Summarized from a consultation originally recorded on May 22, 2024.
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Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: The basic four step routine that we recommend for pretty much everybody is cleanse, tone, serum, and moisturize or facial oil.
And so that routine you would do morning and evening. And like I said, that's kind of our general recommendation for everybody. I always like to tell people that it's best to really customize your routine as much as you can to just kind of what works best for you, for your lifestyle, for your skin, etc. which can be a little bit of trial and error.
If you're somebody who currently has no skin care routine, you're probably not going to jump into a six step routine that takes you 30 minutes morning and evening and be really consistent with it, you know? So in that case, maybe you want to start out with just a cleanser and a facial oil, and then you could build from there.
But that's kind of like the most basic routine. If you're really wanting to start small, you would want to get at least the cleanser and the moisturizer, and then you could add on. So we'll start with cleansing because whether your routine is 10 steps or if it's two steps, you're going to start with cleansing.
So cleansing is just helping to remove makeup and impurities. A thorough cleanse is going to help your treatment products to be absorbed better. All of our cleansers are pH balanced, so I like to mention that because I do think it's important. Your skin's pH is like a 4. 5 to a 5. 5 on the pH scale. And all of our cleansers are a 5. 5 to a 5. 6 is actually printed on our labels on each of our cleansers. So a pH balance cleanser is just going to ensure that you are not stripping your skin. You're not drying out your skin. You're not disrupting your skin's natural protective barrier.
A lot of conventional cleansers tend to be more harsh. They use surfactants, like lauryl sulfates and they tend to be more alkaline. Lauryl sulfates tend to have high foaming properties. In all of our cleansers, we use a safe, low foaming surfactant. It's a sodium lauryl glucose carboxylate. It's a safe surfactant option as opposed to using something like a lauryl sulfate. And though it sounds very fancy and it's kind of a mouthful, it's really just saponified oils and plant starches and sugars. And so we have four different cleansers in the line that we'll cover. And before we even jump in there within our line, we have a few different collections.
The two main collections that we have that we will focus on today are the Signature Collection and the Wild Alchemy Collection. So the Signature Collection, all of our Signature Collection products have this tan labeling. And then the Wild Alchemy Collection, all of those products have the black and gold labeling. So that's an easy way to kind of tell them apart. And the difference is the Wild Alchemy Collection that is our luxury line. So what makes it our luxury line is just that the products in this collection contain higher levels of activated ingredients. They contain more exotic ingredients. And a lot of times the crafting process, the way that they're made is just a little bit more laborious.
We do have some smaller collections. I will quickly mention the Essentials Collection just because somebody did mention skin care for a teen. And also because Grace and I really love the Radiate Oil, which is in the Essentials Collection. So the Essentials Collection is just two products. It is the Renew Facial Cream Cleanser and the Radiate Oil. Those two products are actually offered at a lower price point than any of our other products. And the reason for that is just because those products don't contain our herb infusions. So they're just really simple formulas. The crafting process again, is just more simple.
But they're still really great products. Like I said, Grace and I both really love the Radiate. And they can be, it can be a good place to start for a teen. Maybe if they're just looking to get started on a routine, that cleanser and oil can be a good place to start. They can also be good options if you have more sensitive skin because they're really simple.
So that's the Essentials. But like I said, we'll mostly focus on the Signature and the Wild Alchemy Collections and the four cleansers that we'll cover are the Aloe Herb Cleanser, the Citrus Mint Cleanser, the Phytonutrient Cleanser, and the Restorative Cleansing Oil. So we'll start with the Aloe Herb Cleanser.
This one is in our Signature collection. This is our best selling cleanser. It's very popular. People love this one. If you have ever gotten one of our starter kits or trial kits, you've probably tried this one. It's a creamy cleanser. It's a nourishing cream cleanser. It is great for all skin types. So I like to tell people, if you're feeling really confused or overwhelmed or not sure where to start, this can be a good place to start. Because you really just can't go wrong with this one. It's funny, actually, I love the Phytonutrient Cleanser. That's like my go to, but for some reason recently I've been doing the Aloe Herb and I just really love it. It just smells so nice. I feel like maybe I'm switching my favorite. I don't know. But like I said, this one's good for all skin types. It's a creamy cleanser. So it's got some coconut oil in there, which kind of contributes to that creamy texture. It's got some lemon essential oil, which is purifying and brightening. It also gives it a really nice scent. I feel like part of the reason why people love this one so much is because it smells so good. This one has calendula in it, which helps to alleviate any temporary redness. Am I forgetting anything? Oh, aloe. Aloe, of course. So aloe is really rich in vitamins and minerals. It's rich in phytonutrients and enzymes. Aloe also contains some naturally occurring saponins that act as mild cleansing agents on the skin. So that's the Aloe Herb.
