Grateful Body

One of my absolute favorite small skincare companies is Grateful Body.
This is a line from Berkeley, California that I first encountered about five years ago, around the same time I discovered Hauschka. The founder, Shannon is brilliant and his philosophies on skincare really blew my mind. I have been to their headquarters and have personally watched them prepare the products by hand. They have such integrity and passion for great skincare and it really shows.
When you use a Grateful Body product you can literally feel your skin drinking it up. It feels amazingly vital and alive.
I sometimes get my head turned by the newest trendy natural product but GB is a line I always come back to.

The Key to Flawless Makeup

"The most beautiful cosmetic you can wear is a healthy skin."
-Jane Iredale

Healthy skin is crucial to even makeup application. If you have skin irritation (redness), some couperose or hyperpigmentation or the occasional breakout to cover, that's fine but if your skin is chronically unhealthy and unbalanced or if you are using harsh topical products that cause peeling or dry patches then nothing you use no matter how "good" or expensive is going to give you the desired results.
I wear so much less makeup when I am taking good care of my skin and I don't miss it. When I spend less time on foundation application I can spend more time grooming my brows or applying interesting eye makeup. I also hear a lot of people say they don't want to spend very much money on skincare. If you use something that works for you and use it regularly then you will spend so much less in the long run. You won't be spending as much on foundation (which is not cheap) or on costly serums, exfoliants and even prescription drugs to "treat" the skin. Once the skin is severely out of balance, that is usually when you would do something extreme and pricey to try and fix it immediately.
The key to flawless makeup is well-hydrated skin. Drink lots of water, eat well, exercise, and take a good multivitamin and essential fatty acids. Your skin will thank you!

My Friend Marie!

When I lived in Berkeley I worked for a great company called Elephant Pharmacy. I had the honor of being their very first esthetician hired and the second was a wonderful woman named Marie. She is a brilliant spitfire of a woman with a golden halo of hair. She is a chemist and fellow esthetician and I always loved having her around to help me answer more technical questions and just so I could pick her brain. I love chemistry and Marie made me even more interested in it.
I was the buyer and once we were meeting with a woman who had her own skincare line and she made all kinds of wild and dubious claims about her product. I asked her what specifically in her line ingredient-wise could do what she was claiming her product did. She told us that she went into the lab and 'spirits' told her what to put in her products and she couldn't explain how they could FULLY BLOCK THE SUN without the use of zinc, titanium dioxide or any chemical sunscreen agents. Marie asked her a few technical questions that she should have known the answers to but didn't. Well, let's just say we didn't end up carrying the product and the woman left in tears. Her husband came in and yelled at Marie. We were both stunned and later amused. We did not intend to be cruel or unfair to this woman but really, she had no business selling skincare.
Marie also has her own line of skincare called Marie-Veronique Skin Therapy and she's written a book called The Yoga Facelift.
I can't tell you how excited I am for her. She has so much knowledge and integrity and it's so great that she's helping so many people with her products and skincare philosophy. I've seen some of her Yoga for the Face classes and they really do produce results. Marie herself has the skin of a fifteen year old. (minus the acne)
When we were at Elephant together she had a huge following/fan base. I could tell a "Marie client" a mile away. We had the best time working side by side doing mini-facials and makeovers and since we had our own 'type' of customer we always complemented each other beautifully. I was teaching fun classes on how to make your own spa products at home and doing wedding makeup and Marie was teaching her fellow baby-boomers how to age with grace and style. "Alternative Aging" was how she referred to it, which is so much more realistic and attainable than "Anti-Aging." Really, who has found a way to truly stop the clock? That would be nobody and even if it were possible, would you really want to? I wouldn't.

The Ritual

Left: Mama and Alex press and roll, me and my monthly cleansing clay mask.

