Skincare

By now you are probably aware of the importance of exfoliation for a smoother, more radiant complexion. We love enzyme exfoliation masks and fruit enzymes provide excellent and thorough exfoliation, while still being gentle enough for individuals with sensitive skin.

Here at Lux Skin Lab, we love and use enzymes from pineapple, papaya, blueberries, and even lemon fruit to provide your skin with such a thorough exfoliation, everyone will be asking you what your beauty secret is!

Keep reading to find out why we LOVE enzyme exfoliating masks:

WHAT IS AN ENZYME MASK AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

One of the benefits of using enzyme-based products is that they do not damage or remove live skin cells. They exfoliate only the dead cells, which is a big reason why enzyme-based products are suitable for nearly all skin types. The top layer of skin is primarily made up of a protein called keratin, enzymes break up and remove the dull, dry, damaged keratin cells and impurities which leaves you with softer, smoother skin. Enzymes are naturally derived from Fruit and are natural chemicals that provide a thorough exfoliation but are usually more gentle than other scrubs or microdermabrasion treatments.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AN ENZYME EXFOLIATION FOR MY SKIN?

Enzyme exfoliating masks or peels offer many beauty benefits for the skin! When the skin is effectively exfoliated, you enjoy brighter, more radiant and clearer looking skin.

Here are a few ways an enzyme exfoliating mask can improve your skin:

• Promotes even skin tone
• Reduction in breakouts
• Smoother skin with fewer lines and wrinkles
• Clear pigmentation
• Firms and tightens
• More youthful complexion

Celebrities swear by enzyme exfoliating masks or peels because they are an excellent defense against the signs of aging because they help to stimulate cell turnover, promote increased collagen, and help soften and smooth existing fine lines and wrinkles. Enzyme exfoliating masks or peels help to unclog pores allowing for better absorption of any products you apply after. This is the perfect time to apply a nutrient-rich serum full of antioxidants, as it will penetrate deep to target all your skincare concerns!

HERE’S A FEW YOU SHOULD TRY

Here are a few of the powerful enzyme exfoliating masks we recommend

Chocolate Power Skin Rescue Mask: This chocolate mask is as good as it sounds! Rich in antioxidants, like cocoa extract, this masque delivers superior anti-aging and restorative benefits to boost circulation, influencing collagen to improve elasticity and brighten the skin’s complexion.

Ultra Hydrating Enzyme Mask: Ultra-Hydrating Enzyme Mask exfoliates and detoxifies skin as it boosts cellular renewal. Packed with hydrating botanicals and antioxidants, this energizing mask instantly moisturizes and firms dry and dehydrated skin.

HOW DO I USE A ENZYME EXFOLIATING MASK?

These masks are very simple to use and take just a few minutes. Before using a mask for the first time, we always recommend testing for sensitivity on your inner arm, especially if your skin is on the sensitive side.

For most skin types, we recommend doing a mask once per week.

Rinse thoroughly, pat dry and follow up with a moisturizer, or sunscreen if heading outdoors.

If your still unsure give us a call or send us an email and we would be happy to go over these products more in detail with you.

AFTERCARE

You will notice the exfoliating effects for up to a week after use so be sure to protect and enhance these new skin cells that emerge with our Ageless Skin Hydrating Serum and Vitamin C/Green Tea Serum in the morning and before bed.

You will only need to use this mask once a week for excellent results. Please share your awesome results with us; we love making our customers happy!

Shorten Showers

1. Long hot showers can strip away essential oils your body creates to keep your skin from drying out. Stick to shorter luke-warm showers when the weather starts to get colder.

Hydrate Consistently

2. Not only should you continue drinking ample amounts of water but applying moisturizing products to damp skin helps seal that moisture into the skin. Eating foods high in water content can also help hydrate your skin.

Use A Protecting Serum

3. Many serums contain hyaluronic acid and antioxidants to penetrate the layers of the skin. Serums should be used under your moisturizer to create added nourishment since skin tends to be dryer in cooler months.

Wear Sunscreen

4. Continue wearing sunscreen! Winter sun can be just as damaging as the summer sun. The easiest way to do this is through an SPF-packed moisturizer.

Don’t Forget Your Lips

5. In the winter exposure to the sun, wind, cold and dry air can contribute to chapped lips. The solution: apply a nice, thick lip balm before bed.

I often get asked if the order of skincare product application really matters and guess what? It actually does! The whole idea is to give your skin the full benefits of each of the products you apply to it. So how do you effectively order each of your products? I’m glad you asked.

The rule to follow is to apply from thinnest to thickest in texture.

