Why I work from home
This weekend I attended a fantastic workshop at Wanderlust Hollywood hosted by the lovely Lauren Singer from Trash is for Tossers. One of my personal resolutions this year was to decrease my waste and continue to educate myself on how to help protect our mother earth. Having the opportunity to meet Lauren and learn some of her go-to recipes for zero waste home care products reminded me of why I decided to leave the spa world: IT’S INCREDIBLY WASTEFUL! Here are some of the main reasons why working from home is a small way to make a big impact:
Toners 101: Your go-to guide to this powerhouse skincare step!
A skincare routine can be really tricky to orchestrate without direction. To create a custom regimen it’s important to consider all of the steps offered in the multi-billion dollar industry that is also known as the beauty industry. There’s the obvious, sometimes confusing, often forgotten, and the overused steps. Today I’m going to talk about the often forgotten and sometimes confusing step of toning. I never truly understood why this step would even be left out because it is incredibly easy and sets your skin up for success. That’s when I realized that there is little to no education out there on the why and how of toning. Here is an easy breakdown of this skin changing step you will soon not be able to live without.
My Self Care Practices
Many people ask me what I do with my skincare routine. They literally want to know everything I use and assume that a few skincare products is all it takes to accomplish great skin. This is simply not the case. A lot of the work comes from a lot of self care. Self care is so different for everyone too. That’s the most beautiful part about it all. The tools I’ve developed in order to fill my cup are catered to my health and wellness. Here is some insight into my self care practices and the people who help keep me accountable for my well being.
Keeping up with Skin Food Talk
I have been blown away with the response my partner in crime, Tara Curran and I have received since our first "SKINFOOD" talk at SOHO House in West Hollywood. We have been working together for so long and we were finally able to create something really special. I would really love to invite you all to come to our first ever "Beauty and the Belly" brunch on Sunday March 6th at 12. The brunch is a great way to share our "SKINFOOD" talk and create a conversation about your skin, nutrition and overall health. Please RSVP now and we look forward to brunching with you soon! xo
My Deal Breakers
We all have deal breakers in life, love and work. They are the things we just absolutely do not put up with and will not tolerate no matter what. As a skin coach my deal breakers went from non-existent to a concrete list of no-no’s. It seems odd that a service provider like myself should have any boundaries as I am in the business of providing care to anyone who needs/wants it. The truth is if I were to be agreeable to everyone no one would progress. No one would see change and I wouldn’t be doing my job. So let me let you in on my skincare dealbreakers.
What to do: Your skincare rules for exercise!
One of the most common issues I have with my clients is their confusion with exercise and skincare. The statement that makes me cringe the most when I get done with a facial is “I’m going to go workout after this”. It feels wrong to tell someone no because I truly encourage everyone to live their healthiest life. There are a few reasons why exercise and skincare often don’t get along. Our initial instincts with it are sort of off. This isn’t anyone’s fault, there is just no clear information out there. Here are a few ways to avoid some skincare sins while implementing exercise in your daily routine.
Who Cares!
It’s important to find balance in life right? I know I’m constantly working on what to shift my focus on. This world is so over-stimulating that we can often start to feel overwhelmed with what to care for? I’ve learned that as an empath I take on a lot more energy than needed. In fact there is a point in which you can care too much. This is the fine line I’ve danced with over the last few years and you know what, it’s okay to let go of some of that baggage. As an esthetician I inevitably act as a source of therapy for some, and a punching bag for others. It comes with the territory and after 10 years, I understand that the ones who need to use me as their excuse to be upset it’s simply a projection of what is going on with them. You know what I do for those folks? Give them more love, since they clearly need it.
