The Perfect Morning Pick-Me-Up Skincare Routine

People ask me to reveal my entire beauty routine. I wasn’t too fast to do it. Why? Not because I’m harboring some secret. Rather, it’s because there simply aren’t any strict rules. I always encourage you to create your own routine. So, please, use this video on the left for ideas only. 

It's a sample of a beauty routine I might use in the morning. Keep in mind: This is an advanced practice. First use one method…then two. In time, if you're dedicated and consistent, your skin will become trained and you can do three, as shown here. But, please, no more than three! 
If you're under twenty five, one practice in the morning and one in the evening is enough. Enjoy your youth. I combine three practices, because I’m 65! In short, wait till you have to.

I begin with a facial masque—in this case, a seaweed masque. I remove it with a masque removing brush. In my view, it’s an easy way to remove a masque and at the same time achieve superior exfoliation. After just this one step, you'll already notice you’re looking better. 

Next, apply an oil-based cream. I often use our Nourishing Night Cream. Or  it can be Midnight Rose cream. But note our Nourishing Night Cream is thicker and makes an ideal base for the next procedure: Strigil Scraping. This helps remove morning puffiness and, after doing it more than ten years, I can see it definitely prevents future facial slackness. It provides an internal facial flush, too. You'll feel a warmth spreading across your face.

Then I finish with a Gavel. We know weight-bearing and resistance exercises are the best for your bones. Using this gavel, I ensure my facial bones get some light pressure, making them less prone to bone loss. It's energizing and feels like my face has had a great workout.
 

What's Really in Your Facial Mask? Demystifying the Complex Ingredient Lists

Here’s an email I received recently.

I was shocked to find so many ingredients listed in your clay mask,  even Xanthan gum !! and some preservative that I couldn't pronounce. I would not buy these products…

My answer:
This person has already made her mind up so I decided not to bother her with my response. For those of you who are still with me, I invite you to think through my arguments. 

To start, let me ask you a question. Can a ready-to-use clay mask be made without water? Yes or no?
A quick search online will tell you that a clay mask is made of a specific clay and a liquid. The liquid can be water. It can also be apple cider vinegar, witch hazel, aloe, green or white tea, or even yogurt. What is a common component in all these ingredients? They all contain water. For example, aloe vera is 99% water.

Anything that contains water can only remain in a refrigerator without spoiling for a few days. So, if you want to make a clay mask with the ingredients listed above, make sure to use it all within a day or two at the most. Immediately would be best. But if you are buying a product that has a shelf life of a month – or even a  year – then it is a foregone conclusion that it contains a preservative. 

In an article named “Why 100% Preservative-Free on Your Beauty Label Could Be a Red Flag,” California-based cosmetic chemist Bruce Akers said, “I worry about a lot of those products that say [they're] preservative-free." He goes on to say, "If it’s oil-based that’s fine, but if it’s water-based it’s made by someone who’s either lying or doesn’t have the knowledge needed to describe what’s happening.” 

By law, anything that is water-based or has aqua on the ingredient list must have a preservative in it to prevent bacteria.  A water-based formulation will go bad, GUARANTEED, and no company wants a spoiled product on its hands, so do not be deceived by pure botanical names on the ingredient list.

I have been offering a clay mask for almost 2 decades, and I still get an email from someone saying they “found” a water-based skincare product without a preservative. Of course, there are numerous websites selling cosmetics that omit “hard to pronounce” ingredients in order not to upset health-conscious customers. These consumers prefer to be “ignorant.”  I prefer the truth and I’ll always tell it like it is. 

Most of you on my list know all too well a “freshly squeezed” juice found in a can or jar at the store is not 100% natural despite its claims of being 100% natural. Instead, if you are serious about having an all-natural juice, you’ll buy a juicer and juice it yourself. The same applies here. If you want a preservative-free facial mask, you’ll have to make it yourself.

Of course, you can make your own mask every morning. However, I cannot and will not do it. First, it’ll increase the time of my beauty routine, and that cannot happen. 

Moreover, the presence of Xanthan gum in our mask is not a problem as it prevents the mask from drying out and provides a smooth and silky sensation during use. A clay mask that dries out on your face should not be used too often as it can dry out your skin. I firmly believe in using a daily mask, so having an ingredient that slows down this process is essential. 

Due to its high-water retaining capacity, Xanthan gum creates an additional moisturizing effect. 

Second, a homemade mask will not give me the same results. They don’t have the consistency to stay on your face while you are up and doing something else. Apart from the time it takes to make a homemade mask, to get good results, you’re required to lie face-up for at least 20 minutes. Our masks do the job in only 2-4 minutes — even less for the Acti-Mask, as little as 1 min.

Whether this correspondent comes back for one of our facial masks or not isn’t important. What is important to me is that she educates herself on what is and is not possible in terms of cosmetic and food item production so that she will be able to spot misleading information. 

Our April 3-day special: Spend $100 or more at our online Beauty Store by Wednesday night, 11:59 p.m. EST, April 12, 2023 and get a FREE Facial Masque of your choice.

You have 4 options: Choice #1: Mermaid's Dream Seaweed Facial Masque… Choice #2: Acti-Mask: Active Charcoal Facial... Choice #3: GlaciClear Facial Masque with Turmeric...Choice #4 BerryBright Antioxidant Masque...