Summarized from a consultation originally recorded on December 4th, 2024.
Annmarie Skin Care Skin Consultations are FREE, virtual group sessions, hosted live by our in-house skin experts, to provide personalized recommendations and directly answer any skin care related questions. Learn more about our skin consultations.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: From there we can jump into products and routines and all of that fun stuff. So the basic four-step routine that we recommend for pretty much everybody that you would do both morning and evening, is to cleanse, tone, use a serum, and finish with a moisturizer or facial oil. So we'll kind of focus on that basic routine. I always tell people, you know, that's kind of the general recommendation, but I think it's great to just kind of find what works best for you, what works best for your lifestyle, what works best for your skin. Maybe you're somebody who currently has no routine. Maybe you just use bar soap or something. So you're probably not going to jump into a six step routine that takes you 30 minutes morning and night and be really consistent with it. And that's totally fine. You can always start small and then build from there. I would say the most basic routine that you would want to start with would be the cleanser and the facial oil. So a cleanser and a moisturizer.
Or maybe you are somebody who wants that really full routine. You want six steps. You want all of the most activated ingredients to really see results as quickly as possible. We've got that too. We've got it all.
And then also before we jump into individual concerns, I'll just touch on collections really quickly. So within our line, we have different collections. The two main collections that we've got are the Signature Collection, which are all of the products with the tan labeling, and then the Wild Alchemy Collection. All of the Wild Alchemy Collection products have the black and gold labeling. The difference is the Signature Collection, a lot of these products are our best selling products. A lot of these products have been around since we first got started.
The Wild Alchemy Collection, this is our luxury line. What makes it our luxury line is just that the products in this collection contain higher levels of activated ingredients. So activated ingredients being things like our bioactive A complex, which is our retinol alternative, our pure vitamin C, our THDA, things like hyaluronic acid, etc. So those types of ingredients. And then also they contain more globally sourced ingredients. So, things like mongongo oil and baobab oil and these ingredients that you don't typically hear of all the time. So those globally sourced ingredients as well. And then the crafting process, the way that those products are made, usually is just a little bit more laborious than with the Signature Collection products.
So those are the two main collections that we'll focus on. We do have some smaller collections, our Essentials Collection. Sometimes I'll mention that one. The Essentials Collection is just two products. It's the Renew Facial Cream Cleanser and the Radiate Facial Oil. These two products are actually low offered at a lower price point than any of our other products, and the reason for that is because they don't contain our herb infusions. So they're just really simple products. They're really simple formulas. But they still are great products. They can be great for somebody who's just getting started with a skin care routine. They can be great for somebody who has more sensitive skin.
So those are the main collections that we'll focus on.
From there, did anybody want to share a little bit about their skin, about what you're looking to learn today, anything like that? Or if nobody wants to share, that's okay too.
Yeah. Bambi. Is it Bambi?
Customer: Yeah. So I've never used anything. I’m 81 and I've gotten this far.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Oh my gosh, you look amazing.
Customer: And I know that there's nothing that’s going to work a miracle. I'm interested in knowing what is possible. I really am not a fancy person at all. And I have no job and I have nobody I have to impress. And I just wonder, you know, looking at my face, what would you say, is there one product, a product or two products that would be helpful? Like, I don't know why I would need a cleansing product because I don't put makeup on. Maybe a little bit of blush here sometimes, but it washes off pretty easily. So I just came out of curiosity to know if there were one or two things. I know like the lines over my lips are not, you know, your products aren't going to take care of that, but looking at my face, what could you recommend? You know what would be reasonable? And I kind of assumed that's what you might do with everybody, but I just volunteered first.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Awesome. Thank you for sharing. Well, first of all, your skin looks amazing. And like I was saying, I think it's great to really customize. I don't think that you absolutely have to have the four steps. That's just our general recommendation. If you want to choose just one or two products, that's perfectly fine. Like I said, typically, if somebody is wanting to do something simple, I do recommend a cleanser and a facial oil. But, if you have never used a cleanser and you don't have any desire to use a cleanser, you don't necessarily have to choose the cleanser. You could always, you know, I'm assuming maybe you just like splash your face with water or use a warm damp towel or something like that. So you can always just continue with that and then you could choose to get maybe a facial oil, if you were wanting to choose just one product. And if you were wanting to choose two products, typically, like I said, I recommend a cleanser and an oil. If you don't want to start incorporating cleansing, that's fine. Then the two I would recommend would probably be a serum and an oil. Or even a toning mist and an oil.
So cleansing in general is just removing makeup and impurities from the skin. A thorough cleanse is going to help to prep your skin so that it can better absorb whatever treatment products you are using. Even if you're not wearing makeup on a regular basis it can be nice to incorporate a cleanser. Honestly, I don't always cleanse my face twice a day, every day. A lot of times at night, I'm tired. And if I'm not wearing makeup, I'm not cleansing my face. I'm just falling into bed. And I think that's fine. But you know, you are sort of accumulating dirt and oils and impurities on your skin throughout the day, so it is nice to incorporate cleansing, even if maybe it’s not every day. But it really just comes down to personal preference and what you find works best for you and for your skin.
