Busybusy

I am being terrible--I have had no time to write and it bothers me.
Soon--there will be more posts! The salon I am working at has its grand opening on August 2nd so I will be free in the evenings to post all sorts of interesting factoids on my lovely men and women's skin :)
In the mean time... google about what stress does to the skin. I say it again, and again, and again...the pressure that stress puts on our body has such an immense affect to the skin, and not always with comedones (pimples!) but with irritation, redness, dilated/distended capillaries, and has a very drying effect to the skin. Consider a weekly moisturizing masque (Intensive Hydrating Masque by Aveda is one of my favorites, and also works wonderfully as a daily moisturizer, and consider adding a few drops of Balancing Infusion, Dry for further moisture and protection. The product uses highly concentrated florals and herbs to help the skin to come into balance with natural oils. Includes jasmine and ylang ylang)

Enjoy the weekend all :) I definitely will be!

Origins: Modern Friction

This evening I tried my first Origins product after noticing a few lingering among my mothers many bathroom accessories. The title was instantly appealing--"Natures Gentle Dermabrasion" (dermabrasion is a harsh procedure performed in a dermatologist office or medispa that removes the top layer of the skin over periods of sessions using aluminum oxide. The skin is left irritated immediately--with a period of redness--with the intention of removing fine lines, discoloration, sun damage,etc. The effect is instantaneous, however, for many, over time with too many dermabrasion services skin becomes very irritated, (red, itchy, flaky) and if the services are performed incorrectly, visible indents are common from lingering in one area too long.) I am always looking for a gentle, alternative way to give myself a good exfoliation--especially during the winter months.

I quickly looked up the Modern Friction online to make sure it was suitable for my skin type: normal/dry/sensitive and decided to give it a go. Although the directions said to begin with a dry face, I knew that would be too harsh for my skin type, despite the promise of gentle rice exfoliators, and presoftened my face with luke warm water. I took about two fingerfuls and spread the mixture across my chin, cheeks, upper lip, nose and forehead. I very softly performed my hands like a rotary brush and made tiny circles across all of my driest skin areas. Instantly I felt a harsh tingle that I didn't like (which most women and men love--gives the user a feeling of activation!) but remembered that the ingredient listing had bergamot (citrus) and peppermint, which always give the tingly feeling. I left it on for a little less than a minute, worried of the rising tingle I felt, and washed it off. The mixture is hard to wash off--and is best suited for a cleansing cloth (never use a rough wash cloth--if thats all you have, wash it several times with a detergent softener.) My face was incredibly red--never a good sign--my face was not comfortable with this product. Although an esthetician who supports this product would tell you its typical to see redness, the product is working hard to exfoliate the top layer and has high active ingredients, my skin therapy studies have taught me to trust my skin-- high redness is a sign of irritation, and is your skins way of telling you to stop. A little redness is expected when trying new products--but if your skin feels burny, take it off! (Although there are certain products I support for acne users that feel burny, but the skin doesn't turn red--pay attention to what happens every time you remove any facial product. If you are very red, most likely your skin is irritated by the product ingredients)

All in all my response to this product wasn't good, but I have sensitive skin.

I made sure to tone aterwards, to restore my skins ph levels (not toning afterwards only makes the skin work harder to restore the ph levels and takes a few hours. the toner helps protect the skin afterwards from outside advancements)

And I double moisturized--my skin felt very tight and uncomfortable.

I would only recommend this product to those with normal skin, a very balanced layer of oils, because the mixture removed all of my oils when I washed it off. However, I would recommend the user to pay attention afterwards for high redness and tightness. If either is felt--say goodbye! And moisturize!!

New discoveries!

New favorite makeup:

Emani, vegan, talc free, paraben free, alcohol free!!

Surprisingly silky smooth foundations and blends well if you layer it correctly!!

The shadows are bright and long lasting. Check out the Crushed Mineral Color Dust! Vibrant and beautiful from golds and browns to hot pinks and cobalt blues.

Find these products at Jivana holistic spa in Burlington, VT.

jivanaspa.com

Newly loved skincare:

shankara, all of the above qualities including ayurvedic philosophies combining with western breakthroughs in skincare (for those in need of an antiaging line look here! the rich ingredients add plenty of needed moisture as well as several great exfoliation products to help soften and renew!)

Dermalogica

I have incredibly mixed feelings about Dermalogica. Their mission is one hundred percent on target: eliminating ingredients like mineral oil, lanolin, alcohol, formaldehyde, and irritating artificial colors to create products using safe ingredients (yes-more natural plant based ones!) that calm and stabilize the skin. Today I recieved a facial from Dermalogica that I have to say was out of the ballpark. It was so good I was unable to function for the first hour afterwards; I was dizzy and slightly hallucinating. Anyone who saw me said "Wow Mirabel, you look really relaxed!" And all I could reply was "yes, yes I am."

