Tips

Bonjour, Mes Amis!

American Spa recently featured an article titled “Succulent Soothers”, which discussed the uses of succulent plant extracts in skin care.  At first, I couldn’t get the image of a few potted plants that my mom has upstairs on a table in our living room: succulents?  Like cactus?  No way.

Way!  As it turns out, succulents have worked miracles for humans for ages, dating back to the Native Americans living in desert areas.  They unlocked the secrets of the greenery that was able to thrive under such harsh environmental conditions, and used extracts from these prickly plants to treat illness, and dermal afflictions, as well.  Succulent extracts, especially from the Prickly Pear Cactus and the leaves of Chaparral , can treat blemishes, warts, eczema, cold sores, and contact dermatitis (an allergic reaction in the form of a rash, resulting from contact with our skin).  Much more than this, though, skin care brands like our much-loved Sothys have included these extracts because of the miracles they work in hydration, and even anti-aging.

Prickly Pear, which was featured in the article, is said to have tons of “super-antioxidants that protect the skin from the arid climate and help minimize fine lines and wrinkles.”  Sothy’s Marketing Manager, Soraya Thonier, says that prickly pear cactus extract also boosts cell turnover and exfoliates to reveal smooth skin, while its antioxidants “neutralize free radicals and protect against future cellular damage and premature aging.”  Prickly Pear is used in Sothys’ Firming Body Cream, as well as the luxurious anti-aging Secrets line: our Secrets de Sothys Global Cream, Eye Contour Serum, Secrets Intense Lip Crème, and Global De-Stressing Serum.

Chaparral Extract is used in their Hydra Protective Cream and Hydra Protective Softening Emulsion, and possesses many of the strengths that the article boasts about, including the power of maintaining the skin’s by increasing its “capacity to hold moisture, protecting the skin from dryness.”  These products both work to moisturize and nourish the skin, then protect it from the abuse and elements it faces every day (climate extremes, pollution, you name it!).

So now when you hear succulents, rather than picturing a spiney, homely-looking cactus, think of a natural skin treatment that hydrates the skin (and seals that hydration in!), fights free radicals, nourishes, and provides anti-aging, all in one bottle.  Combine that with the soft, luxurious feel of Sothys creams and serums, and I think we’ve made our point!

Alors, stay thirsty, mes amis!

Bisous,

Bonjour Mes Amis!

As October is getting closer and closer, many of our fall routines have begun to really pick up.  For me, especially now that Cal Poly has resumed for Fall Quarter, I’m struggling with the adjustment from a leisurely summer pace to hitting the ground running; personally, I feel like I hit the ground, tripped over my own shoelaces, then fell!  The stress of my weekend shrinking from 7 days to three, on top of four classes worth of homework, two jobs, trying to figure out my senior project, and trying to graduate a year early have already worn me back into ‘student zombie’ mode.

My sudden change in sleeping patterns and stress level have already started to take a toll on my skin, as it would to anyone’s; though age and skin type play a role in determining how it affects us, stress and lack of sleep (or both, if you’re really lucky) can make your skin dry, patchy, oily, and cause break outs, among other reactions.  

This morning, when my mom got up around 6:30 (after I’d already been awake for an hour and a half…morning classes, ugh!), she looked at me, glued to my cup of coffee at the kitchen table, and said “My goodness, I think you need a day off already!”  I replied with “I wish I had time for one.” Then she said, “So make some time.  Don’t get overwhelmed, just take a breather and then start fresh.”

And of course she’s right (as she often is, I’m learning).

I am the type of person who, despite feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, will work from sun-up to sun-down (and often longer) to get to everything on her to-do list, even though past experience has shown me that I do not do my best work in this ‘zombie’ state.  As I’ve stated before, I know every single one of us can relate to being stressed out and bogged down, but few have mastered the ability to break out of it.

So, in an effort to rid myself of the blemishes, under-eye bags, and foul mood that I’ve been battling, I am challenging myself to set aside at least 2 hours every week for “Un Jour pour Moi“, a day for me.  I am going to write down a list of things that I would like to do, or enjoy but never have time for, or that simply make me happy, and assign one or two to myself every week to do during my jour pour moi.  Reading a book I’ve been meaning to pick up for months, or revisiting an old favorite.  Treating myself to ice cream or a milkshake.  Picking up my guitar and learning a new song.  Shopping (who doesn’t smile at the thought of new shoes?) in downtown SLO.  Calling an old friend I’ve been meaning to catch up with.  Taking a hot bubble bath.  Going for a long walk on the beach.  Watching a chick flick on my couch.  Going for a hike in Montaña de Oro.  Going to bed early instead of watching TV.  Re-adopting that morning routine I talked about in July (remember this post?).