I also love having a toner. A lot of times I feel like a toning mist is something that gets kind of skipped over. People feel like they don't need it, which is true to an extent, you don’t have to have a toner, but I feel like, especially if I am not going to cleanse my face, it is so nice to have a toning mist. If I am in a rush in the morning and I don’t have time to cleanse I will just mist my toning mist, put on my eye cream, and go.
I am also a big fan of applying my serums and oils when my skin is slightly damp to help with absorption, so if I am not cleansing I will mist my toner to get that bit of hydration and get my skin damp before applying a serum or an oil. Your skin is kind of like a sponge. It's going to absorb your products better if it is slightly damp.
Hopefully, that is helpful. What questions do we have right now? Any?
Customer: So my girlfriend introduced me to your product. She has tons and tons of your products. So I use just like this basic witch hazel toner, but she talks about the toning mist. And it seems kind of like a new thing to me. Is there a difference between putting it on a cotton ball and putting it on your face or just spraying it on?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Not really, no. You could do either. Our toners are the mist, and so when I use them, I just mist it on, leave it, and then, as I said, while my skin is still damp, I like to apply my serum and oil. If you wanted to mist it onto a cotton pad or a cotton ball and apply it that way, you absolutely could. For me, I just feel like, then you’re sort of wasting product because the cotton is absorbing it. But really you can apply however you prefer.
Customer: Okay.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Good question.
Ok, let’s dive into serums next. In general, serums are excellent hydrators. There's the difference between dehydrated skin, which is skin that lacks water, and then dry skin, which is skin that lacks oil. Most people have a little bit of both, a little bit of dehydration and a little bit of dryness and so that's why we recommend using a combination of hydrating products and moisturizing products.
So your hydrators are your toning mist and your serum, and then your moisturizer is your facial oil. So for most people, using just a serum, that's not going to be enough for them. Because it doesn't provide moisture, it just provides the hydration. So unless you're somebody who naturally is an extremely oily skin type, using just a serum is probably not going to be enough.
Serums contain high levels of activated ingredients, so you do get kind of the most bang for your buck, I guess you could say, with a serum. So that is why sometimes if people are looking to incorporate just three products, I'll say choose a cleanser, serum, and oil.
Customer: Can I ask Emily if I'm trying to deal with both, you know, dehydration and redness, and dark spots and age spots, what would you recommend?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: So for a routine to address those concerns I would probably recommend either the Aloe Herb Cleanser or the Phytonutrient Cleanser, the Botanical Hydration Mist With Immortelle, the Wild Fruit Serum, and either the Anti-Aging Facial Oil or the Rejuvenating Facial Oil.
Customer: Okay. I've just started with some of the products a couple of days ago with one of the trial kits.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Okay, great. Did you get the Clean Beauty Trial Kit? Does it have the Aloe Herb Cleanser with the Anti-Aging Serum and oil?
Customer: Yes, and then I picked up a couple of other things too, which I haven’t tried yet, one was a mask that somebody recommended. The Coconut Honey Mask, and then I had seen and wondered about the Resurfacing Facial Exfoliant. I wonder if that would be good for me because I've also got sort of dull skin.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Okay, got it. Let’s jump into some more of the products. You mentioned you have the Clean Beauty Trial Kit, which comes with the Aloe Herb Cleanser, so we can start there.
Does anybody else have any other concerns that they want to throw out there other than what has been mentioned before we dive in?
Customer: Hi, how are you doing? For me, sometimes I'll have dry spots up here and then I have maybe some breakouts sometimes. And the breakouts will come just in certain spots every time, like right here or above my eyebrow, and I have discoloration like it's lighter in certain spots and then darker in others. So I'm all over the place.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Aren’t we all sometimes? Ha. Now would you say, because you mentioned occasional breakouts, would you say that you still tend to be more dry?
Customer: I feel like I’m both. Certain spots will be oily. Certain spots will be dry.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Ok. So more combination.
Customer: Can you talk a bit about exfoliation?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yeah, we can definitely cover exfoliants.
Okay, cool. Let's go ahead and just jump in with cleansers because, you know, whether you have 10 steps in your routine or if you have two steps in your routine, usually you're going to start with cleansing.
So Rebecca mentioned that she got the Clean Beauty Trial kit, which comes with our Aloe Herb Cleanser. So we'll start with that one. So again, cleansing, you know, is just removing makeup, removing impurities, and helping to prep the skin so that it can absorb your treatment products properly.
The Aloe Herb Cleanser is in our Signature Collection. This is our best-selling cleanser. People love this one. A lot of times I'll tell people, if they're confused or overwhelmed or not sure where to start, this can be a good one to start with. Because it really is good for all skin types. You kind of can't go wrong with it. It's a creamy, nourishing cleanser. It's got aloe, of course, which is rich in vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients, and enzymes. Aloe also contains some naturally occurring saponins that act as mild cleansing agents on the skin.
This one has some lemon essential oil in it, so purifying and brightening. It also gives it a really lovely scent. I think part of why this is so popular is because people love the way it smells. Grace always says she wishes she had it in a candle. It's got some coconut oil in there, so that's great for fighting environmental stressors and dehydration and it gives it that nice, kind of creamy nourishing feeling.Some calendula in here, so this one can be good for alleviating any temporary redness in the skin, which was mentioned as a concern. So this is a great option. The other cleanser in our Signature Collection is the Citrus Mint Cleanser, but I don’t think that based on what we talked about anyone in this group would choose that one.
