I would have never guessed that one of the things I miss the most about being away from home is my job. I miss my clients, the actual work and of course...the money.:) But really I miss pampering people. I love transforming their day from stressed to serene. I see their shoulders relax the minute they walk in. Laying down and listening to the music and being surrounded by beautiful soft scents does it for them. I miss getting my facials too so now it's up to me to deliver that same tender loving care to myself.
The climate up here is so dry it makes Southern California seem downright humid. The altitude combined with the dry air here produces legendary snow, beautiful summers and super dry skin. I still use my favorite moisturizer, olive oil, which you can read about here and here but hiking for hours everyday in the sun is taking a toll so I've had to call in the big guns, otherwise known as my favorite Aveda products. If you don't mind I will share what I use and how I use them. This is not a sponsored post but I have been an Aveda esthetician for ten years and I honestly love them.
So after our hike I gave myself a tender, loving facial. Larry had to come into the room to check on me because my skin felt so good I was purring like a cat. I'm not kidding.
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| yikes |
After a cool shower and a tender cleansing with Dermalogica Ultra Calming Cleanser (my favorite) or Cetaphil Ultra Hydrating Cleanser or anything similar, I left my skin damp and applied a pretty thick application of Aveda Tourmaline Charged Radiance Mask. Now some of you may be asking why no exfoliant? Don't worry because this mask has a built in chemical exfoliant and because my skin has been parched the last thing I'd do to it is scrub it with a mechanical exfoliant. So apply the mask liberally and lovingly and don't forget to apply it over your eyebrows because this area notoriously hides dry, flaky skin. I would normally apply it to my lips but Larry wouldn't stop talking to me and I didn't want to be rude. Apply it right up under you eyes and don't forget your neck either. And whatever you do, please don't rinse your hands off yet...
Apply any excess to the back of your hands.
After laying down for about 20 minutes while the mask does its work, rinse off with water and spritz your face with a soothing toner (my absolute favorite) and then apply a good moisturizer, I swear by Aveda Green Science Moisturizer and Green Science Firming Eye Cream but use whatever suits your skin type and works best for you. Now go lay back down...all day if possible x
A beautiful pampering.... A natural inviroment, as you feel pure and good with a facial buffed and naked.
ReplyDeleteYou could model for the cover of J.Jill or become the new spokes model for AVEDA!
See you soon.
Have a pure and simple day.
Xx
Dore
thank you sweet dore. x
DeleteI love that you could not put mask on your lips because your husband kept talking to you, and you did want to be rude. I recently discovered the joy of a good mask through a sample with a purchase from Tata Harper natural cosmetics. I really enjoyed it. And, I agree, J.Jill should hire you!
ReplyDeletei've not heard of that company but i'm sure the mask is fabulous!
DeleteIt was good, but I am thinking of trying the Aveda mask you use. I am curious about the facial toner. I have never used a toner. Perhaps I should be. What benefits do you think it provides? Your skin is amazing. I'm thinking it must be pretty good to be included in your skincare routine.
DeleteYour skin looks amazing! Are the products you mention ok to be used on sensitive, Rosacea prone skin? If not what would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteyes, these products would be perfect. i wouldn't leave the mask on for 20 minutes though. i'd start with 5-7 minutes and work up from there. the great thing about aveda is that you can return it if it doesn't work for you or causes you any problem whatsoever. you can go to your local spa and get a sample to try before you purchase it.
DeleteThanks for the reply. I Have been using Aveda hair products for a few years and have returned a couple of things that didn't work out. I just purchased the products you mentioned in your post and can't wait to use them. I'm trying to locate a salon where I can get an Aveda facial. I wanted to ask on your other posts how your doing with veganism in the place you are where it sounds like there isn't much around. Maybe a blog post sometime about how you are coping with that and if you can still keep your grocery bills as low as you were in CA. Would love to hear about it!
DeleteYes, your skin does look amazing! What an interesting time in your life this pause. Unusual time for walking, reflecting, and caring--husband, father-in-law, self. So nice to see your smiling lovely face!
ReplyDeleteGosh. Hadn't thought of it like that for Janet. How "intuitive." That is really lovely. I am stuck in the house about 23 hours a day right now caring for an injured and probably at the end beloved pet, and I've been feeling sorry for myself today. I'm going to apply this to my own life, if you don't mind. TY.
