Disclosure: This post is not sponsored. I won a free skincare consultation from a giveaway on Let’s Talk and Walk‘s blog. I loved the service so much I wanted to blog about it.
For a while now I have wondered what the heck to do with my skin. It has never caused me too many issues. In fact I’d say I got pretty lucky with the skin I have. But I’m approaching my mid-20’s and had yet to establish a good skincare routine up until this point.
Just like with medicine: prevention is everything in skincare. We all know that eating healthy foods can keep you from developing serious illnesses and needing expensive medical procedures in the future. Likewise, treating your skin right when you’re young will reap numerous rewards as you age.
The problem is, unlike with food and exercise, I had no idea what I’m even supposed to be doing to take care of my skin. Every brand offers different products. Every ad promises something different. Every review that bashes a product for causing inflammation and acne is met with, “that’s just your skin adjusting to the product! It’s normal to have your skin react badly when starting a new skincare routine.”
How the heck is a person supposed to make sense of any of the information out there? Short answer: I didn’t. I walked into Sephora and threw money at my confusion, hoping something would stick. I can’t tell you how many routines I have tried over the years, and how much money I have wasted. In an attempt to get a good skincare routine established that would prevent wrinkles in the future I have tried products that made my skin red and blotchy, flake like puff pastry, and break out into acne.
I felt like trying to be proactive was making my skin worse. I just wanted someone who could help me make sense of it all.
Enter Anna Lise of The Complexion Concierge. When I saw Glenneth’s post about her business I immediately started doing research. And I loved what I saw. Anna Lise is a skincare professional that has no brand affiliations. She makes no money recommending you the products that she does and does not sell skincare products. She meets with you, evaluates your skin, and discusses any issues you would like to address. She reviews the products you’re currently using, grades them, and then makes new recommendations that she thinks would be more effective. She is so incredibly knowledgeable and takes the time to explain and educate you. She started her business so she could help women feel confident and empowered when making decisions about their skin. Her goal is to get your skin over-the-counter perfect, meaning your skin is as good as it’s going to get before bringing in the big medical guns.
I entered the giveaway with crossed fingers, but remember texting my friends that I planned on paying for her services if I didn’t win. I was so excited when I got Glenneth’s email announcing I was the winner.
I love my skin, but it is incredibly sensitive. I had to go to the Dermatologist and get a steroid shot a few months ago because eczema popped up on my arms and legs and got so bad I was itchy all.the.time and had claw marks from scratching at my skin. Ingredients that don’t affect other people affect me. Using some exfoliants can be too abrasive for me and cause redness and dryness. I wanted to make sure I was using the right products for my sensitive skin.
I also wanted to address aging. While I don’t yet have visible wrinkles or age spots, I want to avoid them for as long as possible. I wanted to meet with Anna Lise to see what actions I could be doing now that future me will thank me for.
I loved my meetings with Anna Lise. She is so nice and a wealth of information. I loved what she did for my skin so much I encouraged Josh to pay for a consultation. He’s almost 30 and deals with oily, acne, cyst-prone skin. Trips to the dermatologist fix the problem short term, but he doesn’t know a good daily routine to keep things in-check long term. I can’t wait to see what she can do for his skin.
I wanted to share six skincare facts I learned from her. I call them secrets because so many of them I did not know before meeting with her. I hope you find them useful.
6 Skincare Secrets
1. The sun is not your skin’s friend.
The sun is the cause of most of the damage and aging on your skin. Whereas UVB rays show their presence by burning your skin, UVA rays go undetected until they show up in the form of wrinkles, sunspots, and in absolute worst cases, cancer. UVA rays are present all the time, which means if you’re outside (even in the shade!) , near a window, or in a car, you need to be wearing broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF30.
2. Your eye doesn’t know it’s an eye.
Your eye does not need an eye cream. The skin around your eye is just skin. Most people (myself included) forget to make sure they apply moisturizer around their eye unless it is a separate step in their routine, though. So if using an eye cream ensures you moisturize around your eye, use an eye cream.
3. Clean longer, not stronger.
When people want to get their skin really clean they’ll oftentimes reach for a really strong cleanser. That can actually causes more irritation to their skin. To get your skin really clean, focus on cleaning your skin for longer instead of trying to clean it with stronger products. I now clean my skin twice a day for one to two minutes each time.
4. Antioxidants aren’t just for eating.
They’re for putting on your face too! Harness the power of antioxidants to fight free radical damage on your skin. There are no miracle products for our skin but antioxidants are one of nature’s wonders.
5. Price makes no difference when it comes to (most) skincare products.
Department store soaps and creams are not any better than drugstore products. This was a hard pill for me to swallow. I’m a huge fan of department store products and was always willing to shell out the money for expensive creams and serums thinking that their hefty price tags meant they would work better. (Much like I think designer jeans make my butt look better and my feet feel prettier in some boots from Nordstrom.) Turns out, I totally fell victim to marketing. I gave Anna Lise no budget for my products and she recommended all (inexpensive) drugstore products, with the question, “Why spend more money if you don’t have to?” When something is worth shelling out the big bucks, it’s almost always a professional product you have to get a prescription for at a dermatologist.
