Tips

Bonjour, Mes Amis!

C’était un anniversaire joyeux, it was a happy anniversary indeed!  If you missed our Open House last Friday, don’t worry!  I am here to fill you in on all the fun!

We were joined by the lovely Kari, our friend and representative from Jan Marini, who helped give

 personalized advice about skin care routines with our award-winning Jan Marini products.

We had some pretty fabulous sales, but if you missed out, it’s not too late!  All of  our remaining Jan Marini Skin Care Management Systems are going to stay at 19% off for the rest of the month!  Call us or email us if you are interested in reserving a system, or talking to Patricia to see which system–Normal/Combination, Dry, Oily, or Enlighten Plus (our best seller!  Helps with hyper-pigmentation)–is best for your skin type.  Another fun detail I’d like to mention is that Jan Marini has a Men’s Skin Care Management System!  Who says skin care has to be all about the ladies?  Perhaps the men in your life could use a little summer love for their skin, too!

If you were able to join us last Friday, I want to hear from you!  Tell me what you thought about our event, and what your favorite Jan Marini product is!  We genuinely appreciate any feedback you have–after all, these events are all about you, mes amis, and we want you to have the best experience possible!

Here are a few more highlights from our Open House!

  

Patricia and Kari talking with a couple of the clients that came in to visit!

Patricia always finds the most beautiful flowers, mais non?

Jan Marini Eye Creams, all ready to go with the Skin Care Management Systems (a great addition to the kit!) and these cute little gift bags!

Those Chocolate-drizzled Strawberries I was telling you about!  And me, looking very focused on this crucial task.

We had so much fun and are so glad that so many of you made it last Friday!  Life can get  busy (even during the summer, imagine!), so we appreciate you taking the time to  not only visit with us, but also to show your skin some love!  Remember, you are  strong, beautiful, and loved, but all of that starts with you!  

Bisous,

Bonjour Mes Amis!

 Let’s talk for a moment about the alphabet soup craze that seems to be taking center stage in skin

care lately.  AA, BB, CC, and now DD cream have burst onto the market and become the latest trend in skin care and makeup brands alike.  But who really knows what all of these creams are, what they do, or even how they’re different?  Never fear!  I have come to your rescue!  I’ll explain it all, and most importantly, tell you that while these creams are great, you are better off using a series of skin care products than one that claims to do it all!  So let’s break these down one at a  time, shall we?

AA Cream:  AA cream is a bit less renowned for its alphabetical title; you might recognize this type of cream if I called it by its formal name, Anti-Aging.  Anti-Aging creams are not new to most of us, as they have been on the market for quite some time, when comparing them to the recency of most BB CC and DD creams.  AA creams use a variety of ingredients, including antioxidants (which help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and skin damage), peptides (which helps to increase the body’s production of collagen fibers within the dermis helping restore elasticity and improve fine lines and wrinkles), and retinol (which contains vitamin A that can help unplug pores, even out skin discoloration, restore vibrancy to the complexion, reduce oiliness, treat acne and psoriasis, improve the appearance of fine wrinkles, and has even been suggested to help build collagen.  Wow!).  Retinol is often the most popular  anti-aging agent recommended by dermatologists; we at A French Touch love it because it works AND it’s good for your skin.

BB Cream:  This product especially has become wildly popular recently, even more so than it’s newer and younger sisters (CC and DD), in my opinion.  Did you know that even though we’ve only been using them in the US for a few years, BB creams have been used in parts of Asia since the 1980s!  But now that we’ve finally caught on, let’s go over why we have so quickly come to love them.  BB creams, also known as “Blemish Balms” or “Beauty Balms”, are designed to be a moisturizer, primer, sunblock, and foundation all in one!  Most BB creams provide an adequate amount of SPF protection (the average seems to be around 20 to 35), while hydrating, smoothing, and evening your skin tone.  Some BB creams also pride themselves on avoiding the use of oils or other heavy ingredients, while others even include antioxidants (yay for natural skincare!).  Even though these handy little bottles have made their way into our makeup bags and our hearts, I was still surprised at just how much they could do!

