“Spa Day” Benefits Foster & High-Needs Children
Posted on | November 16, 2009 | No Comments
There’s a special joy in knowing that “looking good” can lead to feeling good- about helping others! Our little salon had the pleasure of organzing a “Spa Day” at the Avila Bay Athletic Club on November 1st, providing a variety of professional spa services donated by local salons including our own, while raising $1000 over 3 hours for the Family Care Network of San Luis Obispo.
Family Care Network supports local foster and high-needs children and families. Participating salons and individuals included Delores Winje, owner of Feathers Salon on Marsh St., Donna Ramos and Amy Roth also from Feathers; Vicki Fluitt of Ciao Bella Salon in Broad Street Village; Sabrina Carelli of Kim & Company Salon on Broad Street; Millie Klump, Jazmin Vance and Stacia from the Avila Bay Athletic Club Spa; and Janae Wilbur, Massage Therapist.
Clients enjoyed a variety of spa services, from massage to manicures, facials to hairstyling and make-up. One happy client summed up the afternoon by commenting “Does this day have to end?” Well, based on it’s success (and relatively short planning), next year promises to be an even bigger hit for spa-goers with big hearts!
This photo shows yours truly of The Great Skin Company and Lauren Burleson (R), Community Event Coordinator for Family Care Network. Community organizers are welcome to plan events such as these to help boost Family Care Network resources, strained by recent State budget cuts. Call them at 781-3535 for more info.
Update Your Holiday Look!
Posted on | November 4, 2009 | No Comments
The Great Skin Company has the honor of hosting two of Colorescience’s finest make-up artists this Friday, November 6th. Maryann Poinsignon and Kris Meding will be offering complimentary makeovers or if you are already using Colorescience, come in for a refresher course and update your look for the upcoming holiday season.
We will be introducing a brand new, limited edition winter collection of beautiful eye and lip colors, perfect for letting your best features shine this holiday.
We have also expanded our selection of Colorescience foundation colors to enhance every skin tone for the perfect color match.
Take some time for yourself during the chaos of these months, and come visit The Great Skin Company, Monday – Saturday for a complete complimentary Colorescience consultation. You will walk away with a bright, new updated look and feeling your best!
Body Treatment Blog
Posted on | October 7, 2009 | No Comments
Written by Sara Salsbury, The Great Skin Company
Facials are considered a vital step towards healthy skin, but it is important to remember skin does not stop at our chin! The skin is the largest organ of the body. It protects us from environmental aggressors and excretes harmful toxins. Just as we cleanse, tone, exfoliate, and moisturize our face it is important that we provide the same care for our body’s skin. It needs to be nourished and protected to stay healthy and stop premature aging.
Body treatments are the perfect way to give the skin the care it needs. Using the correct products, the body is nourished and hydrated. Afterwards, you will feel soft, silky, and completely revitalized.
Natural form loofah
Following the cleansing and exfoliation, a rich Shea butter, infused with revitalizing citrus extracts, is massaged into the whole body. Shea butter is known for its highly moisturizing qualities, but it also has rich vitamin content and improves cell metabolism. This divine body treatment provides the perfect winter cocoon where you can escape this season, from all of life’s stressors and seek the perfect oasis of rest and relaxation, and restore your mind, body, and soul.
Homecare is equally important to extend and maintain the skin’s softness after a body treatment. Different options are available as far as body products go. Starting with exfoliation, there is a chemical approach using Alpha and Beta Hydroxy acids. These ingredients dissolve away dead skin cells that our epidermis clings to. Manual exfoliation is also an option. These products include scrubs, using grains or beads to manually slough off the build-up of dirt and debris. It is recommended to stay away from anything with ground kernels, for the jagged edges can actually cause small abrasions to the skin and damage the cell membrane.
Jan Marini Skin Research offers body products which will deliver both mediums of exfoliation in one product, resulting in completely cleansed and rejuvenated skin. This is the perfect option during winter when our bodies tend to hold on to more dead skin cells for a longer period of time. Incorporating an exfoliante in a daily regimen will eliminate clogged pores, ingrown hairs, and dry, flaky skin.