DeleteLor
thank you dear dannie. x
Deletelor i can relate to the feeling sorry part, it's normal and will pass. i'm sorry you are going thru this and i hope your pet is not in pain and i'm glad you are there for him/her. x
DeleteThank you, Janet. I lost my sweet girl just this morning. I'm heartbroken, but thank you for your kind words. It means a lot. I have been reflecting on this little comment quite a lot since I read it, and I DO know that my "down time" or life pause was well spent and I will never regret one second of it. So glad to have read that here. Doesn't stop the tears, but it is a wonderful way to reflect on this time. Thanks again for your blog. XOXO
DeleteLor
Fourhens, I am so, so sorry for your loss. I've spent the last week tending to my elderly cat which we were able to pull back from the brink. Over time, you'll be so glad you were able to spend that time with your sweet pet and know that you did your best for her. You're a good pet mother.
Deletethank you 4hens and himmie for your sweet comments. losing a pet is so hard. i've not gotten over my beloved dogs passing. he was the most special dog i've ever owned and his passing crushed me. love and prayers to you both. x
DeleteYou too!
DeleteI read this through a few times b/c it was very calming, just the reading of it. Thanks, Pretty Lady. You have zero wrinkles. I might have to hate you now.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Lor
thank you. oh i have lots of wrinkles!
DeleteI could use some of that skin-calming right now. I've been on a course of antibiotics which ended about two days ago. 24 hrs later, I started getting intense itching of my head/neck and hands. I tried using mild shampoo, cortisone topical creams/sprays; cold showers (heat intensifies the itch). Then I started getting welts on my torso and the itch turned into a bright-red rash that absolutely nothing helped. I had to make an emergency call to my primary care doctor and, gratefully, got thru to him on a Sunday afternoon so now he's got me on an antihistamine...tricky, because I'm allergic to them, too. I currently have my hands bathed in cortisone cream (slipping off the keyboard keys) and an ice pak around the back of my neck. I am in total misery. The antihistamine is making me sleepy so I guess I'll go lay down. What finally made me call the doctor is that my upper lip began to swell and affect my speech. Right now, smile is lopsided, like I've had a stroke. My husband's also been texting his employer's nurse back and forth. I was one step away from going to the ER. Do you have anything you can recommend for my stiff scalp? The burning, itching scalp which I've scratched and made worse? I am a red beet. They said to shampoo often with a mild, mild shampoo (thank God, too, for Mayo Clinic online and WebMd). I already use Cetaphil as body soap; I don't have a way to buy Aveda but I assume I may need to go that route if I can get it online? It has no parabens and is recommended for cancer survivors, of which I'm one.
ReplyDeleteI can never take that antibiotic again, ever. And, to make matters worse, although I'm so grateful he's home today, my husband is rehabbing the bathroom with the shower stall in it...and I don't know how soon I can take a beneficial shower again. I have an appt with the doctor tomorrow morning. Not how I'd planned to spend Sunday. Glad your facial was restorative for you. The dermatologist recently told me that, indeed, I have very dry and sensitive skin...and I've had allergic reactions from drugs before but, man, never like this. Antibiotics, for all their wonder of help, can be so toxic. (I've overshared here; sorry; just a cry-out for any soothing remedies for these side effects...Mother would say bathe in the tub with baking soda, or use oatmeal soap.) I'm about to use the whole tube of cortisone cream on my head, lightly massage it in, then wrap the creamed-up mess into a towel turban, since the cream HAS helped my hands unless it's also the antihistamine kicking in. The back of my hands now have tiny blisters.
You have the mostly lovely complexion...you're a walking advertisement for your work. I need a hug. This has been scary.
wow vicki, i feel so bad for you. i know first hand about drug allergic reactions. i'm allergic to most antibiotics and codeine. both cause very severe skin rashes. when i was in high school i missed an entire quarter because of an antibiotic allergy. i was so sick! honestly, if i were you i'd either go to the ER tonight or the doc first thing in the am. i've suffered needlessly because i thought i could tough it out. they can give you an injection to bring down all the swelling and calm the itching. they can give you something orally to relax too. i always used to think that it would pass in a day or 2 but with me at least it took weeks and sometimes months to get over. sending hugs and prayers but i think you need a doc asap. let me know how it goes ok? x
DeleteSo sorry to read this Vicki! It's dreadful. Such good advice from Janet! Allergic reactions to antibiotics are very serious, you need to see a good doctor without delay. It's also important to be very careful with cortisone creams - normally doctors say not to apply to the face. Hope your doc is able help relieve all these dreadful problems quickly, Vicki.
DeleteJanet, you look wonderful and so relaxed - euphoric really! Have never tried Aveda but it does sound good. When we're in France I always buy the Sephora moisturising fibre face masks - they're single use only but are heavenly - especially on long haul flights. Before I settle down to sleep on a 12 hour sector I cleanse my face and then apply the Sephora mask (hate to think what I look like, but I don't let that worry me because everyone else is busy trying to sleep too or fixated by a movie. You have to take it off after about 20 minutes but can massage into the skin any left over fluid. At the end of the flight instead of the skin feeling dried out and tight it feels fresh, relaxed and well moisturised. Wonderful. Best wishes, Pammie
hi pammie! you are such the jet setter, i can just picture you on the flight with a mask on. i bet you do look great when you land but you have such beautiful skin to begin with...my skin looks awful after even a short flight and takes days to get back to normal!