6. Scents are not for sensitive skin.
(Or really for any skin.) Scents are irritants to skin. Period. Even if they don’t cause redness and dryness, they’re causing inflammation a cellular level. Inflammation over long periods of time = bad. Do your skin a favor and avoid products with scents.
If you’re struggling to feel confident and in-control of your skin I encourage you to make an appointment for a consultation with Anna Lise. Her rates are really reasonable, and well worth the feeling of looking in the mirror and being happy with the skin looking back at you. For the first time ever I feel like I really understand what’s going on with my skin.
To get more info about her, her thoughts, and her approach to good skincare check out her blog. I have learned so much from reading her posts.
Anna Lise was so sweet to offer one lucky reader a free skin consultation. To enter to win, simply leave a comment with a skin issue you would like to address with Anna Lise! I’ll announce a winner in next Monday’s post. Good luck!
Love these tips girl! It’s amazing how we get sucked into paying for more expensive things that we don’t need… I know I’m guilty!
I know! It’s kinda shocking. I actually got suckered into buying a new brush for a concealer the other day, and I know all the tricks in the book! I don’t know how you ladies do it without the insider knowledge!
Great post Erin! If I were to win, I would absolutely want to discuss the SUPER redness situation on my face. I would love to be able to go no foundation!
No foundation is a great goal, and totally achievable! I bet there are some simple fixes that would eliminate redness almost immediately. If you don’t win the consult, maybe we can troubleshoot together. 🙂
great post! so glad you enjoyed meeting anna lise – she is fabulous!
Glenneth, YOU are fabulous! Have a Blu-rita in my honor!!
I struggle with dryness in some areas while other areas of my face are oily!
Maggie, this is so common. Most of us are somewhere in between skin types, and sometimes certain factors change things dramatically. I am really dry on my forehead, for example, and I sometimes use completely different products there (or avoid using products on that part of my face). Let me know if you want to talk through some of those ideas, I’m happy to help!
#2 – haha, what a great point!
Oh man. My skin has totally changed since my pregnancy with Eleanor. I get acne now and have weird dry spots – help!
Pregnancy changes your WHOLE body, and yes, the hormones can drive the skin crazy! Ask your doctor if there’s anything that you should be avoiding for a healthy pregnancy, and if you have any questions, I’m happy to help!
This is such a cool service. I would love help with my acne/oily skin! If I don’t win, I’ll have to ask Josh for some tips with what he learns! 😉
Yay for taking care of your skin! I would love to discuss preventing skin damage since I am uber pale 😉
SUNSCREEN! 🙂 Make sure it’s broad spectrum and cheap (so you use a lot of it!)!!
Good tips! I’m addicted to shopping at Sephora and always spend major $$ on skincare. I should probably reign that in ; )
I love Sephora and also love splurging on items there too. But it’s helpful to know roughly where to spend and where to save (says the girl that at one point had over 175 lipsticks in her drawer….!!!!)
Haha! I definitely need to figure out what’s worth spending more on. I’ve been a Sephora VIB member for a few years, and I finally realized that you become one when you spend over $350 : ( Yikes!
Would love to know some anti-aging secrets!
In short: sunscreen, antioxidants, and live a good life. 🙂
This is a great post! I would love to meet with Anna Lise about my adult acne and prevention of wrinkles!
Isn’t adult acne the worst? It’s like life’s cruel joke. Acne in women age 25-35 has gone up over 18% in the past 10 years, so you are not alone! I hope to find a time to chat and see if there’s anything that I can do to help!
Love these tips, I need all the help I can get!
We all need a little help from friends. 🙂
Wow! I love hearing that the drugstore products are just as good as the expensive ones! I would LOVE to talk to her about the occasional acne I get and my oily skin!
Everyone gets pimples from time to time, even complexion concierges! http://www.complexionconcierge.com/#!I-Have-A-Pimple-my-first-video-blog/c15lq/2
I’m a big believer in knowing the triggers, being aware of the warning signs and having an arsenal of products to respond when your skin acts “whacky”, which happens to all of us.
I walked into a Sephoria one time and ended up in a full blown panic attack! LOL
I wish I had been better about sun protection in my younger years, but I am always making sure I take great care in my skin and I have a wonderful aesthetician who I see every few months. Water is amazing for our skin, so I drink tons of it daily. 🙂
Panic attacks in Sephora sound like no fun, but I love that you drink tons of water! Me too!
I would love to know more about these spots I get on my skin, they aren’t exactly black heads, in fact they’re white and they are not raised really or anything. they’re only noticeable when I look really close at my skin, they don’t ever turn into pimples. But if I push on them I can get white pus to come out. I know, so attractive. Would love to know what the heck these things are and how I can work on my own skincare routine.