Now the skin is ready to be hydrated. When you cleanse and exfoliate first, moisturizers are able to penetrate deeper into the epidermis, resulting in better absorption for softer skin. Not only do moisturizers hydrate, but good quality moisturizers, such as Sothys Thalassothys Hydra Nourishing Body Cream, will remineralize and nourish the stratum corneum. They also neutralize free radicals which are damaging to the cell membrane. 
And most importantly, in this step of skin care, the protective layer is being strengthened and the skin’s barrier function is dramatically improved to seal in moisture and protect against winter’s dryness and summer dehydration.
Give the skin below your chin the care it needs this winter. Between deep cleansing body treatments and simple homecare products, you will begin to see and feel a healthy improvement, and experience a total sense of well-being.
Healthy Skin Cell Layering
Natural and Organic Skin Care Products
Posted on | September 28, 2009 | No Comments
Written by Patricia Kaspian, The Great Skin Company
What makes a product truly “natural” and “organic”?
As concerned consumers, many of us extend our preference for organic products to skincare. We expect natural products to consist of natural ingredients free from chemicals. But do we ever think about the entire growth cycle, extraction process, formulation and packaging of “natural” products? We presuppose that shopping for our products at a health food store or online “healthy living” website automatically guarantees we are getting the most natural, organically available ingredients in our products. Think again…
Per Merriam-Webster:
organic: of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.
The introduction of chemicals to process an organic skincare line renders that line “non organic”, barring any claims to organic purity. Yet many companies make unsubstantiated claims. How do you know for sure?
Governing organizations that certify true organic skincare
In 2009, Sothys Beauty Garden products were recommended by the National Association of Eco-Friendly Salons & Spas. The NAEFSS is an organization dedicated to building a community of like-minded business owners mindful of their impact on the environment and dedicated to implementing green business strategies.
Certification guarantees true organic content
ECOCERT, an organic certification organization, was established in France in 1991. It is based in Europe but performs inspections in over eighty countries, which makes it one of the largest organic certification organizations in the world. ECOCERT focuses on certifying food and food products, but the group also certifies cosmetics, detergents, perfumes, and textiles. The company inspects about 70% of the organic food industry in France and about 30% worldwide. Cosmetics must meet stringent requirements to be deemed certifiable.
From Sothys:
The SOTHYS BEAUTY GARDEN line of skincare is composed of a range of five face and body products formulated with natural ingredients, each carrying the EcoCert Organic Cosmetics Label, which guarantees that 95% of the ingredients are of natural origin and a minimum of 10% of the ingredients come from organic farming. Exceeding these standards, the Beauty Garden Range by Sothys contains ingredients between 99.5% and 100% from natural origins and between 10% and 100% of the ingredients come from organic farming.
Active organic substances found in the Sothys Beauty Garden Range Each Beauty Garden product contains Sothys’ exclusive Vegetal Moisturizing Activator™ (VMA), which is a moisturizing complex derived from three plants (cherry trees, angelica and hawthorn) and combined with glycerin obtained from plants. VMA reinforces the barrier function of the skin by maintaining hydration of the stratum corneum and protecting the epidermis from outside aggressions.
Pictured Left: Make-up Removing Fluid with Cherry Bud Body Lotion with Cherry Bud and Lavender
Floral water with Angelica and Hawthorne Helianthus and Walnut Shells Scrub
Face Care Moisturizer with Helianthus and Rosemary Comfort Mask with Helianthus and Rosemary
The scents are pure, fresh and authentic. The results for the skin ~ a healthy radiance and suppleness.
In 2009, Sothys earned the COSMEBIO label. This is a strict charter that defines what an ecological and biological cosmetic is. It guarantees a natural cosmetic containing ingredients resulting from organic agriculture and complying with precise rules aimed at protecting the consumer and environment. 
