Attn: Bernard. Beauty question

K

kimyenchu

Cathlete
Hello Anna,

I was wondering if you could give me some tips. Is a Decleor facial any good on a regular basis? I have only had 2 so far and the first one was rather disappointing. I then went to a salon in Knightsbridge and their facial uses Repecharge, or she described it as 4 layer facial using deep sea products. She told me that she couldn't really tell that I had recently had a facial because a facial should make my skin glow.

I am tempted to give this one a try but is rather put off by the price.

Yen
 
Hi Yen,

I have to be honest I have never had a Decleor facial (I keep threatening to have one, ONE day !), but as homecare skin products I do use a lot of their facial range and body range, and I think they are excellent. My skin has never looked better.
Here is my advice, if you intend on having a regular monthly facial ( which, by the way, is brilliant), I can't stress enough that it is essential to use the basics of that particular facial skincare range (cleanser, toner, day cream and night cream) at home in between treatments. You will get more from your monthly facial if you do. I can't comment on Repecharge, in fact I have never heard of it ? But I have heard that Phytomer is a brilliant French Spa skincare range based on sea minerals, their facials may be cheaper. Having said that, with living in London, you pay through the nose for beauty treatments anyway. A Decleor facial here in Nottingham, varies between £23.00 - £39.00, depending on your skin type.
If you want a cheaper alternative for beauty treatments, I would try the London College of Fashion just off Oxford Street. They run salon days and facials can be had, with a facial massage, at a snip of the price. It will be done by a student, but they are under the guidance of their lecturer. At my local college's beauty salon, they do the St Tropez Self Tanning treatment for £15. If I was to go to a salon, I would pay between £33 to £37 in Nottingham. Elemis is a nice Skin care range too, and it is British, and aromatherapy based. But the Elemis Day Spa in London is vastly expensive, I think it is around £80 for a facial (www.elemis.com).
I would check out the London College of Fashion first and see what their Beauty Salon treatments are like first.

Hope this was of some use Yen.

Anna :)
 
Oh thanks Anna,

That was very professional advice you gave me. I did go for a Decleor yesterday and discovered the salon also sells the products. I will buy more of them as my present supply depletes. I want to move over to using Decleor exclusively in the future. I really like their product and don't think it's that expensive especially as I don't have to pay for the gym, I have more money to spend on things like this.

Yen
 
Hi Yen,

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the facial cost ? And which Decleor products do you use ?

anna
 
The facial was £39.50. I am not sure which products they used, but I bought a cleanser and toner and there was a night balm, body oil and facial oil as a free gift.

I don't remember the name of the products though.

Yen
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Oct-18-02 AT 09:57AM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Yen,

Have a check tonight which products you bought, and what skin type did they say you have ?

Anna

PS: Did they not sample you some extra skincare things ? Like Decleor's Phytopeel for exfoliation, an eye product, face mask ? Things you can add into your facial routine at home ?
 
I think that was offered, but I already have products that I should finish before buying new ones (I keep buying stuff and don't finish using them, but that is because I find that they don't suit my skin). I was given some Decleor for my last visit and I liked them alot. Now I know where to buy them, I will stick with these in future.

I have to say the facial I had yesterday didn't make much different to the way my skin looks. I was told by the beautician in the Knightsbridge salon that the 4 layered seaweed Repecharge would make my skin look brighter the day after the facial. I am tempted to try, but it is so expensive and right now, I can't afford to spend.

Yen
 
Hi Anna and Yen,

Sorry for butting in here - I hope you don't mind. My two favorite things in life (aside from reading) are beauty treatments/make up and working out to Cathe. Anna, I know you're a beauty professional so please don't think I'm knocking what you do. I'd love to do what you do, I just want to share some things I've learned. Having said that I wondered if either of you have read Paula Bagoun's book "Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me?" I used to buy SO many products thinking that they would make a miraculous change with my skin. I had fairly frequent facials, also. Of course, my skin NEVER looked the way I hoped it would. I would buy the whole line of something only to be disappointed. I have tried it all. Anyway, after reading Paula's book I discovered that most of the ingredients in these products really do nothing to change or help your skin. The only products that have been proven to help renew the skin are retina (prescription), beta hydroxy acids and alpha hydroxy acids. Now there are a ton of cosmetic companies out there that have the hydroxy products but Paula points out that there needs to be a specific formulation with the right ph balance for the acids to work. Let me tell you, she researched the whole industry and found out that almost none of the high priced stuff had the right formulation to do anything to help your skin. What an eye opener! She has a web site - www.cosmeticscop.com - that gives you some info. but not all. You should really look into checking the book out of the library (they might have a copy of it in England, I don't know). Long story short, after I read her book I threw away so much junk that had accumulated in my closet and now am just using Cetaphil cleanser, rentin a prescription from my dermatologist - $15 that lasts me months - and a glycolic acid product from Paula's line which was something like $10 for a huge tube. My skin looks SO much better than it had been looking. Of course I use the money I used to spend on cleansers, etc. and spend it on Cathe's new series and the color cosmetics that I love so much!