Customer: You’ve also got your Restorative, right? What's the difference with that one?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: So the other two that I'll touch on are the Phytonutrient Cleanser and the Restorative Cleansing Oil.
The Phytonutrient Cleanser, mine is upstairs, but it's fabulous. So that one is in the Wild Alchemy Collection. The Phytonutrient Cleanser is a creamy, nourishing cleanser. So similar to the Aloe Herb in that they are both cream cleansers, but the Phytonutrient Cleanser is a bit richer, almost fattier texture. It's got a mango seed butter in it. So I would say our Phytonutrient is our most rich cleanser. So between the Aloe Herb and the Phytonutrient, I would say that the Phyto is sort of a step up as far as moisture goes.
It's also a step up as far as addressing the look of dark spots and brightening the look of skin. So some people did mention dullness, pigmentation and dark spots as a concern. The Phytonutrient Cleanser does have apple extract in it. So that apple extract is rich in vitamin C and malic acid, which can be helpful for brightening. The Phytonutrient Cleanser also has acai, so giving it that antioxidant component, it's got our signature serum blend in there. It's got some of the coconut oil as well. Really with any cleanser, I encourage people to take their time as they cleanse, really thoroughly massaging the cleanser in, letting it be on the skin for a minute, trying not to miss those commonly missed areas, you know, like back here, or down around the chin and jaw area. But especially with the Phytonutrient, I encourage people to let it be on the skin for at least 30 seconds when you’re using it so that you're kind of getting some of the benefit from those activated ingredients versus just quickly putting it on and rinsing it down the drain, you know? But both cleansers are excellent. Honestly, I love and use all three of these cleansers myself. I alternate between them.
So the Phytonutrient is great for dry and mature skin. And it's also great if you're concerned with brightening.
Customer: And then after you put it on your skin and you leave it on for say 30 seconds, you just wash it off with water?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yup. So with both the Aloe Herb and the Phytonutrient, you're just going to dampen your skin. Pump your cleanser, massage it in, and then just rinse it clean. If you are somebody that likes to remove it with a towel or a washcloth, you can do that as well. That's just personal preference.
So the cleanser we'll talk about is the Restorative Cleansing Oil.
This one is also in the Wild Alchemy Collection, and this one you use a little bit differently. The other ones, like I said, you dampen your face and then massage the cleanser in. This one you apply to dry skin with dry hands. And it is an oil. So this one I use a pretty generous amount when I use this because you are not using water. So, you know, you want that nice slip as you're massaging it into the skin. And this one, it really is good for all skin types. So for dry and mature skin, it feels very nourishing because it is an oil. It also is excellent for oily skin. I don't know that anybody here is a true oily skin type from what it sounds like, but if you have any concern with oiliness or congestion, this can be helpful. It sounds counterintuitive but “like attracts like” so the oil is going to bind to oil-based impurities in the skin and wash them away. I'm a big fan of oil cleansing and this you can do on its own. So you would apply to dry skin, massage it in, just rinse clean and that can be it. Some people do like to remove this one with a washcloth or a warm towel. Or you can use it as the first step in a double cleanse routine. If you want to do that, you would just massage it in, dry hands, dry face, rinse, and then follow with the Aloe Herb, Phytonutrient, whatever you like. I love double cleansing. This is excellent if you wear makeup. It's great for makeup removal. You can even use it to remove mascara, waterproof mascara. If you do use it on its own and you just rinse to remove, it does leave like a bit of an oil on the skin. Some people like that. Some people don't. If you don't like that, you get less of that if you remove it with a washcloth or if you follow it with a second cleanser.
This is a golden jojoba oil base. So jojoba very closely mimics the texture of your skin's natural sebum. I love jojoba oil. So it's a golden jojoba oil base. It's also got some castor oil in there. Some tea tree oil, so purifying. There's manuka oil in here. I am manuka obsessed. So manuka is really like, deep cleansing and calming to the skin. So this is a great one as well.
But those are the three cleansing options that I would probably choose between for this group. So questions about cleansers or cleansing at all?
Customer: I have a question. A friend of mine said, I commented that her skin looked so nice. And she said that she rinses with cold water. Cold, cold water. And that was what she was attributing it to. But then you had mentioned using a warm towel. So, what are your thoughts on either cold or warm?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: When you are cleansing I would definitely recommend using warm water. You don’t want it to be too hot, because that can dry out your skin, but warm. If you want to finish your cleanse with a cold rinse I think that is perfectly fine. I mean, I feel like people say that helps to kind of close your pores, which isn’t really accurate. But it can help to temporarily make them appear smaller. It could also be helpful to finish with a cold rinse say in the morning if your skin is sort of puffy. Mostly, it is just personal preference.
Good question. Any other questions? Cleansing questions?
Okay. So, the next step in your routine, in your four-step routine, would be your toner, your toning mist. We have three in the line. They are the Rosemary Toning Mist, the Neroli Toning Mist, and the Botanical Hydration Mist With Immortelle.
Your toner is just offering a dose of skin-supporting nutrients and providing a dose of hydration.