What makes Dr.Hauschka skincare so special is the daily skincare ritual. Everyone has a skincare routine, but with Dr. Hauschka it goes from being five seconds in the shower to five to ten minutes of special time for yourself.
The difference between a routine and a ritual is that routine reinforces continuity while rituals foster connection. In this case, it is a special time to reconnect with yourself before or after a hectic day.
Ironically, it was this aspect that kept me from using the products at first. I was intimidated by the pictures in their catalog of ceramic pitchers, special bowls and a serene environment. I just wanted to wash my face quickly, discreetly in the shower. I first used the cleansing cream in just that way, happily scrubbing away, the exact opposite of what the back of the tube instructed me to do. Needless to say, I was underwhelmed by the Dr. Hauschka products.Taken out of the whole line, the wonderful Cleansing Cream seemed strange and ineffectual. Of course, this was in my early-to-mid twenties, a time when I wasn't exactly taking the best care of myself.
Now I am in my thirties and I have two small children. I welcome the time to focus on me and apply my products to my skin lovingly and mindfully. It's exactly the kind of attention I would lavish on a client when doing a facial but never gave to myself.
And the serene environment? It's my kitchen. I do it even when both of my boys are racing around my legs. I do it even if I'm tired (especially when I'm tired) I started washing my face in the kitchen after I had my twins. My bathroom is connected to the bedroom where they sleep and I was always afraid of waking them. Slowly my skincare products migrated to a shelf in the kitchen, under the spices. Now they are all there, lined up like little soldiers waiting for me to call them into duty. It's actually a much better spot for them, they are not exposed to the steam from my showers. I also really like looking out the kitchen window into my backyard in the mornings as I do my skincare ritual.
I keep all of my skin compresses and headbands in a square plastic box with a lid and my stainless steel facial bowl in the strainer next to the sink.
Here is my interpretation of the Dr. Hauschka daily facial ritual, created by Elisabeth Sigmund. (who, by way is in her nineties and still and still doing the original regimen)

Daily: (a.m)
Step one: Compressing
Boil water. This is more something I do rather than a Hauschka-thing. I boil water in a kettle for several reasons. I can heat the water and not have to get to it immediately, I can do other things first. I also use part of the water for my morning cup of tea. I can use hot water from the tap, but it is a waste of water, waiting for it to be hot enough. So I boil the water in a kettle and pour it over my prepared facial bowl. The bowl is a basic stainless steel bowl that can be found at any Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond-type store. It is commonly used in the kitchen. (how appropriate!)
To the bowl I have added two pumps of lavender bath or one pump of lavender bath and one and a half pumps of lemon bath. I use lemon bath if I am feeling groggy or unfocused or if my skin is feeling particularly oily. I then place my compress into the bowl.
The water that is now in my bowl is clearly too hot to use. If I want to compress immediately then I add cool water until it is the right temperature. It should be very warm, but comfortable on the skin. If I don't want to compress right away then I do other things until the water cools and possibly add more warm water from the kettle.
Compressing is very important. It is the most relaxing part of the regimen and prepares the skin for the deep-pore cleansing benefits of the cleansing cream. It reminds me of watering dry, cracked earth. At first, the water just rolls off of the top of the soil because it is too dry to absorb moisture. But after a minute of being exposed to water it is softened enough to soak in and retain moisture. Sometimes when I first apply the compress my skin feels unreceptive to the moisture, then after a minute I can feel my skin softening.
At Dr. Hauschka they say that after one compress your skin is ready to cleanse but I enjoy it so much that I compress 4-6 times. I feel this really helps soften blackheads.

Step two: Cleansing:
There are technically two cleansers in the line, the creamy cleansing milk and the granular cleansing cream. They are for two specific purposes and not really meant to be interchangeable. The smooth cleansing milk is meant to remove makeup, the cleansing cream is to be used solely if you do not wear makeup and in the a.m if you do.
The cleansing cream is not a scrub. It does feel "scrubby" but isn't meant to be rubbed into the skin. You squeeze about 1/4" of the product into your palm, adding drops of lavender water until a loose paste has formed. You then apply you whole hands to your face, one on each side, wrists pointing down. With cupped hands, gently "press and roll":

Cleansing Cream: What do you mean by “press and roll”?