We'll quickly touch on the Citrus Mint. I don't know that anybody would need this one in this group. I'm not sure, but the teen thing was mentioned so we'll just cover it really quickly. This is our purifying gel cleanser. This is the other one that is in the Signature Collection. And this one is just more of a pure Purifying herb blend. It's got some neem in there. It's got the witch hazel distillate. It has aloe again. But just a more purifying cleanser for more normal, combination, or oily skin. And again, this is a gel, whereas the Aloe Herb is a cream. So some people have a preference if they like a cream or a gel cleanser.
And then in the Wild Alchemy Collection, we have the Restorative Cleansing Oil and the Phytonutrient Cleanser. So the Restorative Cleansing Oil, this one is a little bit different than a typical cleanser. So all of our other cleansers, of course, you're going to dampen your face, pump your cleanser into the palm of your hand, massage it in, and then rinse clean.
This one is an oil as the name says. And so you use it a little bit differently. You actually apply it to dry skin. So dry hands, dry face, massage it in, really like thoroughly massage it in. And then you can just rinse clean if you would like. If you would like, you could also use this as the first step in a double cleanse routine. And if you wanted to do that, you would just rinse it off and then follow it with your second cleanser, like the Aloe Herb or whatever you want. This one I love. I am a huge fan of oil cleansing. This one is great for all skin types. So for dry and mature skin, this one feels very nourishing. It actually leaves like a little bit of an oil on the skin. And then for oily skin or congestion prone skin, it's a great choice as well. Which might sound a little counterintuitive but actually like attracts like, so the oil is going to help to soften and break down excess oil and congestion in the skin. If you're somebody who is using this for congestion, really as you massage it in, focus on those areas of congestion with your massage like around the nose area, forehead, chin and mouth sometimes are common areas that get congested. This one, it's a jojoba oil base. So jojoba very closely resembles the texture of your skin's natural sebum. This one also has some castor oil in it. It's got tea tree, which is going to be purifying to the skin. This also has manuka oil in it. So I'm obsessed with jojoba and I'm obsessed with manuka. So this has two of those things. So winner, winner in my book. So manuka is going to be really like deep cleansing and calming to the skin. So this is a great one.
And then lastly, we have the Phytonutrient. That one is also in our Wild Alchemy Collection. And that one's suitable for all skin types too, it is a creamy cleanser that's similar to the texture of the Aloe Herb but it's a little bit richer than the Aloe Herb. It has a slightly fattier texture to it. It's got a mango seed butter in it that gives it kind of that fatty texture. The Phytonutrient Cleanser is great for brightening the look of skin. It's got apple extract in it. So the apple extract is going to be rich in vitamin C and malic acid. So really good for brightening the look of dark areas.
What else is in this one? It's got some acai in it, which gives it an antioxidant property. It does have some coconut oil in it as well. I'm trying to think if I'm forgetting anything else. But that one especially, really with any of the cleansers, I encourage people to take your time with your cleanse, really thoroughly cleansing and massaging the product into your skin. But especially with the Phytonutrient, it's nice to kind of leave it on for a minute. Just so that those activated ingredients, like the apple extract, and that one's got our signature serum blend in it can kind of be on the skin for a minute before you just quickly rinse them down the drain, you know?
So those are the cleansers. Questions about cleansers or cleansing or anything else?
Customer: So I have a question. So I'm in my seventies and you would think I would not be getting acne anymore but I do. And on occasion, like right now, I get these deep cystic ones and so these types of products that have oil, I'm really intrigued by the oil, and I get that the oil attracts oil. Then for the second cleanser, what would you recommend if that's my concern? My concern is still breaking out.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Okay. So I feel like I can relate actually, because I struggled with congestion for a long time and it is still a concern of mine, but then also, you know, I am 40. So I want to focus on anti-aging as well. I feel like honestly, you don't need to be afraid of the oil necessarily because they're not going to cause congestion in the skin. It's more about the types of oil that you're using. And I feel like none of our oils are going to be comedogenic and cause congestion. So yes, I think the Restorative Cleansing Oil could be a great choice. I think that you really could go with any of the cleansers for your second cleanse and it's not going to be an issue. I think you could do the Aloe Herb or the Phytonutrient. Like I said, the Phytonutrient is usually my go to and it doesn't cause any issue for me as far as congestion or anything like that.
And then I think you could incorporate some other products that we'll talk about that could be helpful. So we'll talk about toners next. You could do like the Rosemary Toning Mist. Also, we will get to exfoliation and that’s an important thing to incorporate if you are somebody who's prone to congestion. And then as far as treatments and treatment masks I'll talk about it at the end, but my obsession is the Purifying Mud Mask mixed with Manuka Honey. This is such a great combination for congestion prone skin, but without drying out your skin at all, because the honey acts as a humectant.
And if you get manuka honey, I always get a Manuka honey UMF 15. Manuka actually has a slew of other skin benefits. So I love that combination and you could incorporate that into your routine once or twice a week.