This charter has been specially elaborated for the cosmetic market and now has more than 200 members with more than 4,000 certified products.
Each Beauty Garden product contains Sothys’ exclusive Vegetal Moisturizing Activator™ (VMA), whichis a moisturizing complex derived from three plants (cherry trees, angelica and hawthorn) and combined with glycerin obtained from plants. VMA reinforces the barrier function of the skin by maintaining hydration of the stratum corneum and protecting the epidermis from outside aggressions.
The barrier then protects the skin from environment and aging effects with a scientifically proven hydrating layer – tests performed by Sothys in conjunction with the University of Limoges found the VMA increased hydration of the skin by 34%, which reinforces the barrier function of the skin.
INDIAN SUMMER ~ The Sneaky Sun Damaging Season
Posted on | September 21, 2009 | 1 Comment
Written by Patricia Kaspian, The Great Skin Company
The Sneaky Sun Damaging Season
Everyone is uber-conscious of overexposure to sun-damage during the summer months. And it’s true that the rays of the sun are strongest in the summertime, warranting extra protection. But do you remember to protect your skin the other seasons of the year? Depletion of the ozone layer results in more harmful UVA rays getting through at all times. “Indian Summer”, that beautiful transition time between sizzling summer and frosty fall can actually be just as serious a contender for major sun damage, requiring extra thought when it comes to protection.
The past 100 years of tanning obsession are directly responsible for the prevalence of skin cancer. In addition to revolutionizing women’s styles by introducing the pantsuit in the 1920’s, Coco Chanel also initiated the tanning rage by returning from the French Riviera , bronzed and sun-damaged!
Sunbathing can be safe!
Casual Sun Expose
Sunbathing aside, casual exposure based on daily routine is often overlooked as a source of concern. We should all have heard by now the gripping statistic that 90 to 95% of what we view as inevitable aging is caused by sun damage. More significantly, in 1935 roughly one out of 1500 people were diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Today, the odds have increased to one in 70 in the U.S., with dire predictions of one in 50 by 2010. More common melanoma skin cancers such as Squamous Cell Carcinoma are aggressive and can metastasize.
Six more reasons to stay out of the sun or to use adequate sun protection:
1. Did you know that, while its specific cause is unknown, Rosacea—a skin disease distinguished by persistent facial redness and enlarged capillaries called Telangiestasia, and eventually acne-like outbreaks—is primarily caused by sun exposure and further aggravated by heat and cold?
2. Solar Lentigines—you know them as age spots or liver spots—usually appear post-sunburn, especially during pre and post-menopause.
3. Cataracts, commonly attributed to aging as well as a number of diseases and conditions, now have been proven to be exacerbated by cumulative sun-damage. Impaired vision or blindness can result.
4. Beyond “clearing up”, a popular myth that sun clears up acne, sun exposure actually darkens acne “scars”, technically referred to as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Sun exposure temporarily halts acne by hardening the outer skin layer, but stimulates oil which feeds bacteria. When the outer layer softens again, after sunbathing, major flare-ups are common, worsening the condition.
5. While malignancy can be genetic, the risk of developing malignant melanoma is mainly attributable to extreme sun exposure, including sunburns before the age of 10. With this data in hand, is there any excuse for allowing children to experience life-threatening sunburns?
6. Previously thought to be safe, tanning beds cause greater damage than sunlight, emitting 95% UVA radiation (more severe than shorter UVB rays) that deeply penetrates skin layers. Though the visible, more superficial sunburn damage of UVB is not present, UVA damage is extremely harmful. Many states now require parental approval for minors who seek out tanning beds.
Clouds, Altitude and Ultra Violet
Remember that Ultraviolet intensity depends on the angle of the sun, not brightness or heat. Clouds and haze conditions are NOT protective and can actually intensify UVA rays. The higher the altitude, the quicker we burn. Studies suggest that an average complexion burns at 6 minutes at 11,000 feet at noon compared to 25 minutes for sea level. Reflective surfaces like sand, water, snow, and concrete intensify exposure. And remember that certain medications cause sun sensitivity.