"Our unique "press and roll" cleansing method goes beyond the surface to stimulate the lymph and awaken your skin. First, dampen your face with warm water and mix 1/2" Cleansing Cream with a few drops of water in your hand. Relax your hands to gently cup the face. Beginning at the forehead, press the product in using your fingers and the tops of your palms, rolling outward from the center and lifting as you roll. The mild suction created helps remove dead cells, dirt and oil. Work downward and outward with this press and roll motion for one to three minutes, then rinse with warm water and finish with a cool splash." (from www.drhauschka.com)

I am quite stingy with my cleansing cream so I only use about 1/4" of product, and that seems to be just as effective. After massaging the cleansing cream into the skin, remove using the lavender-soaked compress. I usually use one side, remove the product starting at the forehead and firmly swiping down the face, then across towards the ears then turn over and use the other side to do the same. This will remove most of the product. I then set the compress on the sink (not back in the bowl) and splash my face about three times with the lavender water to remove any lingering cleansing cream. I then splash my face about three times with cool water to activate the erector pili muscle, squeezing any excess oil from the follicles to the surface of the skin. I then use a recycled paper towel to pat my skin dry (just so it's not dripping wet) then wipe off my sink. I rinse my bowl and my compress with the cool water. The compress is a very smooth, soft organic cotton and the cleansing cream rinses right off. Since the compress is white, you can see if there is any lingering behind. I then wring all excess water out of the compress and hang it to dry on a peg next to my sink. It dries really quickly and is ready to be used again for my p.m regimen.

Step three: Tone, moisturize, and protect
Right now I am using the clarifying toner and I am the opposite of stingy with this. I spray it liberally over my face and neck. I have counted when I am feeling particularly free with my toner and counted up to twenty-five sprays. For everyone else, about five to seven is about right. You can also spray into your palm and press into the skin.
Then you are ready for moisturizer. I use normalizing day oil when my skin is breaking out and either quince day cream or rose day cream light when it is balanced. I am also stingy with this product, a little goes a long way. I squeeze out a pea-size amount into my palm then dab onto my forehead, both cheeks, and chin then pat the rest of the moisturizer onto my entire face and neck.
Once this is absorbed (there will be a thin protective layer but shouldn't feel greasy or too slippery or tacky) I mix the translucent bronze concentrate (a few drops) with the spf 30 sunscreen and apply the same way. If my skin is not breaking out, this eliminates the need for foundation. If it is, then I will use a little concealer and follow up with translucent powder.

Daily: (p.m)
Follow steps one and two as in the a.m regimen. Follow with toner. Go to sleep!

Weekly: (p.m)
Once a week I compress and cleanse like usual, then apply the Rejuvenating Mask and leave on for twenty five minutes. I then compress it off and apply toner.

Monthly: (p.m)
Once a month I compress and use the cleansing clay mask. I usually do this around the time of my period.

