A French Touch Salon

The finest in Parisian skin care on the central coast.

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Get to the Core of your Pores

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As your time spent in the sun this summer increases, the chances of your pore sizes getting larger increases as well.  Since pores tend to be most prominent in oily areas on the skin, they tend to be most visible in the T-zone (the sides of the nose, the forehead, and the chin).  The good news is there are ways to get to the core of your pores and minimize their appearance.  By understanding the typical causes of large, visible pores and how to treat the problem, you can get the flawless look you desire, even with large pores.    

Causes of Enlarged Pores

1. Genetics – If you are born with oily or combination skin, your pores will appear larger due to excessive oil production. 

2. Aging – No matter what skin type you have, unfortunately your skin will begin losing its suppleness as you age.  A loss of elasticity in the skin due to aging causes collapsed pores and as a result causes them to appear enlarged.

3. Sun Damage – Similar to the effects of aging, prolonged sun exposure weakens the skin’s collagen, causing the walls of pores to sag as they lose their elasticity and appear larger. 

Two of our Favorite Pore-Minimizing Products

1. SOTHYS Pore Refiner Products – The SOTHYS Complexion Perfector, Smoothing OR Mattifying Refiner Solution, and Pore Refiner Peel-Off Mask all help remove impurities to reduce enlarged pores, refine skin texture, and create long-lasting results for more perfect skin. 

2. Colorescience Pro Minerals Line Tamer – Line Tamer is a skin brightening treatment with SPF.  Not only does the product prevent and repair skin from sun damage, it helps to create a more uniform skin texture to camouflage and prevent the visible appearance of enlarged pores.

Sunburn Recovery Tips

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Summer is here, which typically means more time in the sun.  If you find yourself in the position that you forgot to re-apply your SPF protection consistently throughout the day and you are now suffering from a red, sore sunburn, here are a few ways to treat and soothe your skin.

1.) Drink cold water.  Drinking cold water will lower the temperature of the body and internally hydrate.  This is important to remember because your body loses fluids when it becomes overheated.

2.) Apply a lightweight lotion that contains antioxidants.  Sunburn is the ultimate cause of inflammation and skin damage.  Using a lotion with antioxidants will help reduce damage that a sunburn can cause deep beneath the skin, encouraging repair.  A clear, fragrance free aloe vera gel will relieve and reduce irritation from the burn, while soothing and softening the skin.  The aloe will help restore moisture and lost nutrients that were removed by the sun.  In addition, it can be re-applied continuously to moisturize the burn without causing more damage to the skin. 

3.) Don’t over moisturize with standard lotion.  If you apply too much lotion (without healing power)  to your sunburn, the heavy oils in the lotion have the potential to act as a barrier and trap heat, causing the skin to remain red longer. 

And finally, let this be your lesson – remember to reapply SPF consistently throughout the day, wear a protective hat, and stay under the shade whenever possible.

Summer Vacation Skincare Solutions

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With summer vacations and warm days ahead, it can be challenging to follow a normal skincare routine; however, to keep your skin looking consistently healthy, vibrant, and young throughout the summer, it’s essential to stay consistent with your skincare regimen while vacationing.  For this reason, we wanted to share a few tips to ensure your skin will remain radiant and beautiful in the midst of your summer vacations.

1.) Drink extra water to reduce puffiness.

The majority of people tend to slack on their water intake .  But, did you know puffy eyes, as well as puffiness or bloating of the body, can be a result of water retention?  When the body senses that it is not getting enough water, it will begin storing it, which results in visible puffiness around the eyes and other parts of the body.  Drinking plenty of water helps to keep your kidneys working properly, allowing your skin to detoxify itself naturally.

2.) Use a scrub to combat dryness and flakiness.

While away on your travels it is important to take a scrub with you to gently exfoliate buildup that can be caused from varying temperature (indoor air conditioning, outdoor heat, etc.), outdoor activities, and pollutants. Applying a scrub twice weekly in the evening will exfoliate your skin and restore moisture lost during the day.

If you need a scrub to suite your skin type, here are two that we often recommend:

  • Skin Zyme from Jan Marini.  Skin Zyme is great for flaky or peeling skin because it selectively breaks down dead and damaged skin cells, while resurfacing without irritating sensitive skin.
  • Organic Apricot Scrub from SOTHYS.  This organic scrub gently exfoliates while eliminating impurities and dead skin cells trapped in the follicles (pores) that can lead to comedogenic (pore-clogging) activity.

3.) Take your products in travel size so you don’t miss any steps. 

When traveling, we’ve known women to leave behind some of their skincare products to make room in their suitcase.  Rather than sacrificing your skin’s health, opt for travel size containers that you can purchase at most pharmacies.

If you want a travel size skincare routine already packaged for you, we suggest SOTHYS skincare products in travel size (only $17.00) so you won’t miss any necessary steps required to keep your skin cleansed and soothed.

No vacation plans this summer?  You can still pamper yourself with our Summer Staycation Special that includes a half day spa experience for only $149 (normally $200).