So, the Neroli Toning Mist, this one is in the Signature Collection. This is our most popular toner. People love this one. It's good for most skin types. It's good for normal to dry and mature skin types, even for those with some sensitivity. And it's a very simple formula. It's an aloe vera juice base. There's an aspen bark extract in there, which acts as a natural preservative and is also a natural source of salicins. And then the Neroli, which is derived from fresh orange blossoms, so it has a really lovely scent to it. I think that's part of why this one is so popular. People really like that scent profile.
And then the Rosemary Toning Mist. This is the other one in the Signature Collection. This one is good for normal, combination, and oily skin types. This might be a nice option for you, Chandel. I love this one. This is actually my personal favorite. Again, it's a really simple formula, the aloe vera juice base. This one has white willow bark, which is a natural source of salicins. You'll find white willow bark a lot of times in natural products as an alternative to salicylic acid. Then the rosemary, of course, so purifying as well. For me, what I love about this one, because like Chandel, I'm prone to congestion but I’m not a true oily skin type. I love that this is still offering that dose of hydration while providing purifying benefits. So if I'm experiencing some congestion I feel like I can use this and it's really helpful, but it's not drying at all. So I did want to mention that one.
And then the Botanical Hydration Mist With Immortelle, this one is in the Wild Alchemy Collection. This one, it’s got the Immortelle in it, which is a potent antioxidant. This is great for all skin types. It's especially good for sensitive skin types. It's got a blend of four different types of chamomile in here. There's also some rose in it. Like I said, the Immortelle and then there's Frankincense as well which is known to tone, tighten and rejuvenate the skin. So this one again is excellent for sensitive skin. And then also it has more of those anti-aging ingredients, I would say. The scent profile is very different from the others. The Rosemary Mist obviously smells like rosemary. The neroli has that kind of sweeter smell from the neroli essential oil. And then this one is much more herbal smelling. I don't really know how to describe it other than herbal. This is one of Grace's holy grail products, she loves this one and Grace has very dry skin, very sensitive skin.
So those are the three toning mists. And so with your toner, after you cleanse, you're gonna rinse, with warm or cool, whichever you prefer, pat your skin dry, and then just mist your toning mist over your face and neck. You can also mist your toning mist throughout the day if you just want that little pick me up, that boost of hydration.
All of our toning mists, I believe, on the packaging say to mist, let dry, and then follow with your serum and moisturizer. Like we already talked about, I don't really love that recommendation. I would mist, and then, while your skin is still slightly damp from your mist, apply your serum and oil. It's just going to help with absorption. It's going to help so that you don't ever feel like your products are just kind of sitting on the skin. It feels like they're really absorbed into the skin nicely. So those are the toning mists. Questions about toning mists at all?
Customer: I have a question. The Neroli, what benefits does it have?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Neroli has a history of promoting beautiful skin and spiritual health. It is gentle, non-irritating, and antioxidant-rich as well.
Customer: Okay. Can I ask about the one that you've got, the Botanical Mist, I actually have an essential oil with Immortelle. Can I just use that? You know, just take that and use that when my skin is wet after cleansing.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: No, not a pure essential oil. You don't want to put an undiluted essential oil directly on your skin.
Customer: Oh sorry, it does have, I have diluted it with a base oil. I've put it in a roller. Does that work? I mean, is that the same?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Okay, so it's just like a coconut oil or some kind of pure oil and then the Immortelle.
Customer: Yep.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: I mean it's not going to have the same function as a toning mist. It wouldn’t be providing the hydration that a toning mist does and it is obviously not blended in the same way. The Immortelle, in general, is going to have probably similar properties no matter what but I just tend to caution people to be very careful with essential oils because they're so strong. And so you just want to be careful if you're applying them topically. It sounds like, you know, you've got it diluted, so it would probably be fine, but I don't want to say that for sure without, you know, looking into the specific oil that you have.
Customer: Okay. Thanks.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yea, of course. Any other questions guys?
Customer: I have a question. So I've never used a toning mist. I've used just the regular toner on the cotton pad. So do you just close your eyes and give a few blasts on your face?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yup, exactly. Like I said, I'm toning mist obsessed. I just mist all day. So yeah, you just close your eyes and mist away. There's really no special way to do it. That's kind of it. It feels lovely. Smells lovely.
Okay, you guys. So after your toner, the next step in your routine is your serum. We have several different serums. I feel like serums are where things can start to get a little bit confusing for people because we do have so many.
Let's start with our Anti-Aging Serum. So this is the one that's in the Clean Beauty Trial Kit. Oh, I'm sorry, Bambi, did you have a question?
Customer: I just wanted to know what the definition of sensitive skin is.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Usually people with sensitive skin, you know, they're just more prone to redness, to temporary redness in the skin, which can be from a lot of different things. People with sensitive skin just react more easily to things that may cause irritation. Which could be from the environment, could be from diet, all sorts of different things.
