So what happens with a phone facial?  Via email or telephone, we choose a date and time and then I send you a packet of goodies and this email with your name and date/time filled in.  Then, we meet on the phone (a speaker phone is most helpful) and you get a facial in the privacy of your own home and a personal free skin care consultation with me!  How fun is *THAT*!!!!  So email me today to set up your appointment!

Hi ___________!!

Just a reminder that you are in my calendar for our phone facial at _______ your time this ________. I’m looking forward to it!

I have an envelope on it’s way to you with the supplies you’ll need for the makeover.  In that envelope is a clear goodie bag with almost everything you need for our appointment.  Here’s what’s in the envelope:

-Samples of the ____________  (names of  the 4 products taken out because of company advertising restrictions, but you’ll see the names of the products in your email)
-Styrofoam tray
-Cotton balls, cotton swabs, eye applicators
-A baggie with your color look (eye colors, cheek colors, lip liner, lipstick, gloss, eye liner & mascara)

Make sure you are in a place where you won’t be interrupted.  Here is what you will need to do before our phone call:
-Make sure your hands are clean since you’ll be touching your face
-Remove any eye makeup-don’t worry about other make up since the cleanser will remove it
-Have a warm, wet washcloth ready
-Have a mirror and a headband/ponytail holder ready
-Layout the supplies so they are all easy to get to
-Open the four skin care packets and squirt some out on to the styrofoam tray. Know which is which!  You will not need all that is in the packet so you can be conservative.
-Be ready to have a good time!!!!
I know there is a lot of information here so please let me know if I haven’t made something clear!

If for any reason you can’t make it please let me know as soon as you can.

Can’t wait until ___________ and thanks again for helping me out!!

Now I ask you—- will the Clinique counter do this with you while you’re in your jammies in the privacy of your own home?  I think not! 

Heather Price of Cleveland, OH, has been a skin care and beauty consultant since August of 2000. Have you ever wished you had a skin care program that was personalized for your needs by a personal consultant? That’s what Heather does- she sends you home with skin care and color products that meet your specific needs. The result is smoother, softer, younger looking skin. Clients feel better about their appearance which gives them the self confidence they need in their lives. You can join Heather’s email list at http://freeskincarehelp.com – she answers every email response personally.

I wonder if it’s a bit psychosomatic.  If you’re using this pillowcase, you’ll be more inclined to take proper care of your skin.  Nobody spending this kind of money on a copper pillowcase is going to lie down on it with makeup still on her face, right?  So she’s going to take proper care of her skin and her skin will be nice and clean when she lies down.

My opinion?  Special pillowcases are unnecessary.  What do you think?

If you’re incredibly busy, and trying to squeeze your business into the little nooks and crannies of your day, this will be a great program for you.

Eat Yourself Beautiful

Your mom always told you that you are what you eat.  And just like countless other times, mom was right!  What you put into your body determines what you look like on the outside.  Dryness, puffiness, and discoloration of skin can all be a sign of a poor diet.  Here are some foods and drinks that will help you have beautiful, healthy skin.

Water.  This is the most essential part of any diet, and a skin care diet is no different.  Your skin is made up of cells and all cells work better when you’re properly hydrated.  Water helps get rid of toxins and actually leaves your skin less puffy!  This is because if there’s not enough water to go around, cells tend to hoard what they can get.  By getting enough water, your cells stay clean and don’t swell up as much.

Balanced diet.  A healthy person has healthy, beautiful skin.  There’s no true secret “miracle food” to make your skin perfect.  A good diet for skin is pretty much the same as a good diet for staying healthy in general.  Eat a diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products, and whole grains for beautiful healthy skin and health.

Antioxidants.  These are chemicals like vitamins C, E, and A that help counteract free radicals. Free radicals damage and age skin, so it’s important to eat plenty of antioxidants to keep them at bay. Eat a variety of rainbow colored fruits and vegetables, the more color the better. The color in your fruit and veggies basically represents the amount of antioxidants it contains.

Go Raw.  When you cook food, you are causing a chemical reaction.  While the result of this reaction may taste better, it has fewer nutrients and more free radicals that damage your skin.  Many experts believe a diet of raw food is better for you.  While some people take this to the extreme and eat only raw food, you don’t have to completely cut out cooking to see a benefit.  Start by substituting one or two elements of your diet for something raw and work up to a level that feels comfortable for you. Another easy way to include raw foods in your daily diet is to simply eat a salad with your meals.

