What order should I apply my skincare?

In today's treatment room, we're going to cover what order to apply products and why. If you're a client of mine or if you've read my book, we've probably touched on this once or twice, but I think it's still a really good thing to re-cement in our brains every once in a while.

So let's start with the breakdown of our basic routine: a basic routine is a cleanser, toner, treatment, eye cream, moisturizer and SPF.

Step 1: Cleanser This one's pretty self-explanatory. You obviously want to clean the skin before you do anything else, so I decided I would toss in a few more cleansing tips for you since this section is shorter. Cleansing tip 1: you're probably using too much cleanser. A pea size to a dime size amount is really all that you need... And if you feel like you don't have enough, try adding a little more water before you add more product, you might just not have enough water to get enough slip on the skin to allow the product to move around

Cleansing tip 2: Move the product around on your face For 60 to 90 seconds each time you cleaned to break up dirt, debris, oil, pollution, make up or anything else that happens to be on the skin. Cleansing tip 3: I've had people asked if they needed to clean their skin in the morning and night, or just one or the other? The answer isn’t super simple…maybe, maybe not. I always recommend a full routine at night, but some people can get away with not doing a full cleanse in the morning and just starting with their toner.

Step 2: Toner that brings me to step two in our routine, toner... I've said it for years, I'll keep saying it until everybody that I know is using toner.

Toner is the unsung hero of skincare.

Unfortunately, I think for a long time toner got a bad rap because of the skin burning, dehydrating astringents of the 80s and 90s, but what I'm talking about is a pH rebalancing liquid that brings skin back to the proper pH after cleansing, helps to remove any extra mineral build up from washing the face with water and preps your skin to absorb product in the next steps. I cannot state this enough. Toner is not optional in a good skin care routine... I said what I said, I meant what I said.

Step 3: Treatment

these are things like your vitamin c, retinol, hyaluronic…

these should be applied between tone and moisturizer, they have a smaller molecule size, so If you apply them after the moisturizer, they won't penetrate through, they'll just sit on top making a mess. In most cases these are the more expensive items in our skin care routines because they have the smaller molecule, more active ingredients. So you really want to make sure that they're in the right spot so that they're getting into your skin and not just sitting on top of that moisturizer wasted.

Step 4: Eye Cream

If you aren't using one, start today. I don't care how young or old you are. It's never too early and it's never too late.

Apply your eye cream on your orbital bone - that's the bone that is like a circle kind of shape around your eye – don’t put it any closer to the eyeball. Your eye muscle, the orbicularis oculi, twitches all day and all night, so it will bring the eye cream inward where it needs to be, your job is just to put that I cram right to the edge of that eye bone.

Step five: moisturizer oil and/or SPF

Finish your skin hair routine with what your skin needs. Do you prefer an oil or a cream, or if its day time, consider whether or not you need a moisturizer during the day, or if you can get away with just SPF.

The SPF we use at the spa has skin care ingredients in it, so it's able to replace a moisturizer during the day for a lot of my clients, unless they have really, really dry skin.

I wanted to bring up a couple of things that have become popular in the last few years: a cleansing oil or balm, and a micellar water. These are used prior to Step One to remove makeup. Does everybody need a cleansing oil or micellar water? No, definitely not, but if you do wear a lot of make-up, especially if it's a heavy cream or liquid makeup, you probably will like the way your skin looks better long-term, if you do use one. It will help to break up all of the make-up on the skin, then you follow with your cleanse.

Lastly, I wanted to leave you with two tips to follow as general guidelines if we didn’t cover something specific here already: tip one, the thinner the product, the earlier in your routine it would go, the thicker the product, the later in your routine it goes. Now that's a really general rule of thumb, but it will help if you're ever in a position where you aren't entirely sure where it should go.

And the second tip is, I alluded to it earlier, but when skin is damp, it's more receptive to absorbing product, so always, always, always apply products on damp skin - even your body - if you apply your body lotion or oil right after drying off from the shower or the bath it will absorb better.

Did you learn something new here today? Leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram @amberbudd and tell me about it!

Spa (and Salon) Etiquette // Podcast Episode 12

NOTE: This content was originally created for the SKincare Fairy Godmother Podcast, it has been edited for ease of reading

In this week's Treatment Room Tuesday, We are going to talk all about spa etiquette - this topic was suggested by a few of my clients at the Atelier, so I’m excited to dig into this a bit. I also asked what YOU want to know about spa etiquette over on my Instagram @amberbudd, and so I’ll be answering those questions also! Let's dig in, huh?

