Why You Should Add Facial Serums to Your Beauty Routine

Facial serums seem to be flooding beauty aisles everywhere. I feel adding this extra step to your beauty routine is really worth our time and investment.


Why? Because serums offer more targeted results and more potent formulations to help improve your skin.

Think of serums as a way to give your skin an extra boost before you apply your moisturizer. I use serums as a way to treat specific areas that I want to improve my skin such as acne, fine lines, discoloration, etc.


Serums have a smaller molecular structure and therefore they penetrate deeper into the skin surface. They are more potent in their ingredients which makes them more powerful.


Whether you’re already a fan of serums or ready to try one for the very first time, it’s important to know which serums are best to incorporate in your daily routine.


Here are a few examples of serums and the ingredients you should look for to improve your skin…

Natural Citric Acid Serums

Look for serums that contain glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid and even kojic acid which are natural citric acids that help speed up the exfoliation process, unclogs pores and helps build collagen.

A couple of my faves are:

iS Clinical Active Serum

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Glycolic Night Serum

Vitamin C Serums

I think everyone from age 18 and up should be using a vitamin C serum daily. This is a potent antioxidant that protects your skin as well as repairs sun damage and builds collagen and elastin. It also helps heal breakouts! A must have product.


My faves are:

iS Clinical Pro-heal serum Advanced Plus

Drunk Elephant C Firma Day Serum

Retinol Serums


Retinol works to neutralize free radicals, stimulate collagen production and accelerate skin turnover, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles and blurring acne marks and other blemishes in the process

My fave:

Drunk Elephant (It’s actually a cream)

Tripeptide Growth Factor Serums


Peptides and Growth factors help support healthy skin structures while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In addition your skin will look more vibrant.


My fave:

iS Clinical Youth Serum


The rule of thumb is to start out one serum at a time until you decide if it is right for you. Don’t use your face as a science experiment. Start off one serum at night. Use for a few weeks and then start incorporating a daytime serum. Always start off slow and build from there.


For more tips on skincare, makeup, haircare, and more download my FREE Beauty Guild here.

Important Skincare Ingredients You Should Use…According to Your Age

I receive so many questions from clients, friends, and social media asking me what ingredients to incorporate into their skincare routine. The age range of the ladies (and men) who ask me questions are anywhere from 20-70 years old.


So, I decided to create a beauty segment offering my professional advice and I break it down according to what age you are.


20’s The biggest issue tends to be battling breakouts. Opt for an oil-free, gel-based cleanser with salicylic acid.  It is important to start using a light moisturizer and an SPF to protect your skin.


30’s It’s really important to use a daytime moisturize, eye cream, and night cream and SPF. Fine lines and wrinkles appear, and skin tone becomes more uneven. Products that incorporate retinol can help in those areas. Also, stick to a gentle cleanser to offset any irritating effects from the anti-aging ingredients you may be using. 


40’sWrinkles and age spots have likely set in. Peptide-packed moisturizers are the bomb! Peptides even out pigment and increase collagen.
Serums that contain Vitamin C are a must! Serums have a smaller molecular structure and absorb deeper into the skin’s surface layers. Vitamin C is a potent anti-oxidant as well as protects your skin and reverses skin from sun damage and boost collagen production! A must!


In addition, be sure to exfoliate 1-2 days a week to speed up the exfoliation process that slows down as we age. By speeding up the exfoliation process, your skin will naturally produce more collagen. Be sure to use GENTLE exfoliators! Otherwise, you can damage your skin.


During this decade, our skin starts to lose some of its tone and texture, so it important to use a cleanser with low concentrations of exfoliating alpha or beta hydroxy acids. 
Don’t forget to use an SPF!


50’s and upContinue with the same ingredients I suggest for those in their 40s and add a few extras…


Hormonal changes can lead to dehydrated skin. Counteract these effects by using glycolic acid; it revs up cell turnover, so skin stays smooth.  Be sure to incorporate higher levels of retinol in your skincare products as well as hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and always use sunscreen!

The Best Foundation… Self-Love

Starting with the right foundation is the most important step in my work, and I don’t just mean cosmetics. 

When I work with a client, I want to find out who she is at her core. If I don’t know her essence, I can’t help her uncover her true beauty. One of the biggest clues to the source of a woman’s authentic beauty is getting to know what her favorite things are… what nourishes your soul. This is what forms our foundation. 

I don’t talk liquid versus powder foundation until I understand a woman’s true foundation. If this sounds like a lot of work to uncover, it is . . . but it’s also a lot of fun. This is where the real you emerges! What feeds your soul? What nourishes your authentic self?