Let me also add that Bernard I'm so glad you're posting here so frequently - I love reading your posts and your enthusiasm is like a breath of fresh air. And Yen, Michelle Yeo is one of my idols also. I loved her in the James Bond movie and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" gave me chills! She is an incredible role model for women and young girls, don't you think?

OK, sorry for rambling. Take care, Linda
 
Hello Linda,

Great tip. I have skin that gets black heads and I hate it sometimes. I will look at the site and see what I can learn.

Unfortunately, over here there are no Cetaphil clenser and glycolic acid product and I am not sure that I would purchase from Paula's site if it too expensive. Britain can trail too far behind you Americans sometimes, like there is no Cathe workouts over here.


Yen
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Oct-18-02 AT 08:13PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Linda,
Oh, dear I am on the spot (scared !). Why, thank you for your kind words (blushing), a lot of the time I get critised for my enthusiasm which gets to me a little, especially when I spent so many years being negative with an eating disorder, and I always think, what is worse, being negative or trying to be positive ?
Thanks for the Paula Bagoun info, I will certainly check out her web site.
I think my main concern for Yen is that I am worried that she is paying out a lot of cash for her facials once a month (especially in London !!!), and maybe not being prescribed the correct skin care for her skin type. I think regular facials are great, and brilliant for the skin, they encourage cell renewal (which declines from the age of 25, sad but true :'(), brilliant for the tone of the skin and importantly a great way to relax for an hour to an hour and a half. We all struggle to find time for ourselves, and to be able to get to a salon, and relax and think of nothing is wonderful. So facials are brilliant for relaxing, but they only really oomph the skincare you are doing at home. The important thing is to look after your skin 24/7.
But, like any industry, it is so easy to get fobbed off, and you end up with skincare that doesn't suit your skin type. The best thing, before you buy, is always to take home FREE samples (the sign of a good company), and try them at home and see for yourself the results.
I have to admit I am very lucky, I was blessed with very good skin, very normal, never had trouble with spots, a little dry now, due to getting older, and pregnancies, and Decleor suits me down to the ground, my skin looks flawless and I can get away without using a foundation for most of the year ! But everyone is different, and we all have different skin care needs.
AHA's are very interesting, as they work on the basis of regularly exfoliating the dead skin cells and so keeping the skin nice and smooth.
My advice is if you are looking for a skincare range, by all means have a facial done, see how your skin looks (even better if the company compliments you a free facial to determine what your skin type is, and to prescribe the basics to you) and shop around when trying out facials, especially for prices.
Linda, I am interested, what make-up do you use ? What are your favourite brands ? I am a make-up junkie ! My DH recently treated us to a trip to New York and I fell in love with your Sephora shops. I love TONY and TINA (gorgeous glitter eyeliners !), and SMASHBOX, and MODELS PREFER (from QVC), and OPI are a BRILLIANT nail polish company. America CERTAINLY knows its stuff when it comes to Make up brands !
Yen, if you are reading this, please check out the following site: www.lizearle.com
Liz Earle makes the most 'fantastic' plant based products, at much more competitive prices, compared to Decleor. They sell very reasonably priced try me kits, too.
Can I just add some extra skin care advice, while I have my Beauty hat on ? And that is, if you are on a low fat diet, your skin will suffer in the long run with dryness, so always make sure you are using a good nourishing body moisturiser, and facial moisturiser, a low fat diet can accelorate ageing. Also, if you are losing weight, compliment your weight loss program with a firming body moisturiser, which will help give back the skin tone and elasticity, too.