But we'll kind of get there as we go, I guess. Okay. But as far as the cleanser, I think the Restorative Cleansing Oil would be great. And then I really think you would be okay with any of the other three. Like, I don't think any of them are going to cause any congestion for you.
Customer: Okay. Thank you.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yeah, of course.
Okay. Any other cleanser questions? Great question. Okay. So the next step in your routine is toning so after you cleanse you're going to tone so your toner is going to just help to complete the cleansing process. It's going to offer a dose of skin supporting nutrients and hydration. Conventionally toners were made to rebalance the skin's pH after you cleanse. Like we talked about, all of our cleansers are pH balanced. But it still can be helpful because the pH of water is like a seven. So it still can be helpful to just rebalance the skin. So we have three different toning mists in the line.
They are the Rosemary Toning Mist, the Neroli Toning Mist, and the Botanical Hydration Mist With Immortelle. So we'll start with the Neroli. The Neroli Toning Mist is our best selling toning mist. It's very popular. People love this one. It's a very simple formula. It's an aloe juice base. It's got some aspen bark extract in there, which acts as a natural preservative. It's also a natural source of salicins. And then the neroli. The neroli is derived from fresh orange blossoms. So it has a really lovely scent. So again, I think part of why this one is so popular. This one's great for all skin types, but especially like dry, mature, sensitive skin.
Then we have the Rosemary Toning Mist. This is the other one in our Signature Collection. This is my personal favorite, but like we just talked about, I'm kind of more prone to congestion. And I love this one. It's a very simple formula. It's the aloe vera juice base, the rosemary and this one has some white willow bark in there. This one, I love it because it's still providing that dose of hydration. But then you're also getting the purifying benefits of the rosemary and the white willow bark. I will even use this as a spot treatment sometimes. Just put a bit on a q-tip. But that is a great one. And then lastly, we have the Botanical Hydration Mist With Immortelle. This one is in our Wild Alchemy Collection. And this one is definitely the favorite amongst the team, aside from me with my rosemary. So this one again, it's good for all skin types. This one has immortelle, of course, or life everlasting flowers which are a very potent antioxidant.
This one has frankincense in it, so it's known to tone, tighten, and rejuvenate the skin. And then this one has a blend of four different types of chamomile in it as well. So it's excellent for sensitive skin types. Grace has extremely sensitive skin and this is one of her holy grail products. She says she really loves this one. So that's the Botanical Hydration Mist. So those are the three toning mists. And your toning mist, after you cleanse, you're going to rinse your cleanser, pat your skin dry, and then mist your toning mist over your face and neck. You can also use your toning mist throughout the day. You can mist it, even if you're wearing makeup or something, you can mist it over top. It's not going to mess up your makeup. The rosemary can be good if you tend to be more oily throughout the day. If you normally would use a blotting paper or a blotting powder or something, you could use this instead.
I am toning mist obsessed. I feel like I can't live without a toning mist. So it says on our packaging to mist your toning mist, let it dry, and then apply your serum and your oil. I actually don't really love that recommendation. I would mist your toning mist and then while your skin is still pretty damp, then I would apply your serum and oil.
Applying to damp skin is just going to help with absorption so that it absorbs better and I think leaves a nicer finish. And then I actually always mist my toning mist after I apply my facial oil as well, which you totally do not have to do. It's just a personal thing that I do, but I feel like it just gives it a really nice finish. It kind of helps to further dilute that oil a little bit. So those are the toning mists. So questions about toning mists? They're kind of straightforward.
Then we will move into serums. So serums, I feel like are where things start to get confusing. I apologize in advance because we have so many of them. And then, yes, I think I saw, like I glanced at the chat. And I think that people feel like how do I ever choose? Because there are so many. Okay, so in the Signature Collection, we have three different serums.
And first, sorry, let me talk about serums just in general. So serums are excellent hydrators. They are concentrated, so they usually contain high levels of activated ingredients. They allow you to really kind of customize your routine to whatever your specific concerns are. They also are made up of a smaller molecule than facial oil, so they're able to penetrate more deeply. So getting those activated ingredients deep into the skin. And there is the difference between dehydrated skin, which is water-dry skin, and then dry skin, which is oil dry or skin that's lacking oil. So most people have a combination of both, like a little bit of dehydration, a little bit of dryness.
And so that's why we recommend using the combination of hydrating products and moisturizing products. Just to help you achieve optimum moisture levels in your skin. So your serum and your toning mist, those are your hydrators. And then your facial oil, that is your moisturizer. So like I said, we have three serums in the Signature Collection, the Anti-Aging Serum, the Probiotic Serum With Tremella, and then lastly, the Citrus Stem Cell Serum, which I don't have here.