Prep to do before coming

• Remove eye makeup if wearing any

• Depending on your service you may need to grow out hair, or trim hair, or shower prep for a spray tan. Always ask if you have questions prior to your appointment.

What to wear - is it okay to come right from somewhere else?

• Absolutely! A lot of clients come from the gym, or roll out of bed on a saturday to come in.

Be on time

• And expect the same of your provider. And if you’re planning to be late because you’re in line at Starbucks, please don’t roll in 15 minutes late with a Starbucks in your hand, without one for your provider - bring one for them too. ;) (brownie points!)

Can I go somewhere after? I.E. Will I be a hot mess?

• Yes you can go somewhere else, however not all service providers would say this! I’ve had facials where I ended up with oil all over my hair, but I hated that, so I try really hard to make sure you can leave and go in public decently.

What does undress to comfortability mean?

• Oh, this is SO directed right at me, I tell my clients when they come in for a facial “undress to your comfort level” which means I provide you a facial gown, You can wear that, or you can wear whatever you want - a bra, tank top, whatever. But please still cover your breasts under the gown or the table sheet for modesty, and making sure there are no boundaries crossed.

Should I tell her (my service provider) if I’m unhappy?

• YES! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I’d want to know if I wasn’t living up to expectations. Please tell us so we can fix it, or troubleshoot with you!

Can I bring my kids?

• We don’t recommend it, even if your salon or spa allows kids. Think of your time as YOU time. Also think of all the hazards for little Tommy or Janie…there's hot wax, chemical peels, scissors, and blades… it's not a place for children unless you can keep an eye on them 100% of the time.

Can I use my phone?

• I don’t have a problem with it, but some establishments are no phone zones. If you have a service with your eyes closed, or you’re having a facial, do you really want someone disturbing your peace? And if you’re having a service around your head, it's really challenging to work around it. (and if you're having lash extensions or lash lifts, that's a NO...your eyes are taped shut...you literally can't.)

• Also, how often do we have phone-free time these days? TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! I always joke when my client's phones are ringing “did you want me to get that and tell them you’re busy?”

What should you expect from us?

• Never bullies you

• Listens well

• Doesn’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with

• No inappropriate comments or touch

• Offers recommendations for home care to enhance and continue your results

Should I keep my shoes on?

• Personally I wouldn’t, but that’s up to you, unless your service provider asks you to specifically remove them, for example if it’s pouring rain outside, they may ask you to remove your shoes so as not to soak through their table coverings, etc

Is tipping customary?

• It is! And it’s greatly appreciated! - Most service providers make about 30% of their take-home pay in tips

• Occasionally a salon will be a no-tip establishment, and it is very well marked

• Also, remember if you’re on a membership option that most of the time those don’t have tips built-in, so if you’re the classy tipping type, you can add that separately!

What should I do if I’m uncomfortable with what's asked of me?

• Speak up! You do NOT have to do anything you don’t want to! If your provider doesn’t honor your comfort level, RUN.

• Know that in some services- example: Brazilian wax - you are signing up to be half-naked on the table, in different positions, but we always maintain our professionalism and will help you find different positions if the ones we are asking for won't work or make you too uncomfortable.

Can I speak up if something hurts?

• Please DO! While we try to be gentle, we can’t feel what you’re feeling, so please say something

Red flags to look out for?

• Inappropriate touch, dirty environment, bullies, double-dipping wax sticks or reusing things that can’t be properly cleaned and sanitized.

What makes the job easiest for you?

• Seriously, remove your eye makeup for facials and eyelash appointments of any kind. This ensures we get the most time with you to perform the service - if we have to spend 5-10 minutes cleaning your eyes, somewhere else has to sacrifice time, like your face massage, or your lash application.

• TELL US if something has changed in your medical history or routine. This is actually kind of serious because if you add or change something, there is a change of things like skin lifting during a wax, or service being more intense than planned, or lashes not adhering like usual, and the more we know, the more we can help troubleshoot or avoid issues popping up.

• If we ask that we minimize chit-chat, please know it's not because we don’t want to catch up, it's because we need to focus on something specific and don’t want to cause any unnecessary issues.

