I'm Finally Spilling - My Secret to Looking 10 Years Younger Than I Am
True story - I recently won a bet in a bar because two random guys were SO far off of guessing my real age (I swear - they initiated!). I’ll be the first to admit: I love when people guess my age. My absolute number one secret to keeping my skin youthful is: I have not slept with so much as a speck of makeup on my face for 20 years. Yes - no matter the hour, the place, who I was with - it all comes off before hitting the hay. No exceptions.
What, a little late to rewind 20 years? No worries - it only gives you wrinkles anyways ;) Below I have listed out all of the things I do and use to keep my skin looking fresh - and I’m sure you’ll find some new go-to’s too.
Skincare starts with great habits and great products. But walk into any drug or beauty store and you’ll be greeted with hundreds of brands to choose from! I understand... the process can be intimidating. And finding a great facialist could be even scarier! To help you along the way on your journey to beautiful skin, here’s my much-anticipated post featuring my go-to facialists and skincare must-haves! With skincare experts hailing from Romania and Poland, and products from France, Korea and the USA, its truly a global beauty journey… let’s go!
My Go-To Facialists in NYC
The Luxurious Facial: Antonina Dutu at La Prairie Spa at the Ritz-Carlton
50 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019 +1 212-308-9100
I’ve been seeing Antonina for no less than 5 years after being introduced to her by a publicist friend, Jaime Maser. Antonina is from Bucharest, Romania and her services are divine. With nearly 30 years of experience, not to mention a soft, soothing, almost singsong voice, Antonina is definitely one of my favorite skincare experts when it needs a little extra TLC. And of course, all the products used during a session with Antonina (or any of the facialists at the La Prairie Spa at the Ritz Carlton) use exclusively La Prairie products.
The service that we did recently was the Caviar Facial. Antonina also offers facials that utilize warm dermaglobes to help to speed up the penetration of the serums and calm the skin, as well as relaxing (which I can attest to!). Antonina also uses micro current for skin uplifting; it stimulates circulation and oxygenation, reawakening the facial muscles. A session with Antonina is such a delicious treat (I always start with 20 minutes in the sauna first!), and you can expect to invest $250 and up.
The Active Facial: Eliza Woznica at E!Spa in Brooklyn
194 Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222 - Follow Eliza on Instagram
https://my-e-spa.com
Meet Eliza from Poland. One of her specialties includes a sculpture facial lift, where she does a buccal massage - an exotic massage technique that massages the muscles deep inside the cheek and jaw. This releases a lot of tension and improves circulation, and of course, leaves your skin feeling and looking youthful. She provides Eastern European and Russian-styled facials, where she uses really cool techniques (like putting her hands in your mouth to stretch and massage the buccal muscle… the same facial massage that Meghan Markle swears by).
One of her unique services is face taping, where she uses kinesiology tape on your face to help with drainage and muscle memory. On my last session, I was just getting over being sick and was still congested - I could actually feel the kinesiology tape helping to open my sinuses. It stays on overnight and comes off with little effort in the shower. Buccal Lift facial: $275/250 returning clients.
Now that I’ve revealed my go-to facialists in NYC and all about the wonderful services they provide, let’s dive right into my product must-haves!
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My Skincare Must-Haves
First and foremost, my number one advice as I mentioned above is to always remove your make up before bed - number two isn’t a secret - no smoking! Cigarette smoke will age you faster than you can believe is possible (not to mention all the other health risks).
Here are the products that I currently swear by:
Bioderma Micellar Water: This brand was originally only found in France but luckily for us, it is now more commonly found in the States. It is a product that I use to remove my make up on a daily basis. There are many 3 different types of micellar water that Bioderma carries - the Sensibio, Hydrabio, and Sébium. The one I use is the Sensibio H2O, which is waterbased and it has a pink cap. You can find this at your local drugstores now. And for convenience and ease, you can purchase it here for $14.90 for a 16.7 oz bottle.
Glow Tonic by Pixi: This product is a 5% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Toner. It gently exfoliates your skin to help improve skin tone and texture and refines appearances of pores and fine lines. Glow Tonic is great for all skin types (oily, normal, sensitive, dry, combination) and it’s also paraben and cruelty-free! You can find this at any drugstore, Target, or on Amazon for $17 (3.4 oz bottle).
Freeman Face and Sheet Masks: Are you sheet masking yet? With a sheet mask, the (often cotton) masks allow the product to hold in place on your skin for the entire time the product is active, making them super-efficient by upping the absorbency and lowering product evaporation. Freeman makes a variety of facial masks from their Freeman Feeling Beautiful Charcoal & Black Sugar Gel Mask + Scrub, to their Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Mask. They are very affordable and you can even purchase a variety pack of 6 Freeman sheet masks here for $8. The one shown here is hard to find anymore, but I recommend the Freeman Aloe and Seaberry mask in it’s place.
Sseal: Secret Seal of Nature by The Face Shop: This escargot sheet mask is something I found during my travels to South Korea. It is by a very popular K-beauty brand called The Face Shop. K-beauty has been really popular in the United States and I can see why! After using this product, I could definitely see a difference in my skin. Right after I used one, I worked with Emma Roberts during Fashion Week and she complimented my skin… so I know it works! There are many Face Shop locations around the US including New York, but if there isn’t one available near you, you can purchase this sheet mask (comes in a pack of 5) on Amazon. It is currently sold out but watch out for any updates.
A313 Vitamin A Retinol Pommade: Ask any French girl her beauty secret and they’ll all tell you about A313. I got this over the counter while I was in Paris and I swear by it. This Vitamin A Retinol Pommade isn’t a well-known French brand like Bioderma - and the packaging is not cute - but works really, and I mean really well for wrinkles, age-spots, and all those skin-related issues we all want to get rid of. About 3 Euros in Paris, it’s juuuust a bit more expensive if you order it off Amazon, costing $21 per tube, but still worth the inflation, IMO as it lasts forever.
Chanel Sublimage: L’extrait de Creme: This high-end cream is a big investment (mine was #agiftfromchanel). I use it at night and constantly receive compliments on my skin the next day. It’s a great cream that revitalizes, restores, regenerates, and protects your skin. It leaves my skin really dewy and healthy, and although it is a huge investment, the product will last you a very long time and looks très chic on your vanity to boot. Check it out on chanel.com.
Olay Regenerist Whip Face Moisturizer: (not shown because I’m out! Hi Olay :) If you’re not in the market for a huge investment cream like the Chanel Sublimage L’extrait de Creme, the Olay Regenerist Whip Face Moisturizer is a great, affordable alternative! This product comes both fragranced and fragrance-free (personally, I love the fragranced version). It’s a powerful moisturizer that doesn’t feel heavy, making it a very breathable product for your skin. You can pick this product up at any drugstore, or order it straight from Olay’s website for $30.
And there you have it! These are my skincare must-haves along with two facialists in the NYC area that I highly recommend! Healthy and youthful-looking skin comes with great care and great products. The great news? A lot of great products are easily and widely available, and most of them won’t break the bank!
Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of the above. I love hearing from you and welcome other new products to try next!
xoxo,
Julie