So really any of the three could be used for any skin type. The Anti-Aging Serum. This is our best selling serum, people love this one. Again, if you've ever tried one of our starter kits, this is probably what you've tried. It's great for all skin types. I tend to tell people it's kind of similar to the Aloe Herb Cleanser in that it can be a good choice if you're feeling overwhelmed or confused or not sure where to start. You can't really go wrong with this one. I like to refer to it as an overall dose of daily nutrition for your skin. So the Anti-Aging Serum, this one is very antioxidant rich and it's very hydrating. It has life everlasting flowers in it, same as the Botanical Hydration Mist. And it's got buddleja extract in it, another really potent antioxidant. And then this one has hyaluronic acid. We use a non GMO, vegetable-sourced hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant that binds water to the skin.
Hyaluronic in particular holds 1000 times its weight in water. So it's considered a super hydrator. So really deeply hydrating the skin is going to have kind of a plumping effect because if your skin is really hydrated, it's going to look nice and plump. Whereas if it's dehydrated, it's going to kind of emphasize the appearance of fine lines.
So that is the Anti-Aging Serum. And then we'll talk about the Citrus Stem Cell Serum next. So the Citrus Stem Cell Serum, that one is especially good for brightening the look of dark spots. It's good for thicker textured skin. It's good for skin that has had a lot of exposure to the elements. This one has citrus derived stem cells. So we use plant stem cells in a lot of our products. You'll find stem cells in a lot of different skin care products and conventionally they could be sourced from questionable sources. So we use plant derived stem cells.
And these stem cells are going to provide proteins and peptides and amino acids that really help to strengthen the skin. And then along with those citrus stem cells, this one has amla berry in it, which is very rich in vitamin C. And then it's also got licorice root and uva ursi, which are both ingredients that help to lighten and brighten the look of skin.
You'll find licorice root used in a lot of natural products as an alternative to hydroquinone. So that is the Citrus Stem Cell Serum. And then lastly is the Probiotic Serum. So this one again, really good for all skin types, but especially for sensitive skin or skin that's kind of out of balance. This one has tremella mushroom extract in it, so that acts very similar to hyaluronic acid, really deeply hydrating the skin. This one has got olive leaf extract in it. It's got a probiotic ferment that helps to kind of eliminate impurities on the surface of the skin and balance the skin's pH. And then it's also got astaxanthin, which is a really powerful antioxidant that you'll find in a lot of our products. Those are the three in the Signature Collection. Also, scent profile, I feel like is like a big thing for people sometimes. So the Anti-Aging Serum, this one's very kind of vetiver heavy.
The probiotic serum, I feel like a lot of people don't like the way this one smells. I really love the way it smells, but it's very earthy. And then the Citrus Stem Cell Serum, the scent is obviously a bit citrusy.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: So those are the three serums in the Signature Collection. Then in the Wild Alchemy Collection, we have a few different ones. I actually don't have the Wild Fruit Serum here.
Okay, so the Wild Fruit Serum, that one is in our Wild Alchemy Collection. I like to refer to it as our do it all serum. So it's really hydrating. It's brightening. It's got anti-aging properties. And this is definitely one of my personal favorites. I love this one and it smells sort of fruity too, hence the name. This one has copper infused water in it. It has apple extract. It's the same apple extract that's in the Phytonutrient Cleanser. So it's brightening the look of skin with the vitamin C and the malic acid. This one has knotweed extract in it, which is rich in resveratrol. This one has kakadu plum extract. So this ingredient is one that kind of sets the serum apart a little bit for me. The kakadu plum is very rich in vitamin C. It also contains phenolic acid, and phenolic acid behaves on the skin kind of similar to an alpha hydroxy acid. So alpha hydroxy acids help to dissolve the kind of “glue” that holds the top layer of skin cells. So they have a resurfacing effect on the skin. I feel like I'm forgetting something. Oh, this one has Madonna lily plant cells in it. And it has a really dense infusion of those plant cells. It's about 1. 5 million in each little bottle. So this is definitely one of my favorites. It's really good for all skin types.
And then we've got the Activated CBD Serum. This one is sort of an offshoot of our Wild Alchemy Collection. It's sold on its own site, like its own little boutique on our website just because of the legality of selling a CBD product. So when we made this product we of course wanted to source the best, so we partnered with Ojai Energetics and they are really a leader and a pioneer in the CBD space. It's a little bit hard to say exactly what CBD does for the skin because it kind of works with your body's natural endocannabinoid system to go where it's needed to go and do what it's needed to do.
But I will say that it is very hydrating. It actually has a little bit of a thicker, creamier texture to it than our other serums do. So it's a little bit richer. And it's also great for soothing the look of temporary redness. It contains both a water soluble and a fat soluble CBD, which I feel like is something that kind of sets it apart from a lot of other CBD products on the market. It's kind of unique. So the water soluble CBD is absorbed more quickly so it has more of an instant effect, and then the fat soluble CBD is absorbed more slowly over time, so it has more of a cumulative effect. And I always let Grace talk about this, because this is her other “holy grail” product.