The Effects of Corporate Greed on the Beauty Industry

I've never really "gotten" MAC. As someone in the beauty industry and more specifically as a makeup artist I've always been aware that I was supposed to see them as the Holy Grail of cosmetics. Yet I never really have.
I'm not saying I've NEVER purchased a MAC product. There have been a lipglass or shadow here and there and the occasional nailpolish purchase. But I have never been interested in stocking my professional kit solid with MAC products, regardless of the "fact" that they are supposed to be for makeup artists.
After Estee Lauder acquired the company the quality and packaging went straight downhill. The difference, for me as a casual user was subtle. But for artists who were diehard fans, it was a powerful change--and a slap in the face. After freelance makeup artists began to look elsewhere for professional supplies the corporate machine kicked into high gear and began to manufacture their own "brand artists" to keep the buzz alive and make it seem as if everyone who was anyone still wanted to use the line.
I've seen this happen many times, as a fan of natural products. The holistic buzz is so loud, of course it has attracted corporate attention. So goods that were once created out of love for a pure, botanical product are now produced for profit first, quality second. And the yummy botanical ingredients gave way to cheaper synthetics and lower-quality essential oils.
The best thing we, as consumers can do to stop this is to simply stop purchasing these products. If a beloved company was sold to a corporate giant and the quality has suffered, refuse to buy them. That will send a message that this is not ok.
For me, natural cosmetics just jive better with my personal ideals. And natural products can now aggressively compete with conventional, even professionally. Products that were once 'weird and hippie-ish' are now smooth, beautiful and come in a wide range of colors. Packaging that was once offbeat and homespun is now slick and attractive.
A few of my favorite brands include: Jane Iredale, Glominerals/Mineral Fusion, and Dr. Hauschka.

Why I am an Esthetician...

I get that question a lot: what made you become an esthetician? I always say something like 'oh, well, when I was twenty I got a job at the Body Shop in San Francisco and really enjoyed it and discovered I was good at applying makeup so after that I worked for Bare Escentuals then went to beauty school.'
But the truth is: My name is Jennifer and I have a unibrow. I struggled with my single eyebrow for years. I had all kinds of bad brow experiences: shaving them with razors typically used for legs and beards (cuts AND stubble....nice) over-tweezing, overtrimming, overgrowing, you name it. It took me years and years to find the proper brow shape, I'm thirty and it's only been a few years since I figured it out.
My husband is always urging me to 'go Frida' and let my brows unite once again. He said he wanted to see what it looks like. So I dug out this picture of me in the seventh grade, circa 1989. Rave hairspray was my favorite although I also dabbled in Aqua Net. I had a perm AND frosted hair. I chose an orange mock-turtleneck ( I also one in mustard and one in purple, three colors I should NEVER EVER wear) for my class photos. I was self-conscious about my teeth so I didn't smile.
In short, I was a mess. I always knew the power of appearance. On how it affects how you feel and how others treat you. I went into the beauty industry to help people nudge out their inner beauty. I realized two things: we are our own biggest critics and a good brow wax can change your life.

Thirteen years old, painfully shy:


Two-tone hair, unibrow, perm:


My makeup actually looks really good, though:

Skincare Challenge Overview

I apologize for the choppiness of my skincare challenge posts, the only time I have to blog is in the middle of the night while the boys sleep and I'm not the most tech-savvy to begin with.
I learned a lot about myself and about skincare from this experience. Taking pictures has really helped me to see my skin exactly the way it is, without my ego filter.
I have been in beauty retail for ten years now and so often I've been frustrated by clients that said "I don't know" when I asked what their skin condition was. Now I see that they were being more truthful than I was.
So many factors affect the way our skin looks: diet, lifestyle, products, stress-level, hormones, overall health and so on. But so often I think we would like to blame it all on products: "oh, that doesn't work for me" when maybe what we need to look at is our overall habits and lifestyle. I use top of the line products faithfully AND I'm an esthetician but I don't have flawless skin because of lifestyle choices I make. I choose to co-sleep with my boys even though I know their little heads are a bacterial breeding ground. I touch my face. I need to wash my makeup brushes. I need to wipe off my phone. Have I changed my pillow cases recently? I need to go to yoga, my stress level is through the roof....
But lately my skin is looking great despite those things. The weather is good, I'm getting along great with my husband, I was gifted several new outfits including a really flattering skirt that makes me feel great, my period has past....PLUS I have a consistent skincare routine.
, I really feel like this was a completely worthwhile experiment.

Week Four--Skincare Challenge

Day twenty-two: I look good in blue...
Day twenty-three: What do you think the cell turnover on two-year old skin is? Like every three days?
Day twenty-four: Recovering...
Day twenty-five: Better....
Day twenty-six: Pretty good...


