I love my Clarisonic!

I purchased the Clarisonic a few months ago. I heard from several make up artists and the girls at Sephora who swear that it is the hottest cleansing tool right now. It does not strip away the skin and it really does clean your face! My clients ask me if using a washcloth is too abrasive and some still use the buff puff sponge! Ughh that is terrible for your skin because it just harbors bacteria. When I was younger and had acne I thought if I scrubbed my skin clean hard it would help the breakouts, it only made it worse and caused scarring. I was also told from my dermatologist back then that laying out in the sun for a few hours would help "dry out" acne. He told me my skin was oily and needed the sun to dry it out. Imagine that advice, especially after he put me on antibiotics! I had already tried minocin,erythromiocin, tetracycline and cleocin pads. That is terrible advice as your skin becomes more sensitive and more susceptible to sunburn when being out in the sun and on antibiotics. So I am happy to report that after being very skeptical of this new skin care brush I do like it. I don't think it's the best but it's not bad. I like the gentle cleansers that come with it and the salespeople are very nice. I don't like that you can't use beaded cleansers which means I can't use my Ayurmedic Orange Blossom cleanser which I just love. I swear that cleanser and the toner from that line seems to help curb my monthly breakouts. Toner is so important. A lot of women forget to use toner but when they do they are so surprised as to what they find on their face after cleansing. Cleansing your skin is just the start, you must use a toner and a moisturizer every night and a hydrating night cream is really beneficial. Now that the weather is changing some times it is good to change your skincare routine. In the summer we tend to get more oily as we get more dry in the winter, not saying you have to go out and buy a whole new line each season but your skin may need more or less of moisturizer or eye cream or even a different toner for your skin's changing needs. Back to the clarisonic I did like that it was very gentle on the skin but I didn't like that it stops suddenly. You are supposed to do 10 seconds here and there but if you're wearing makeup especially foundation it doesn't take it all off so you have to keep going around with the brush stopping and turning it back on. I noticed that I can't really clean my skin that well if I have makeup on. I rarely wear makeup but on special occassions I like to wear powder and bronzer and it does leave a lot of residue on my skin after so I use my regular cleanser to get the makeup off. I do like the way it feels on my skin as the brushes are going around though. I don't like that I have to change the brushes every 3 months that adds up but for now I'll keep using it til something better comes my way.

I decided to start a blog because I have had so many family and friends email me, text me for tips or ask me what this new spot is on their face or they just discovered the first leg of their crow's feet. No one calls anymore it's all about emailing and texting and that is just fine with me I am all about a quick email and then I"m done. I am too busy like everyone else to sit down and talk on the phone, especially now that you can't talk and drive in the car anymore..not that I did that anyways. I am so excited the Esthetics & Spa Conference is coming up and I can't wait to see the latest skincare products and newest peels. That was when I first fell in love with the pumpkin peel many years ago. I highly recommend it to all my clients, it is especially beneficial for people who have pigmentation problems and helps with breakouts. You may feel a bit of tingling within the first application but after a few minutes the tingling sensation goes away. It helps to have a fan on your face or the client can choose to fan their face to take their mind off of the tingling sensation. You never want to have a client say it's burning. It's best if you can do a series of peels for the best effect for 6 weeks. You will notice a difference right away your skin will appear brighter and smoother. The first time I did a series on myself I noticed right away it lightened up the sunspots on my left cheek. I had some sunspots from 3 week trip to Hawaii while using a sunscreen that I thought was waterproof! Always check your labels I just assumed it was waterproof but that is what I get for purchasing a $40 sunscreen from uppity salon in Beverly Hills because the salesgirl swore by it and it was new from Germany. I caved, I admit it. It is so important to wear sunscreen everyday I cannot stress this enough. I have seen many skin cancers on clients and urged them to get it checked right away. It turned out one client did in fact have skin cancer and had 6 moles removed but was told he came just in time because they caught it early enough. He now wears a hat, sunscreen and does not lay out at the beach any longer. I was relieved he was able to catch it early and glad I was able to help. This is my first blog so I"m signing out and tomorrow I'll write some recipes for at home skincare you can find in your fridge.