Deletethanks for your kind words for our vicki. i hope she is doing ok. x
Well, it got worse. I never got back on the computer again so I missed the important comments here. And yes, I should have gone to the ER which was my first thought but then I started to downplay it, trying to under-react. But it wasn't a time to under-react and I also think my doctor should have said to go to the ER. . I was actually screaming about 5am from the itching and swelling of my hands which I could only slightly relieve by plunging them into a basin of ice water. My hands swelled to the point of looking like water balloons, then a catcher's mitt. The skin started to separate on my fingers and I was peeling behind my ears but the doctor stopped the allergic reaction with a steroid injection and now I'm on mega steroid pills for a week. They said it was serious and my doctor actually called in another doctor in the office to look at me. I'm starting to see my knuckles again and the skin separation seems to have healed quickly. My head is still itching but we bought some special shampoos. I can't believe how fast all this escalated. The pain and swelling and itching was more than could be borne, seriously; I'm not being melodramatic.
DeleteIn a perfect world, we need to stay as healthy as we can in the first place so as not to get infections. I know I'd let myself get a little run down. I have a problem with getting enough sleep and that just has to improve, along with continued 'pure' eating, exercise and to also do stuff for relaxation. It just has to be a full-time job; our wellness. The aim is to keep out of a hospital and away from prescription drugs but, in my life, that will probably only partially happen so it means I have to try extra hard on the stuff I actually CAN do.
And, yeah, don't hesitate to go to the ER. People go there for a cold, you know? This was a case where I was in an emergency situation and I was stupid not to go. It was called a secondary allergic reaction, not anaphylactic shock, but I could have gotten help sooner and saved myself a lot of stress and pain.
Thanks again for all the advice. I knew I could come here and get some luv. My hands can't take the keyboard very well. What a waste of days this has been! I'm definitely afraid of all this cortisone/steroid stuff but it's short-term treatment and I never did put the cortisone cream on my face or coat my hair in it. The swelling is gone in my lip. I had complete loss of use of my hands. My husband had to bathe and dress me like a baby to get to the doctor. But, 24 hrs into the injection now, all is returning to normal. I'm lucky. For being such an idiot and not going to the ER.
vicki the EXACT same thing has happened to me 3 different times. The first was of course the worse when I was in HS. the only relief for the swelling/itching in my hands was to plunge them into the hottest water i could stand. My sis Jeanne stayed with me and helped me a lot through this, if she reads this she'll remember just how sick i was. it was inside my throat and i could barely swallow. i lost so much weight and was so weak. anyway i feel for you sweetie. but i'm so so glad you went and got the help you needed. And I met Pammie on my trip to England and she is a super smart woman so I'm glad she chimed in too. thanks pammie!
Deleteyou are so right, taking care of ourselves is a full time job! that should be a blog post right?! lol
take care...x
If ever I need to follow your lifestyle before, I really need to now and quit dragging my feet about a lot of things i need to be more dedicated about concerning my health. You have learned the hard way, Janet! I have an allergic personality, so to speak, so always have troubles with drugs...it makes sense, if you have allergies (and I've also had asthma since the age they [in those years] could first diagnose it [for me, age 4, although my doctor felt I had it from age 2]), it's probably going to be more than food and surroundings (cat hair, dust, molds, etc.), i.e. medications as well. The problem for me is that I've had and have health issues, I have no choice but to take some drugs...but I've simultaneously developed so many reactions to various antibiotics, in particular, that it makes it difficult to find a remedy as we keep deleting this one and that one. And, Janet, yes, on codeine. OMG, I had my wisdom teeth (all four) extracted by an oral surgeon when I was age 21. I had a terrible reaction from the codeine prescribed for pain, shaking all over, it was the weekend; my mom had to stick a wadded-up roll of a washcloth between my teeth because she thought I'd bite my tongue off from the teeth chattering. Chattering...that might not be the right word. I wound up being off work from my full-time job for 10 days and my employer was not pleased.
DeleteThe thing I hate about this, too, is offsetting one drug with another. In this case with me, the steroids have to be the remedy for the antibiotic, and this can't be good medicine. Thanks for replying and I'm sorry to stray from your lovely post about the facial. You have beautiful skin and I can't believe you have any significant wrinkles!
Time to end this about me, but yes, do a blog post on full-time/life-time wellness...what you've found, over a long period of time, which works for you...do it when you're in the mood...you could even do a bullet-point list, like a reminder sheet. Like a checklist for everyday, good health/living. Doesn't have to be elaborate. You are a good example for it, so teach on. And it makes me think of the video you posted about the elderly lady who does yoga on the deck of her beach house and eats her garden vegetables...