CC Cream:  CC cream–which stands for “color control”–seems to be a more refined, grown up version of the BB cream.  Most makeup and skincare brands that carry one boast that the CC cream has a lighter wear than BB, while focusing more on the tinting in the cream.  These creams are reported to be better with smoothing skin tone by decreasing the appearance of redness and dark spots on the face, while some even include vitamin C, which naturally brightens the skin.  The magical powers of the BB cream are all presumed to be still present in this next generation, but the emphasis seems to have shifted from ‘doing it all’ to this product’s name sake.

DD Cream:  The DD cream has hardly dipped its toe into the pool, but is already generating quite the buzz, what with the fame of AA, BB, and CC creams.  I had never heard of DD cream before a few weeks ago, and when I researched it I was only able to find one brand who has plans to put it on the market.  According to them, DD stands for “daily defense”, while others speculated that the newest lettered cream to hit the shelves would stand for “dynamic do-all”, and be a heavier cream intended for foot and body use.  This cream, however, didn’t seem to be creating quite the buzz that BB creams, or even CC creams, did.  Many reviews I read even poked fun, asking what the next letters were going to stand for and how the trend would survive once we ran out of letters!  The reviews on this DD cream were limited, as were the rumors about other potential DD creams.

So what should we make of all of these letters, then?  If I were to combine my opinion with the reviews and comments I’ve read from users and skincare professionals alike (including our lovely Patircia!), these creams are a handy bottle to have around, and are great in that they incorporate a protective spf into a regular beauty routine

 (a habit that we need to get more in the habit of!).  The big “but”, though, is that while an all-in-one product might seem like a great shortcut to minimize the time we spend getting ready in the bathroom, there is definitely something to be said for the strength in numbers.  We’ve all heard the studies about multitasking, so why should we believe that a cream can do everything to its fullest potential all at the same time, if we can’t even focus on reading the paper while painting our nails?  While I love my BB cream, I know that since I switched to using multiple products (Jan Marini Skin Care Management System! My newest love!) to do all of the jobs it claims it can handle, my skin has felt and looked much softer, brighter, and even toned.

In all of this alphabet soup madness, then, don’t forget that while your AA, BB, CC, or DD cream is a lovely addition to your bathroom counter, don’t slide the rest of your skincare off to the side!  Your beauty ritual is just that, a ritual, and should ensure long-term visible benefits to your skin. Your skin deserves a full beauty routine, rather than one product that can’t possibly do everything at once!  Don’t cut corners when it comes to the health of your skin, mes amis, but maybe we could make a little room for some extra little letters!

Bisous,

Bonjour, Mes Amis!

How wonderful is that quote?  I stumbled across it the other day and thought that it would be perfect to share with you. 

In my own experience—and I’m sure many of you can relate, and then some!—it can be very easy to let this lovely little peace of mind get lost in the craziness of life.  But, this little saying reminds me that yes, I am beautiful!  It is important to remember that beauty is not physical; as D.H. Lawrence, says, “Beauty is an experience, nothing else.  It is not an arrangement of features.  It is something felt, a glow.”  With all of the messages we get from magazines and celebrities and television these days, I’ve found that the meaning of beauty is often confused with one’s physical appearance.  All anyone ever mentions about beauty anymore is the proportions of one’s body, the surgeries they’ve had to get it that way, the Versace dress they wore, or the lack of lines around their eyes when they smile.  No one mentions the light behind that smile, or the bright sense of inner confidence it takes to pull off that Versace dress on the runway! 

To me, beauty should not be presented as the way one looks—it should be used to talk about the way one feels.  Beauty is that confident voice in your head when you look in the mirror that says, “You look fabulous, darling!  And no matter what you look like, no matter what you wear, no matter how much or how little makeup you put on, no matter how many times you forget one (or both) of your earrings, I love you!” 

I suppose that’s where I’ve been coming from with all of my “Show your skin some love!” posts; a sure sign of growing a healthy sense of inner-beauty is in wanting to care for, rather than change, ourselves!  And A French Touch does everything with exactly that in mind, because we want you to love the skin your in—literally!  The sense of self-love and positive body image that it takes to truly care for yourself is what really makes you beautiful—that confidence will shine through anywhere! 

