A French Touch Salon

The finest in Parisian skin care on the central coast.

skincare

Exfoliation, DIY Style!

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Bonjour, Mes Amis!

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Alright, now you’re thinking “Jessie might be onto something with this whole exfoliation thing, but what should I do now?  Take a pumice stone to my face?”

First of all, please don’t use a pumice stone on your face!  Let me show you all of the fabulous products we have here to gently exfoliate your skin, leaving it glowing, not raw!

The Colorescience Family:

  • Colorescience’s Illuminating Cleanser incorporates tiny beads of natural minerals to help mechanically exfoliate your skin as you cleanse.  This product is perfect for removing your long-lasting mineral makeup, without being harsh on your skin!

The Sothys Family:

  • Sothys’ Desquacrem is the gentlest option, as it is granule-free and can be used several times a week.  This deep-pore cleanserphoto (3) dissolves oil, which facilitates the removal of blackheads to leave your skin feeling smooth and flawless. This exfoliant is often used under steam during the French facial protocol.
  • Sothys’ Gelée Gommante Visage (micro-gel peeling) is a newer exfoliant by Sothys, which uses exfoliating particles to remove the dull top layer. It transforms from a gel into an oil as you massage it in—perfectly luxurious, in typical Sothys fashion!  This product, too, is paraben free, and contains white tea extract to calm your skin.
  • Sothys’ Beauty Garden Gommage Exfoliant works well as a mechanical exfoliant, especially for sensitive skin.  The word “Gommage” actually comes from the word “gomme” which means ‘eraser’ in French; so to complete the analogy, this exfoliant uses all natural ingredients like finely ground walnut shells (no irritants for sensitive skin types!) to literally rub and erase away that dull top layer of skin!  As an added bonus, this product is paraben-free and eco-certified organic.

The Jan Marini Family:

  • Jan Marini’s SkinZyme Mask is an enzymatic exfoliant, which uses the proteolytic enzymes naturally found in green papaya, which serve to digest the top layer of dead skin cells and debris to reveal the healthy and fresh skin underneath.jm exfol
  • Jan Marini’s Bioglycolic products, which include the Bioglycolic Cleansers, Bioclear Face Cream, and Bioclear Face Lotion, all use a tame dosage of glycolic acid (only 12%, so you can use it daily for homecare) to chemically exfoliate your skin.  Glycolic acid gently dissolves the dull top layer, and is mild enough to let you start and finish your day feeling refreshed and renewed (those of you on the Skin Care Management System know what I’m talking about!)

Other Mechanical Exfoliators offered at A French Touch Salon:

  • Spacells:  “A revolutionary facial sponge that not only cleans and removes make-up, but exfoliates and massages your skin, stimulating blood and lymph flow to decrease puffiness, eliminate toxins and promote cellular regeneration. Use daily for softer, smoother, younger-looking skin.”
  • Clarisonic Brushes:  “Unlike spinning devices, this patented sonic cleansing technology works with skin’s natural elasticity, oscillating at a sonic frequency that produces over 300 movements per second. The resulting flexing action created between the outer and inner brushes works to loosen dirt and oil (and dead skin cells), removing deep-seated impurities from pores and priming skin to better absorb topical treatments.”

So, mes amis, you have a few options available at A French Touch, but whichever you choose, remember that incorporating exfoliation frequently and regularly into your skincare routine is essential for maintaining a healthy, youthful glow, and to maximize the benefits of your favorite products!  Tomorrow, come back and I’ll tell you all about the crème de la crème of exfoliation, our heavenly peels!

Bisous,

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Exfoliation: Smooth and Refresh your Skin

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Bonjour, Mes Amis!

I hope you’ve all had a lovely and relaxing weekend, and got to enjoy our extended summer weather a bit (wearing your sun protection, of course)!  I know that nothing leaves me feeling more refreshed and renewed like a long weekend of reading, relaxing, and doing nothing!  Which got me thinking, doesn’t my skin deserve a little time to refresh, too?

Young woman applying exfoliating gel to face, portrait, close-up

So, let’s talk about exfoliation!  We are all, no doubt, familiar with the concept of exfoliation (let’s face it, it’s not exactly new to the world of skin care!), but just to recap, Exfoliation is defined as the act of removing that top layer of dead skin cells and debris that we accumulate over time, which cause our skin to look dull and matte.  But I want to dig a little deeper.  How does one go about exfoliating?  As it turns out, we have three options:

  • Mechanical Exfoliation:  This implies the use of simple friction, by implementing either a tool (a brush, loofah, etc.) or a product with a coarse ingredient (sea salt, sugar, crystals, pumice, etc.) to knock this top layer loose and wipe it off of the skin beneath it.  This is the most basic form of exfoliation, and is an excellent step to incorporate into your weekly skin care regimen.
  • Enzymatic Exfoliation:  We borrow very specific enzymes (all natural proteins) from fruits like pineapple and papaya that are specially wired to break down and digest dead skin cells.  Unlike mechanical exfoliation, using enzymes to resurface your skin actually penetrates much deeper and works to clear debris out of your pores and deeper layers of your skin, as well.