Grace Murray – Annmarie Skin Care Marketing Assistant: Oh, I love this serum. It's so good. It's just so lovely. I can never pinpoint, like, the scent profile. Some people say it's a little bit like freshly cut grass in a way, it's very kind of subtle. But I Have extremely sensitive skin like Emily mentioned in addition to super dry skin. So I have redness, dryness. There's usually a lot going on and I'm congestion prone as well. So it's just, there's just so many layers. And this really helps calm down my redness. When I'm really consistent with this serum my redness is down I would say upwards of like 40 percent than if I didn't use it. And it also just really helps with calming. It’s really good for if there's anything off balance or needing just a little support, it'll just go where the skin needs support. So it's just lovely.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Awesome. Thank you, Grace. So that's the Activated CBD Serum. And one of the ways I tell people to differentiate is, I tend to think of the Signature Collection serums as a little bit more targeted, and then I tend to think of the Wild Alchemy Serums, the Wild Fruit Serum and the Activated CBD Serum, as a little bit more all encompassing.
And then in the Wild Alchemy Collection, we also have the Activated Night Serum. So this one is our most recent serum launch, and it's pretty fantastic if you ask me. So this contains our bioactive A-Complex, which is our version of/alternative to a retinol. Retinols, of course, are sort of like the gold standard in anti-aging ingredients and anti-aging products, but they're really not great for your health. They can be harmful to reproductive health and even for your skin health if you're using them over an extended period of time, they can start to kind of thin your skin which really isn't what we want as we age. We want to really support our skin and support our skin's natural barrier. So that is kind of what is unique about the Activated Night Serum. So this one you only use at night as the name suggests, and we always recommend using it with an SPF during the day, because it will make you a little bit more sensitive to the sun.
But also, as far as sensitivity goes, traditional vitamin A products can cause some irritation and some sensitivity in the skin. This serum, I feel like even very sensitive skin types can use this because Grace, like she said, is extremely sensitive and she still is able to use this serum.
I know that you use it every other day or a couple times a week, not necessarily every night. But yeah, she's still able to use this one. And I feel like because we have paired that bioactive A-Complex, that really activated ingredient, with really calming, soothing ingredients like lavender and blue chamomile, it's this really nice balance.
And this one, again, is that little bit thicker, richer texture. Whereas our other serums are a little bit more aqueous. So again, pretty hydrating, that one. So those are all the serums.
We still have elixirs, but let's see how we're feeling about serums. Does anybody have questions about serums? Serums in general or specific or whatever.
Customer: Okay. I have a question. So for decades I have used vitamin A. Okay. And as dermatologists and estheticians and everybody will tell you to start weak and to get better efficacy, increase the strength of the retin-A. So, and I'm not using prescription strength, but you know, they all have 'em SkinCeuticals or everybody has their formulation of retin-A, and then there's ways that it becomes stronger and then you have results. And I think it's really worked for me. And I have very resistant skin regarding the strength of products, and then, you know, you slap a moisturizer on it. So my question is given, I have this mentality that stronger is better. I've noticed at my age, that's not the case. And I'm so intrigued about everything about your whole product line. So I'm just trying to educate myself, but speak to the efficacy for someone like me that has received results with stronger percentages of retinol.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Right. I mean, I feel like it's really just something that you have to kind of try for yourself and see how your results compare to what you typically are using. I mean, I used to use all the things…the retin-A, and the benzoyl peroxide, and antibiotics and I really felt like after switching to natural skin care products, even when I was still struggling with my skin being congested, overall my skin just felt healthier. And to me it just makes more sense to kind of support your skin's natural health versus stripping it. But I think that you can get comparable results because I think a lot of our products do contain these really amazing activated ingredients. I think it'll just be kind of trying it for yourself and seeing how it compares for you. I do really believe that you can get beautiful results with the activated ingredients that are in these natural products and not need to use all of the conventional ingredients, but everybody's so different, everybody's skin is so different. So I think a lot of it is kind of personal preference.
Customer: You know, I did use the starter kit and I will say, I just loved it. And I don't know if it was, probably some of it was psychological, but the scent and knowing that it was clean is really geared to a lot of the things you said around sustainability and the sourcing and energetically how the products you created, I resonate with all that. It just felt better on so many levels that I'm going to try it, but I just wanted to ask that question.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yeah, I mean, it is really a shift, but I feel like for me, it just makes sense that as we age, we want to support our skin's natural barrier to have healthy, resilient skin.
Customer: Thank you. So I do like the Citrus Stem Cell, and I've been using that. And I was trying to write some things down here. And there was one that you mentioned that had a fragrance that I know I didn't care for. But what does the Citrus Stem Cell have that the others don’t? I know you've been talking about this, but I haven't caught it all. I'm sorry.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Oh, that's okay. I know. It's so much information. So the Citrus Stem Cell, that one's really great for brightening the look of skin. Like one of the main things with that one, cause it's got that brightening trio. It's got the amlaberry, which is really rich in vitamin C. And then it's got the licorice root and the Uva Ursi. That's the brightening trio in that one. And the licorice root, that one, a lot of times people use that as an alternative to hydroquinone. Hydroquinone is kind of a yucky ingredient, you find often in conventional products. It's used a lot of times for brightening dark spots. So that's an alternative that's in there.