Supplements.  Theoretically, you should be able to get all the vitamins and minerals you need from diet alone.  But our lives are realistic, not theoretical.  Certain foods can be expensive, hard to get, or timely to cook. Taking a general multivitamin is a great way to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need on a daily basis.

What to avoid.  Eating for beautiful skin isn’t just about what you eat, but what you don’t eat.  There are certain food and habits you want to avoid to stay looking your best.

Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol or caffeine.  Also try to stay away from overly processed food.  This not only means fast food, but also prepackaged “fast food” from the grocery store.

Also be aware of food allergies. Many skin issues, like acne, are actually an allergic reaction.  While most food related “facts” about acne and other skin disorders are actually myths, eating certain foods may increase your symptoms.

Try keeping a journal of everything you eat and how good or bad your skin is.  You may be able to pinpoint problem foods and avoid them.

Healthy skin also means a healthy body, and the easiest way to achieve this is  by eating a diet abundant with fresh health-giving foods in the most natural state possible.

The fleshy skin layer gives a bony skeleton look as it becomes less energized.

We can rectify these skin problems with proper exercise. As the collagen and elastin
present in the connective tissue of the skin gets weaker or decreases in number, our skin is prone to
shrink and wrinkle  and looses fat, elasticity and smoothness.

Facial muscles get accustomed to our facial expressions  as the wrinkles form in the face.
Creases on the forehead, skin drooping on the cheeks and neck, shrinks at the margin of
lips, eye wrinkle marks , under eye swelling and dryness in skin all occur. Wrinkles can be treated with a healthy
balanced diet which includes fresh fruits and vegetables, green leaves, dry fruits and some fitness
exercises. Skin tone and texture can be maintained as healthy and nourished by drinking more water.
Aging of skin is not preventable as it is a natural happening process. However here are some remedies
can be made to achieve a sparkling skin.
Apply smashed banana pulp on the face, leave it for 20 min, wash it off with cold water. This
will make skin rejuvenated and supple.
Apply egg white on skin and under eyes, wash it off after it dries up.
Smash apple pulp and apply over the face and wash off after 15 min, it makes skin fill the
wrinkles with periodic use.
Avoid direct use of turmeric which may cause more wrinkles on a continuous basis.
Apply a mixture of lemon juice with sugar and apply in knee areas to remove darkening.

Use a natural moisturizing cream to massage the skin every night to get soft and supple skin.
Use sun screen lotion to prevent skin diseases due to over exposure to UV rays.
Mental health is also involved in maintaining healthy glowing skin. Physical fitness and mental
wellness are reflected on the skin. We can fight the premature aging process by keeping our body fit. Skin
maintenance is as important as feeling younger and healthier.

To be continued!

I enjoyed this PLR article….  the only part I disagree with is using OIL as a moisturizer.  Please don’t.   Personally, I don’t have the time to make these recipes as often as I need to deal with my skin and I MUCH prefer the convenience of preservatives so that I can reach to the shelf multiple times a day when I need my skin care.   When you put together recipes like these, they’re fun once in a while, but who has time to do this multiple times a day??  For instance, you can’t mix honey, oil, and lemon juice, and then keep it on your shelf in your bathroom premixed.   And I’m laughing at the possibility of my husband reaching for the milk in the fridge but instead getting a milk/almond/lemon juice concoction.   -Heather

——–

There are thousands of skin care products available at your local grocery store, but the truth is that you don’t have to spend money on them.  Just make them yourself!

Making your own natural skin care products is a good option. By making something naturally at home you know that it doesn’t include harmful chemicals that can clog pores and cause many common skin issues.  When you make something you know exactly what’s in it.  And it’s often a lot cheaper to make your own than buying natural products from the store.

There’s no “one size fits all” recipe, so feel free to mix, match and make substitutions to these recipes as you feel appropriate.

Natural Moisturizer Recipes:

* Oil has been used as a moisturizer long before actual moisturizing products were sold. Use olive oil to soothe and heal dry skin.  You can try mixing in other ingredients to help cleanse or provide extra moisture depending on your skin’s needs.

* Aloe vera is great for moisturizing the skin.  Instead of buying a gel from the store, just use the gel straight from a leaf.  Mix with coconut milk or olive oil to soothe and heal dry skin.  This works great as a night and day moisturizer.