That sounds like a form of congestion (real technical term, I know!), and probably the solution is pretty simple. If you don’t win a consult, let me know, I’m happy to talk you through the basics and see what we can do!
Awesome post, and what a unique service that Anna Lise is providing. It’s refreshing to hear that there are people out there who haven’t totally sold their souls to brands and actually care about helping people. I would love to have some advice on how to deal with combination dry/oily skin.
Well, I definitely sold my soul for a bunch of years… so don’t go congratulating me too soon! Fingers crossed for your win, I would love to help with any crazy skin type schizophrenia! 🙂
I have adult acne and as a result acne scarring. I get real deep cystic acne due to hormones and sometimes they hurt and get really inflamed. I also get small breakouts on my chin all the time. Would love to have a consult because everything I read on-line is so confusing.
I just saw that Anna Lise is personally replying to all of your comments. Wow! Favoriting her blog now so I can call her after next Monday if I don’t win.
Love these tips! I always wondered if eye creams really did anything!
I totally need this! I, like you, just kind of buy random things that sound like they are what I need, but my poor super sensitive skin usually disagrees! As I’m about to hit the ripe old age of 27 next week, I’m trying to be smarter about prevention and sunscreen, but I dont even know where to start!
Stephanie! It is so tricky. I even know what I’m doing and I get overwhelmed. Honestly sometimes I stand in the aisle in Target and just wonder “how do mere mortals do this???!!!” I would love to talk to you about some simple tweaks and fixes. Fingers crossed that you win! 🙂 If not, you can always meet in a free consultation!
LOVE your tips!!!!! I am like super paranoid of wrinkles now (AAHHHH!! I AM THAT OLD!!) so any tips are supah appreciated!!
No paranoia! You’re fine! Wear sunscreen, take long walks and deep breaths, and remember one of my favorite quotes:
“Joy is the best makeup. Joy and good lighting. If you ask me a good lipstick is a close runner-up.”
–anne lamott
As I get older, I keep getting millia (those little white bumps) around my eyes – they drive me nuts!
Liz, millia often comes from using products that are too heavy for your skin type. They can be removed by a dermatologist with a very small lancet. But I would look at your routine and see if things are clogging your pores, if only so slightly. I’m happy to trouble-shoot it with you, if you like!
“Clean longer, not stronger.” That’s great advice! I’m going to try it! Thanks!
Leslie, let me know how it goes! Your cleanser has to be very gentle (Neutrogena Naturals makes two great ones, as is the liquid pump version of Purpose). If the cleanser is poorly formulated (and many are), you are risking over irritating by over-washing the skin. Any time my skin is acting goofy, I start doubling down on the time and TLC I give my skin during cleansing.
I would ask about why/how to keep me from looking red all the time. I’ve been told I don’t have rosacia, but that’s what my face looks like to me. Lots of red in cheeks and t-zone.
Robyn, odds are that you’re using products that are irritating your skin, if ever so slightly. I guarantee eliminating some of those products would help almost immediately! If you want some help figuring that out, reach out for a complimentary consultation! We can discuss. 🙂
I never leave the house w/o some sort of foundation. To me, makeup is not a cover-up, it empowers me! My most successful acne treatment was Accutane. Accutane is a harsh drug and can have many side effects, however, it has worked wonders for me.
Lauren, I’m so glad that you found success with Accutane! I was always scared of it, and never pulled the trigger (but that’s what made me The Complexion Concierge now!) And amen to being empowered by your makeup! As long as you don’t feel shame or hiding behind a “mask”, I am all for a beautiful, well made-up face!
I love that you put it all out there, Erin! It’s so easy for me to be embarrassed of my skin. I would love to have an even complexion & not feel like I have to wear make-up.
You wanna know a secret? I get told all the time that I have great skin (and I usually reply “I work very hard at it”), but even I look at myself in the mirror and zone in immediately on the trouble-spots and the things I don’t like. The reality is, everyone else looks at you and sees a wonderful, kind and gracious person. It’s hard to see ourselves that way when we see pores, pigmentation, red spots, pimples, etc… Leaving the house without makeup is a great goal!
Though, let me just say, not wearing mascara is just crazy talk. Sunscreen and mascara. That’s a good goal.
I’m past 30 but still have oily skin and get hormonal acne along my jawline. I never have any clue what are the right products to use…
Elisabeth–you are not alone! Women in their 30s with hormonal jawline acne are increasing exponentially. I have my theories as to why this is so, but if you ever want to talk through some of the issues that you’re facing, I’m happy to help!!
Thank you for this very useful information. The skin is the one first seen by people so it really has to look good but more than that the skin serves as our protection from harmful elements in the atmosphere. For me, I just make sure that my skin is clean. I am cautious about using some skin products as it may cause some allergies that will damage my skin instead of making it look better.
One of my biggest problems is dry skin — and I mean really dry. I drink lots of water to counter this but it never really seems to get better. Winter is excruciating. My finger tips split on the sides near my nails. I buy and use several different types of moisturizes but nothing really seems to do the trick. Any ideas?