sugar addicts anonymous
Growing up I was always sick and had a severe addiction. The kind of addiction that no one talked about, worried about or even knew about. I had an addiction to sugar. Sugar doesn’t seem that bad you may think, but looking back over my entire health history it is clear that I was one of the many kids who suffered for no reason. From unnecessary illnesses, non-stop anxiety and many unexplainable symptoms I specifically remember feeling helpless and it was all due to inflammation. I always wondered why most kids were never as sick as I was. The vicious cycle of going to the doctor and constantly getting prescriptions (some packed with added sugar) for benign issues made me feel like I was an anomaly of a kid. This led to severe depression I battled for years. The crippling pain of not understanding why I was feeling as nervous, anxious, sad or even immobile at times was so much to take while all I wanted was just to fit in and have fun. One of the main issues I struggled with with my non-stop, highly inflamed acne. I struggled for 11 years with what felt like my “normal” skin and once I was able to dive into my health and really dig for some answers I was shocked at how simple the fix really was.
My skincare heroes!
Everyone asks me what I use in my skincare regimen and I never give a good answer. That isn’t quite true, I give an honest answer: “I use a lot and I do a lot”. People want a miracle product and an instant fix. It’s the world we live in and it’s what we are conditioned to expect. There is no such thing in my opinion. Slowing down the fast paced tempo of the outside world and truly connecting with yourself is the key to success. That being said I do have a love affair with a few products and I’m not often moved. Most skincare can be redundant and not transformative. Here is a short list of my recent WOW products, my skincare heroes if you will:
My journey into 2016
My journey to 2016 has been nothing short of amazing. I found myself roadtripping across the states so I can get to Texas on time for the holidays. It was really important for me to experience my vacation, which seems fair right? My partner James and I decided to really live in each moment of each day. Here is my journey into 2016:
"You are you and that is your power"
Over the last year I have developed a wonderful new sense of self. At 28 I finally can feel how I am propelling towards to my destiny. I have never really had a clear vision of my future and this has always scared and excited me at the same time. Since the moment I came up with “therapeutic skin coach” I realized I have a real responsibility in helping people see the best in themselves. Having any issues with our skin can put us in a very emotionally vulnerable place which can lead to an intense decrease in our confidence. That lack of confidence has a trickle down effect to every aspect of our life. Whether you become less social or start to feel as if you have lost your voice. It can often feel like people are only looking at your skin and not listening to you. You are an important being to this world and your skin’s current state of health should not be the focal point of you. I feel like my mission in life is to make anyone who has been told they are not pretty enough, smart enough, deserving enough or just frankly good enough, realize they ARE enough. You are you and that is your power. Let me help you own it!
Holiday Skin Saviors
There are two very distinct feelings we get when the holidays roll around. The first is absolute merriment as we get to take some time off and enjoy the company of our loved ones. The second is pure dread over the temptations of holiday treats, drinks and late parties. I’ll be the first to tell you that I usually fall into this pattern: work non-stop, eat all the sugar and drink all the eggnog, then crash and get sick. This sickness usually pours into the new year so any health related resolutions immediately fall out the window as I’m just trying to go a day without coughing or sneezing. Most people I know fall into this as well which in turn can create a large amount of skin issues that we normally don’t struggle with. How can we break this cycle so we can actually enjoy the holidays? Here is my top 5 list of holiday skin saviors:
becoming an esthetician
When I was 18 I was in college and spiralled into a huge pit of depression. I didn’t gain the freshman 15, I actually lost a significant amount of weight because I had no appetite. No appetite for food, no appetite for socializing, no appetite for life. I struggled to find my identity after high school because I was so involved and busy that I never sat and thought about what I would be once I graduated. I took a lot of safe routes; went to the same college as my sister, became roommates with my best friend since middle school and chose the most generic major I could think of at the time ...
Recover from a facial flawlessly
I will be the first to admit that I can’t stand the aftermath of a facial. I’m a prime candidate for the non stop extractions, too much exfoliation and not enough love. For my skin to look good after a facial it can take about 5-7 days for it to recover. If this is a problem for an esthetician it can obviously be an issue for anybody else. In order to recover from a facial flawlessly there are a few steps you can follow no matter what your skin is going through. Here are my go to steps to insuring your skin’s best health post facial.