Step 1: Toner 

After cleansing and exfoliating (if needed) follow with a hydrating toner to fully prep your skin. This often-skipped step boasts tons of skin-boosting benefits, including balancing skin’s pH levels so your skin is in tip-top shape to absorb serums and moisturizers. My all-time favorite, Skinscriptrx’s Cucumber Hydration Toner not only smells divine but provides probiotic support to the skin’s acid mantle to support acneic skin. 

Pro-tip: immediately after toning, while skin is still damp add your next product so the moisture can bind to it and penetrate deeper into the skin. 

Step 2: Acne Treatments

If you use any kind of spot treatments or acne treatments- this would be the step to add it in. You want to make sure you apply the lightest layer possible and let dry before applying serums. If the spot treatment is a creamy white consistency it may be best to apply after your serums. You’ll want to make sure you are following the rule, to apply from thinnest to thickest in texture.

Step 3: Serums

After the cleanser and toner layer on your favorite serum(s). You can apply multiple serums by layering or cocktail them all together and apply as one. There are so many on the market right now, so be sure to do some research and find the one(s) that work best for your skin type. I’ve been using this one to really brighten up my face and give my skin a gorgeous glow!

Step 4: Eye Cream

My all-time favorite product is eye cream! The skin around your eyes is super delicate so it’s important to give it a lot of love! I don’t know about you guys but I can have some pretty big undereye bags when I wake up or when I travel, so I always reach for this gel or this cream to instantly bring my eyes back to life. I will oftentimes layer these two products at night for an even bigger impact. The results: I wake up looking refreshed and bright-eyed. 

Step 5: Moisturizer or Face Oil 

The best product to wrap up your skincare routine is with a moisturizer or a face oil. I personally use a moisturizer during the day (have you guys read my beginners guide to clear healthy skin?) and a face oil at night. I have combination skin and although I can get oily in the late afternoons, after washing off all my makeup and applying my nighttime skincare products adding an oil to my skin not only makes it feel luxurious but also gives it the perfect amount of hydration. My go-to’s recently have been this moisturizer from La Mer and this face oil Linda Rodin

BUT

Never skip your sunscreen! ALWAYS, apply your SPF before you leave the house in the morning and throughout the day to protect your beautiful glowing skin! 

I know, I know washing your face seems like a pretty simple concept, but there are so many different skincare routines out there along with more product recommendations than we could actually ever do anything with, it can all be so very overwhelming and confusing.

You wouldn’t believe how many clients, friends and family members have called me trying to decide what products to get or how to use them. I realized they were struggling with what products to buy and how to use them so I decided to help them all out with an easy-to-follow, step-by-step skincare guide so everyone can enjoy glowing healthy skin.

This might not be as detailed as some of the other guides out there, but a quick 4 step process is really all you need to embark on your own skincare journey and continue it on a regular basis.

I know not everyone is washing their face twice a day as they should, so if that’s you or your new to washing your face, in general, don’t worry about the double cleansing that I’m about to speak about, you can always add that in later as your skincare routine becomes more comfortable.

 So let’s get started!

What To Buy

• Washcloths, preferably baby washcloths as they are gentler for your skin but will still offer slight exfoliation
• Oil-based cleanser
• Skin type specific cleanser
• Serum(s)
• Moisturizer
• SPF 

After you’ve gotten acquainted with your new cleansing routine, I recommend adding in 3 very important products.

            -Exfoliant

            -Hydrating Toner

            -Eye Cream

Since you are just beginning a skincare routine, I know you may not know your skin type. There are tons of informative guides floating around about how to figure it out and I will also be following this up with a blog post on the easiest way to figure out your skin type as well as one on how to incorporate those 3 very important products I spoke of earlier. 

However, for now, I would say evaluate your skin for a day by following the directions below:

Cleanse it in the morning with whatever cleanser you have on hand, add some moisturizer and SPF and go about your day. As the day wears on pay attention to what your skin is doing and how it feels. If you notice it gets really oily around lunchtime into the afternoon you may have an oily skin type, if you notice it feels tight and dry all day even though you applied moisturizer and sunscreen you may have a more dry skin type, if you notice your T-zone (forehead, nose, sides of nose) are more oily than your cheeks you could possibly have a combination skin type. If you battle with redness or Rosacea or your skin just seems to react negatively to most of the products you use you may be dealing with sensitive skin. Every skin type can suffer from acne, blackheads or any other type of blemishes. It’s important to remember that knowing your skin type and using products specific to your skin type will help balance and treat it to reveal healthy, glowing skin. 