And then it's got the citrus derived stem cells. So like I was saying, those stem cells are just really good for providing the proteins and the peptides and amino acids that are going to help to strengthen the skin.
Also, we do have all of our serums available in travel sizes. We have a set that comes with the three signature serums in a trial size. So it's a great way to try them too. If you're not sure what to choose. And then with the serums too, say you are like, oh, well, I do really love this Wild Fruit Serum sample, but I still want to use my Citrus Stem Cell, you can always use both and just alternate.
Okay. Any other serum questions or questions about anything?
Customer: I have a question. So occasionally I'll have a couple of breakouts, you know, it's usually related to something I've eaten that I shouldn't have eaten. And my skin tends to be a little on the sensitive side. And it's, I would think it was, it's normal, so to speak. And I'm like a real minimalist. I just, you know, I want to give my skin the basics. I was always the girl that threw the water on her face and dried off and I was good to go. And then I noticed, as I started aging, I was like, oh, you know, a little line here, a little line there and so I'm concerned with that because all of my friends all these years have used all this stuff on their face and you know, we all kind of look the same, but I'm the naturalist in the group. I'm not using anything with this, that, and the other, so I was attracted to this line because of that, but I don't know what to use and I know that I'm not going to use a whole lot of stuff. So what do I need to use? To keep that youthfulness, to keep the brightness, to maybe help the lines.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: I feel like I can relate. I feel like I'm like the only person I know in my group of people that doesn't get Botox. These girls who are like 25, I'm like, why are you getting Botox? I don't get it. Anyways, so yes, I think, so I am like the esthetician that does the least with my skin because I have two young kids, and I just don't have time, and I'm tired. And also, when I did struggle with my skin I kind of found that keeping things really simple and keeping things consistent was kind of the best for me. So, no, I do not always use every product. I feel like a lot of times, like I was saying earlier, if you were wanting to do a really simple routine, I would recommend just getting a cleanser and a facial oil. You want to at least have those two things. And so for your cleanser, you could choose either, I would say probably either the Phytonutrient Cleanser or the Aloe Herb Cleanser. And then we haven't got to facial oils. So we'll talk about facial oils now, and then you can kind of decide which one would be best for you. But those are kind of the two products that you want to start with. And I feel like a lot of times, we haven't got to exfoliants yet either, but if I shower, I'll just use the Kaolin Micro Exfoliant in the shower and then when I get out of the shower, I'll just apply my facial oil while my skin is still damp from my shower. Or like in the morning, maybe I won't do anything except mist my toning mist and put on eye cream and that's it. So I feel like it's fine to keep it really simple. Because I think it's also about, like I said, just kind of finding what works best for you and your lifestyle. And you know, maybe you don't want to do six steps and I think that's totally fine. And you can still have great skin.
So the next step in the routine is, oh, I'm kind of skipping over elixirs. That's okay. We'll just skip them for today.
The next step in the routine is your facial oil. So all of our facial moisturizers are oils. And the reason for that is just that oils are more pure. They don't require any fillers or waxes to be used. A lot of times with creams and lotions if you take a look at the back of the ingredients one of the first ingredients will be water. So this is a really easy thing that I like to tell people that they can check for if they aren’t exactly sure which ingredients to be on the lookout for. Usually ingredients are listed by level of concentration. So if water is at the top of the list and the active ingredients are listed towards the bottom then the amount of activated ingredients might be miniscule. Also if a product includes water then they have to include more preservatives because bacteria can grow more quickly. So another great thing about oils. Also oils are absorbed easily by the skin because your skin's natural form of moisture is oil. And Again, we have several different facial oils. We'll start with the herbal facial oils. They're pretty simple. They're pretty self explanatory because they are named for the skin type that they are made for.
So we have the Herbal Facial Oil for Normal and Combination Skin. We have the Herbal Facial Oil for Oily Skin, and then the Herbal Facial Oil for Sensitive Skin, which I don't have here. So all three of the herbal facial oils are a grapeseed oil base. Grapeseed is a light textured skin balancing oil. It's rich in omega six, I believe. And then they all just contain an herb blend that is suited for the skin type it's made for. So the Herbal Facial Oil for Normal and Combination Skin is a skin balancing oil. It's got some goji in there. It's got some echinacea in there. The Herbal Facial Oil for Oily Skin. This one is a purifying herb blend. It's got some neem. It's got some black cumin seed in there. And then the Herbal Facial Oil for Sensitive Skin. That one has no added essential oils. It's just a bunch of different omega rich oils, like camellia seed and sacha inchi oil. So that one is good for sensitive skin.