It’s Never Too Late to Start Protecting Your Skin
The reasons to protect are many; the skin we are born with is unique. As estheticians, beautiful, HEALTHY skin is our topmost concern for you, our clients. We offer the best sun–protection solutions available. Check out our website for COLORESCIENCE Mineral protection information, or call to schedule a complimentary SPF30 Mineral Make-up Application. We also carry the highly touted SOTHYS Cellu-Guard line, and JAN MARINI Anti-Oxidant SPF30 Daily Protectant in Clear or 3 natural tints.
What is the Beauty Bounty Basket?
Posted on | September 16, 2009 | No Comments
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Written by Patricia Kaspian, The Great Skin Company
What is the Beauty Bounty Basket? It’s only the most exciting skincare offer you’ve ever had a chance at winning. But first let’s talk about why everyone needs a good, or rather, GREAT skincare regimen.
As an esthetician, clients often ask me why the higher-end skincare lines don’t incorporate all the features into one product, namely a hydrating, anti-aging, pigment lightening, capillary-reducing moisturizer with sunscreen (throw in make-up while you’re at it!)
The simple answer is that truly effective (NOT just advertised) cosmeceutical-grade lines used in salons and dermatologists’ offices such as Sothys and Jan Marini deliver specific key active ingredients (peptides, retinol derivatives, hyaluronic acid) for specific results. Future blogs will expound on several of these specially formulated and tested products and the skin issues they target. Nanotechnology is a key aspect of their “delivery systems” (how they penetrate and deliver those key ingredients into the skin and into the cells), with product molecules so small they can effectively penetrate to achieve far greater results than regular retail products. As an example, Jan Marini’s C’ESTA line of topical vitamin C is uniquely stabilized and lipid-soluble to penetrate the cells’ lipid or fatty oil membrane, allowing the Vitamin C and DAE antioxidant complex to actively protect the cell nucleus against free-radical damage caused by UV radiation (photo damage), pollution, and other environmental aggressions to the skin. For this reason, using C’ESTA over several months results in measurable physiological changes in tissue. Under clinical laboratory conditions, scientists are able to cause collagen synthesis (visible firming, reduced sagging) as well as stimulate skin rejuvenation by transporting Vitamin C into cells.
You wouldn’t expect great results from a hair product that promises “shampoo, conditioner, gel and color” in one fell swoop. Nor should you expect measurable results from moisturizers with sunscreen. Effective moisturizers that replenish hydration lost during menopause should penetrate and restore the skin’s “reservoir”, in addition to blocking further evaporation of vital hydration, to keep the skin supple and minimize line formation. (Ever wonder how those women in humid lands look so young for so long??) Sunblocks, on the other hand, need to provide a superficial layer of skin protection against damaging UV rays. If truly effective, such as COLORESCIENCE Sunforgettable SPF30, composed of pure minerals (no dyes, talcs, rice powders, etc), they won’t degrade over 3 or 4 hours through chemical interaction with the skin like cream blocks, but will provide a “blanket” of sun-refracting molecules for 6 to 8 hours. Two products- moisturizer and sunblock- designed to work perfectly as TWO distinct products, not an “all-in-one combo” solution that offers no solution at all!
In summary, your esthetician will prescribe a custom skincare “regimen” for you, depending on your particular skin type, incorporating several products designed to achieve the best results.
Our BEAUTY BOUNTY BASKET Raffle of ONE YEAR OF FREE (yes, you read this correctly- FREE) skincare products for a year is based entirely on selecting a customized skincare regimen suited to YOUR skin.
The winner will receive a quarterly shipment, delivered to her home, of:
· Cleanser and Toner
· Day Cream
· Night Cream
· Sunblock
Day creams are usually a lighter texture than night products. Based upon chronobiology, the skin regenerates, renews and heals at night – hence the legendary and accurate “beauty sleep” notion. This is the optimum time for retinol-based creams and lotions, such as Jan Marini’s Factor-A line. But more about that at a later time.