A good mood can make all the difference in the world, so I am challenging myself to make sure that, every week, I put a smile on my face before turning to my ever-growing to-do list.  And I want to challenge you to do the same!  

Taking a few hours out of your week to eliminate that stress does wonders for your health and your mental well-being, so try this with me!  Let’s hold one another accountable on this one, because we all deserve happiness, especially from within.  What do you do to relax when you’ve got a million things to do?  What puts a smile on your face no matter what your mood?  Let’s share our ideas and progress, and together we just might make it to the Holidays in one piece!

Bisous,

Bonjour Mes Amis,

I hope you’ve all had a lovely start to your week so far; I know my Monday was definitely more lively than usual!  I was here at A French Touch enjoying the company of a few of you lovely ladies, Patricia, and Hollywood’s own Emily Katz (along with her ADORABLE shoes)!

During her two presentations yesterday, Emily shared her make-up tips, tricks, secrets, and stories from over 20 years of hard work and experience 

 while demonstrating proper make-up application and technique on our two lovely models.

So, in case you weren’t lucky enough to join us yesterday, I took all sorts of notes and pictures, and am here to share it all with you!

Emily’s Tips:

• “Get peels, and use sun screen.”  Seriously ladies, not only does it take that dull, aged look off your face, but a peel series can help your other skin care products penetrate more deeply to get better results.  Sun damage causes somewhere around 90% of visible aging, so sun protection will also prevent the addition of years of visible aging on your face, neck and decollete.  
• “You need a good Brush Kit.”  Brushes  make the application of make-up and even skin care products easy; they allow for a more even application of product, keep it from getting stuck in your pores, and allow for more specific (and sanitary!) product placement than fingers.
• “A good sponge is like an eraser, it should be your new best friend.”  This also helps with the even application of product, blending, and smoothing for a perfect finish to your look.
• “You need a good concealer.”  Concealer proved to be quite the star of the show yesterday, by covering and blending everything from wrinkles to dark/red spots to blemishes, and even reducing the appearance of puffy skin.  “Use it correctively over red patches or dark spots, and you’ll melt the years off.”  A fun tip; yellow-based concealers will cover red patches better, while peach/pink-based concealers will cover blue dark spots (like dark under-eye circles) better. 

• Every concealer, foundation, BB cream, etc. will look different on you, both compared to the original color, and also to how it might look on others, because our skin has a unique pH that can alter the hue of our make-up.  If you’re lucky or choose from a high quality brand, it shouldn’t change drastically.  Emily joked that this is how a lot of her make-up ends up in the “guilt drawer”; we all have one, full of make-up that we bought, tried, and didn’t like as much as we thought we would!
• “Change your mascara every 3 months.”  When it starts getting clumpy, flakey, or smelly, it’s time to go!  Also, don’t pump your mascara to get more out; it encourages bacteria growth and actually forces product away from the brush.  Instead, hold it upside down and roll it between your hands so the warmth will melt in onto the brush.
• “Less is more.  I’m a real minimalist when it comes to make-up.  The older we get, the less make-up we should use, because too much looks like a cakey mask, not attractive!”
• “Stand in your beauty.  Reflect who you are, and learn to be sheer with yourself; you should love your features and learn to enhance them, not hide them.”

We had a lovely time yesterday, and I hope you all can attend next time; make-up tips, cute shoes, french hors d’oeuvres, champagne, a gift certificate towards a facial, and a good time are certainly my favorite way to brighten up a Monday!  Don’t worry though, I’ll be sure to tell you when Emily’s coming back!

Bisous,

Bonjour Mes Amis,

Let’s imagine for a moment, mes amis, that we are in Paris, la ville d’amour.  You’re sitting at  a small outside table at a quiet café, overlooking a park with a hot cappuccino, listening to the melodic cadences of the French language being tossed around old cobblestone streets, observing the beautiful architecture found on every city block.  Perhaps later you wander through an outdoor market with fresh flowers and produce, then take in a beautiful view of the city from the very top of la Tour Eiffel, and top off your day with a warm crepe and a walk around le Basillique du Sacre Coeur at dusk.