Customer: Ok, and another question for going forward when you talk about something like an anti-aging serum, what difference do we expect to see? I mean, you list all these ingredients, but they don't impress me. They sound beautiful. They sound interesting. I wouldn't be afraid to put them in my mouth because I know they're well-sourced, but what would they be good for? Without great detail, you can't do it for every ingredient, but what difference am I going to see at this point? And I'm not vain and I'm not going to have a portrait taken. I just want to know for everyday life like what each of these things do, what difference does it make and what is the outcome?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Well I think that it kind of depends on the product. So say, for example, the Anti-Aging Serum. This one is our most popular serum. It's our best seller. People love this one, but this one is just very antioxidant-rich. So there's like Buddleia extract and again, the life everlasting flowers. Antioxidants fight free radical damage, calm irritation, help protect against UV damage, etc. And this one also has hyaluronic acid in it. So hyaluronic acid is a humectant that binds water to the skin. Hyaluronic in particular holds 1,000 times its weight in water. So it's considered a super hydrator. So really deeply hydrating the skin is going to have a plumping effect on the skin versus if your skin is dehydrated, it's going to emphasize the appearance of fine lines. So that is definitely something that you can see more immediately, you know, just with that boost of hydration with an ingredient like the hyaluronic acid, you're going to see that like plumpness to the skin and just you know, your skin will feel better if it's hydrated. Whereas other ingredients like our bioactive A complex that is in the Activated Night Serum which is our retinol alternative. So that's something that can be beneficial for addressing things like fine lines and wrinkles. But that's something that you're going to see results like softening the appearance of fine lines and brightening the look of dark spots more over time with cumulative use.
So it kind of depends on the product and what ingredients are in the product as far as what kind of results you will see and how quickly.
Hopefully that helps.
Customer: Yeah, it does. Can I ask, it sounds like it's important to have a retinol alternative versus using retinol. What is your thinking on that?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yea. So our Activated Night Serum is this one here. This is a newer product, and yes, it does contain our bioactive A complex, so that is our alternative to a retinol. You've probably heard of retinol, it's kind of the gold standard in anti-aging ingredients but traditional retinols and vitamin A derivatives can be harmful to your health, they can be harmful to reproductive health, even for skin health. If you're using a traditional retinol or retin A over an extended period of time, it can start to thin the skin which really isn't what we want as we age. We don't want to thin the skin. We want to support our skin's natural barrier to have really healthy, resilient skin. So that was kind of why we wanted to have this alternative because we wanted something that was going to offer those same benefits, those similar results to a retinol with, again, like those resurfacing, renewing effects that you get with a retinol but without any sort of harmful side effects or harmful effects on your health. This is also much more gentle. Even sensitive skin types can use this. It's a really nice balance in this product because you've got that activated bioactive A but then it's balanced really nicely with ingredients like lavender and blue chamomile. The bioactive A is derived from algae. So it's a completely safe ingredient. It's a Made Safe-approved ingredient.
This one also feels very hydrating and nourishing on the skin. It's a little bit thicker, richer texture than some of the other more aqueous serums. So it feels very nourishing. This is an excellent one if you are somebody who is wanting to address signs of aging or even, you know, brightening the look of dark spots and pigmentation. This is an excellent one to incorporate into your routine. That bioactive A is an activated ingredient that is going to really show results. I mean, as much result as you can get with a product, you know, we're not like doing Botox here or anything.
And then I guess back to the Anti-Aging Serum. So like I said, that one is our most popular. It's our bestseller. People love that one. If you've gotten a starter kit or a trial kit, you've probably tried it. And that one is very antioxidant-rich. It's very hydrating with that hyaluronic acid in there. There's also some rose in there, so it's a bit soothing as well. That one, I like to refer to it as just like a daily dose of overall skin nutrition. But if you're looking for something that's more of a step up as far as addressing signs of aging, I would say the Activated Night Serum is a great option. And of course you can use both, the Anti-Aging Serum in the morning and the Activated Night Serum at night.
And then let's talk about the Wild Fruit Serum because that one is excellent as well. This one is my personal favorite. I love the Wild Fruit Serum. This one, great for all skin types, excellent for addressing signs of aging, it's excellent for brightening the look of dark spots and just overall radiance. This one, it's got a copper infused water in it. It's got apple extract, it's the same apple extract that's in the Phytonutrient Cleanser. So rich in vitamin C, rich in malic acid. This one also has knotweed in it, which is rich in resveratrol. And then kakadu plum extract. So this ingredient is what kind of sets this one apart for me. The kakadu plum extract is another really potent source of vitamin C. So vitamin C of course is key for brightening the look of skin. And then the kakadu plum also contains phenolic acid, and phenolic acid behaves on the skin similar to an alpha hydroxy acid. Alpha hydroxy acids are an exfoliant, so alpha hydroxy acids dissolve the kind of glue that holds the top layer of skin cells. So again, that like renewing, resurfacing effect on the skin. So to me, that's something that makes this one special. I also am a scent person. I like the way this one smells. It's more of that fruity scent profile. The Anti-Aging Serum, it's very floral. And then it's very vetiver heavy. So if you're a scent person, that can be good to know. This one also has quite a bit of hyaluronic acid in it, so again, really deeply hydrating, really plumping the skin. And then this one also has a very dense infusion of plant cells. So we use plant stem cells in a lot of our products. A lot of skin care lines out there use stem cells and sometimes they might be derived from animals, sometimes they might be derived from humans, ours are derived from plants. And this one has Madonna lily plant cells in particular and there's about 1. 5 million active plant stem cells in each bottle of this serum so it's a very dense infusion of those plant cells. So that's the Wild Fruit Serum. It's fabulous. Love that one. So to me, I don't know. To me, I feel like the Wild Fruit Serum is sort of a step up from the AntiAging Serum as far as addressing signs of aging and brightening the look of skin.