The facial: It began innocent enough. Precleanse was applied, a standard for every dermalogica facial that does the job of most cleansers, removing makeup, dirt of the day, excess oils, etc. so the cleanser used afterwards can do a more thorough clean and reach deeper in the skin layers. The hand movements during the cleansing manipulations were so synchronized and felt more like a massage than basic cleansing. Up my neck and decoletee, chin cheeks and nose, around my eyes and forehead then swept across my temples. It was beautiful, and very much like a dance across my face. After she used two types of rotary brushes on my face which I asked for her to use because I wanted to feel it (however in my skin condition she should have said no! i have very sensitive skin with distended/broken capillaries in my cheeks from inflammation from previous products, lifestyle, etc. however, i did like the feeling of the brush, i prefer to work without machines because they tend to be too much for the skin surface, tearing and inflamming) I was a little unimpressed that my temples were never accentuated, but rather just swept across. Having pressure on the temples is one of my favorite feelings, besides being beneficial to me. My skin care therapist then analyzed my skin, noting my sensitivity levels in my chin and cheeks, saw a few extractioins needed to be made, and we were off. She used the Daily Microfoliant, a rice based exfoliater that dulls away dead skin cells and leaves the skin feeling smooth. This product is fun to use-- it is a powder to emulsion so first wet hands then shake onto your hands about a teaspoon and apply to your face in upwards circles. (remember to always tone and moisturize after exfoliating!) Before extracting, the therapist applied a product called Scaling Liquid that helps pull sebum to the surface (disincrustation) to allow for more gentler extractions. She then extracted for about five minutes, very painless and fast, I was impressed with her professionalism here. Afterwards she applied a post extraction fluid, wasn't told what was in this, and applied a cooling masque to tone down redness and return moisture.

For the next twenty minutes I was massaged....and it was breathtakingly fantastic. My neck was massaged thoroughly along with my scalp, hands and arms. Every inch including the tips of my fingers recieved attention. I was so sad to have it end. I am hardly a person who feels satisfied when the massage is over--it should never end in my book!

Favorite: As she removed the final masque, the warm towel she used was scented with the most incredible fragrance. I asked her what it was and she didnt know. Dermalogica has the therapists make the towels in water that has a Botanical Mixer added to it, and can I tell you, incredibly beautiful smelling. I loved every towel!

Another favorite: All of the dermalogica smells. They are not synthetic at all--but are quite strong which makes me question it a little bit--but--very endearing smells.

Dislike: Dermalogica claims to be a company that doesn't test on animals, but also says is noncomedogenic (non pore clogging basically) but the only way to claim that is by testing on animals. Strange.

Interesting day

My favorite time to be naked is when I'm swimming. I swam in the Hinesburg river today and all I wanted to do was be completely alone, strip, and swim! Bodies feel amazing in mountain water, slick and smooth and warm... I wanted the sun to stay above my waterhole all day and night and set just as I decided it was time to leave and make dinner. Sadly I arrived so late with my brother after work I had only about an hour to swim (and obviously not get naked!)

It reminded me though how good it feels to have skin and a body that I'm happy to see and feel--and in the water it was accentuated by 1000x. Despite everything I went through, and still go through, I can swim at the end of my day and enjoy my body. It takes hurtles and hurtles to get comfortable in your own skin, and I have found that swimming makes people feel beautiful. Seeing your legs dangle in front of you, the shine on your arms from the water, and skin is so smooth its just plain delicious. Wonderful.

Although this is not directly related--I know spiritually and mindfully that river water will always,always,always be a fantastic treatment for any skin concerns. Remove the makeup and swim! Allow the water to soak every inside, and when you're finished swimming, wear your naked face all day and night. When we aren't in stress, when we are feeling one hundred percent beautiful, internally our body relaxes, blood circulation is no longer directed towards the pain but rather evens its course, hitting the face last with nutrients and vitamins it needs to stabalize. Consider reading about what stress does internally sometime-- the effects are like a virus running through our body, its scary.

(Just wait until winter comes people, my happy thoughts will vanish!)