When I think of Paris (especially when I’m lounging here in our sitting room at A French Touch!), I think of the effortless, clean, stylish elegance that French culture exudes.  The French have always commanded a great deal of respect and influence when it comes to fashion and make-up, but only gradually are cultures like ours starting to pick up on the wisdom and sophistication of their skincare philosophies, as well.  

Lucky you, though, because A French Touch seeks to embrace all of these beauty secrets, out of a desire to help you maintain and reflect your natural beauty and to help your skin age gracefully.  

So let’s begin first with the concept of a skincare salon.  Skincare salons are as common in France as hair and nail salons are in the US.  The idea of a skincare salon might sound suspiciously like a spa, but the ‘salon’ part is supposed to emphasize a regular treatment of the skin to maintain a healthy appearance, rather than a once-in-a-great-while treat for oneself.  In France, the skincare salons are known as “Les Instituts de Beauté”, institutes of beauty, where skin is therapeutically nourished and refreshed.

The French do not believe in heavy make-up application, and therefore emphasize maintaining the natural beauty and balance of your skin so that excessive make-up is not needed.  The trick to make-up is to make it look as though you aren’t wearing any, rather than  looking like a five-year-old who went rummaging through her mother’s vanity drawers!  Foundation, blush, eye make-up and lip products are only to be used to create an I-am-this-beautiful-after-just-waking-up look.

From fashion to make-up to everyday life, the chic French femininity we love conveys a sense of effortlessness, of simplicity, of natural beauty.  However, when it comes to the skincare ritual behind the effortless beauty, the opposite couldn’t be more true; French women dedicate a great deal of time to applying quality products that ensure the health of their skin.  They generously employ moisturizers, serums that stimulate collagen production, and liberally apply their sun protection on a very frequent and regular basis.  All of this stems out of a longing for natural beauty, not a false, cakey, make-up induced appearance, and out of a love for their skin.  

I know you might be a bit tired of my “Show your skin some love” theme from this summer, but I mean it in earnest when I say that it is the absolute best way to give yourself that extra bit of ‘me time’, that ten minutes of pampering and unwinding to begin and end your day with.  I know since I stepped up my skincare routine after starting at A French Touch, I have come to look forward to cleansing and soothing my face at the end of a long day, almost like I’m exfoliating and moisturizing and nourishing all the stress away; that time is just for me, and I love it because I deserve a few moments to feel beautiful, even after the make-up comes off!

Alors, mes amis, I hope these thoughts find you happy and leave you happier.  Stay beautiful, because you are, and because you deserve to feel like it, too.

Bisous,

Bonjour, Mes Amis!

We have a very exciting event coming up for you next week, mes amis!  One of Elle’s Beauty Genius MakeUp Artists Emily Katz is coming to A French Touch Salon this Monday, the 23rd, to discuss how to maintain a beautiful you with skin care and make-up tips adored by Hollywood’s most glamorous.  

Over the past 20 years, Emily has become the biggest and best in makeup and skin care by working with the stars of Lost, Big Fish, Nine Lives of Chloe King, 24, and Anger Management.  She also provides skin care consultations and classic makeup styles for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, always emphasizing healthy skin and a natural look.

Her simple message, “Stand in your Beauty”, describes a natural and healthy sense of beauty and self that we strive to impart at A French Touch; she describes it perfectly, saying “I strive to bring out the beauty that is in each of us, without creating a mask so that a woman feels like she’s expressing her inner beauty as well.

Even a full-on glamour makeup still allows a woman to feel gorgeous and be herself when she knows that sometimes less is more! I love skin, and prefer to let it show through a makeup without looking cake-y or dull.

Beautiful skin…or the impression of it, without heavy looking coverage is what I always strive for. I find it important that we feel beautiful inside and out, and want to support women in doing just that.”

You hit the mark, Emily, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves!  Please go to her website for a fuller appreciation of Emily’s talents and philosophy at http://www.ektruth.com/.

So, be sure to join us at either 11:00 a.m. or 5:30 p.m. for one of Emily’s talks and demonstrations, as she shares her favorite skin care products (she loves Jan Marini, too!), and some age-defying makeup tips that keep your skin looking young, fresh, and naturally beautiful.  She’ll also be offering discounted private consultations, to help you capture the glamour and youthful beauty of the stars for yourself and make it reflect the true, beautiful you.  Call us or email us if you’d like to reserve a seat for you and the special women in your life (and really, what better way to spice up your Monday!).

I’ll see you there, mes amis!

Bisous,

Bonjour, Mes Amis!