Customer: And is that one you would use morning and night?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yes, so the Wild Fruit Serum you can use morning or night.
Any of our serums can be used morning or night, except for the Activated Night Serum.
Okay, I'm trying to think if there's anything else we should cover, do we feel good about serums? Are there any others? I only talked about a couple, I guess. Are there any other serums that you guys are looking at and thinking, oh, she didn't talk about that one. I can talk about them all if you want.
Okay, well it sounds like for the most part with the group, the concerns are focused on signs of aging and brightening the look of skin. So those are kind of the best options, I would say. Let's talk about the elixirs really quickly, because I do want to touch on this Brighten Elixir.
The elixirs kind of fall into the serum category. They come in a set of three. These are the Concentrated Boosting Elixirs. The set of three comes with the Hydrate, the Brighten, and the Revitalize. So these are not really a necessary product. You don't have to have the elixirs. They're just kind of an extra product. They're kind of a fun product. They allow you to really boost your routine, by boosting the level of activated ingredients in your routine. And they allow you to customize your routine a little bit more as well. And kind of similar to the Activated Night Serum, the reason that we wanted to create these is because we wanted to have a clean, healthy alternative to these really popular activated ingredients that you find on the market today all the time that are, you know, derived from petroleum and all of these things that are not so lovely.
So we wanted to have a clean alternative that also delivered similar, or I think better results. So that's why we created these. So the Hydrate, this one is a hyaluronic acid with vegan collagen prepeptides. We already talked about hyaluronic acid deeply hydrating and plumping the skin. And this one is available to be purchased on its own in the larger size.
The way that you use these, you never apply them directly to the skin. They are always to be mixed. So we recommend mixing with a serum. If for some reason you were not using a serum, you could mix with a facial oil. But the way you would use it, you would pump your serum into the palm of your hand, drop one to three drops of the Hydrate in with your serum, mix it up and apply.
If you purchased the full size Hydrate, you would mix one pump with your serum.
The next one in the set is the Brighten. This one, again, is available in the larger size. This one is a pure vitamin C with Seabuckthorn. So, a lot of vitamin C's on the market are derived from petroleum. A lot of vitamin C's on the market are not stable. There's a lot of different types of vitamin C out there and a lot of them, once they're exposed to air, or if they're mixed with liquid they go rancid. And then they're not effective. So the vitamin C that we chose to use for this is tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate or THDA. This is a very stable form of vitamin C. So that's why we chose it. Also it's a very non irritating form of vitamin C. As I said, some traditional vitamin C products can be irritating for sensitive skin. This one the pH is 7, which is the same pH as water. It's also oil soluble which is important as well.
So again, the way you would use this, you would mix it with your serum, one to three drops or if you got the full size, you would mix one pump. And you can mix and match. So say you were to get the set of three, you could do like two drops of Brighten and one drop of Hydrate or two drops of Hydrate and one drop of Brighten or whatever you want to do.
And then the last one in the set is the Revitalize. This one is not sold on its own in the larger size, but it does contain the same activated ingredient as the Activated Night Serum. This is the bioactive A complex with astaxanthin. So again, the bioactive A is our retinol alternative, and then astaxanthin is a really powerful antioxidant. It is also what gives flamingos their pink color, fun fact, if you didn't know. And then this one, the Revitalize is only to be used at night, with an SPF during the day, because it has the Bioactive A in it. Which, if you were to purchase this, you would know, because there's a little moon on the package. So you would know to just use it at night, so you don't get confused.
Okay, so questions about serums or elixirs or is there any other serum you want me to touch on that I didn't yet?
Customer: Can you quickly touch on the citrus stem cell?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yeah, of course. So Citrus Stem Cell Serum is in the Signature Collection. That one, it's great for all skin types, but it's especially good for brightening the look of darkened areas. It's good for skin that's had a lot of exposure to the elements, a lot of sun exposure. It's good, I always say it's good for that kind of, thick, leathery type skin.
And that one so there's kind of two parts to it. There are the citrus derived stem cells. So I already mentioned stem cells a little bit. But these stem cells are providing proteins and peptides and amino acids to really strengthen the skin. And then the other part of that one is the brightening component, which is the licorice root, the uva ursi, and the amla berry. I would say, I mean, I think the Citrus Stem Cell is an excellent option. People do love that one. I usually tell people that one's really good for targeted brightening. Like if you have one or two dark spots that you're really working to lighten the appearance of, that can be a good option. I tend to lean more towards the Wild Fruit Serum if you're wanting more kind of overall brightening and increased radiance. Because as I mentioned its got the apple extract and the kakadu plum.
Customer: Okay. Thanks.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Of course. Any other questions? Let me scroll through so I don't miss any hands.
Okay, so those are serums, let's move on to oils.
The last step in your four step routine is your facial oil. All of our facial moisturizers at this time are oils. We've chosen this because oils are more pure, they don't require any fillers or waxes to be used. Oil is your skin's natural form of moisture, so it's readily absorbed by your skin. A lot of times I tell people, like, if you go to the drugstore or the department store or whatever and you pick up say a face cream or a face lotion, a lot of times the first ingredient is water. Which isn't great because ingredients are listed by level of concentration, so a lot of times a company will market some activated ingredient in their product, but maybe it's the last ingredient listed, and so there's not very much of it in there, and then if water is the first ingredient, you know, water is not doing a whole lot for you. Also, if there's water in a product, then they have to include more preservatives because bacteria can grow more quickly so you don't have that issue if you're using a pure oil.