Many Thanks

Anna :)

PS: Sorry Guys, I have extra rambled ! :)
 
Hi Anna and Yen,

OK, Anna, you asked for it. My favorite cosmetics of late are Lancome. We have Nordstrom here in Northern California and as a little treat to myself, when I go through with my kids (ages 2 and 4) I always stop at a different makeup counter and ask whoever is working the counter to recommend colors for me. I've been made up by a Smashbox makeup artist (colors were way too harsh for me, although I bought several of them, of course) MAC, Stila and then about 2 weeks ago I had read about some colors in Allure Magazine. Do you get that in England? It's the magazine that was created for people like us. It's completely devoted to cosmetics and every month they have page after page of different colors, cleansers, etc. not in advertisment form but with the magazine and readers reviewing different products. I love it. Anyway, some model had been made up with this beautiful Lancome blush so when I was at Nordstrom I stopped at the counter. The salesgirl asked me what I was looking for...long story short, the blush in the mag. didn't work for me but the salegirl completely made over my face and the change was incredible. So now I'm loving Lancome - expensive, but very high quality. I'm using their dual finish powder that I love, cedar rose blush, and the new lip product that I have in "brun" which is super long lasting. I think it's called Lip Dimensions. I also bought a liquid liner to line my UPPER lids, which is something I had never really done. I always use shadow but lined first with the pencil and then put the shadow over it. Now I'm lining with the liquid liner over the shadow and the effect is much better. I wear glasses and find that my eyes need an extra "oomph" or else they fade out behind my frames. Also, I had always leaned towards the pinks but the browns in the Lancome line really suit my coloring. I also like O.P.I. and NARS makes great pot lip glosses. Chanel has beautiful colors but their products have so much fragrance and I'm completely allergic to it. I tried their skin care line last year and had to return all of it because I had a severe allergic reaction. I've tried some of Bobbi Brown's makeup but I don't like the consistancy and I find that the product (blushes, shadows, and lipstick) fades quickly on me. There's a line here now (also at Sephora) called Visage Bourjois. I have one of their rouges that I bought right before the Lancome makeover but it's also in the "warm" family so I mix it with my Cedar Rose for a deeper color. It seems like a nice line. I received a free mascara sample with the blush and I thought it seemed like good quality.

I agree about taking the time to take care of yourself and facials are a great way to do that. Did you find that your skin became more sensitive after you had your children? Mine changed completely. I also never really had major breakouts but I have an issue with the size of my pores, hence the reason I'm trying to be consistant with the retin-a and glycolic acids.

Yen, as far as your blackheads - when I used to use the "anti-wrinkle" skin care lines I always broke out. Those products are extremely rich and often contain fragrance. If I would use any Estee Lauder or Lancome cream, the next day I would have blackheads AND pimples. Is there a facial salon there that specializes in problem skin? That helped me several years ago. The salon sold Murad products as well as their own acne-type-skin-based line as opposed to a Decleor type product. I know that, for example, if I were to wash my face after a Cathe workout with a cleanser that contains even the slighest hint of fragrance or oil I would experience a breakout. Are you washing immediately after your workout? Do you touch your face a lot? If so the oils from your hands could be contributing to breakouts. You are Asian so you have what I have and what I call "ethnic skin". We're prone to a bit of oiliness here and there and our skin is just different in a way that can't be described. I envy people like Anna that have never had a skin problem and can use any line without adverse reaction. I had a facialist like that once. Her skin was absolutely incredible and she told me that she could slap any old thing on it and it would still look good. Ugh.

OK, enough beauty talk for tonight. I'm going to crawl into bed with a book. Take care, Linda
 
Hello girls,

Have any of you ever heard of Dr. Hautschka? I am using their cleanser, toner and moisturiser at the moment. I don't mind the cleanser and toner but the cream doesn't suit my skin as I get blocked pores. I tried this because it's very popular with celebrities. If you have, what do you think of it?

My skin is quite good apart from the blocked pores (I cannot wear make or foundation daily because it causes blocked pores). It does look very bright and healthy. I usually wash after my work out and at night time with cleanser and toner but in the morning I prefer a gel cleanser that you can just rinse off as it's more convenient also I don't think gets dirty like it does during day.