Let’s kick our exfoliation up a notch to the professional level, shall we?

I know I’ve mentioned peels earlier this week, but I want to go through what our peels at A French Touch are like, and what results they’re designed to have.  First, however, let’s get a few misconceptions about chemical peels out of the way.

For those of you who are imagining the skin on your face peeling off like it does after a bad sunburn, I’m happy to say that you’ve got it all wrong!  

Only very strong chemical peels have that effect on your skin, but A French Touch prefers to offer gentler, effective peels that provide results without downtime.  We want our lovely clients to be able to jump back into their busy lives, feeling refreshed but not feeling the side effects!  Our Jan Marini-inspired peels penetrate the skin deeper than our home-care products (and certainly deeper than a mechanical form of exfoliation), working to not only clear away the dull-looking top layer of debris, but also to revitalize your skin’s natural glow and beauty.  Jan Marini Skin Research says that peels are one of the most popular aesthetic treatments out there, and are effective in treating acne, acne scars, hyper-pigmentation, photo-damage, lines, and wrinkles.  More radiance and no downtime, what more could you ask for?

Our first, most gentle peel is the Jan Marini 40% Glycolic Acid Peel, which we offer as a one-time treatment, a series of 3 over three weeks (recommended), and as an add-on to your facial.  This peel uses (obviously) Glycolic Acid, which is a product many of us already use in our home-care routines (Bioglycolic cleansers, lotions, and creams for the face and body), just in a  stronger solution.  This peel has zero-downtime, which means you’ll be able to immediately re-apply your makeup and sunscreen and be on your way!  The Glycolic Acid Peel specializes in treating fine lines, uneven texture, acne, and pigmentation issues, even with one application; however, both Patricia and the experts at Jan Marini tell us that these peels, as with most skincare products and procedures, work best with continued application and treatment (read: you get to relax for a peaceful session every week and treat your skin to a little TLC!).

Our new Brilliance Peel takes the Glycolic Acid Peel and turns up the anti-aging magic just a bit!  In this peel, we combine Glycolic Acid with Jan Marini’s new Retinol Plus Mask, which uses Retinol and several other wrinkle-eliminating ingredients to boost cell turnover rates, collagen stimulation, and evenness of pigmentation (this mask is coming soon, read more about it here!).  The combination of these two treatments in one works wonders for your skin because, as the Glycolic acid removes that cement-like top layer of dead skin cells, the Retinol Plus Mask is able to penetrate and absorb even more deepkly into the skin, amplifying the results and leaving you looking lovely!  Again, this peel works best as a series of 3 over 3 weeks, and has almost no downtime.

Finally, the Refine Peel is our most intensive peel, and should be done as a series of 3, but 3 to 4 weeks apart, due to the strength of the peel.  Jan Marini says that the Refine Peel is excellent in providing overall skin rejuvenation with less peeling and downtime than more aggressive treatments, and works to visibly combat uneven texture, fine lines and wrinkles, acne, and uneven pigmentation while rejuvenating the deeper levels of your skin.  The application of the Refine Peel is followed by a high-powered Retinol Activator, which synthesizes collagen as it regenerates tissue. Finally, our popular, elegant  Antioxidant SPF33 Sunscreen is applied and off you go! And we top off your experience with our signature Sothys hand treatment and Green Tea with Citrus.

You may see flaking that lasts from 3 to 5 days, easily minimized with our efficient Skin Zyme Mask (see above) and BIOSHIELD home care cream.  In fact,  Jan Marini’s new BIOSHIELD is a rapid recovery complex that was designed specifically to speed up recovery and  enhance treatment results from these peels. Unlike most petrolatum-based (yes, read “petroleum”!) products recommended post-laser, or post-peel,  this formula  delivers Epidermal Growth Factor, Palmitoyl Oligopeptides and Tetrapeptides to stimulate collagen and reduce inflammation and Co-Enzyme Q-10 super-antioxidant to reveal healed, healthy, GORGEOUS skin!   

And there you have it, mes amis!  Our peels are gentle enough for all skin types, but effective, and definitely the most thorough method of exfoliation we can offer you.  Exfoliation is a very important component in your skincare regimen, so make sure you’re exfoliating often; your skin will look healthier, and your other home-care products will absorb so much  more  to reveal your most beautiful skin!  If you aren’t sure which method or peel is right for you, call or email us to set up a free 15 minute consultation with our expert, Patricia.

Alors, bon week-end à vous!

Bisous,