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  • Alpha or Beta Hydroxy Acid Exfoliation:  This may sound a bit scarier, but Acid Exfoliation uses naturally-derived acids, like Salicylic Acid (from willow tree bark), Lactic Acid (from milk), and Glycolic Acid (from sugarcane, and which many of us use in our Jan Marini Skin Care Management Systems, anyway!) to provide a deeper, more intensive form of exfoliation.  Similar to using enzymes, these acids (used in our peels and our home-care products) penetrate deep into the skin and pores to remove debris, while also stimulating the skin’s natural renewal cycle—your cellular turnover rate, which can slow with age—to stimulate cellular renewal on the skin’s surface. Glycolic peels have the added benefit of synthesizing collagen in the skin.

But, I have yet to mention the most important part: WHY should we exfoliate?

Exfoliation by itself can give your skin a youthful, healthy glow by removing the top layer of dead cells and debris, which makes your skin more luminous (because we see the living layer, full of natural oils, on top!) and provide a cleared path for oxygen to reach your living cells.  

Woman Applying Facial CreamHowever, exfoliation is, perhaps, even more important to your skin care regimen because it makes the other products you use—from moisturizing creams to anti-aging serums—more effective!

Yes, you read that right, it will enhance the benefits of your other products.  If you don’t exfoliate, the products you apply don’t always penetrate through that dead top layer, and therefore don’t do much for your skin.  However, removing this top layer regularly enables your products to penetrate the skin completely and really work their magic!  

Now that I’ve told you how wonderful exfoliation is for you, check back with me tomorrow to see what products we have at A French Touch to give your skin that easy, at-home renewal it needs!  Then on Thursday, I’ll send you off into your weekend daydreaming about our refreshing and anti-aging peels!

Alors, à bientôt!

Bisous,

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Relax…You’re Worth It!

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Bonjour, Mes Amis!

Let’s keep up our trend from earlier, and start today off with another word, one that we all know just a little too well: stress.  Just thinking that word can trigger a little anxiety, can’t it?  Remembering the tight feeling in your stomach and shoulders, not being able to sit still, feeling your mind racing and wondering how much longer you can hang on and keep up with your own thoughts; not a very fun feeling, is it?

zenAs much as we’d all like to imagine that we are Super Woman, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed, either by too many little things on your to do list, or one big tension point in your life.  I am here to first of all remind you that you are not alone!  Stress is something that anyone and everyone can relate to.  Stress can reek havoc on your mental state, and on the health of your body and skin; acne is not just a teenage phenomenon, and stress can also exaggerate symptoms of rosacea, eczema and psoriasis.  Most of us are very familiar with how our bodies react to stress, so let’s talk about some stress-relief tactics, oui?

Take A Deep Breath

At first this might seem silly, but I can personally testify that taking a minute or two to just stop and breathe properly works absolute wonders.  To breathe ‘properly’ you’ll want to start by dropping your shoulders ( we hold a lot of tension in our shoulders!).  Then, making sure your tummy and not your chest moves when you inhale, take a deep breath over a slow count of five.  Then hold that breath for three, and expel it again over a count of five.  Do this for a minute or two, and you’ll be able to feel your heart rate and thoughts slow down, too.  This is a great in-the-middle-of-something relaxation technique, and I find that it works great when you pair it with a mantra of your preference; as you breathe, think (slowly!) to yourself, “I am confident, I am capable, I can do anything I set my mind to.”

Exercise

Sound familiar?  Not to drag this up again, but getting your heart rate up can decrease your cortisol levels, which is a key stress hormone, as well as release more endorphins into your system, which elevate your mood and help keep that stress in check!  Getting up early might not feel great, but working out some of that negative energy can give you the positive start to your day that you need!

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Attitude is Everything

I know you already know this, mes amis, but a friendly reminder never hurt.  Going into a stressful day with a positive mental attitude can make all the difference in the world.  And I firmly believe (and I hope you do too!) that every single one of us deserves to have the best possible day, everyday!  So put a smile on your face in the morning, even if you may not feel like it; studies have shown that just activating the facial muscles used in a smile releases endorphins, as well!

