Review by Courtney Smith “You should get a facial,” I would hear my sister-in-law say to me over the past few years, “they are so great, so relaxing.”  It sounded nice, but other than imagining mud plastered over my face, I really did not know what a facial was or what kind of benefits to expect from getting one.  Low and behold as I made my daily drive past Breathe Salon and Spa of Lansdale, PA I noticed a big sign that hung promoting anti-aging facials. Weeks away from thirty-five and with enough fine lines on my face to show it, anti-aging sounded fantastic to me. I have had the pleasure of enjoying Breathe Salon and Spa’s knock out cut and colors in the past and thought this would be a terrific opportunity to explore one more, of the many, self-care aspects that the salon and spa has to offer.  Per usual the staff was friendly and welcoming, the environment was creatively inspiring and offered a sense of serenity, and upon meeting Maureen Barnes, Breathe’s premier certified Esthetician, who is filled with 20 years of cosmetology wisdom, I was provided with a tour of the room where my facial would be done, as well as educated on what to expect from our time together.  Maureen displayed confidence, professional and practical knowledge, and her presence emitted calm energy that placed me in a mood of ease for the hour we spent together. She was able to answer all my questions and then some and offered me some simple tips to assist me in dealing with the season’s harsh effects on my skin and for my my anti-aging  (appearance) journey.   The facial was so much more than mud on my face.  It was an investment into myself that I am seeing positive effects weeks later. Since I write from the every day woman’s/mom’s perspective, as well as with the eye of a healthcare professional as an RN, I feel it is pretty realistic to say many everyday woman have NO idea what a facial has to offer or what is involved. With that said I want to equip you with some well rounded know-how and encourage you to go indulge in a facial!  Yes ladies, just because we are tired and perhaps a little worn from all of our daily duties does not mean we have to look it, and when we begin to take even a little time for ourselves we can get some release from feeling it too! My view of the top 10 benefits of a facial:

1. Relaxation
2. De-stressing of skin, emotion, and over-all mind, body, spirit
3. Increased circulation to the skin on our face (this has enormous health benefits)
4. Decreased sinus pressure
5. Release of toxins from our skin (if you only could have seen mine, whoa!)
6. Minimize the appearance of pores
7. Decrease in fine lines and wrinkles
8. Increase in moisture balancing
9. Decrease appearance of age spots
10. Firmer skin with an added glow

Maureen Barnes 10 steps to an awesome and effective facial: 1. Cleanse. Facials are different from regular at-home cleansing because they deep clean, removing toxins caused by pollution, grease and dirt found in your everyday environment. 2. Analyze.  This tells what skin type you are working with or any concerns. i.e. large pores, sun damage, dry patches. oily patches. 3. Exfoliate. This gets rid of dead skin and improves the look of the skin. It also helps any product you use work better. 4. Steam the skin and loosen the debris in the pores. The oxygen helps the immune system and heat from the steam help the hardened, clogged oil in the pores to soften therefore becoming easier to extract. 5.  Extraction.  Is the removal of whatever may be clogging pores. 6. Massage. This increases circulation and helps products to sink into the skin, It helps soften the look of lines, and has emotional benefits of touch. It also assists with digestion and metabolism. It de-stresses you period, which has a long list of health benefits. As part of the facial, the scalp (which helps with hair growth), face, chest, shoulder, arm, and hands are massaged. 7. Mask. There are the highest amounts of nutrients and minerals in this product and designed to work with different skin types. 8. Skin booster. This is a potent serum (there are a variety), which give a strong boost to the skin and assist in alleviating skin issues. 9.  Mini massage with the serum. 10. Moisturize.  Moisturize, moisturize and your done! Now go get your facial and reap the benefits! Book your facial with Maureen Barnes at Breathe Salon and Day Spa by calling 215-362-1277. Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Watch our reviews on YouTube. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! *Disclosure

 

Serums are key to any good skin care routine. They help deliver key ingredients deeper into your skin and help your moisturizer to perform better.

That age old beauty myth, skin needs to breathe, will only make your skin dehydrated and fine lines and wrinkles will become more apparent.  

Lancôme's Génifique and Visonnaire are the perfect partners for younger-looking skin. These super serums are a powerful anti-aging duo to give you more perfect skin. And as they say, your makeup can only look as good as the skin underneath!

Lancome Super Serums:

Génifique Concentrate is Lancome's award-winning activating serum targeting radiance, vibrancy and softness. Génifique will give you visibly younger skin in just 7 days.

 

Visionnaire is their award-winning correcting serum. In just 4 weeks, Visionnaire radically improves the appearance of wrinkles, pores and uneven texture, leaving your skin visibly transformed.

The result? One out of two women tempted by a cosmetic procedure decided to postpone it. *

How to use: When using them together, apply one to three drops of Génifique to cleansed skin. Follow with two pumps of Visionnaire when layering, prior to applying your Lancôme moisturizer.

For best results, use Génifique and Visionnaire together in both the morning and evening. (Yes! You do need to use serum, toner and moisturizer before bed. Nighttime is prime time for skin dehydration.)

Have you tried Génifique or Visionnaire?