Since I’ve found this quote, I’ve started a morning routine; after I’ve rolled out of bed but before anything else (even before a cup of coffee—this must be serious!) I stand up in front of my mirror and say out loud:

I am Strong.

I am Beautiful.

I am Loved.

It’s only been a couple of days, but I’ve noticed a wonderful improvement in my mood throughout my day.  I am much happier!  And feeling better will always do more good than just looking it.

What do you all do to make yourselves feel beautiful?  I’d love it if you shared with me!

A bientôt, until next time!

Bisous,

Bonjour Mes Amis!

I hope you’ve all had a long and lovely weekend!  I know I did; barbeques with friends and family, shopping, and new shoes (on sale!), what more can a girl ask for?!  But even though the fireworks are over, I am here to remind you that there is still a great deal to look forward to this July; A French Touch’s amazing sales on Jan Marini this month for their 19^th anniversary! 

Kari, a representative from Jan Marini Skin Research, will be here in the salon all day with us to give consultations and advice on these fabulous products, especially the award-winning Skin Care Management Systems!  These systems are an additional 19% off all month, and come with a FREE Age Intervention Eye Cream (we save you $120, talk about a happy anniversary!)

Our open house event is your chance to stock up on all of your favorite Jan Marini products, because on this day only (on top of Kari’s consultation and advice, your discounted Skin Care Management System, your free eye cream, AND 20% off of a Jan Marini facial! Wow!), our entire Jan Marini Skin Research inventory is an additional 10% off!  Also, if you bring a friend to our event you’ll both be entered twice each in a raffle to win a free Skin Care Management Starter Kit!  The Starter Kit is perfect for traveling—throw it in your make-up case or overnight bag, and never leave home without it!  I’d also recommend trying the starter kit (whether you win one or not!) if you haven’t tried the skin care system yet; with a sample of each of the five (or seven, if you get the Plus system!) steps, you have a chance to fall in love before you come back for the full-sized kit!

So what’s the scoop on the Skin Care Management Systems anyway?  To put it simply, they are all you’ll need to give your skin the love that it needs this summer (there’s that Love your Skin thing again, I must be onto something)!  The five steps in the kits are custom designed to work with multiple skin types—Normal, Oily, Dry, and Sensitive—and will allow you to cleanse, rejuvenate, resurface, hydrate, and protect your skin with Jan Marini’s clinically tested and loved lotions, serums, and cleansers (Read more about the system steps here!).  The Skin Care Plus system is also included in our sale, which adds Jan Marini’s Age Intervention Cleanser and Enlighten Plus facial lotion to the kit, to give your skin that extra bit of pampering before you start your day and again after it’s worn you out! 

Why Jan Marini?  Because of the fabulous deals, their time-tested, clinically-approved, client-loved, and award-winning, products, and their whole-hearted commitment to providing a healthy skin care regimen to keep you looking and feeling your best.

Why our Jan Marini open house on the 19^th?  Because you’ve earned a morning, an afternoon, an evening, or even a whole day off!  Come visit with us, bring your friends and allow yourselves to be pampered for a while!  We all need a day off every once in a while, even if we don’t like to admit it, so why not take that time to show your skin some summer love!

Voyez-vous là, see you there!

Bisous,

Bonjour, mes amis!

 If the weather has not proved it to you already, my friends, summer is in full swing!  So we at A French Touch want to remind you, amid the Fourth of July barbeques and fun in the sun, to make this a Summer of Love!  But, before we all start demanding romantic dinner dates from our significant others, let me explain—we want you to show your skin some love.  Especially during this time of year, when we are running around outside in the sun (with our sun protection on, I hope!), your skin needs a little extra guilt-free attention from you and all of our amazing treatments at A French Touch! 

Jan Marini Skin Research—a name that might be living in many of our medicine cabinets and bathroom counters—is celebrating its 19^th anniversary this month as an innovative leader and successful business within the skincare industry.  The products that this company has created over the years have revolutionized the way women and men everywhere think about their skin and how to care for it.  From sun protection to anti-aging to everyday rejuvenation, Jan Marini has done it all.  And let’s face it, after all of that time out in the sun and the coats of sunscreen, your skin would sing your praises if it could for a little Jan Marini at the end of the day!