Come see us at A French Touch!

It’s never to late to celebrate your body and get some hard-earned relaxation time in!  Many of you know how fabulous our facials are, but let me take a moment to describe the body treatments we offer to keep all of your skin feeling refreshed and healthy.

  • Aroma Slim Wrap:  This is our fabulous Sothys-inspired body treatment that I told you about last week!  If you’d like to review, click here to see it again!
  • Iris Litchi Body Escape:  SOTHYS calls this “A refreshing and energizing treatment made with a combination of Litchi fruit and the Iris flower, creating a unique sensorial escape experience for all of the senses.”  Imagine a fruity, flowery, gentle full body exfoliation, to leave your skin feeling youthful and revitalized, followed by a massage with more of SOTHYS’ delicious modelling syrup, to help your skin retain that youthful look and shape.  
  • Sunless Glow Treatment:  This Jan Marini-inspired treatment is a true celebration of summer!  As you know, the safest tan you can get comes in a bottle, so why not make an afternoon of it?  You’ve earned not only some relaxation, but a pretty. sun-kissed glow to carry into Fall!  This body treatment also starts with a total body exfoliation with Jan Marini’s Bioglycolic scrub, to smooth and refresh your skin.  Then, we perform a full body application of Jan Marini’s Self Tanner, enhanced with glycolic acid to hold the color, in a soothing massage, and even get those hard-to-reach places that are difficult to cover on your own, like the upper back and middle of the back, so you leave with an even, natural glow.
  • massagePurifying Back Facial:  Your back also holds a great deal of tension when you’re stressed, so why not show it some love?  This body treatment, also using Jan Marini, starts off with a deep cleansing with Clean Zyme, followed by a gentle resurfacing with Bioglycolic Resurfacing Body Scrub.  Top off your hour in heaven with a massage using  SOTHYS botanical elixirs  that will leave you and your skin feeling soothed, refreshed and generally wonderful.
  • 60 or 90 Minute Massage:  Denise is our massage therapist at A French Touch, and I would strongly encourage you to experience  her 25 years of expertise, if you’re feeling stressed. Massage can loosen the muscles, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and give you the hour of peace you need to refresh and face the world again.

While a little stress can keep us alert, too much over an extended period of time is harmful to your skin and your body.  Remember, mes amis, that you deserve to not live under that sort of pressure!  Show yourself some love by taking a little time to relax, to smile, to breathe deeply and remember that you are worth the time.

Bisous,

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Fight the Cellulite! Part 3

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Bonjour, Mes Amis!

And now to discuss the crème de la crème of our anti-cellulite treatments, our Sothys-inspired Aroma Slim Wrap!  

sothys scrubThe Aroma Slim Wrap treatment begins right after you enter the salon, with a personalized assessment of where the cellulite is, how long you’ve had it, etc. so that we can provide the best and most effective possible experience for you.  Then the pampering begins with a full body wrap designed to exfoliate and smooth your skin, leaving it feeling youthfully refreshed.  Next come the Sothys professional grade serums that are selected and applied according to the area of affected skin and the severity or longevity of the cellulite.  These serums work to breakdown the fats in the area that are straining the skin and connecting tissue, improve micro-circulation in the affected area, increase collagen production, and include polyphenols, which eliminate and prevent fat cell formation.  Finally, your hour in heaven comes to a close with the application of Sothys’ Programme Silhouette Enhancer Body Serum and Essential 24 Body Cream, which you already know a thing or two about!

Now, a few words of wisdom from our very own Patricia:

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“The Aroma Slim Wrap body treatment and the Programme Silhouette products, when used together, work to make the benefits of these Sothys treatments faster and deep acting, which magnifies and lengthens their effect.  Incorporating products like the Sothys Enhancer Body Serum and Essential 24 Body Cream is important, but really they work best when used as complimentary to the professional body treatment.”

While I urge all of you to take both physical and dietary measures to keep your bodies and your skin looking (and feeling!) young and healthy, Sothys’ luxurious products and body treatments are well worth your consideration.  Just to clarify, cellulite is not a serious medical issue, and has no actual negative effects of its own, other than its bumpy appearance on your skin.  However, being comfortable in your own skin is an absolutely essential step in looking and feeling beautiful on the inside and out; confidence and self-love should always come first, and if cellulite is getting in your way, I’m glad I could tell you about one of the finest topical treatments available.

À bientôt, mes amis—I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and remember to stay body beautiful!