Day twenty-seven: Back to normal...

Day twenty-eight: I look good in red!!! I'm almost going to miss taking self-portraits, although it will be nice to not have the husband making fun of me daily. "oh, bad one--deleting"

Week Three--The Skincare Challenge

Day fifteen: Hanging in there...
Day sixteen: Getting tired of the side-face self portrait...
Day seventeen: Don't look at me, I have PMS breakouts...
Day eighteen: Grrr!!! I'm serious!
Day nineteen: Why am I wearing orange again?
Day twenty: Horrible, irritated blemish-y...hormones suck.

Day twenty-one: A little makeup makes things much better...

Week Two--The Skincare Challenge

Day eight: All I need is a little number 11 effetuoso lipstick and a cute top and I look great! I'm going to save so much money on makeup!
Day nine: Yikes, go back to bed! A bit of irritation around my nose...
Day ten: Going back to co-sleeping is taking a bit of a toll on my skin. Having two little heads pressed against my face all night is bound to cause a few breakouts...
Day eleven: Looking good!
Day twelve: Ditto...
Day thirteen: Who looks horrible in orange? I do!

Day fourteen: My skin is looking good, but not as good as Maxi's!!!

Week One--The Skincare Challenge

Day one: I started right away, in my room at the Lord Jeffery. ( I had a fabulous room, I didn't realize til the last day that not everyone had such posh accommodations.) My skin was a wreck. I was stressed out because I was sad to leave the boys for the first time and sad because my sweet cousin Hollie had just passed away. I had a rash from the aspirin mask I was dumb enough to use also.
Day two: Wow, look what a good night's sleep and some lavender compresses can do for the skin! I also realize now that contrary to what I've always thought, my skin looks best in natural light. Who knew?
Day three: Pillow creases on my face. How attractive...
Day four: Are those MORE pillow creases? Did I mention that I slept like a rock at the Lord Jeffery?
Day five: Is it apparent yet that I'm not a morning person? This is my first day back in Austin after a great trip to Amherst, Mass.
Day six: Natural lighting again...my skin has never looked this good without makeup before. Also, I just realized that I look much better in colors other than black...

Day seven: My skin looks great!

The Two Rudolfs

"For 40 years Dr.Hauschka Skin Care has led the way in holistic skin care. Early in the last century, chemist Dr. Rudolf Hauschka asked philosopher and scholar Dr. Rudolf Steiner the ultimate question: "what is life?"

"Study rhythm," Steiner replied, "rhythm is the carrier of life."

In the following years, Hauschka began developing plant-based healing remedies based on Steiner’s teachings. Inspired by their conversation, Hauschka found that by using the rhythms and polarities of Nature he was able to create plant extracts that retained the vital forces of the living plant and remained stable without the use of alcohol or artificial preservatives. This startling discovery inspired Dr. Hauschka and his colleagues to found a holistic pharmaceutical company, which they called WALA Heilmittel; WALA for Hauschka’s unique rhythmical process (warmth, ash, light, ash) and Heilmittel, the German word for remedy."

-From www.drhauschka.com

Decoratives Makeovers

These girls were so cute, they're students from the University of Ohio and were visiting family here in Texas. They had never used DH products before or even heard of them, but one of their moms was a fan and wanted them to wear 'more natural makeup.' They both already had makeup on but I just worked around it. They both loved the products and it was fun introducing two glitter-wearing Sephora shoppers to Dr. Hauschka makeup. And the mom approved, too!