My skin

Since January I've been using the full line of Botanical Kinetics by Aveda, Purifying creme cleanser at night, using about a dime size, and in the morning a pea size, always washing off with luke warm water. Using steaming hot water to cleanse your face is going to give you the redness you'll see on your skin afterwards, or inflammation. It is a distress on the skin.
Afterwards with a cotton swab I dab on the liquid Exfoliant all over my face, and press in more around my chin, nose and forehead (TZONE) where I experience blackheads (or open comedones.) Liquid exfolients are my favorite because I tend to have more sensitive skin, so it does the job of exfoliating my outer skin layer, without the damage a granual or mechanical exfoliator causes.
My recommendation: unless your skin is in equillibrium, stay away from mechanical exfoliators unless the ingredient used to exfoliate is gentle, like oatmeal, and use sparingly. I exfoliate with a liquid daily, and once a week I add in the Tourmaline Charged Exfoliating Cleanser by Aveda once every two weeks. This product uses jojoba beads to gently exfoliate dead skin cells, which melt across your skin as you apply, but gives the feeling of a rough clean for those who just can't get away from the scrubby scrub like St. Ives Apricot scrub. The walnut shell used in St. Ive's product actually causes tiny tears to the skins surface which adds continued inflammation to the skin. (Aveda is versatile enough to consider those who can't get away from products, like apricot scrub, that has been the go to product for years, to create a product that feels similar but is no where near as tough and disruptive) I had been using Apricot Scrubble by JASON for years, thinking it was beneficial to my skin, it smelled great, it was scrubbing away all of my impurities and just kicking right off my blackheads--then I would get out of the shower throw on a bad moisturizer and feel great. The reality is--even the products we treasure from organic food stores can fail us. The damage I caused from using scrubs is now irreversable. I have redness in my cheeks (distended/broken capillaries) that will never go away completely. However thanks to my new regimen the redness has decreased almost fifty percent.
After exfoliating I always, always, always tone with Aveda's Skin Firming Toning Agent a mixture of almost entirely rose water (very hydrating to the skin's surface) and glycolic acid entirely derived from plants. The difference with Aveda's toners is that it doesn't leave your skin tight, like most toner's do that use mostly alcohol. But rather, Aveda's uses the toner as another way to add further moisture. (I swear--there is never enough moisture for your skin! It loves it-soaks it up!) The fun part with the Botanical Kinetics toner is that it is a spray, and is a quick and easy way to tone during the day. (The intention of Aveda's toners are to increase surface cell turn over, moisturize, help set the ph of the skin, and protect. This is not the same for all toners--some are to strip the skin of excess oils, robbing the skin of its moisture protection, and leaving the skin unarmed against the sun, free radicals, dirt, grime, etc.)
After toning I use the Tourmaline Charged Radiance Fluid, a serum that helps to smooth skin surface, decrease pore size, and protect against free radicals. It also gives my skin a beautiful glow from the tourmaline (which surprisingly has great benefits to the skin!!) and helps retain skin moisture. Afterwards, I moisturize with a pea size of the Botanical Kinetics Hydrating Lotion (I'll get into why I use a lotion, a water base, over a oil base moisturizer later.)
To finish my face I use Aveda's Inner Light tinted moisturizer as my foundation and spf. For body hydration I use the Aveda Energizing Composition-- a mixture of mostly jojoba oil, lavender, sage, jasmine after I finish cleansing my face. It exhilarates my body and energy, and because of the fragrants and pure essential oils I unconciously take fuller breaths. It's a wonderful way to awaken. (Soon I will also get into why pure essential oils have such great health benefits, and it will make more of an understanding to why I feel so refreshed after using the composition in the morning) Consider purchasing one-- after yoga, or during any breathing sessions.


\This is just the beginning! I'll get into more soon.

The Beginning

About a month ago I interviewed for the esthetician position at a spa in Woodstock that I never thought I would get. I was brand new out of school, without experience, raw with knowledge of the "real" industry and an amateur. But I'm never shy to interview--in fact I love to interview. I drove an hour and a half listening to my sister's band Reggae Rockers with my mother and step dad and somehow knew, before I had even arrived, that I was going to get this job. Why wouldn't I, I suddenly kept asking. I am competent--I know what is necessary and beyond--and I knew the skin line I would be working with, Dr. Hauschka. The job suddenly seemed so attainable that when we drove into Woodstock I immediately looked around and saw myself eating at the Alechante cafe, walking by the Woodstock cafe every morning for coffee--

I realize this is a lot of information at once, but this is hardly the important part.

What is important is that two hours after I left the interview, I was offered the position.

And it began.

As of now, I am a week away from the start date and I can't be more excited. I want to share what I do, and learn, and offer help to anybody and everybody so I can begin to reach out further than my treatment room. That is what begins here. It will be crazy and sporadic because I am an unfocused writer, but I promise to always be interesting.

(And if further interested, First Impressions Salon in Woodstock is having a grand re-opening on beautiful Central St in the beautiful stone house right as you enter town. Come see me for facials, body treatments, waxing, anything regarding body skin in August!)