* When it comes to natural skin care, honey is known to many as a miracle food.  Try mixing equal parts honey, vegetable oil and lemon juice (a natural bleaching agent).  Mix and apply as a body lotion, especially rough areas.  Let set for about 10 minutes and then rinse off for soft, smooth, refreshed skin.

Natural Face Wash Recipes:

Face Wash.  While natural face washes don’t foam like traditional cleansers, they also don’t dry and damage the skin like normal face washes, plus they don’t include all the unnecessary chemicals and gunk.

* Dairy products are a great way to nourish and soothe skin.  Mix two tablespoons of milk with 1/8 cup ground almonds, and a teaspoon of lemon juice to help wash away dead skin cells.

* For dry skin, try mixing equal parts yogurt and cooked oatmeal with some cucumber juice.  This can also help sooth dry skin from eczema or other skin conditions.

* Here’s another great wash for damaged skin.   Combine a peeled aloe vera leaf, a peeled papaya slice, a tablespoon of honey, and a teaspoon of yogurt in the food processor.  This will help soothe and moisturize your skin naturally.

* If your skin needs some serious scrubbing, mix cornmeal with a small amount of water.  Apply the paste to your face and scrub in a circular motion like you would with a regular facial scrub and rinse for fresh, new skin.

Natural Facial Masque Recipes:

* When it comes to dry skin, honey is always a good idea.  It not only works as a moisturizer and cleanser, but also as a masque.  Just apply honey, let sit for about half an hour and rinse for smooth healthy skin.

* To help exfoliate your skin and leave it looking fresh and new, put half a banana, half an avocado, a teaspoon of olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of yogurt in the blender.  Apply and let sit for about 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.  Banana is also great for helping to get rid of wrinkles.

* If you’ve got oily skin.  Try mixing a beaten egg white with a teaspoon of sour cream and a teaspoon of grapefruit juice.  Leave for 15 minutes then rinse.  This will clean, gently moisturize, and the egg white will close up your pores leaving you looking great.

There are quite a few recipes here, but these are just the tip of the iceberg, designed to get you started.  If they don’t work for you there are hundreds of options so you can find just what you’re looking for.  Or better yet, find which ingredients work best for you and make your own recipes tailored to your skin and your needs.

Sun-Safe Summer Skincare

July has been dubbed The American Cancer Society’s “UV Safety Month.” Since beach weather (thankfully) doesn’t wait until July, you should know that you can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to a golden glow without the risks.

We all know by now that we need SPF, and with many makeup and face creams including at least SPF 15 already built in, that’s already a step in the right direction for many of us.  I actually took a look around on my last shopping trip, and realized that it was almost harder to specifically find foundation or tinted moisturizer containing zero sun protection.

Now, if you’re not one to wear makeup to the beach or say, for an outdoor jog you really must get familiar with a good facial sun block in addition to one for body. Alba Botanica’s sun care line is a great choice for both, offering non-chemical protection up to SPF 45, and is loved by shoppers who choose natural products either for green reasons or skin sensitivity issues.

So what about the newer SPF 90+ lotions out there? While those with very fair, sun sensitive skin may want/need to go high with SPF, Dr. Edward Lack (Chicago rhinoplasty, dermatology) warns that this can become more of a marketing gimmick to make you feel like you need a higher and higher number whenever its available. Reapplying to keep that protection barrier on your skin strong is key, and will do a much better job than applying an extremely high SPF once and allowing it to wear off.

“Ideally you put on sunscreen an hour before going outside, then reapply it just before exposure. If you will maintain direct exposure as on the golf course or on a boat put the sunscreen on again every 2 hours,” Dr. Lack advises as a general rule.

Now that you are refreshed on staying adequately protected, we mustn’t forget the sunless tanner. If you’re a recovering sunbathing addict and haven’t tried one yet, now is the time; and sticking to some cult favorites will ensure a seamless transition into a faux glow with no looking back. Lavera’s sunless lotion is THE organic choice, while the entire Clarins‘ line is highly recommendable- a favorite being the Self Tanning Instant Gel for a fast dash of color with no mess as you walk out the door in the morning. What’s not to love?

Written by Joseph Snyder, on behalf of MetropolitanMD, a Chicago liposuction, facial rejuvenation, and cosmetic surgery center.