This is the process I take my clients through to uncover their foundation:

Exercise: Your Top-Ten List 

Take out your journal, and write down the top ten things you love to do—even if you aren’t doing them right now. Don’t worry if you are thinking to yourself, “I don’t know,” or I have no idea,” that is normal.  Typically, we can write a list of the top ten things off of our to-do lists.

As most women struggle to come up with more than three things, it can be very telling. We women nurture everyone and everything outside of ourselves but we haven’t made the connection between nurturing our spirits, feeling beautiful, and staying on course toward our dreams. 

We’re like builders trying to frame a house without a solid foundation. Despite our efforts, our work just won’t hold up, eventually toppling over. 

No one sees the foundation, but that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. Just like foundational garments or cosmetics, it’s the critical starting point. Others may not understand why you need to spend time doing something on your top-ten list, but they will notice as you grow stronger and more beautiful . . . all a result of nourishing your soul. 

So, get going on your top-ten list! Remember to focus on what you love. Are you doing any of these things on a regular basis? If you aren’t, why not start now?

Set your intention by identifying a simple step you can take today. Then do it! 

Keep in mind that if you always deny yourself the happiness you deserve, life seems so much harder. You feel down, and are less resilient and motivated.

So many women rely on medication, food, or alcohol to suppress the pain of a depleted spirit.

Pleasure, not suppression, is the solution. Put your top-ten list into practice and let your authentic self come alive!

With love and gratitude,

Michelle

Professional Makeup Artist’s Go-To Products

Do you ever wonder what kind of makeup, skincare, and beauty tools professional makeup artists use to make celebrities look their best for the big screen? 

Women often ask me what kind of makeup I use as well as what skincare brands I recommend.  Especially the women who sit in my chair and have their makeup done for TV, Film, or to appear on the cover of a major magazine.   Once they see how good they look…they immediately want everything I put on their face.

The other question I receive, quite often, is “I’ve always wanted to learn how to be a makeup artist or beauty expert, how can I learn the tricks of the trade?”.    

I have had so many celebrities and clients ask me where they can buy the professional makeup I have in the kit that I use on movie and TV sets. Once they see how good they look…they ask me what is that you used and where can I buy that?

For over 20 years, I have purchased the majority of my professional makeup from a family owned business called Alcone, based in NYC. Alcone has been around since 1952 providing professional makeup for the stage and film industry.

Through the years, Alcone received tons of calls from celebrities and clients of professional makeup artists wanting to purchase their makeup…so they decided to create a company called Limelife by Alcone.

When they started LimeLife, their intention was simple…they wanted to share the beauty secrets their family had acquired over 65 years in the professional makeup industry. 

They soon realized the their products did more than improve complexions and enhance natural beauty…they had a significant impact on confidence.  So, they decide to create a way to help others start their own beauty business using professional products.  The outcome…they are going gangbusters!  

I share this with you just in case you or someone you know is interested in breaking into the business.  If so, this is a great place to start.  

As a professional working in the beauty industry for over 30 years, I can honestly say, it’s truly a gift to help women feel better about themselves. To build their confidence. When a woman feels better about herself, she has a better life overall… and that is the mission of Limelife by Alcone.

Empowering women to feel confident in who they are and help others do the same.

With lots of love and loads of gratitude,

Michelle

Beauty and Style Holiday Gift Ideas

Are you looking for unique gift ideas for the beauty and style lover on your list?  Here are a few of my favorites ideas, and trust me, you’ll want to add every one of these to your wish list too!

DG2 Jeans

Finding a pair of Jeans that fit well is almost impossible. My favorite designer jeans  not only make you look amazing…you will feel amazing when wearing them!

Designer Diane Gilman created DG2 jeans to cater to the specific concerns of women whose bodies have changed because of having kids and even aging.  Her jeans offer much more generous waist measurements while still keeping the legs of the jean slim & formfitting… knowing as females, we put all our middle-aged weight around the waist, tummy & midriff!

Diane is known a the “Queen of Jeans” as she has sold over 10 million pairs of DG2 jeans on HSN!  

http://www.hsn.com > search Diane Gilman. Great price of $59.99 (regular price $79.99)

Vivian Lou  

Most of us have a love of high heels, yet most of the time, they are uncomfortable! 

The reason heels hurt is because when you are in any kind of shoe that has elevation or a heel, your weight gets shifted forward to the ball of the foot. The higher the heel, the more weight and pressure get shifted forward. 

Vivian Lou insoles shift weight off the ball of the foot to the heel and prevent the foot from slipping forward. This reduces pressure on the ball of the foot and stop the cause of pain.

Bonus… They are impossible to see in open-toe + open-back shoes. 