Yen
 
Hi Linda,

Wow :-wow, you really are into make up ! I love Smashbox, especially their cream eyeliner, it dries so quick, and stays put ! MAC, interestingly enough, is owned by Estee Lauder, in my opinion good stuff ! I love Estee Lauder's lipsticks, and their new spa range is divine ! Especially the shower wash !
We don't get Allure in this country (I wish we did ! maybe London gets it ? Not sure). I always buy Glamour and I can't live without my monthly In Style. In fact while in New York, I took a copy of the US In Style home with me, and I think it is better than the UK version.
Quite often, if Estee Lauder's model is wearing a gorgeous lipstick shade in an advert, I will e-mail the company and ask them which shade the model is wearing ? And I have always got a prompt reply.
I have never tried Lancome, though I hear they have a new supper-wowwy mascara out now that is supposed to make lashes look lovely. BTW, Linda, what did you think of Smashbox's mascara ?
I tried to buy one of the NARS shades of lip gloss while in New York, but it had completely sold out ! I think the shade was 'BABE'.
I also love Chanel's Glossimers, and they make a gorgeous lip liner too, which is almost identical to my natural lip colour, but the name escapes me. For smokey eyes, I ADORE Chanel's Argent palette.
OPI is fantastic - their new holiday colours are gorgeous - 4 new shades with 4 complimenting glitter top coats ! Very nice !
I saw a lot of Essie nail polish in America, and I am wondering if you have used the range ? (www.essie.com)
What do you think of Clinique ? I actually really like their make-up, but not so keen on the skincare.
Again, I was really lucky during my pregnancies, I had no major skin problems, no sensitivity, nothing - it has got drier with each baby though. Which is a pain because skin care products for dry skin are ALWAYS more expensive than for an oily or combination skin type.
Just to clarify, an oily skin is characterised by a constant film of oil over the entire face (even after cleansing), blackheads (not only on the T-Zone but also across the tops of the cheeks), spots, open pores and sometimes redness (due to sensitivity). A combination skin is more likely to have an oily T-Zone, dehydrated cheeks and neck, blackheads and open pores in the T-Zone only. Oily/combination skin types don't age as quickly as those with a dryer skin. Unless of course, you have dehydration, which can cause fine lines, if the fine lines aren't rehydrated, then they turn into deeper crevises, causing a wrinkle. To check for dehydration, run the side of your forefinger slowly up the cheek area, and if any faint horizontal lines are detected then the skin is dehydrated, the skin also takes on a dull, devitalised appearance too. Dehydration tends to be caused by external factors, such as sun exposure, wind, central heating, fluorescent lights, alcohol, smoking, and air conditioning. A dry skin tends to be through hormonal changes, ageing and the skin has a distinct lack of oil, with very small pores in the T-Zone, if any.
There is an interesting book just been released in the Uk called
'The 21st Centrury Beauty Bible' written by 2 acclaimed Beauty writers (reknowned to be the best in the world). They have an excellent web site that is brilliant to look at

www.thebeautybible.com

BTW, Linda, being an avid reader, which book were you reading last night ?

Anna :)
 
Hi Yen,

I have never tried Dr.Hautschka, but it always gets good write ups in the magazines, and I noticed it sold in Sephora's stores.
It is important to choose a foundation that is non-comedegenic, which means it is designed to not block pores. Clarins do a good foundation, which is an ulta-light texture, that is non-commedegenic, I think it is called Ultra-Hydrating, and Clarins always sample, so ask to try before you buy. Winter is quite detrimental to the skin, so wearing a foundation adds extra protection against external elements.
Exfoliation is very important once a week on a combination skin too, as it not only helps deep cleanse blocked pores but also removes the dead skin cells, giving the skin a brighter, alive, fresh look.
Also, when cleansing it is very important to pay attention to blocked pores and cleanse very thoroughly over the congested area.

Hope this has been some help Yen.
Do you think you might give the London College of Fashion a go for 'cheaper' facials ? The price of waxing will be better too at the college.

Anna :)
 
Hi Yen and Anna,

Yen, I tried Dr. Hautshka (sp?) last year. I found it to be very expensive and not all of the products did what they said they were supposed to do. I did like the cleanser that's sort of like a scrub. The toner was a bit too drying for me - it contains alcohol. I didn't like the day moisturizer very much but my skin was very dry on my cheeks because we had recently moved to northern California and I wasn't used to the climate and I found that the moisture mask worked well for me. I would put in on and leave it on all night. Paula Bagoun says that if you skin tends to be oily you really don't need a moisturizer - that's something that the cosmetics companies have taught us to boost their sales. If you get a bit dry around the eyes or something, just put your moisturizer there (or spot treat any other dry areas). Putting moisture on oily skin will cause your skin to produce more oil, hence your breakouts. She also recommends for acne-prone skin to use beta hydroxy acid because it's the only one of the new "acids" that will actually penetrate the pore. I hope you found some good info on her web site. I love her cleansing, acne, and sunscreen products but cannot recommend her color cosmetics. I ended up returning those that I had bought and got a refund. I was surprised because the other part of her line is such good quality.