And again, we have several different facial oils so we'll start with the herbal facial oils. Our herbal facial oils, we have three of them.
There's the Herbal Facial Oil for Oily Skin, the Herbal Facial Oil for Normal & Combination Skin, and the Herbal Facial Oil for Sensitive Skin. I tend to not go into these too deeply because they're sort of self explanatory because they're named for the skin type they are designed for. All three of them are a grapeseed oil base. Grapeseed oil is a light textured, skin balancing oil. And then they all just have an herb blend tailored to the skin type it's made for.
The Herbal Facial Oil for Oily Skin for example has black cumin seed oil in and neem to address congestion and help to detoxify.
The Herbal Facial Oil for Normal and Combination Skin is a skin balancing oil. So this one might be a good choice for Shondell. This one's got some goji in there and some echinacea.
The Herbal Facial Oil for Sensitive Skin. That one has no added essential oils so it's a good option for sensitive skin. It's got a bunch of omega rich oils like sacha inchi oil and camellia seed oil. There's squalane in that one as well.
And then the Anti-Aging Facial Oil. That one is in the Signature Collection. I don't know where mine is. But hat one is very popular. One of our best selling products. That one is a very nourishing, restorative facial moisturizer that is ideal for dry and mature skin. It is a jojoba oil base. So again, jojoba very closely resembles the texture of your skin's natural oil. So it's a good choice for dry and mature skin. I think it's a good choice for all skin. I love jojoba oil. So and then in the herb infusion in that one, there's a bunch of different seed oils. There's broccoli seed oil, there's chia seed oil, there's carrot seed oil. Chia, for example, is rich in vitamin B and zinc. So a very, nourishing, restorative moisturizer. Also very antioxidant rich. There is goji in this one as well. It’s got plantago in it, which helps to soothe and purify.
And then let's see, we will talk quickly about the Rejuvenating Facial Oil. So this one is the one that's in the Wild Alchemy Collection. This one is good for all skin types, I would say, except very sensitive skin. This one is also a jojoba oil base, so very nourishing for dry skin. This one is our most active, our most potent facial oil because of the way that it's made. Our other facial oils, like our Anti-Aging Facial Oil, for example, I think there's like 20 different herbs in the herb infusion. This one has just one herb. It's the butterfly pea flower. And then it's also got fewer seed oils and CO2 extracts. And the reason that we included fewer was because we wanted to include them at higher concentrations, at higher percentages to make it more potent, to make it more active. It's got mongongo oil in it, which is softening, it makes your skin feel very soft. And then it's also got baobab oil in it, which is brightening. It's got marula oil which is very antioxidant rich. This one, the scent profile is a little hard to describe. The Anti-Aging Facial Oil, the scent profile is similar to the Anti-Aging Serum. It's that floral scent profile with the vetiver. This one, the scent profile is more herbaceous.
And I think we might stop there with facial oils, unless there's any in particular that anybody else wants me to cover.
Customer: I have just a quick question. On both the serums and the oils, do you use just one pump? How much do you use?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: It's kind of personal preference. We actually were just on a live call the other day, and somebody asked that question in the chat, and I answered, and I said, probably just one pump of your serum, and then our COO answered and said she uses like three pumps. For me, I tend to use less serum and more oil. I probably use like one pump of serum, but I probably use like three pumps of oil because I like to really massage it in, so I like to have that slip. And for her, she does the opposite. She uses more serum and less oil. So I think it's just kind of personal preference, but typically I would say you don't need more than one or two pumps of your serum. And even for your oil, I feel like I'm kind of an overuser of oil. You probably would be fine with maybe two pumps.
Customer: Okay. Thank you.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Of course.
Customer: So that oil that you just spoke about, is that daytime or nighttime?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Both. You can use the facials oils morning and/or evening. The only products that you only would use only at night are the Activated Night Serum, the Revitalize Concentrated Boosting Elixir, and then also we didn't even get to exfoliants yet, and I know somebody wanted to talk about that, but the Resurfacing Facial Exfoliant, usually you would use that one in the evening and with an SPF during the day.
We only have about five minutes left, but let's talk about exfoliants really quickly.
Customer: Could you throw in what you recommend for sunscreen?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yes. So we have several exfoliants. Let's start with the resurfacing since that particular one was brought up and we're almost out of time. The Resurfacing Facial Exfoliant is in the Wild Alchemy Collection. This is a strictly chemical exfoliant. So chemical in the way that it works on your skin, not that it contains a bunch of chemicals. There are physical exfoliants, which are exfoliants that are physically polishing the skin. They have some sort of scrub or grit to them. So that would be like our Ayurvedic Facial Scrub or our Kaolin Micro Exfoliant. These are strictly physical exfoliants. This one is strictly chemical. So there is no scrub or grit to this one. The exfoliating component is a honey derived lactic acid. Lactic acid is a very mild alpha hydroxy acid. And we already talked about alpha hydroxy acids. They're dissolving the kind of “glue” that holds the top layer of skin cells. So this one you use it more like a mask. So you would apply it to clean skin, leave it on for about two minutes to start, you can work your way up to leaving it on for ten minutes, it just kind of depends on your skin and how sensitive you are. I would not say that I have sensitive skin and I can feel this product when I use it. It feels tingly, it feels active. But I have had customers who have used it and say that they don’t feel anything. So it just kind of depends on your skin. But that's why we say, start out with a lesser time, see how your skin is feeling, and then you can work your way up. But leave it on for two or three minutes, rinse it off, make sure that you thoroughly remove it, and then usually we recommend using this one at night with an SPF during the day.