Demolicious

Mychelle demo at Whole Foods Market Lamar

Right now my job consists of doing demos and events for the reps of Mychelle Dermaceuticals and Dr. Hauschka skincare. It's fun and flexible and has been a good way for me to get my feet wet and make contacts at the local natural foods stores.
Demos are great for me because I love merchandising. A big part of the fun for me is setting up and creating a display to work from. The challenge is getting people interested in what I am doing there.
I did one demo and one event for Dr. Hauschka this month. Once people hear that I am a DH certified esthetician they are excited to talk to me, which is great. At the event I just did, a Day of Beauty at the Whole Foods flagship store I was fully booked and did two Decoratives makeovers and ten skincare consultations. What shocks me is that even longtime users of the line are usually using it slightly incorrectly. Maybe using the wrong moisturizer or not knowing about compressing. I love being able to educate them about the nuances of the line so they can get even better results.


Dr. Hauschka Day of Beauty, Whole Foods
Market Lamar

Twenty Eight Days

It takes between twenty eight and thirty two days for new, plump skin cells to make their way to the top surface of the skin. As their journey progresses they lose moisture and begin to flatten out. By the time they reach the top layer they are dead and form a protective layer until they are sloughed off and new cells begin to surface.
I am an educator for Dr. Hauschka skincare and while I was out of town for a training I took one picture a day for twenty eight days to see how my skin care regimen would improve my skin. It was nothing new to me, I was just committing to being consistent.
I learned so much about my skin during that month. I am an esthetician and it is very easy for me to analyze the skin of others. It's much harder for me to do the same to my own. I have used the wrong products on both my hair and skin for years, due to my desire to change them into what I'd rather have and also just lack of self-awareness. That's where my digital camera comes in. With the first picture I took I realized that my skin was irritated and completely out of balance. I had been very stressed out and it had taken it's toll on my skin. I was upset so late one night I decided to do an aspirin mask. I ground up six aspirin tablets with a mortar and pestle and made a paste. This really goes against my philosophy of skincare but I was feeling desperate. I mixed the aspirin with rhythmic night conditioner, facial toner and jojoba oil thinking that would somehow make it ok.
My skin immediately felt smoother, you know without it's acid mantle. So I thought everything was fine. When I took that first picture I realized what I had done to my skin. Instead of treating it gently and compassionately I waged war and took out all of my stress on my poor face. The skin I photographed the first evening was extremely irritated not only along my naso-labial folds but I also had a rash on my neck. Every day brought healthier and more beautiful skin.
It goes along with something I've heard said before: "beautiful skin is not always healthy, but healthy skin is always beautiful." Meaning genetics can bless people with lovely skin but it could be horribly neglected but once you take the time to properly care for your skin it will be healthy and radiant.
I also realized how much makeup I normally wear. As the days went by I found myself needing less and not missing it. All I needed to look "pretty" was lipstick and well-groomed eyebrows. I vowed to keep wearing less once I got back home.
As I took my photos I saw what my skin goes through. I co-sleep with my two year old twin boys and the rest their little heads right against my cheeks. Immediately I developed small clusters of blemishes there. As my period week loomed closer my hormones brought hard, painful breakouts on my chin and increased blackheads and redness. I wore more makeup to cover it up and woke up with traces of eyeliner around my eyes.
One of the questions we ask clients who come to discuss Dr. Hauschka products with us is: "does your skin feel healthy?" This throws people because they don't really think of their skin as 'feeling' anything. It's mostly visual, how does it look? And if they decide that it looks unsatisfactory usually the course of action is swift, drastic and often irritating. (as I myself am clearly guilty of at times) Right now I'd have to say my skin does not feel it's healthiest. I am faithfully following the Dr. Hauschka skincare regimen in the a.m and p.m. So what is the problem? My lifestyle. I choose to sleep with my boys every night knowing that the bacteria and sebum from their scalps will clog my pores. I sometimes don't drink enough water. I eat too much sugar and not enough greens. I get stressed out and stare at my computer. I need more fresh air and exercise. I know that I will not choose to end co-sleeping yet. So I will have those little breakouts for a while longer and that's ok with me. But I can work on improving my overall health and diet and manage my stress better. And this, coupled with a good skincare routine and excellent products will drastically improve the health and appearance of my skin.