*After 4 weeks of consumer use. Consumer evaluations of women 35 to 49 years tempted by hyaluronic acid, laser or chemical peeling. Results not equal to a medical procedure

I am a big believer in monthly facials. I wasn't gifted with perfect skin and in order to keep a younger looking appearance sans plastic surgery, taking care of my skin is a priority. I love going to The Woodhouse Day Spa in Kingston, PA (and there are others around the country too) and have had their Four-Handed Massage and Minkyti Facial before, so I was all for experiencing something new. As I just turned 37, I became most interested in a new facial they are performing there involving the NuFace toning device. I've heard a lot about NuFace and I'm familiar with microcurrent technology, so I was ready to see if it would work for me. This facial starts off like any other facial at The Woodhouse Day Spa, using products from Amala skincare to cleanse and exfoliate (from the Rejuvenate collection), then NuFace's Conductivity Gel is applied. As the esthetician smoothed the NuFace device ($325) on the right hand side of my face and under my chin, I felt absolutely nothing. I even began to wonder if it was on, assuming I was supposed to feel my skin tingling. However, once she got near my hair line, especially my eyebrows, that's when I began to feel a tinge here and there. Whenever you are getting a facial (or any spa treatment) it's good to speak up if you feel any discomfort so that the treatment can be adjusted. Once I told my esthetician that I was feeling small pin pricks, she applied more gel and that remedied the situation. The esthetician moves the device with the contour of your face and the microcurrent is delivered to lift and firm the skin. As we age, we lose about 1% of our skin's elasticity each year. So if you want to avoid going under the knife, this is a great way to reprogram your muscles. (I asked if it would work on my chest too, but she just laughed. I was serious though!) After about 10-15 minutes of using the device, she then spritzed my face with the Optimizing Mist and applied Amala's Rejuvenating Face Cream. I was told that it takes about 8 treatments to see a complete difference, then maintenance with the device about 1-2 times per week. However, I did notice that my skin felt a bit tighter, especially above my eyebrows and in between them. I had the esthetician take a before and after picture and you can see that the wrinkle I have between my eyebrows is much less and that the skin above my eyebrows does appear to pull them up slightly. While I didn't purchase NuFace (the kit is about $325) I was still happy with the results. The facial itself is $70. What do you think? Have you tried NuFace for yourself? If you are local here in Northeast PA, please visit The Woodhouse Day Spa via their website or Facebook fan page. If you happen to book a spa treatment, let them know you heard about them from A Girl's Gotta Spa! Not local? You can still find The Woodhouse Day Spa nearest you by visiting their corporate website. Ps. They sell Farmhouse Fresh products in their boutique! I've tried their Honey Heel Glaze....AMAZING.

There is no question that the cold air wreaks havoc on our skin and for many of us, dryness is a huge concern. In anticipation of the cold temperature outside and the dry heat indoors, skin care expert, Renee Rouleau, offers A Girl's Gotta Spa! readers some precautionary steps to take to prepare your skin for the cold front! -Reanalyze your current routine: How do we know when it's time to change up our daily skin routine? The key is to really listen to your skin. If your skin doesn't feel comfortable then a product is not working how it's meant to. It's time for a change! Ask yourself if your skin feels too tight or maybe you're discovering excess oil. What product in your routine might be causing these symptoms? Is one of your moisturizers leaving a greasy residue? Or if your skin is flaking then perhaps it's time to go easy on exfoliating. If you have questions that can't be answered on your own, take a look at our 9 Skin Types or e-mail Renee Rouleau for suggestions! Bottom line: If the products aren't working, your skin will let you know!   -Be sure to perform your night time routine: When the heat is on at night that means your skin has dry air blowing on it for about six hours or more while you sleep. Good for you but not for your skin. This makes your night time skin care routine crucial because your skin needs to adjust to a different environment. As we know, our skin repairs and rejuvenates while we sleep and this process cannot unfold properly unless we remove the dirt and grime from the day. While our skin repairs, we must prevent damage from the dry heat. We do this by using a nighttime moisturizer (any moisturizer without SPF) that is appropriate for your skin type. Often, I find that clients believe their night time moisturizer has to be heavy or greasy to last through the night, but that is not always true. The most important aspect of skin care is matching your products with your skin type so battle off the dry heat and help your skin rejuvenate with the appropriate products. -Use a humidifier, in your bedroom, especially if you are acne prone: Before switching to heavier products try out this secret solution. Put a humidifier in your bedroom! It sounds so simple but this trick will work, especially if you are acne-prone. When we feel our skin getting dryer our first idea is to use a heavier, creamier moisturizer. For acne- prone skin a heavier product may create more damage because, in this case, a product switch is unnecessary. A humidifier will put more moisture into the air, which will regulate your bedroom's environment. Your skin can grab more hydration without causing you to purchase a new moisturizer. -Incorporate more products into your routine: The basics may not be enough as your skin changes with the winter climate. Applying only moisturizer consistently is important; however, when your skin craves more hydration, the answer is not adding on extra layers of moisturizer, especially for those of you who experience clogged pores. The solution for alleviating tight, dry skin is using a water- based serum to accompany your moisturizer. Use the serum underneath your moisturizer to hydrate the skin because the damp skin will help to absorb your regular moisturizer more effectively. -Switch to a milder cleanser: I cannot stress enough the importance of not only washing your skin morning and night, but also to use a cleanser that will not dry the skin and cause damage. Many foaming and gel cleansers made today are formulated with an ingredient called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. This ingredient is a surfactant; a cleansing agent that cuts oil from the skin. These ingredients are simply too harsh and will strip the water out of the skin after every washing leaving the skin feeling tight and creating more oil and shine. And what you wash with is the MOST important part of your skin care routine. Why? Because if you wash with a foaming cleanser or soap that is too drying, it pulls all the water out of the skin and creates dead, dry skin cell buildup. Then you have to quickly run and put your moisturizer on to put back in what you just took out! It makes no sense! Choose either cleansing lotions or gel cleansers that avoid the harsh ingredient, Sodium or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate. These are better choices as they will effectively deep clean the pores but will not rob the skin of much needed water. Remember the rule: More lather, more drying. Less lather, less drying. All Renee Rouleau cleansers are sulfate-free. Check out Renee's skin care blog for more great skin care tips! *Disclosure