Anna, I have a couple of Essie's pink polishes and they're gorgeous on the hands. I don't like a dark polish on my fingers because then you can see the chips too easily. The Nars gloss I have is called "Baby Doll" and it's so nice to mix with different lipsticks. I didn't try the Smashbox mascara, just a blush, lipstick and the cake eyeliner - which was an experience, let me tell you. Trying to wiggle that brush at the base of my lashes without coming out looking like Elvira took me forever.
I didn't know that MAC is now owned by Estee Lauder, but did know that Origins is, also. I think Estee's grandaughter, Erin (or she spells it Aerin or something like that), runs it. They are also supposed to have nice color cosmetics but haven't tried them.

The book I'm currently reading is called "The Hero's Walk" by Anita Rau Badami. I loooove Indian literature (and food, too!) There are a ton of Indians here where we live because of the high-tech industry. You see women walking with those beautiful saris everywhere and there are a ton of Indian restaurants. I read an article last year that said that the best place to get Indian food in the world now is England. Anyway, the book is excellent but it's a slow read so it's taking me some time to get through it. Also, I went back to teaching this year since both kids are old enough to go to preschool so between preparing lessons, grading papers, taking care of my kids, this forum and my workouts I have very little time for ME (well, the workouts and forum are for me). The house is such a mess I can't believe it but also can't bring myself to straighten up either. I'm sure with 3 little ones you can relate to this. Thank God my DH cooks and does all the dishes otherwise I would surely lose it! How do you manage? Are you breastfeeding the little one? And how do you get them all asleep by 7:30 pm? What time do you eat dinner? One last note before I go to prepare for my lessons next week - I was (and still am to a certain extent) a huge Bruce fan also. I also think that "The Wild, Innocent, and East Street..." is one of his best albums although I love the "Born to Run" album and he is just SO sexy on the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album cover. "Candy's Room" and "Badlands" just give me chills! My sister and I were so in love with him in high school that we named our dog Rosalita after the song! OK, enough dilly-dallying. I'm off to work. All the best, Linda
 
Hi Linda,

What do you think of Origins ? I am not totally impressed, I prefer the American 'Fresh' products, which I adore, and love, love, love the shops ! I shall definitely consider purchasing some Essie nail polishes now, are they as chip resistant as OPI ?

It is very true, the UK has some fantastic Indian restaurants ! I love Indian food, Mushroom Balti is my favourite :9 In fact, curry was voted the most favourite meal in the UK very recently.

Wow :-wow Linda, you are a busy Mum ! I can totally relate, my house is ALWAYS a tip, until the children go to bed and then I tidy up what I can. I am no longer breastfeeding my youngest now, I stopped last December, when she became a year old, I have to admit I was glad to, because I seemed to of spent 4 years constantly breastfeeding !
My middle and youngest child are always ready for bed by about 6.30 pm, so we have a really good routine for them, brush teeth, wash hands and faces, get ready for bed, have a cup of milk while they listen to a story, and then it is lights out. They are very good, they both go to sleep quite quickly. My eldest has a story read to her, and we let her read some books by herself for an hour, so it is about 8.30pm, and lights out for my eldest (my DH settles her down, as I am always by this point sweating it out over my step !). The children and I eat dinner from anywhere between 4.30pm and 6pm, my DH eats when he gets home from work. It sure is hard work being a Mum, even harder if you are a working Mum.

I ADORE Bruce - my favourite track off 'Wild, Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle' is 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) aww, I love that song :)

How did your preparations go today ? I have a friend, who teaches Biology, and she is always snowed under in the evenings with marking, etc. She is off on a field trip tomorrow for the week with her students, I spoke to her today and she is not looking forward to it (it is wet, grey, cold and miserable at the moment in the UK).
Whereabouts in Northern California are you ? Is Monterey considered a part of North California ? I have always wanted to go there since I was a teenager, it would be great to just sit and watch the ocean, with the waves crashing BLISS....... :)

Anyway got to go, it is late and I am ready to flake into bed very soon too. I am curling up with my Archaeology publication, which arrived in the post the other day :)

Take Care Linda
Anna
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top