I love this post! I have never done much in the way of pampering myself or skin. Too much time on tennis courts, running & gardening have taken its toll on my almost 70 year old skin. I am a practical person & realize that I can't undo damage, but I like the idea of a little pampering. Thanks so much, Janet, for the tips & recommendation for Aveda. I will definitely try it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with others.....I love J.Jill & think you would be the perfect model for their clothing.
Anita ~ the cabin on the creek
my irish skin has always taken a beating too anita. i love all outdoor sports and activities but the sun has really wreaked havoc on my skin. i can't say aveda has cured any of it but it sure has helped heal some of it and also slowed down some of the signs of aging. i'm gonna have to click over to see j.jill, i'm not really familiar with it. x
DeleteI especially love J.Jill's linen clothing & jeans.....their casual look fits me to a "T". ~ Anita
Deletecan you contact to me please I need your opinion for my friends wending....
ReplyDeleteJanet, lovely post, as always, and you look great, as always! May I ask, what routine would you recommend for an acne prone skin? Thanks for your lovely posts, I always look forward to reading them!
ReplyDeletemy advice would be to be gentle and please look at Aveda's Outer Peace acne line. It is fantastic, esp. the acne wipes. I've seen miracles happen with these and i'm not exaggerating. they are miracle workers! I tell everyone to cut them in half and they will last twice as long. The whole line is fantastic.
Deletehttp://www.aveda.com/product/6742/17107/Skin-Care/TreatCorrect/Outer-Peace-Acne-Relief-Pads/index.tmpl
Janet, I love your skincare posts. I'm sure it's difficult to write them because everyone's skin is different, but I'd love to hear more about how you care for your (and others') skin.
ReplyDeletethank you Mary. x
DeleteYou look radiant and Aveda should have you as their "cover girl"
ReplyDeleteI remember when you mentioned that you used olive oil on your face and my sister uses coconut oil which just goes to show that you do not need to pay $$$ for creams like that expensive and popular "one from the Sea"
I've been so busy out in my garden that I have neglected myself...it's been ages since I had a facial and I really must take some time...thank you for the reminder.
thanks leslie. x
DeleteMY time is WEDNESDAY!I will think of YOU as I nap on THE BED!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNO wonder you RADIATE!
YAY for you Contessa. enjoy x
DeleteI love the smell of Aveda products, love them.
ReplyDeleteme too. i should write a post about that! x
DeleteJanet, Glad to see you taking time to treat yourself! You look great...ha you would never see me posting my pic with no makeup.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was part Irish... I outgrew the freckles on my face but they show up on my arms when I get a little sun. (which I generally try to avoid since I'm so fair) I wish I had gotten my mom's beautiful Dutch skin instead of my Dad's acne prone. It's better than it used to be but this week I got a lovely little cyst on my chin. Thank God I don't hardly get those anymore!
I was laughing at your comment about Larry, usually it's me that won't stop talking around here, I do enough for the both of us. Poor husband. :)
Linda
xo
my irish skin can relate to yours linda! lol
Deletemy internet was down most of the day yesterday because of a storm. i answered your email this am. x
You look fantastic. Regarding Cetaphil, I suggest you read this http://wellandgood.com/2010/07/20/cetaphil-why-the-popular-cleanser-isnt-doing-your-skin-any-favors/ (I used to use it too.)
ReplyDeletethanks anon. you are right. i did want to include an affordable facial wash because in my opinion that is where you can skimp a little. the wash is on your face for such a limited time and then washed off unlike a moisturizer or treatment that stays on all day or for at least 20 minutes. x
DeleteNo yikes you are so pretty
ReplyDeletethank you. xo
DeleteYou are just too cute! And sweet as I read your latest post about getting to know us. You may know a little bit about me from my blog alovelyinconsequence.blogspot. But you may not know I have an autoimmune disease that is not genetic and yet, my daughter has it too as of three years ago. That was a heartbreak that I am coming to terms with. She is doing well but having a sick child is a tender pain. There is a great line in The Shellseekers: time passes...and while it does, you come to terms. Now I'm off to give myself a facial too! xo Donna
ReplyDeleteWhat a timely post Janet. We just moved this past week from So. Cal. to the western side of CO. The climate here is so
ReplyDeletedry my skin feels parched and tight. I also notice I have to keep a lip balm in my pocket and apply it to my lips throughout the day. I will definitely try the Aveda mask. Your skin looks beautiful and radiant as always.
Blessings,
Caroline
What a lovely and sweet pictures, thank YOU for that, greetings,anna
ReplyDelete