Then the Anti-Aging Facial Oil. This one is our best seller. This one again, if you get a starter kit or a trial kit, you've probably tried this one. So this one is good for dry and mature skin. It has a bunch of different seed oils in it. So it's got carrot seed oil, broccoli seed oil, chia seed oil. Chia is rich in vitamin B and zinc, for example. So this is just a really good nourishing facial moisturizer for dry and mature skin.
Then in our Wild Alchemy Collection, we have the Rejuvenating Facial Oil. I love this one. This one, this is our most potent, most active facial oil. And the reason for that is just because of the way that it's made.
So our other facial oils, they have a bunch of different herbs in them and a bunch of different seed oils and CO2 extracts. This one just has one herb. It's the butterfly pea flower. And then it has far fewer of the seed oils and the CO2 extracts. And the reason that we did that is just because it allowed us to include the ingredients that are in here at higher levels, at higher concentrations, higher percentages. If that makes sense. So then it makes it more active. It makes it more potent. And this one, it's good for all skin types. If you're very sensitive, this might not be the best choice for you. I know Grace said this one is a little bit much for her. If you were really sensitive and you wanted to use this one, you could mix it with another facial oil, the Anti-Aging Facial Oil or the Herbal Facial Oil for Normal and Combination Skin. But this one's got brightening baobab oil in it. It's got antioxidant rich marula oil in it. And then those butterfly pea flowers. Those are super rich in antioxidants as well. This one does have some blue tansy in it, which is good for sensitive skin.
Those are the facial oils. Questions about facial oils.
Customer: Should the facial oil be applied after the serum?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Yes, so you always would apply your serum first and then apply your facial oil over top. And it's kind of up to you how you want to do it. If you want to, you can mist your toning mist, apply your serum while your skin is still damp and then kind of wait a minute and then apply your facial oil or you could mist your toning mist again after serum, before oil. Our products are very concentrated, so you really don’t need much. I tend to overuse facial oil because I like to really massage it in, but I know that Grace only uses half pump to a pump.
Okay. So those are the facial oils. Anything else? Any other facial oil questions? Okay. What else? Okay, then we have eye products. So we have our Anti-Aging Eye Cream and Fruit Ceramide Eye Serum.
I see a question in the chat. Yes, you can apply any of the products to your neck as well. Personally, like I said, that's part of why I overuse my oil because I do like to bring it down onto my neck and chest. Also some people really like to use our Radiant Skin Silk Body Lotion on the neck and decollete. I haven't tried that myself, but some people like it.
Okay. So the eye products. These are both fabulous. I tend to, if you're going to just use one or the other, I personally really like the eye cream. For me, my eye area is always super dry and it just feels really nourishing. So, it's got some damas rose plant cells in there. It's got cucumber, which of course is cooling, good for puffiness, rich in silica. The Fruit Ceramide Eye Serum. So if you're somebody who feels like your eye area is your main concern, then it might be kind of nice to use them together. You can use these two together, and if you want to use them together, you would just layer the Fruit Ceramide Eye Serum underneath the eye cream.
With the Fruit Ceramide Eye Serum, you only want to use a very tiny bit of it. If you overuse this one, it just doesn't apply nicely. This one can be a good choice too, if dark circles are a main concern of yours because it does have sake peptides in it that can kind of help to re-texturize that under eye area to lighten and brighten the look of that area.
But those are the eye products. And then we just have exfoliants and masks. So we're almost there. I do like to talk about exfoliation because I feel like it's important to incorporate some type of exfoliation into your routine. It's kind of a fine line because you don't want to overdo it because you don't want to thin the skin. You don't want to cause any irritation or inflammation in the skin. But we have three exfoliants, the Ayurvedic Facial Scrub, the Kaolin Micro Exfoliant, and the Resurfacing Facial Exfoliant, which I don't have that one with me. But the Ayurvedic Facial Scrub, this one is good for all skin types, even extremely sensitive skin.
It's very gentle, so if you wanted to, you could use this every day. Most people could use it every day because it's so gentle. It's a dry herb exfoliant so it's just a powder. So you shake it into the palm of your hand and then you mix some water and create a paste. Massage it in and rinse it off. Or you can just mix it in with your cleanser, which is how I like to use it. So you can just shake it right in with the Aloe Herb Cleanser or the Phytonutrient. I think you could also mix it with the Citrus Mint, but it just mixes nicely with the cream cleansers. That one has some fenugreek in it, Moroccan rhassoul clay and then the Kaolin Micro Exfoliant, this one's really popular.
This is our cream exfoliating scrub. This one can be used for all skin types. If you're really sensitive, it might not be the best choice. If you're very sensitive and you want to use it again, you can mix it with a cleanser and it mixes really nicely with the Aloe Herb. It has that lemon lavender scent that is so lovely.
So this one kaolin clay. So any kind of clay is going to be very purifying to the skin. It's going to be mineral rich as well. And then this one has lavender in it. So the scent profile is lavender. And then it's got crushed bamboo powder. So that is what gives it its scrubby, gritty texture.
