The recent photos of my beauty products was a recent fluck up by Flickr. I had been testing out the blogging directly from my mobile, had just washed my face and was in my bathroom; so I decided to snap a few pics to see if it worked. Well, at that moment it did not work. Two weeks later, there they were and influx of emails about my obsession from my blogosphere friends got my reminiscing about the past.
In my previous life, I worked in cosmetics. To be specific I worked for Clinique which is a owned by Estee Lauder. I had various jobs during my nearly 5 year stint with Clinique. Jobs ranging from being a counter girl, to managing my own counter, being a business manager, becoming an educational leader and lastly working in event promotion.
But this love affair with skin care products started nearly 17 years ago when my Ga Ga raced me into Macy's to visit the clinique counter after the sight of my first blemish. I grace my grandmother with all the honor that it was she who created this beauty product maniac I am today.
So, in honor of my obsession (that many of you out there share!) I will start Les Astuces Beauté de Flare.
Today, we start out with face washing.
I wash my face twice a day. Morning & night. I use the same products on average for 3 months and then switch to give my skin a break. This is something I do. Not recommended for all, I will explain more about this later. The best tool I have found for washing your face is your hands. Clean hands, of course. Your hands are not too abrasive and don't house bacteria like your sponges and washcloths often do. Unless you're prepared to use a new washcloth/sponge everyday, I suggest using your hands.
Find yourself a makeup remover, as most of you probably wear make up, taking off make up and washing your facial skin are two completely different things. Most face washes are too gentle to take off your daily makeup. They are gentle because they are made to clean your skin only.
I use Clinique's Take the day off. I only wear eye makeup: Concealer, eyeshadow, mascara and occasionally eye liner. Minimalism at it's best!
Once the makeup is removed I use Shu Uemura's High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil as my skin cleanser. This is a dual makeup remover & cleanser but I have my old habits of taking make up off first and then cleaning skin that I just can't break. I spritz my face with my Evian atomizer (inexpensive in France) and slather on a pump's worth of cleansing oil. I massage into my face for less than a minute and rinse with lukewarm water. I am careful not to wet my face too much so that the oil doesn't become too milky. After rinsing thoroughly, I spritz my face with Shu Uemura's Deep Seawater in Sage to calm my cheeks as they are fairly sensitive and become red easily (hence, no need for blush). Sage has natural calming elements. I tissue off the excess off my eye lids and let the rest soak in for about 2 minutes.
After wards, I apply my eye cream. For the moment, I am using StriVectin-D. I like to experiment with products (after some research) and I thought I'd give this one a try. I have noticed a difference in lightness around my eyes but I have few lines around my eyes to see a big difference. I like the texture of this eye cream because I am very dry around my eyes probably due to years of wearing contact lenses and the saline solution. And finally, I follow up with Sisley's Emulsion Ecologique. During the day, I use the emulsion ecologique alone and at night I add Clinique's Total Turnaround.
For the moment, these are my staple products. In my previous pictures, I have other products shown and those are used on trouble days. I have products for the random blemishes that occur or products for recovery after a night of partying or hanging out at a friend's smokey apartment. If I've been outside all day and my skin is parched, there are masques that I use to calm my skin and quench its thirst. And the list goes on... I hope to touch on other things in later installments of Les Astuces Beauté de Flare.
So....What's your face regiment?
I'm curious to know... probably one of my favorite subjects to discuss.... so who will start? Men are welcome too... sometime, I'll tell you how J got interested in skin care. :)
My face regime? Non existant.....well compared to yours. I used to use Clinique all the time but now that I am a full time student and part time teacher there isn't the cash to be buying out the counter. I have been trying various facial washes since coming back to the states and after using Oil of Olay(which I hate) and Aveeno (not too bad) I am thinking of heading back to Clinique and just sucking up the cost (that's what credit cards are for...right?) I have noticed little lines around my eyes and I am wondering if I should do something about that or just "age gracefully" I cannot be fussed to have too much of a regime but washing, toning, and moisturizing is somehting I can handle on a daily basis......
Posted by: Tracey | June 21, 2005 at 13:13
Hi Flare! Thanks for sharing. I'm glad that I don't wear makeup!!
I use Neutrogena Skin Clearing Face Wash on a daily basis and I use clean hands to apply it and rinse it from my face. I wet my face first, put the wash on my hands and emulsify a little, wash my face, and then rinse.
I use the Neutrogena shaving gel when I shave, which is every other day unless I'm meeting with customers. I apply the Triple Protect face lotion with SPF 20 after I shave.