So, what makes Jan Marini so special to us?  In short, we simply love her!  Her healthy and time-tested skin care formulas, her pioneering influence on the world of skin care, her passion for healthy beauty; we want the best possible treatments for you, and I’m pretty sure we’ve found them!  Unlike many other companies in the skin care and beauty industry (a sad truth), Jan Marini’s products and research are guided by the 30 or so medical journals she reads every month, her connections with some of the world’s leading physicians, and her desire to create and share clinically-validated and healthy products.  She has lead the way to many industry “firsts”:

 

• The first topical TGF beta 1 (a tissue growth factor that can reduce the appearance of scars, wrinkles, and make your skin look smoother and younger)
• including vitamin C in a serum so that it could be properly absorbed
• a solution that uses glycolic, salicylic, and azaleic acids to resurface skin (a product you know as Bioclear!)
• just to name a few! 
  

But, above all, we love Jan Marini’s approach to her work.  She has shown extreme dedication and hard work for

 her clients for 19 years straight by constantly providing excellent alternatives to extreme procedures like Botox and plastic surgery.  To quote Jan herself, “no makeup can replace beautiful skin.”  This emphasis on confidence and natural, healthy beauty is awesome, which is why we want to share her wonderful work with you!  (I’ll go a bit more into what is on sale with you in my post next Monday!)

So, come and visit with us on the 19^th!  We’d love to answer questions, show you all of Jan Marini’s fun stuff, and pass on our anniversary savings to our lovely and loyal friends.  For now, have a fantastic Fourth of July and remember your sun screen this weekend!

Bisous,                                                                                                                                                                                                    Meet Jan Marini!    

“There is certainly no absolute standard of beauty.  That is precisely what makes its pursuit so interesting.”

  -John Kenneth Galbraith

Bonjour, Mes Amis!

Je m’appelle Jessica—but call me Jessie!  I am delighted to be starting my latest adventure here at A French Touch, where I’ll get to write to you all every so often here on our blog!  We have a lot of fun stuff coming up this summer that I’ll be sure to keep you updated on, and I’m also excited about getting to share my thoughts with you on life, love, beauty, and everything in between.  I’d love to hear what you think about all of my chit chat, too, and look forward to reading your comments and replies!

 

But before we dive into the rest of our summer, let me share a bit about myself.  I am a 20 year old (okay, almost 20 year old!) Communication Studies student at Cal Poly here in SLO.  I love being involved in an academic community that shares my enthusiasm for learning, and loving to talk as I do, working on this blog is right up my alley!  Aside from school, though (especially now that it’s summer—hooray!), I enjoy spending my time reading, writing, making music, and trying to stretch my college-student budget to include as much shopping and sushi as possible!  I love to spend time with my family (my mom, dad, and younger brother Levi), my puppy (Bella—the cutest in the world, I’m pretty sure), my friends, and my best friend and high school sweetheart, Jeff.  I’ve been a part of the SLO County community for about 6 years now, and have loved every minute; not only are we lucky enough to live along one of the most beautiful stretches of the California Coast, but we are surrounded by happy, friendly, and health-conscious people.  It was this positive sense of self-awareness, I think, that drew me to A French Touch in the first place.  To me, the belief that beauty truly begins on the inside, and the self-love that comes from wanting to take care of and reflect that beauty externally reveals itself in the simple elegance here. 

So, with regard to the lovely quote I borrowed for the beginning of this post, I’ve found that my own ‘pursuit of beauty’ (isn’t that a cool concept?) has led me here.  I’m also beginning to think that this self-love and self-awareness that inspires caring for yourself like we do here is the best way to go about this pursuit, which is turning out to be more of a life-long journey than a quick lesson.  But alas, c’est la vie, et la vie est le meilleur éducateur—life is the best teacher!  I am happy to be able to share my impressions and thoughts with you on this adventure, and hope to continue to spread the positive energy and sense of inner beauty that I feel here at A French Touch!  Alors, á bientôt, until next time!

 

Bisous,