Style magazines like Bazaar, Elle, and Vogue set beauty trends across the globe- and have for over a hundred years. We devotedly read the articles and incorporate the ideas and tips into our daily, beauty-bented lives.
I am so pleased and flattered to have been quoted on beauty websites like Rouge18.com and SeattleRefined.com, and also in prestigious magazines like Women’s Health. It excites me for the exposure to help educate people about the importance of using non-toxic products, but also because I grew up reading the big brand magazines, learning about products and beauty procedures. I finally decided to become a professional esthetician.
I would write down various tips and explore what was in my grandmother’s bathroom to create my own recipes for hydrating my face and body but using totally natural fix; and I still do this- I mix honey and unflavored yogurt to nourish and exfoliate my own skin!
Dry, normal and oily. So yesterday.
Being Asian, I know that ethnicity can determine special skincare needs. Yet I never ever read about that in magazines up until recently. In my practice, individual skincare “recipes” are as important as treating the skin type itself.
My mother had always known licorice root helped with any scarring that our very sensitive Asian skin was subject to. When I became a teenager, I continued to use natural remedies like green tea- steeped and cooled down- to quickly get rid of out-all-night puffy eyes!
Create your own Sun Day.
Seasonal skincare is another aspect I try to enlighten my clients about. With warmer months coming in spring and summer, diluting cleansers with purified water helps to unclog pores, particularly relevant for usually well-toned hispanic skin types.
Sunscreen is a product that many thought could not legitimately enter the botanical beauty field. But many, for example, are reef safe and utilize organic chemistry. Living and working as a Seattle Facialist, I know that our skin can still get damaged on an overcast day, as UV rays penetrate through the clouds, even harmful for brown and black-toned skin.
As a master esthetician, I agree that small, safe doses of sunlight during off-peak hours is a great source of vitamin D- and a free, fun way to #GETTHEPATTYGLOW! I like to say, “If you sweat, reset!”
Mix sunscreen into your foundation and reapply anytime you get out of the water. Nicole Kidman is often quoted about her obsession with using sunscreen to maintain her peachy and near-perfect skin.
Going Green is enviable.
As quoted in Vogue (India), “For consumers, skin sensitivity is the new buzz topic, ahead of anti-aging, and this is driving a shift toward caring for skin with natural, honest ingredients…the clean beauty movement, once a niche trend…has gone mainstream.”
Vogue (France) concedes, pointing out that “Gen Z and Millennials are driving the change.” I can concur that more clients are asking more about facial toning tips then needing an anti-aging specialist.
Vogue continues: “Inclusivity..and environmental consciousness are no longer trendy buzzwords fuelled by marketing bucks, but the standard that consumers now hold brands up to.” Market research shows that 80% of consumers worldwide agree with this statement.
Look remarkable. Go renewable.
When beauty giants like Estee Lauder pledge 100% of their packaging to be recyclable, refillable, reusable or recoverable by the year 2025, you know things are cheerily changing. French skincare leader, Clarins, is debuting a vegan skincare line with packaging made from recycled materials, and haircare leader Wella has introduced plant-based hair color.
A recent article I came across on the website for Women’s Health magazine broke suggestions for green beauty products into small, niche categories, because there are now so many to choose from: plant-based retinols, hair care and color, deodorants, and natural shampoos sorted down by hair type. Vanity Fair gave a recent rundown on ‘green’ nail polishes (in many colors).
Vogue continues to point out that “The domino effect of taking empty jars and bottles to the recycling bin- or signing an online petition to end animal testing- could lead to significant changes. The world’s top fashion magazine also suggests before heading to the cash counter, check product labels for the “Leaping Bunny” symbol, signifying animal cruelty-free status. (I make sure all of the skincare lines I work with are Bunnified!)
Fassage, or The Art of Sculpting your Skin
When I recently read Bazaar magazine’s article on how to give yourself a facial massage (face sculpting, or “fassage”) at home, I had to smile, happy that the news was out, but also feeling redeemed, knowing about the regenerative and tightening effects of this holistic practice for years.
Bazaar admits that “a few minutes spent massaging your face is not only a welcome, meditative process, but may lead to brighter skin and sharper, more defined facial contours.” (My own tip, be sure to not apply too much pressure and break your skin’s capillaries.)
I didn’t fly past Byrdie.com’s article about the “astounding results and health benefits of facial massage from the inside out.” I have always used botanical essential oils like pure cedarwood and geranium oils as part of my clients’ beauty procedures, having it make no sense to use anything chemical during a process designed to detox.
I also appreciated Byrdie.com acknowledging the art and education that goes into “the magical hands of an esthetician to see those lifted, contoured results.” The writer said she looked like she “slept for a century!” How psyched I was when model Ireland Baldwin posted that I was “her favorite person” after her passage-facial.
Green Beauty: it’s written in the Stars.
Celebrities make an impact, and that doesn’t end with the chance at a new, greener lifestyle. Instyle magazine recently posted about many stars who have aced the search for clean, green products. Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty is vegan, while songstress Alicia Keys’ Keys Soulcare uses plant derivatives like Bakuchioli in her products to naturally lock in moisture.
Jessica Alba’s Honest company offers non-toxic products that are both eco-friendly and suitable for children. She told elle.com that she urges people to consider that “Just being aware that everything you put on your body and face can have an effect on your health.” (Elle magazine recently started the Green Beauty Awards.)
Oscar-winning songwriter Pharrell has introduced an exfoliator using lotus flower extract, known to shrink pores; actress Shailene Woodley has long studied indigenous cultures and herbalism, inspiring her to start her own clean beauty company.
Take care. Craft with care.
Model Miranda Kerr, known in style circles as a longtime eco-beauty lover, launched Kora Organics, with a best-selling product being a Luminizer made with natural, finely crushed rose quartz crystals. Focusing on eco-fashion, Emma Watson launched an IG account devoted to showing the eco-friendly outfits and beauty looks she wears on red carpets. Gwenyth Paltrow jumped into the green mix after launching GOOP with JUICE BEAUTY and its organic cosmetics.
Rapper Cardi B. can afford any product under the sun, but recently took to IG to share a simple-but-fierce DIY hair masque that mixed avocados, eggs and mayonnaise. Ever-beautiful Jennifer Aniston told Marie Claire that she, too, has whipped up an avocado mask with egg whites.
One at-home recipe I hone- as do most of my clients since it really works- is to add lemon and lime to your daily water intake to naturally alkalize and assist with hydration and the balancing of your body’s PH level.
You may remember reading in my last blog my love and affinity for using Future Cosmetics. Their pure oils, skin-strengthening amino acids, naturally fragrant essential oils and healing herbs straight from the earth’s soil are hard to match, because I insist on the cleanest, greenest products for my (red hot) clients.