I started doing all of this after watching Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. It doesn't seem like much compared to you, but it is way more than anything I did before seeing that show. :)
Posted by: Bob | June 21, 2005 at 15:33
No regimen. As naturelle as they come. But after a week's holiday, i just want to start using all there is to use, and will be an avid reader of your astuces...!
Posted by: Anne | June 21, 2005 at 15:37
No regimen. As naturelle as they come. But after a week's holiday, i just want to start using all there is to use, and will be an avid reader of your astuces...!
Posted by: Anne | June 21, 2005 at 15:38
Hmm... I don't use many products at all! I wash my face twice a day, once in the shower, once out. When in the shower, I use St. Ives Apricot scrub every other day. The other times I use Oil of Olay cream cleanser with Witch Hazel for combo skin. Out of the shower I will use the Oil of Olay cream cleanser.
I follow it (sometimes) with Oil of Olay combo skin moisturizer with spf.
I don't wear much makeup at all (only when I go out at night) so I don't have to worry about washing makeup away. When I do put on makeup, I usually only use eye makeup and maybe a little powder. I use Clinique eye makeup remover to take off the makeup from my eyes and my regular cleanser from my skin.
I'm thinking of switching back to Cetaphil once my Oil of Olay cleanser is gone.
Posted by: Reesie | June 21, 2005 at 15:59
I'm lazy. When I wake up and I'm going to the gym, I use tonic water on my face because I don't care what they say, I don't like even the slighest feeling of an oily face. If I head straight to the shower, then it's this daily exfoliant by Neutrogena. Oil of Olay 15 spf moisturizer. Tonic water and moisturizer reapplication if needed during hot sticky days. Depending on how much energy I have at night, then it's either the Aveeno daily face wash or Phytomer's Citadine (cleanser-toner), which also works well as eye-makeup remover. Then a night creme by Phytomer for especially dry spots, and c'est tout. Oh, and Neutrogena's Radiance Boost Eye Creme in the morning and at night.
I incorporate other products as necessary - such as when I break out, which mercifully is rare - or when I find something New! and Fun! - but in the end, I try to do only the bare minimum because I know I could get sucked in if I let myself.
Posted by: Gloria | June 21, 2005 at 16:39
I hope you'll still be my friend when I tell you my regime:
1. Hop in shower
2. In the midst of cleaning various other things, wash face with Nivea Visage Sensitive Lait Nettoyant, with my hands.
3. Leave shower
4. Apply Nivea visage/corps creme as necessary
The End.
Posted by: ViVi | June 21, 2005 at 17:43
My morning beauty regimine: 1) take a shower where I use a hyperallergenic non-soap cleanser all over. 2) brush teeth 3) consider getting my hair cut 4) think that maybe I should get a moisturizer with sunblock 5) think about maybe wearing make up some day... but don't put it on. 6) Once in a while I get ambitious and I use Uriage body lotion to moisturize my super dry arms and legs.
My evening beauty regimine: 1) brush teeth 2) go to bed. 3) think about moisturizing my belly to prevent stretch marks. This doesn't usually happen because I just don't feel like getting up and can't stand the smell of most moisturizers, but once in a while my Frog rubs my belly with sweet almond oil. 4) sleep
Posted by: kate | June 21, 2005 at 20:07
For me it depends on the day. My current regiment includes removing eye makeup with Mary Kay eye makeup remover & cleansing (w/hands) with Timewise Cleanser. I use Day Solution spf 15 and Timewise moisturizer as well as TW age fighting eye cream. (I used to sell mary kay cosmetics). I use St Ives Apricot face scrub about every other day and the MK Microdermabrasion set once a week (which i highly recommend.) When I want to switch it up I use the bio-matte oil free line from Arbonne (have a friend that sells it), including the bio-hydria eye cream. I really like the BMOF Personalizer. It helps with oily skin and redness since my cheeks are always pink. Every once in a great while I use a clay-based mask to help with break-outs.
My evening ritual is mostly non-existent because by bedtime I'm ready to crash and don't want to worry about washing my face. Something I'm trying to work on.
