Frat Party...

Last week I was asked to give a presentation to female students of Emory University. The event was part of history week for Alpha Phi Alpha and was held at their fraternity house on the Emory campus. I was so moved that the boys of the frat house were so thoughtful to do this for the girls. This wasn't your brother's frat house...they had rose petals on the floor and tables, strawberries and a chocolate fountain, a massage therapist, a couple educating on herbal supplements, myself and another woman presenting on skin care. It was a great experience and I thank the boys of Alpha Phi Alpha for letting me be a part of it.

The girls had some great questions about skin care and my favorite was about toner. What is toner and what purpose does it serve? Should I use it every day? Poor toner is the most misunderstood of the beauty and cosmetics industry; the bastard child if you will. Toners are also known by many other names...astringent, mist, tonic, hydrating water, cleansing water, among others. Despite the marketing term chosen to sell them, they do serve a purpose.

I explain it like this...after you cleanse, use a spritz to remove traces of makeup that may be left after the cleansing process. A good toner will also hydrate the skin, reduce sensitivity and restore the pH to the skin after the cleansing process. Not to mention removing mineral deposits or calcium that may be left on the skin from your tap water. I also use it to freshen the skin after my makeup application and throughout the day to hydrate and keep my makeup looking as if I just applied it moments earlier. During the Summer it's great to keep it in the fridge to use after a long walk..not to mention it's so refreshing. Keep it in your gym bag to use after your workout.

I like to think that I take a realistic approach to selling skin care products to my clients. If someone comes in who only uses soap to cleanse the skin, I probably am not going to send them home with a bottle of toner. My main goal is going to be to get them off of bar soap and onto a facial cleanser that is formulated and correct for their skin type. But if a client has a good routine that includes several skin care products and they are looking to perfect it, then I would suggest adding a toner or a mask or eye cream - all products that are often overlooked in skin care.

Some people might say I'm legit...

Check out who made the Daily Candy - Atlanta today...

I was a publicist for eight years and this is the first time anyone has written about me. I'm going to allow myself to walk on air for about 10 minutes, then I've got to go do some facials!

honey/moon herbal compresses

I am not a huge fan of facial steamers. It's not that I think they are awful or have an overall negative impact on the skin or that they don't do what they are claimed to do (soften skin, open pores), it's just that from my experience that they can be a breeding ground for bacteria if not cared for properly. I notice the same thing on the humidifier that I keep in the house...it develops this weird white stuff around the metal bars that create the heat that makes the steam. Ew. It make sense though, because where there is moisture and heat, there is likely funk...

Enter the warm towel compresses that I love and use in treatments. Warm (and/or cool) towel compresses can benefit every skin type. It's great to use tepid or cool towels on my clients who suffer from rosacea or who have extremely delicate skin. Almost every one of my clients lets out a giant sigh as I lay the first towel on their forehead; it's as if that feeling of warmth is a sign that it's ok to let go of whatever exists outside of my treatment area.

I've been using a custom blend of essential oils in the water that I use to heat the towels and to wet my hands during treatment...however, since meeting Brandi Barnes of Just Add Honey I have been able to get my hands on some dried herbs and have been playing around with them to try and create an intoxicating and invigorating blend that I will dub the Honey/Moon Tea Compress. I've tried a few on clients this week and so far the feedback has been great.

I always remind clients that they CAN try towel compresses at home. I have doubts that anyone does and my feelings aren't hurt. Hopefully it's one of the reasons that clients come back to see me!

Friday Afternoon With Juice Beauty

Thank you to Tikia Dixon and Bethany Walden-Ramsey, both from Juice Beauty, for taking time out of their schedule on Friday to meet with me. They were both in town for meetings with Sephora and were able to spend a few hours with me, giving me the low down on what's coming up and in store for Juice Beauty this Spring and Summer. I can't spoil the surprise now but I will say that there are some exciting things on the horizon and some great new products coming down the pipeline that I am very excited about. As usual, Juice Beauty is staying ahead of the curve in certified organic skin care!

I loved trading skin care tips and secrets with these ladies and I can't WAIT to try out some of their tricks on clients in the next few weeks. Tikia also works as an esthetician with a mobile waxing and facial business in Washington, DC. She shared some of her experience with me and was so great to do so. Maybe next time we can trade facials at the New Moon HQ! I was also able to give them some of my ideas and shared my experience using their skin care products in service. Before I knew it, we'd been sitting at Starbuck's for two hours. I hated to leave our little pow-wow and look forward to the next time I can get together with them.

It's so exciting to have gotten in with this company and I look forward to watching them grow and to growing with them! Thank you, Juice Beauty...

What exactly is "fragrance"? - scary!

I'll let the video speak for itself. Buyers, be aware of what is in your cosmetics!

Just Add Honey...

I am very excited to be serving custom blended teas to my clients and at spa parties. The tea comes courtesy of my new friend Brandi Barnes and her company, Just Add Honey.

I first tasted Brandi's tea at the Save The Date cocktail party last month at the Paisley Umbrella. We blended her freshly brewed Berries! tea with champagne and concocted a mimosa with herbal and fruit essences...yum! I have been blending the same brew with a seltzer water and it's so delicious yet won't get you tipsy!

Winter Dry Skin Tip - use the humidifier!

A few weeks ago I contracted the flu. This was the first time in decades that I've had the flu and it put it's viral foot firmly into my rear end. Part of living in the petri dish with a toddler, I know. But something good did come of it and I'm not talking about the few pounds that are lost due to the inability to eat for a few days.

By week two, I had developed this awful upper respiratory cough and chest congestion so I brought out the humidifier which, until now, has primarily resided in Miles' room. What I noticed after a few days was not so much that it was helping with my cough but that my skin was getting a nice winter break thanks to the addition of a little night time humidity. I'll be keeping this one in my room and buying a new one for Miles to use.

If you are like me, you suffer from terrible dryness this time of year. My skin does best in the hotter and humid months. Oily skin is the opposite, tending to break out in the Summer and acting on its best behavior in the cooler climates. I usually address this problem by addressing my skin care routine. In the Summer, I can lay off the heavier moisturizer in lieu of something lighter. I always exfoliate on a regular basis and I always, always use night cream.

I've found that every esthetician has his or her theory on night cream. A client came in recently and said that she'd heard it was best to not use anything on the skin at night...to let the skin "breathe" while you are resting. Interesting theory but I have to be contrary. I believe that at night you should use a cream that is higher in it's active ingredients. I also use a serum beneath my night cream. The serum should be your "treatment" part of your skin care routine so the two that I use are Juice Beauty's Soothing Serum (for red skin) and the Antioxidant Serum (for dry and aging skin.) I alternate using these two...one under my moisturizer during the day and the other under my night cream. During the day, your skin has to battle so many elements...dry air, humidity, sun, wind. The worst culprit for breakouts in the jaw area are our cell phones, which we use relentlessly all day and are one of the worst for transferring bacteria to the skin. We text message and email with our dirty fingers, then answer a call, transferring all of that nastiness right to our face. I caution my clients with this problem and suggest keeping them clean with a Wet One or some sort of anti-bacterial wipe.