Is it rude not to want to chit chat, I’m shy!

• Oh goodness no, it’s not rude, it's YOUR service, YOUR time. Just mention it to your provider, and if they don’t honor that, remind them. And if they still don’t honor your request, you may want to look for a new provider.

• However I will caveat that sometimes we want to let you know when something is changing, so you aren’t surprised - like if we are coming in hot for extractions!

Talking vs not talking // do I have to?

• Absolutely not! Only talk if you want to, but if you’d prefer not to, just let your service provider know so they can honor your request

When should I reschedule?

• For ALL services: if you’re sick, have herpes/cold sore outbreak, or pink eye

• For waxing and skincare, add in that you should reschedule if you have a sunburn

• I’m positive there are other things I’m missing, but please know that if we ask you to reschedule, its because we care, not because we want to embarrass you, or leave you hurting for a wax, ro whatever.

If we ask you to reschedule because you’re sick, its for several reasons:

• If we pass whatever you brought in to other people, that’s not fair to them.

• If we get sick, we become unemployed for the length of time we have to be out, and state unemployment doesn’t exactly cover the flu or a cold.

• We are held to standards of hospitals…if we have a fever, diarrhea, or are vomiting, we HAVE to stay home. No questions asked. So please don’t share.

What do I do if I need to cancel?

• First, respect the cancellation policy - ours is 24 hours in advance to avoid any fees being assessed and that's pretty common. We know emergencies come up, and they are unavoidable, but canceling because something “better” came along, or you just don’t feel like it, is not only unkind, but it makes us unemployed for that timeframe if we can’t fill that spot.

• Second, cancel as SOON as you know you can’t make it, so we have the best chance to fill that spot as possible

Alright friends, that’s all for this weeks Treatment Room Tuesday, If you have follow up questions, don’t hesitate to reach out on Instagram @amberbudd - I’d love to connect with you there!

Cheers to Glowing skin!

What's a Chemical Peel Anyways? - Podcast Episode 4

NOTE: This is a transcription of the Skincare Fairy Godmother Podcast Episode 1. It may have been changed slightly for ease of reading vs. listening.

In today's treatment room, we're going to learn all about chemical peels - what are they? What are progressive peels? Who are chemical peels good for and why I wouldn't necessarily recommend buying peels online.

First, let's dive into what a chemical peel is. There's two types of exfoliation, manual and chemical.Manual is things like brushes, scrubs, microdermabrasion, and hydrodermabrasion. Chemical is peels and enzymes, which work by dissolving the bonds between the skin cells that hold them together. Manual exfoliation works by scrubbing or vacuuming, sectioning.

So what are the different types of peels? There are a lot of types of peels, and they all address different things. There's glycolic, lactic, TCA, Mandelic, Jessners, and many more. Have you ever seen the episode of Sex in the City where Samantha gets a chemical peel? Most of the time, it's really not like that. That's a really outdated way of peeling the skin, in general, and that level of peel is almost always done in a doctor's office.

I can't speak for all estheticians. So I'm just going to tell you how we do peels at the Atelier. We work in what's commonly referred to as progressive peels, which are a series of four to six peels and they're spaced about two to eight weeks apart. We start with a gentle peel to see how your skin responds and get your skin "used to" the peeling process. Next, we move into a more in-depth peel and keep working our way up in strength or level at each visit if possible. So if your skin's handling it well, meaning there was no irritation post-peel (you might have some redness and flaking but it shouldn't be coming off in sheets, and definitely, you shouldn't ever have any rashes or hives - if you are, then that's something you would want to talk to your aesthetician about).

Once we've completed your peel series, we go to maintenance facials, which are done about every four to six weeks. You can repeat a peel series to increase your results after about a six month break typically.

Who are chemical peels good for? Honestly, because there's so many different types, they're really good for literally everyone. A skilled, knowledgeable esthetician should be able to tell you based on your skin type, tone, and goal which peels you can and can't do, and develop a treatment plan accordingly. There's so many things that peels are good for, and it's definitely worth bringing up with your esthetician if you're not sure.

Lastly, why shouldn't you buy peels online?

Well putting it frankly, you just never know what you're getting when you order something like that online. Peels can be really aggressive and dangerous if not used properly. So unless you're ordering one from your esthetician to use at home under his or her direction, I just wouldn't recommend it. It's not safe.