Place Vivian Lou Insoles in your stilettos, wedges, sandals, boots and clogs! Your feet, back, knees, hips and ankles will thank you! Now you can wear high heels 4x longer.

http://www.VivianLou.com  Use Code HOLIDAY25 good thru Dec 15

GemTye

GemTye is coolest bracelet you will ever put in your hair!  Gemtye is the only hair tie that one of a kind fashion accessory that fuses together the function of your favorite hair tie that is also a chic bracelet!  

Whether you’re getting ready for your favorite yoga class or you’re matching a purse and stilettos…GemTye has you covered.

They offer different styles and colors that look great on every skin tone and hair types.

You can now leave the house with something that feels good on your wrist, works in your hair and always looks great. No more sad hair ties on your wrist! The perfect gift for the fashionable multi-tasker!

http://www.GemTye.com  Use Code Morning Blend for 15% Discount

Levears  

A revolutionary earring back that gives your earring an instant lift!  Levears provide the support you need so your earrings will sit upright, feel secure and look beautiful.

From heavy studs to oversized chandeliers, now you can wear any type of post earring, regardless of weight, without the fear of a sagging earlobe.

The Levears Earring Lifts have a patented design that has a left and right back. This ensures that the women’s earrings can be adjusted to look perfect since no two holes are pierced the same.  Levears is designed to be light and airy without adding any extra weight on the back, which of course no one wants. 

They come in sterling silver, gold plated sterling silver, 14 k white gold and 14k gold.  

http://www.Levears.com  Use Code SAVENOW for 15% Discount

DK&T Lip Scrub Brush

As a celebrity makeup artist, this is my go-to for every client before I do their makeup. DK&T Lip Scrub brush is the world’s first exfoliating lip and beauty brush. 

The Lip Scrub Brush, in my opinion, is a non-surgical lip plumper that gets rid of dry, flakey, chapped lips.  The dual action scrub brush is made with all natural bristles, it’s cruelty free and vegan friendly.  The bristles stimulate blood flow to the surface of the lips giving you a healthy, plump, rosy lip as well as dead skin is gone. 

After using the brush, I apply an almond or coconut oil and your lips look gorgeous as is or apply lipstick that will look beautiful and last longer. 

http://TheLipScrubBrush.com  Use Code MICHELLE for 10% discount

Happy Shopping!  

Love,

Michelle


Jeans that Flatter Your Body Type

 

Recently a friend of mine suggested I try DG2 jeans.  She promised me that once I do, I will be addicted to how they look on as well as how great they feel when wearing them.

I was certainly a skeptic but decided to give them a try.  I may look small but since having three kids… jeans don’t typically fit well.  Either they are too tight or too loose, or gap in the back when I sit.  The list of issues I have when wearing jeans is endless.  Until now…

Continue reading “Jeans that Flatter Your Body Type”

Celebrity Makeup Artist Shares Important Beauty Tip via a Video She Made in Her Car

One year ago this week, I began taking Barre3 classes 2-3x per week.  It has been a life changing experience for me.  Not only am I enjoying these classes as they combine pilates, yoga, ballet and cardio, I am getting into great shape and have never felt better physically and mentally. The classes end with a […]

One year ago this week, I began taking Barre3 classes 2-3x per week.  It has been a life changing experience for me.  Not only am I enjoying these classes as they combine pilates, yoga, ballet and cardio, I am getting into great shape and have never felt better Continue reading “Celebrity Makeup Artist Shares Important Beauty Tip via a Video She Made in Her Car”

The Beauty of Safe Driving

My teenage daughter, Dakota, and I were invited to attend the Drive Safe Challenge last week in Tampa, Florida sponsored by Mercury Insurance and the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Drive Safe Challenge was developed to help reduce, or even stop, teen driver Continue reading “The Beauty of Safe Driving”

My Winter Skincare Tips for Your Body!

Often times, we take the necessary steps to protect the skin on our face, yet neglect the skin on our bodies!  Studies show that if we paid as much attention to the skin on our bodies, as we do our face, our bodies would look up to 10 years younger! Here are a few tips to keep your skin looking and feeling soft and smooth during the winter months.

Colder temperatures, low humidity levels, and indoor heat can cause our skin to become extremely dry, flakey, and downright uncomfortable.

Often times, we take the necessary steps to protect the skin on our face, yet neglect the skin on our bodies!  Studies show that if we paid as much attention to the skin on our Continue reading “My Winter Skincare Tips for Your Body!”

I loathed working out… until I tried this!

Hello Beautiful,

With the New year beginning and everyone hitting the re-set button, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite ways to stay strong, in shape, and centered.

Years ago while I was visiting Louise Hay in San Diego, she introduced me to Moses Urbano.  Moses is a world renowned Pilates instructor to celebrities as well as some of Continue reading “I loathed working out… until I tried this!”