Posted by: amber | June 21, 2005 at 22:40
i have heinous dry skin. i wash my face with whatever vegetarian savon de marseille i can find or my lovely shu uemura cleansing oil (I ration it), and i moisturize with burt's bees baby oil or just olive oil . I use laroche posay antihelios sunscreen in lieu of moisturizer five or six months out of the year, and then i go back to laura mercier tinted moisturizer during the day, saving the burts bees for the night. i use plain shea butter as my eye cream.
one piece of nostalgia from my teen years- i do have a thing for st ives apricot scrub a few times a week when my skin feels funky.
i stopped using my hands (dry hands) to wash my face, and for ten years or so i have used baby washcloths, and i rotate them daily.
oh, and despite my non-love for petroleum products, i am addicted to carmex. i have been since i was 12. i've tried to quit, with no luck. the cool thing is that carmex is "hip" in france, and i always bring some back for my friends (five euros for carmex? geez Louise!...oh wait, i was desperate once and paid that much)
Posted by: cncz | June 21, 2005 at 23:58
Flare,
How do I sign up for this? I feel like i've been left out of the cool club.
L.
Posted by: fadedpaperdoll | June 22, 2005 at 03:15
cleanser= neutrogena foaming face wash (actually, right now i'm using the target generic version of this product, because i'm BROKE. 2x a day.
toner= aloe toner purchased from my facialist. 2x a day.
beta hydroxy lotion (salicylic acid) at nite only.
sunscreen during the day.
and that's IT! it's going pretty well- i really only have breakouts now around my period. i still do have lots of scarring, which sucks, but no one seems to have any recommendations, other than peels, or lasers, etc... so i'm just going to keep exfoliating, and hope that eventually it'll go away....
Posted by: jess/ ncn | June 22, 2005 at 14:15
Morning: wash face in shower, moisturize.
During the day: occasionally wipe off face with nice soft disposable towels in the men's room.
Evening: wash face, occassionally wipe with astringent, sleep.
Posted by: ddj | June 23, 2005 at 16:18
DDJ- at least you wash your face! That's good. Most guys I know don't.
Gloria- doing the bare minimum is just fine as long as you know what you need. Being a product junkie, I have a tendancy to use a lot of products but I know when to use what and hardly waste any of the products I buy.
Reesie- you don't need to wear makeup, girl! You have a great complexion! Enjoy it!
Anne- I hope that my astuces will be helpful.. feel free to ask questions. :)
Tracey- Lines on your face an inevitable but you can help yourself age gracefully by keeping your face moisturized. A light moisturizer never did anyone any harm... I have fine lines too...it happens to all of us!
Posted by: Flare | June 23, 2005 at 17:39
I love Clinique! Not that I need it, I'm so naturally beautiful...
Kidding. That's really cool.
Posted by: Asian Lep | June 24, 2005 at 21:28
Omigod! You're supposed to have a regime? Well now I know what I have been doing wrong. Why if I had a regime perhaps I could pass for 21 as opposed to the usual 27 or so most people assume I am.
Posted by: Dagny | June 27, 2005 at 07:52
confessions about the face regime of a beauty product whore...
am: mario badescu glycolic toner to wipe down the evening, kiehls ultra facial moisturiser, and clinique's all about the eyes.
pm: (winter)Origins Pure Cream (summer) Never a dull moment cleanser, Kiehls calendula toner, swipe of the dermo prescribed Eryfluid, Origins a perfect world, mario badescu's pentavitamin ultra moisturiser (WORLDS BEST) and the all about the eyes again (along with an Ed labello generic for the lips).
ETC products: Borghese Eye Makeup Remover, Origins Out of Trouble Mask, Origins Spot remover, and Origins Never a Dull moment Exfoliator (as a mask and exfoliator), still searching for a replacement more often exfoliator, recent product trial- Yves Rocher Pore Refining Moisturiser, and dermo prescribed Eryfluid (which does NOTHING to compare with Benzaclin- the WONDER product)
Posted by: stinkerbell | April 18, 2006 at 23:24
I realize I'm about a year and a half too late for this thread, but whatever. I have to share that I've been using Lancome's Gelatee Confort for a couple of years now and love love love it. I used Retin-A on my face when the acne was in full force and it destroyed my natural skin oils. With the Lancome cleanser, I put it on and just wipe it off. It gets the makeup off and I don't actually have to rinse (sometimes I do, but my skin is very dry after it touches water). I also used to use a lancome moisturizer (forget the name, it came in a white with green letters container) that was amazing, but being $50 a vat it was too expensive a habit. So I use The Body Shop's vitamin e with SPF day cream. It gets the job done and is better than drugstore brands. I will be switching back to Lancome's moisturizer whenever I can, though--that stuff rocks.
Posted by: lacey | December 12, 2006 at 00:27
Congratulations for your new blog. I'll be looking forward to some interesting topics here, so I'll be sure to keep on coming back here.
vee
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