stories).... You should always being lying comfortably on a treatment table with your technician behind you, and your eyes should be closed throughout the entire procedure to prevent fumes from the adhesive from getting into your eyes.

Even after going to school and getting our certification, education in this industry is never ending and you should always seek out a service provider who is on top of the latest trends, developments and research! Don't be afraid to educate yourself (although please consider the source when searching online - there is a lot of misleading information from non-professionals out there!) and ask questions!!
Happy Lashing :)

Friday, August 22, 2014

How to Get a Safe Tan!



It's fast, it's easy, it looks great and there's NO risk of burning! It's called an "airbrush" or "spray" tan! 

Here's how it works:
DHA (dihydroxyacetone) is the main ingredient in airbrush solutions and is derived from sugar beets or sugar cane. The tanning effect that you get with DHA is non-toxic - it reacts with the amino acids in the surface layers of the skin to produce the brown colour. 


The solution is poured into an airbrush gun and is applied by a trained professional so that you get even, all over colour. You are supplied with "sticky feet" so that you do not get product on the bottoms of your feet as you move from one position to the next, as well as a hair net, disposable undies and nose filters. You can of course wear your birthday suit or bring a swim suit/ bra & undies if you prefer- it's entirely up to your personal comfort level. I usually recommend wearing a thong so you can see how much colour developed on the skin, but braless is best so that you don't get thick tan lines! 

The Famous Question: "Will I look orange?" ....NO! This infamous "orange" look comes from the days when carotenoids were used in sunless tanning products, derived from carrots. Today's formulas have come a long way and I can whole-heartedly promise you - you will NOT look orange! Every product uses different percentages of DHA and different bronzing ingredients to create varying tones on the skin. Some use subtle green pigments to combat red skin tones, some use caramel bronzers and some are more chocolately/ dark brown. 

Usually solutions should be left on the skin over night, but over the past few years companies have developed "rapid" formulas that leave you with great colour, but allow you to shower only 2-3 hours after application. This is a major convenience factor, and a lot of my clients opt for the rapid formulas. 

Please visit http://skinstudiospa.com/body_care.html for more before and after tips for airbrush tanning. 

Don't forget! Airbrush tans do not protect your skin from the sun. It is still recommended to wear SPF on sun exposed skin! I recommend Eminence Organics' Tropical Vanilla Body Sunscreen.


Friday, August 15, 2014

Leave The Cooking Oils In The Kitchen



There seems to be an influx lately in people using straight oil (particularly coconut oil) in place of a moisturizer. Coconut oil has been shown to have all kinds of awesome benefits for the body: It's good for your brain health, it can help you lose weight, can help prevent infections, lower your risk for heart disease, and improves moisture content in skin and hair. 

So here's the thing you may not know: Skin care products should never be "one size fits all". Coconut oil is actually extremely comedogenic (pore clogging) and should not be used on oily or acne prone skin. Using coconut oil on these skin types can actually make skin conditions even worse, cause even more inflammation in the skin and create a perfect breeding ground for acne. 

So those of you with dry skin are thinking "I don't get breakouts and I use coconut oil all the time, so I'm good right?" True, for you it won't necessarily cause breakouts but over time, especially for those of you who are starting to notice your skin is aging, I bet it still doesn't feel as smooth and hydrated as it once did. Am I right? This is because the oil cannot penetrate beyond the epidermis (surface layers of the skin) due to it's large molecular structure. This means you're really only "moisturizing", or as we Estheticians like to call it, "lubricating" those surface layers, which is mostly just keratinized (dead) skin cells anyways! Oils also create an occlusive layer on the skin meaning it traps whatever moisture is in the skin, but it also doesn't let anything out. This means your skin cannot breathe so to speak and cannot perform it's natural functions. Again, this results in inflammation and a compromised skin barrier. Another thing that we are noticing in the treatment room, is that the skin doesn't seem to be able to effectively perform it's natural exfoliation process either, so the skin has a rough texture due to that layer of keratinized cells sitting, sort of "stuck" on the surface of the skin. As we age, our skin is already becoming less effective at exfoliating itself which is why exfoliating products are so important! (Hint: Try the Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant from Eminence Organics for gentle exfoliation.)

Going back to my point about skin care products taking a "one size fits all" approach.... There is a reason why professional skin care products have several ingredients in them, and those ingredients are processed to be "chirally correct", meaning they can actually be effective on the skin (the same reason you can't just rub a carrot on your face and expect the vitamins from the carrot to be transferred to the skin). The skin has several different needs in order to function perfectly, and as we age, those needs increase. Using one single "ingredient" cannot possibly give your skin all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, fatty acids, ceramides etc etc etc that it needs! Using one single ingredient you may get the benefits of that one ingredient but your skin will still be malnourished. It's like if you ate broccoli all day everyday. We all know broccoli is awesome for you, but you need carbohydrates and protein and all that other good stuff too! So like I said earlier, if coconut oil can lock in moisture, we first need ingredients that are going to penetrate the dermis (deeper layers of the skin) and provide long term hydration for the skin. Ingredients that can penetrate the dermis is where corrective, results-oriented skin care begins. 

So if you're looking for effective, results oriented skin care, but you still love coconut oil, try the Coconut Age Corrective Moisturizer from Eminence Organics for a better alternative and leave the cooking oils in the kitchen. :)