                                                           Cleansing                  

This is the first step in any skincare routine and probably one of the most important! ALWAYS, ALWAYS wash your hands first. Our hands are dirty even if we don’t think so, it’s important to have clean hands before you start trying to cleanse your face. Next, HOW you wash your face is just as important as WHAT you use to cleanse your face.

Wash your face with cool water only! Hot or warm water can dry out your skin making it more difficult to balance your skin. 

Pro-Tip find a cleanser in a pump bottle or squeeze bottle never an open container. Open containers are easier to transfer germs and breed bacteria.

Now onto the cleanser! In the above list I have an oil-based cleanser and a skin-type specific cleanser the reason for this is that starting with an oil-based cleanser helps remove, oils and makeup for the day making it easier for your skin-type specific cleanser to go in and do its job of cleansing and preparing your skin for the additional products in your routine. Always remember to cleanse your neck and chest as you will want to also add any other products in your routine to those areas as well. As we age you can tell a woman’s real age, no matter how much work they’ve had done, by their neck and décolletage if they don’t consistently use their facial products in those areas too!

I love and recommend the Glymedplus Mega purifying cleanser as your first cleanse, its an ultra-gentle cleanser that instantly dissolves makeup, oil and debris on the skin and it is safe for eyelash extensions!

Your skin-type specific cleanser (Normal, Oily, Dry, Combination, Sensitive) should then be used to promote healthy skin, especially for your skin type. Acne is NOT a skin type, yes there are cleansers out there specific to acne sufferers but one of the best ways to battle and overcome acne is with a consistent skincare routine that targets your specific skin type. As your skin becomes balanced and hydrated skin problems tend to disappear or are easier to manage.

                                                          Serums

These are probably my second favorite part of a skincare routine, the first would be mask’s but I’ll save that rant for another day! When you think of a serum, I want you to think of specific issues you have with your skin. Serums are the step in your routine where you treat your skin for the specific needs it has.  Serums are amazing products in the fact that you can use more than one at a time to help treat your specific issues. However, for simplicity, I recommend starting with one and working your way up after you see how your skin is reacting. Since serums are our treatment step in our routine, I suggest finding one to target your biggest skin problem first.

• Sun Spots – If you have sun spots I recommend a Vitamin C serum to help aide in fading them
• Dry, Dull Skin, – If you have dry dull skin using a product like Ageless Hydrating Serum will help bring hydration and brightening back into your skin.
• Acne – If you struggle with acne a serum that contains Vitamin A and enzymes such as the popular Beta-Carotene Papain Renewal Serum will help with light exfoliation to minimize acne or impacted pores.
• Fine Lines & Wrinkles – If aging has you down an amazing product like Stem Cell Power Serum is your secret weapon. It contains four powerful amino peptides to help stimulate new cell growth and increase collagen production. 

                                                      Moisturizer

Pro-Tip just like a cleanser look for a moisturizer in a pump bottle or squeeze bottle never an open container. Open containers are easier to transfer germs and breed bacteria.

I can’t even tell you how many moisturizers I’ve tried over the years. My moisturizer is constantly changing and with the weather being so unpredictable here in Texas I always have a few different ones on hand to use as the weather changes. As important as moisturizers are in balancing our skin, making sure we are using the appropriate cleanser that isn’t stripping or drying out our skin will help our moisturizers do their job of perfectly balancing our skin for the best results possible. Regardless of your skin type finding a hydrating moisturizer will help nourish the skin for the best possible appearance.

Hands down my ultimate favorite for many many clients who all have different skin types and what I personally use on a daily basis is Glymedplus Daily Repair Mega Moisture Cream!

                                                            SPF

Last but certainly not least, SPF. The skincare guru in me preaches this ALL the time. SPF all day, every day no matter where, no matter what. Even if you swear, you’re going to spend the entire day inside your office, USE SPF.

Pro Tip: Minimum SPF 30, otherwise its probably not working!

As all of my clients know, there’s really not many sunscreens I recommend and by far my favorite is SuperGoop’s Defense Refresh SPF50 Setting mist. It is one of the most incredible products I’ve ever used, goes on super easy under or on top of your makeup for the day and can be reapplied often without messing up your makeup. It is such a fine mist and has a great scent you don’t even notice it’s sunscreen. I recommend buying the travel size ones and keeping one in your purse, on your vanity and one in your car. They are so good to use in a pinch on your kiddos too if you will be out and about all day and forgot the sunscreen!

Be Patient

Remember everyone’s skin is so different so remember to be patient and kind to yourself. It’s hard not to always want that immediate fix, but most of the time, even the greatest products need time and consistency. Don’t lose faith, you will have healthy glowing skin sooner than you think!