So these two are physical exfoliants. They have a scrubby, gritty texture that is physically polishing the skin. Oh, and this one you would use, most people would use it two or three times a week. And then the Resurfacing Facial Exfoliant, that one is a little bit different. That one you would only use once a week for most people.
It is a chemical exfoliant. So chemical in the way that it works on the skin, not that it contains a bunch of chemicals. But it's a honey derived lactic acid. That is the exfoliating component. So there's no scrub or grit. It's just like a smooth gel texture. You use it the way that you would a mask. You apply it to clean skin. You leave it on for two or three minutes to start. You can work your way up to leaving it on for 10 minutes. And then just make sure that you remove it thoroughly. That one, you're only supposed to use at night and with an SPF during the day. That one, like I said, is honey derived lactic acid.
So lactic acid is a very mild alpha hydroxy acid. And again, those alpha hydroxy acids are going to kind of dissolve that glue that holds the top layer of skin cells to have a resurfacing effect. So that one can be a really good choice if dark spots and pigmentation are a concern of yours.
But that one, like I said, you would just use it once a week. Okay, those are exfoliants. And then we'll just touch on masks really, really fast. So the Illuminating Pearl Mask, this one is my favorite. Well, it's a tie. I love Purifying Mud Mask too. This one is great for everybody. Everybody should just buy it. The pearl mask. It's a hydrating and brightening treatment mask. It's good for all skin types. It's got licorice root and uva ursi. So the same two brightening ingredients that are in the Citrus Stem Cell Serum. It's got honey in it. So honey is a humectant to help moisturize. And then it's got a crushed pearl powder in it, which is a really unique ingredient. So it gives it like this kind of radiance and luminosity that it imparts on the skin. I love this one too, because it's this creamy, jelly texture. And it feels really cooling on the skin. So it's nice to use in the morning when your skin's kind of tired and puffy. You can even use it, if you're not really sensitive in that area, you can use it as a little under eye mask. Love this one.
Purifying mud mask I already mentioned. So this is a dry powder and it can just be mixed with water. This one of course is going to be purifying. So it can just be mixed with water and if you're gonna just mix it with water if you're more on the dry side I would only use it once a week. But like I said, I like to mix it with Manuka honey, UMF 15. Really great because you've got the humectant properties of that honey to draw moisture to the skin, but then you're also getting the purifying benefits of the mud. And the benefits of the manuka as well.
And then Charcoal Cacao Mask, that one is a very antioxidant rich mask. It's very purifying again with that activated coconut charcoal.
And then we have the Coconut Honey Mask. That one is sort of like a balmy texture, good for very dry skin, good for sensitive skin.
That's not everything. I forgot the Sun Love. Okay. I do want to just mention Sun Love really quickly because we talked about some products that you need to use an SPF with. The Sun Love is our everyday sheer sunscreen. It's an SPF 20. It's a non-nano zinc oxide. It's reef safe. It's got buriti fruit oil. It's got pumpkin seed oil. And that one you can use on its own as your daytime moisturizer, or you can use it over top of a facial oil. That's just personal preference.
And then we do still have a few minutes so I can answer any other questions that anybody's got. I know we kind of were going through quickly at the end with all those products. There's just so many to fit in.
Does anybody have any other questions?
Oh, okay. Well, if you think of other questions that you didn't get to ask, you can always email us at that same email address, [email protected] and that'll go to our customer care team, but we're very small. So if you want to put my name in there or Grace’s name we'll get it and we can respond.
All right, you guys. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with me and Grace for an hour and a half and talking about skin care and products and all that good stuff.
Customer: I do have a very quick question. As far as doing the four different steps that you talked about, I tend to not do as much as some other people. I like to keep it simple. So I usually do more of this stuff at night. And just do a simple wash and a toning. Actually, I tend to do more of it in the morning. And at night I just do a simple cleansing and like an oil. Does it make it more of an impact to do all four both morning and night or like if you're trying to cut down for night, what is essential?
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: I think that's fine.
I mean, like I said, I feel like that's what I do a lot of times, honestly, at night, if I'm really tired sometimes I don't do anything, but if I'm wearing an SPF or makeup, I will always wash my face. But if not, sometimes I do nothing. I think that's totally fine. Like we talked about before, I think those are the most basic. You at least want to use your cleanser and your oil or you at least want to have those two products whether it's morning or night or whatever. And I think it's totally fine if you want to incorporate the serum and the eye cream and all of that, but you only want to do it in the morning or you only want to do it at night. That's fine.
Does that answer the question? Hopefully.
Customer: Yes. Thank you.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Okay, cool. Any other questions.
Customer: Well, Emily, it was really, really informative. I know quite a bit about skin care and I've learned some things and I'm going to buy your products. It was very helpful.
Emily Haupt – Annmarie Skin Care In-House Esthetician: Good. I'm so glad to hear that. I always feel like there's so much that I feel like people are probably just overwhelmed.
All right. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, you guys. I hope you all have a great afternoon. Thanks. Bye.
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