Top 5 Michaelisms for Mineral Makeup Application

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1.  Home Depot and A French Touch Salon have more in common than you may have thought.  Both offer their clients the best way to prep, prime, and finish.  Like painting a home, similar steps are required when applying mineral makeup to your facial structure. 

Michael reminds us, “The beauty of mineral makeup is that it responds to its surface, which means you get best results by prepping and priming the skin.  Since minerals enhance a hydrated and prepped surface it’s important to prep the skin with moisturizer, then prime the skin with Line Tamer SPF20 Primer.  Now that your face is prepped and primed, you can apply your Colorescience mineral foundation for a flawless finish.”

2. Most women put their makeup on backwards.  Although most women do the opposite , you should always apply your mineral eye shadow before your foundation.  This order allows you to easily remove excess eye shadow that fell beneath your eyes during the application process.  In addition, dark eye shadows should be worn in the evening, not in the daytime.  

Michael says, “Minerals reflect light.  With this in mind, don’t wear dark smoky shadows during the day because the darker the color you have on your lids the smaller your eyes will look.”

3. You can get authentically new brows without a tattoo or a brow pencil.  Applying natural-looking eyebrows is easy with Colorescience Pro Minerals.  You can use their Brow Gel to create a textured surface on your thin brow hairs to which a brow shadow will adhere, giving you fabulous eyebrows that look oh-so-real and aren’t painted on your skin. 

Michael suggests, “By working from the outer corner toward the inner corner when doing color on the brow, you’ll get better results and more beautiful brows.”

4. The best makeup product to bring with you on a deserted island, after your SPF, is eyeliner.  Most women would say the most important makeup product they can’t live without is mascara, but eyeliner has the capability to create more prominent lashes, while also making your eyes appear larger and more defined. 

 Michael recommends, “Colorescience Pro eyeliner is easy to work with because the length of the eyeliner brush is short, allowing you to get a precise line near the edge of the lid.” 

5. You can’t make a mistake with Colorescience Pro Minerals.  Colorescience Pro Minerals products are easy to change throughout the day when you want to go from a natural and fresh look for the day to having dramatic smoky eyes for the evening. 

Michael raves, “Mineral makeup never has to stay the way it looks when you first put it on.  It is always a work in progress, so you’re never stuck with anything unless you choose to stop moving it.”  

 

Three Reasons Your Skin will Love Colorescience Pro Minerals

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Most women want a makeup that covers their fine lines and wrinkles, but still appears natural and highlights their beautiful facial features.  Colorescience Pro Minerals fulfills these desires through the use of premium ingredients.

#1. It will offer flawless coverage that feels so natural.  Colorescience Pro Minerals makeup comes directly from the minerals of earth.  It is free of the “Seven Deadly Skins,” including: talc, perfumes, mineral oil, harsh preservatives, drying alcohols, emulsifiers and dyes.  Watch this video on how to test if your mineral makeup is truly made up of 100% minerals.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfLy6Q24jNk]

#2. It will improve your skin’s health.  Colorescience Pro Minerals makeup is better for all skin types – especially sensitive skin, skin that is prone to acne, and skin that typically has allergic reactions to cosmetics – because it doesn’t contain oils, waxes, artificial colors, chemicals or preservatives that cause the skin to become irritated and dry.  May we suggest a few unique Colorescience products to help calm and protect your skin?  The Skin Calming Primer will help hydrate, soothe and diminish the appearance of redness and irritation.  The Mineral Golden Powder is a useful product to neutralize skin redness.  The golden color of this product helps to hide imperfections and correct skin color.  Lastly, Setting Mist Be Still is a highly moisturizing mist formulated to soothe and replenish all skin types.

#3. It will protect your skin from aging.  In addition to the benefits of having unclogged pores, a lightweight makeup, and a natural look, Colorescience protects your skin from damage and aging caused by ultra-violet sun rays.  Wherever you may go during the day, whether it be an afternoon shopping downtown or simply a walk to your car from the grocery store, be sure to shield your skin from the damaging effects of the sun and environment with the Colorescience Pro Sunforgettable Collection.

 

Event Recap: Anti-Aging Technologies that Reduce Signs of Aging

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Bonjour!

On June 7th, A French Touch Parisian Skincare Salon was delighted to welcome Michelle Angel from Jan Marini who shared her skincare knowledge on the ways to achieve younger-looking skin. Women of all ages had the chance to experience a one-on-one consultation with Michelle. During their consultations, our clients had the opportunity to discuss their main skincare concerns and were treated to a complimentary micro exfoliation treatment. The women enjoyed French treats and wine as they learned effective techniques that will prevent and repair their skin from sun damage. View our photos below to get an inside glimpse of the experience!

 

 

To view all photos from the event visit our facebook page.

If you missed our Jan Marini event led by Michelle Angel, please join us on June 22nd as we welcome Colorescience’s nationally-acclaimed makeup artist Michael McCarthy. Michael will show you how to create a younger-looking you, with simple techniques using the most natural, healthy mineral makeup available (with SPF 20, 30, and 50) from Colorescience Pro Minerals!