MY CLARISONIC

Estheticians love tools – especially tools that provide exfoliation options.  Have you heard of the Clarisonic?  I am in love with mine.  It is so much more than an ordinary exfoliating device – it’s like a hand-held facial massage tool.  The Clarisonic was created by Sonicare, the same company that brought us the Sonic toothbrush technology.

 

Under the chemical or mechanical exfoliating categories, the Clarisonic would be a form of mechanical exfoliation, along with physical scrubs (granular bead-like ingredients), hand-held brushes, ultrasonic skin spatulas and microdermabrasion.  Unlike the standard esthetic rotary brush, which turns in one constant direction, it moves in several different directions at once.   In fact the Clarisonic micro-massage technology makes 300 movements per second, to really deep clean the surface of the skin. 

 

Like the Sonicare toothbrush, it is programmed to “beep” at timed intervals to prompt you to move to different areas of the face while cleansing.  For example, on the one-minute setting, you will cleanse your forehead for 20-seconds, your nose/mouth/chin area for 20-seconds, and finish on each side of your cheeks/jawline for 10-seconds each.

 

After using the Clarisonic, your skin feels ultra-clean and smooth, and skin care products penetrate easier and faster.  According to the Clarisonic website, “you will notice an improvement in the appearance of pores, skin tone, fine lines and wrinkles, and absorption of serums and moisturizers.”  The website also shows before-and-after pictures of cleansing manually vs. the Clarisonic.  It was shown that with the Clarisonic, 6 times more makeup was removed than with hand cleansing.

 

There are inter-changeable heads available for the Clarisonic, depending on your skin type and skin condition.  The shortest bristle brush is the Regular Brush Head, suitable for normal skin, décolleté and body; the medium bristle is the Sensitive Brush Head for sensitive to normal skin; the longest bristle is the Delicate Brush Head for delicate or sensitive skin.  There is also a new brush head called the Spot Therapy Brush Head for areas of the body that may need extra attention, such as the décolleté, arms, legs, elbows and feet.  It is recommended to replace the brush heads after 3-4 months of twice daily usage.

 

For personal use, the manufacturers of Clarisonic say that it can be used twice daily.  For those clients who like the Clarisonic at home, I recommend oilier skin types use it only 2-4 times a week; normal to dry types may use it more often.  I am an oilier skin type, so I use it 2-4 times a week to help keep my pores clear and my skin smooth.  I will also use it at 3 or 4 days post-chemical peel, when my face is no longer sensitive and the first flakes start to appear on my skin surface.

 

 

There are a couple of different ways estheticians can use the Clarisonic in their practice, including retailing the product to clients.  Because the mark up is relatively low and the retail price is relatively high for an at-home treatment, I generally prefer to keep the Clarisonic as a back bar modality.  When performing a relaxing facial, set the brush to turn off the timed beeps which might be distracting to your client on the bed.  My favorite way to use the device is during my second cleanse, before a chemical peel procedure, to enhance penetration of the peel (NOTrecommended for first-time peelers), or I would use it prior to an IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) procedure.  I also like to use it for smoothing keratosis pilaris (the little red bumps that appear on the backs of arms and legs).  I disinfect my brush heads in hospital-grade disinfectant and air dry.

 

As an esthetician considers adding to her treatment arsenal, the Clarisonic makes a very good option, whether you keep it on your back bar to offer your clients something special – or you choose to offer it as a retail item.

 

Photo accessed from google images, 3/23/2009.

The “Promise” of Beauty

I think I finally found the perfect lipstick shade.  Really.  I have been searching forever.  But I think this one is really it.  In my mind, the perfect shade looked slightly deeper than my naked lip shade, a kind of deeper rosy hue, not too pink, not too plummy, not too mauve.  But this shade, called “Luscious” from the new Jane Iredale Lip Crayons – is perfection.

 

I think about this every time I look at cosmetic products … each product whispers a little promise: “if you use this little goodie, you will be beautiful.”  I read recently that women who go out to purchase a new lipstick will very likely come home with the exact same shade that they’ve purchased twenty times before.  I know I have at least 10 of the same shade of lipstick (different brands) at home – but it’s that “promise” I keep hearing that makes me want to purchase again … maybe this time, it will be the perfect shade and my search will be over, says my brain.

 

It started with the emails from Jane Iredale (well, not Jane personally, but the advertising emails).  I was mesmerized by these five beautiful pieces, this tiny collection of colors that work for any season.  I swear, those emails spoke to me somehow.  And then, I was visiting Marod Medical Spa in Twin Falls a few days ago, and not only was I seduced by the fabulous retail section, but there it was – the new Lip Crayons set.  Not only are the colors wonderful, they go on creamy and smooth, like a lipstick, not like a liner (and there’s a sharpener on the actual box, like a box of crayons) … I could hear, yet again, that “promise” of beauty calling out to me …

 

I was definitely a girly-girl when I was growing up, but I never learned much about makeup.  My mom was more of a tomboy, she was athletic and into sports; she was naturally beautiful and didn’t wear much makeup other than a little mascara and a quick swipe of lipstick.  Even growing up with two sisters and many close girlfriends didn’t spark a lot of interest, other than what foundation shade worked best to cover my teen acne.

 

So, although I wore some makeup as a teen, I was never a “lipstick girl.”  Maybe I had been traumatized by the neon orange-red shade we wore when performing with the marching band (which stained our lips for a week afterward).  But lipstick was always the last thing that went on my face.  It wasn’t until my early thirties with a best friend who never left the house without her lipstick that I actually got into wearing it.  And after trying out various shades of sienna, plum, cocoa, mauve and berry over the years, I became obsessed with finding that perfect shade.

 

As an esthetician, I learned makeup theory and some hands-on practice in esthetic school, but my overall experience has concentrated more on clinical treatments.  I use very basic makeup techniques on my clients (enough to quickly cover the skin before the ride home).  Considering all the cosmetics choices I have, most work days I get by with the basics — a little mineral foundation over my sunscreen, a pat of blush, a smidge of liner and mascara, and of course, a little lipstick or gloss.  On the weekends, I hardly wear anything on my face besides sun protection. The most fun I get to have with makeup is trying out new looks on my daughter or her friends for proms and other formal occasions (they actually trust me, bless them – but it’s not the makeup that makes the girls look amazing).  I truly admire those estheticians who specialize in makeup application, who have impressive portfolios of beautiful before and after pictures of their best work, who can deal with brides, mothers-of-the-brides, and other nervous nellies.

 

Does finding “Luscious” in that Lip Crayon kit mean that my search for the perfect shade will finally be over?  Probably not.

 

I am a cosmetic junkie.  I can’t help it.  I’m an esthetician; it’s part of what I do.  I’ve got a fancy makeup case filled with all sorts of different types of makeup: foundations, eye shadows, concealers, false eyelashes, blushes, lipsticks, liners and glosses.  And each one of those little sweeties in my case has called out that promise to me at some point, “Use me!  Use me, and you will be beautiful!”