Summer is officially over and fall is here.
I am never, ever ready to let go of summer. I always try to squeeze out one more week of sundresses and sandals, evenings by the pool with a spritz and some summer music.
The reality is however, that it’s time to pack away summer clothes and summer lip colors, and get prepped for the new season. I can already hear the upcoming collective squeal of “pumpkin spice latte!!!” (yuck – really??) and the reverential excitement over the return to boots and sweaters.
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Today though we are going to have ourselves a little chat about prepping our skin for the new season. In case you haven’t noticed, skin gets thrashed over the summer. The combination of heat and humidity, paired with extra sun and wind exposure, compounded by extra layers of SPF – or worse! the lack of SPF, leaves your complexion looking dull by the time fall arrives. You may be noticing your skin looking a little opaque through your foundation, and even though you have a tan there is a slight gray-ness instead of that early summer, healthy glow that you were sporting back in June.
Which means we need a plan to get the complexion back into tip top shape.
New fall skin care products just arrived on my desk!
I just received a box of goodies from Bloomingdales.com that are all about getting your skin back to gorgeous for fall. In fact, they represent the 5 Fall skin care steps you need to know.
5 Fall Skin Care Tips That You Need To Know
The Cleanse.
Last week I talked about doing a double cleanse, the first being an oil cleanse and the second a water cleanse. I’m pretty obsessed with water cleansers and have been using them in my pro makeup kit for more years than I care to remember.
This one is Trish McEvoy Skin Cleansing Water. Its super gentle on the skin, removes makeup (even stubborn, waterproof eye makeup) and gives you a nice cleanse. As the weather moves through fall and into winter this is an ideal cleanser, clearing away impurities but not stripping the skin. Trish McEvoy Skin Cleansing water is available online at Bloomingdales.com
The Exfoliation
I am super, super excited to start using this next product!
After the build up caused by perspiration, excess oils, hot and dry weather, chlorine, salt water, sun protection products – basically every single thing we have encountered all summer long, skin looks super dull. The top layer of dead skin and debris needs to be cleared away. The ideal solution is to go have a microdermabrasion treatment with a facialist, but that can be costly and it can also be difficult to schedule, especially if you have a mad schedule like mine! But now I have this new PMD Microdermabrasion Kit, which comes with microdermabrasion at home products.
This is extra cool because it is said to be the best at home microdermabrasion machine. The PMD Personal Microderm kit comes with a nifty little hand sized personal microderm machine/wand, a variety of different discs that allow you to choose if you have very sensitive skin, sensitive skin, medium skin, or skin that needs maximum strength dermabrasion. There is also a disc for use specifically on the body. You can give your skin persoanlly customized microdermabrasion treatments at home every week if necessary, but for most people every 2 or 3 weeks will be ample.
The PMD Microdermabrasion Kit comes with a DVD on the ins and outs of how to use it and a booklet, both making it really easy to use. It would make a really fantastic Christmas/end of year gift too!The PMD Personal Microderm Kit is available online at Bloomingdales.com
The Soothing Hydrating Mask
Summer strips your skin. Winter does too. Skin that has had to deal with the elements feels sensitized, dried out, irritated. This Kiehls Calendula and Aloe Soothing Hydrating Masque calms and soothes skin and then gently hydrates it. It is wonderful after sun exposure, so is great not only for beach days but also ski days.
This mask is also fantastic throughout fall and winter when skin gets so overly challenged with wind, biting cold, central heating – the works. It is a wonderful soothing mask for sensitive skin and sensitized skin. The Calendula and Aloe Soothing Hydrating Masque is good for all skin types, it isn’t heavy and it doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy. You can find it here on Bloomingdales.com
The Treatment
By the beginning of fall the summer glow has been replaces by skin that looks dull and lifeless. When skin looks dull and tired your makeup will too. Its time for a refresher! After exfoliating away the debris on the surface of the skin you need to introduce a Vitamin C treatment. Vitamin C helps treat some of the UV induced photo-damage, revitalizes the complexion, and is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the skin. Vitamin C is also loved for its anti-aging benefits, and is known to brighten skin, retexturize and even out skin tone.
But here is where it gets tricky. In order for Vitamin C to be effective it needs to be fresh, so most over the counter Vitamin C skin care products have a very limited shelf life and lose their power long before you have finished using them. Clinique has a Fresh Pressed 7 Day Pure Vitamin C System that uses powerful, pure Vitamin C in individual stay-fresh servings.
It is a 2 step process, starting with a morning cleanse that uses single serve stay fresh packs – one for each of the next 7 days. The second step is the daily booster with pure Vitamin C. It comes in an airtight pack with 7 days worth of serum.
Vitamin C is best used in the morning so that the powerful antioxidants can fight off all the free radical pollutants we are exposed to in the environment.
I’m heading back out to Paris in 2 weeks, so am starting my 7 day treatment in a couple of days. If ever there was a place to arrive with glowing, revitalized skin, Paris has to be it! You can find the Clinique Fresh Pressed 7 Day Vitamin C System online here at Bloomingdales.com
The Sheet Mask
If you’ve been following this blog for more than 5 minutes then you already know that I am obsessed with sheet masks. Every Sunday night I use a sheet mask – its part of my skin ritual and I love it! I use them during the week when I have time and I always, always pack them for international travel.
I got these Wei Sheet Masks from Bloomingdales.com. They are ideal for the beginning of fall – one is detoxifying, stress relieving and soothing and the other is brightening and illuminating. You only need to leave them on for 10 minutes, but I like to keep them on longer.
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