If you are anything like me, you must get so confused by all the conflicting information out there concerning the best products for your skin. It seems like there is a new top skin care tip and a difficult must-have product every single day!
My story
I've always struggled with my skin, since I was 11 years old (I'm now 32). I was always jealous of my friends beautiful, skin, glowing skin all through school and in my 20's. My acne made me very self conscious and greatly affected my self esteem. I was put on the acne drug Accutane five times between the ages of 17 - 22 years. For those of you who don't know; this is an often last resort for acne due to its bad reputation of extreme side effects. It does improve acne, but only for the months you take it. By my late 20's I honestly never thought my skin would ever improve. I tried every single skin care product on the market that people recommended to me and nothing helped.
The best thing I ever did for my skin was to find a boutique beauty salon. Over two years ago I found Olli Skin Care at Camp Hill. With their expertise in recommending products for my skin (that don't break the bank) and regular facials, I can honestly say my skin has never looked or felt better. I can't even explain how much more confident I feel with the positive change to my skin.
I sat down with the owner of Olli beauty salon, Kym, to find out her best skin care tips and her favourite skin care products. Kym has been in the beauty industry for over 30 years and is a wealth of knowledge. She is very excited that skincare is currently focusing on a holistic approach that treats people’s skin, mind, body and soul.
The Best Skin Care Tips
1. Establish a great skin care routine using good products
We know so much about the benefits of skincare now and I wish all of this knowledge and science based evidence had been available when I first started in skincare. Therefore, you can and should take full advantage of that knowledge.
2. Talk to the experts
I do understand that people get confused with the amount of different products available and how to use them. The best idea is to come in for a facial or skin analysis and talk to our team of experts. They will take the time to ensure you have all of your questions answered and are completely comfortable with your routine and why you are using certain products, (without the pushy sales pitch)!
3. Sunscreen daily
Please don’t forget sunscreen! It is without a doubt the most important product and the number 1 product we should all have in our daily routine. People don’t necessarily realise that wherever you can see natural light, you are exposed to damaging UV rays. We now know that even the light from your computer screen is damaging and aging.
Current favourite skin care product
There are so many amazing products on the market now! My current favourites are:
- The Liquid Gold range products from Alpha H. I especially love the 24hr Moisture repair cream and the Ultimate perfecting mask with Ferulic and Lactic acids,
&
- Our Vitamin serum range, because it is invaluable in treating a myriad of concerns.
Em here: I swear by the whole Alpha H range: I use the following Alpha H products:
- Triple Action Cleanser
- Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50 +
- Liquid Gold
- Vitamin A serum
- Vitamin B serum
- Micro Cleanse Super Scrub
- Clear Skin Tonic - this saved my skin in isolation!
What is new in skincare that you are loving?
We are constantly seeing new products come out with amazing results. One of the newest in our range is the Clear Skin Tonic that has Salicylic acid in it. This product is amazing on congested skin because salicylic gets right into the pores and dissolves and breaks down sebum and debris, therefore clearing the pores of potentially harmful bacteria etc.
To summarise: Kym and my best skin care tips
- Find a boutique beauty salon owned by experts in their industry who you feel comfortable with.
- Get regular facials! It's a great way to treat yourself and to look after your skin.
- Establish a consistent skin care regime, with the help of experts. Again, this does not have to break the bank. If you are going to a boutique beauty salon where you trust the professionals working there, they will tell you what products are essential and what products are not.
- Sunscreen up, every single day, because that UV is always there!
- Exercise / move your body as much as you can. Find a form of exercise that you like and do it often. Exercise, eat well and get as much sleep as you can and you will notice the improvement to your skin and just as importantly, to your wellbeing.