Bisous,

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Fight the Cellulite! Part 2

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Bonjour, Mes Amis!

Now, where were we?

Ah yes—now that we’ve covered the basics concerning cellulite, let’s get to the good stuff!  How can we get rid of it?!

Sothys-Enhancer-Body-Serum   sothys_essential_24_body_cream

Luckily for us, Sothys (a name many of us know and love, thanks to Patricia!) has created a couple of wonderful products to help counteract the formation and appearance of cellulite.  First, is their Sérum Sublimateur de Silhouette (Enhancer Body Serum), which is a high-impact, 14-day treatment that works “visibly and urgently to reduce the appearance of cellulite.”  Next, is their Crème Corps Capitale 24 (Essential 24 Body Cream), whose objective is to “Create a long-lasting more beautiful body” by being an “indispensable body ally to fight against the appearance of cellulite.”  Both the serum and the cream include caffeine on the ingredients list to help with the burning of fat in a process known as lipolysis.  The Essential 24 Body Cream also includes a mix of polyphenols, which encourage the breakdown of targeted fats while reducing the formation of fat cells, all at the same time (quite a handy tool to add to your daily regimen)!

Both products have demonstrated visible effects during use and are considered effective independently, but the fast-acting serum and slower, soothing lotion work in harmony together to magnify the effects and firming benefits of both products (remember what I said a few weeks ago about strength in numbers, rather than relying on one product?) 

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This is a fantastic option, yes, but I encourage you to hang on one more day to hear about the grand finale—our Sothys Aroma Slim Wrap!  This special body treatment is the most powerful counteractive instrument we can offer which will not only help fight stubborn cellulite, but give you an opportunity to indulge in a relaxing hour on Cloud 9. 

À bientôt, mes amis, and remember to stay body beautiful!

Bisous,

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Fight the Cellulite! Part 1

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Bonjour, Mes Amis!

I hope you all had a lovely and relaxing weekend!  But alas, Monday came as it always does, so I decided to break up your week with a quick three-part series with some body beauty advice!

Formation_of_CelluliteLet’s start with an unpleasant word: Cellulite.  Eww!  We all know (and fear) what cellulite looks like, but do we really know what it is, or what causes it?  Understanding this can help us understand what all of our favorite beauty products (like Sothys, as I’ll explain in a minute!) do to prevent it!  According to MedicineNet.com, the dimpled appearance of cellulite, which is most common on the thighs, hips, seat, and tummy, is caused by fat deposits beneath the top layer of your skin pushing on and around the connective tissue within your bottom layer of skin.  The skin around the connective tissue expands to allow room for the fat cells, but the connective tissue holds certain points of your skin tighter to the muscle beneath it, causing a bumpy texture.  This confused me at first, but go with me on this analogy for a moment.  Picture a balloon filled with dry pieces of sponge.  Inside the balloon, across the middle, is a rigid piece of plastic that connects the opposite sides, so that they are held at a certain distance apart—let’s say 6 inches.  Now, start to fill that balloon with water; the sponge pieces, like fat cells, expand to hold the water, which pushes the balloon out to make room.  However, the rigid piece of plastic, like the connective tissue, holds those two points at exactly six inches apart, while the rest of it is free to expand.  Our skin works the same way when we accumulate more or larger fat cells—it makes room, but the connective tissue can’t stretch very much, resulting in the oh-so-lovely cottage cheese effect we’re all familiar with.

As several medical websites I visited were quick to remind me, having cellulite does NOT mean you are overweight—in fact, weight is only one factor among many that are believed to contribute to cellulite.  The first factor that was listed in several places was actually gender; women, because of the types of fat our bodies create and the way we carry that fat, are more likely than men to get cellulite.  Other factors include genetics and family history, a poor or eccentric, constantly changing diet, slow metabolism, lack of regular physical activity, hormonal activity, skin thickness, and age.  The simplest of preventative treatments prescribed were a healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise, to limit the amount of fat your body produces, the distribution of that fat, and to keep your muscles toned.

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However, try as we might, sometimes a salad and a trip to the gym every once in a while, while still an excellent routine to upkeep (we’ll talk more about that later this month!), is not enough to keep your skin free and clear.

Tomorrow, I’m going to tell you all about the Sothys products we have that work to counteract the formation and appearance of cellulite—quite the dynamic duo they are!  Also, stay tuned for Thursday’s explanation of our marvelous Sothys Aroma Slim Wrap, which uses professional-grade Sothys products to fight and prevent cellulite, to make you look and feel wonderful, too!

À bientôt, mes amis, and remember to stay body beautiful!

Bisous,

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