I would say that you could use it in the morning if you knew that you were not going to be in the sun at all. This one, I'm trying to think what else is in here…there's a cucumber distillate. There's blue tansy in here. So again, kind of that nice balance with that activated lactic acid, and then those more soothing, calming ingredients.
This is a great one for addressing signs of aging. It's a great one for brightening the look of dark spots and pigmentation. This one you would only use once a week. You want to make sure when you're exfoliating that you're not over exfoliating, because you don't want to cause any sort of irritation or inflammation in the skin. That's a once a week product. The other ones, like the Ayurvedic Facial Scrub, this one is very, very gentle. It's a dry, herbal powder. You can mix it with just water. You can mix it with a cleanser, like with your Aloe Herb Cleanser or your Phytonutrient Cleanser. This one's very gentle. You could use it three times a week. You could use it probably four times a week. Hard to overdo it with that one, but I guess you still could.
And then the Kaolin, this is the other one that I mentioned. That's a strictly physical exfoliant. It’s got a bamboo stem powder in it, that is what is giving it its grit. In the Ayurvedic it is fenugreek. The Kaolin is very popular, people love this one. It’s a cream facial exfoliant. It’s the kaolin clay base, so any type of clay is going to be very mineral rich and purifying. It’s got lavender in it so it has that lovely lavender scent profile. Most people would use this one a few times a week.
And exfoliation in general is just helping to remove impurities, refine the skin's texture. Incorporating some type of exfoliation is key for addressing almost any skin concern: congestion, signs of aging, the look of dark spots, etc. If you don't exfoliate at all, you can kind of get this layer of buildup on the skin's surface, and then your treatment products aren't able to really penetrate deeply in order to work properly.
Okay, the last exfoliant I’ll mention is the Radiant C Mask & Polish. This is fabulous. I love this one. It's a newer one, a newer product. It's a powder, like the Ayurvedic Scrub, so you can mix it with water, you can mix it with a cleanser. You can use this as an exfoliant, as a polish. So just buffing it into the skin, rinsing it clean. You can use it as a mask, leaving it on the skin for about 15 minutes.
This one is a physical exfoliant because it has the bamboo stem powder (same as the Kaolin Micro Exfoliant), but it also provides a bit of chemical exfoliation as well because the hibiscus in it contains alpha hydroxy acids.
And then lastly, we'll just touch really quickly on the Sun Love. So this is our Sun Love Everyday Sheer Sunscreen. It's an SPF 20. It's a non-nano zinc oxide. It's a broad spectrum, so protecting from both UVA and UVB rays.
A lot of times people ask if the 20 is enough. SPF is referring to the percentage of UVB rays that are blocked and an SPF 20 blocks 95 percent. It's recommended with any sunscreen that you reapply every two hours. To me, that feels a little excessive if you're just doing, like, everyday things. If you're sweating or swimming or, you know, laying at the beach, then you are going to want to reapply more often.
This can be used on its own as your daytime moisturizer. It's got pumpkin seed oil and buriti fruit oil, so it feels pretty nourishing on its own. If you prefer you can also layer it over top of your facial oil. That's just personal preference.
Okay, you guys. Well, it's 12:30. I feel like that went fast. Hopefully we got to all of your questions. Does anybody have any last minute questions? If you do think of other questions, you can always email us. The email address is [email protected], let me put it in the chat. That will go to our customer care team, but we're a very small team, so if you want it to go to me or Grace, you can always put our name in there and it'll get to us.
I think that's it. Thank you guys so much for joining us, for hanging out with us for an hour and a half and listening to me chat about skin. I hope that you learned something. I hope it was enjoyable. I hope it was helpful. And I hope you all have an awesome afternoon!
Customer: Thank you. It was helpful. Appreciate it.
Want to join us for our next skin consultation? (It's totally free!)
Our team of experts has been on a mission to inspire beauty, health, and wellbeing, and we believe there's no better way to do this than through directly sharing our knowledge and passion for natural skin care.
Join us for a live session with one of our licensed estheticians where we'll explore the power of organic, bioactive ingredients, how they interact with your unique skin type, and how to incorporate them into your routine for optimal benefits. You'll walk away from this consultation feeling empowered to make informed decisions for your skin's health. Our in-house skin experts are eager to answer your questions, dispel myths, and share tailored advice for each participant.
By signing up for our live consultation, you'll not only gain access to the latest insights in organic skin care, but also receive exclusive skin care deals only available to those who attend! We can't wait for you to join our community as we share our love for organic skin care with you!
HOW TO SIGN UP
1. Simply, click the button below to sign up for the day that works best for you and your skin type.
2. Select your desired date and time, and click “Next”
3. Enter your contact information (your name and email), and click “Schedule Event.”
Leave a Reply