To enter our generous raffle, simply stop by our salon at 2122 9th Street in Los Osos. You will be entered every time you make a purchase over $50, or by referring a new client for services or products. We’re changing women’s skin all over the Central Coast from good– to GREAT! Call for a consultation at (805)528-6957.
The Benefits of Glycolic Acid Peels
Posted on | September 2, 2009 | No Comments
By Patricia Kaspian, The Great Skin Company
Beyond delivering increased radiance, softness and some evening of pigment, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that progressively deeper peels (twice per week, over a three week period) allow the skin to absorb key ingredients in homecare serums and creams more efficiently because of the removal of the stratum corneum layer of cellular debris and dead cells. Products sink into the skin to deliver all the benefits, with noticeable results.
Even rosacea responds to neutralized glycolic peels, lessening the symptoms, especially when paired with a homecare regimen that incorporates glycolic acid lotion or cream. JAN MARINI BIOCLEAR delivers 12% Glycolic (more than most products found in department stores), 2% salycilic, to potentiate or strengthen the glycolic acid while attenuating breakouts, and 2% azeleic acid to lighten uneven pigment.
The most important result of glycolic acid peels has more to do with health than beauty, as peels help to exfoliate abnormal cells that can lead to skin cancers.
Why do I need a neck cream, if I already use firming facial cream?
Posted on | September 1, 2009 | No Comments
It's easy to pamper your neck!
Written by Patricia Kaspian, The Great Skin Company
The fact is, our necks do not have sebum (oil) glands and with age and photodamage (sun exposure), the cellular cytoskeleton is weakened and loses its form, resulting in loss of tone and elasticity of the neck skin sooner than facial skin. Neck creams are specially formulated to deliver key actives to conserve bio-mechanical properties (tonicity, elasticity) and to reinforce and regenerate the neck’s collagen and elastin fibres.
Sothys’ TOTAL COHESION SHAPING NECK CARE cream incorporates a firmness innovation called “mamaku extract” , used in traditional medicine of the New Zealand Maories to heal and repair skin. In skin care, mamaku reinforces the cellular cytoskeletal structure, allowing the cell to maintain its cohesion capacity, thereby assuring the skin’s density and firmness. In combination with watercress, biomimetic peptides and almond biofibers, the neck skin appears smoother, more refined and sculpted. Cutometer measurements show a proven efficiency of 54% and 29% improved neck contour.
September Newsletter
Posted on | August 11, 2009 | 5 Comments
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to receive a full year of quality skincare products for FREE BEAUTY BOUNTY can make it happen! Enter to win our grand prize ($700 value) in one or all of these 3 ways:
-Attend our September 9th Jan Marini Event
-Buy $50 or more of product
-Refer a friend to The Great Skin Company
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Fall is Nature’s exfoliation process, comparable to the cycle our skins witness as we age. Much like the sun-damaged, dead leaves that fall away, our stratum corneum (top layer) sheds dead cells to make room for the new. The problem is, while younger skin renews regularly allowing light to penetrate and refract (glow), mature, lazier cells stick around and create a dull, uneven layer that obscures the light. Similar to major dust accumulation on your beautiful woodgrain coffee table, dead cells and debris need whisking away! Fall and spring are ideal for progressively deeper chemical exfoliation with a Glycolic acid peel series to strip away sun-damage, soften fine lines and refine pores while lightening excess pigment. BEYOND exfoliation, they stimulate collagen to plump and resurface skin texture. Facial treatments and homecare products penetrate more deeply after a Glycolic peel because the cellular debris layer has been removed.
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Celebrity Skincare Secrets: Part 1
The greatest riddle in the beauty industry has plagued us all for too long. We’re going to change that. We?re tapping our resources, diving into the research, and inviting you along on our quest to find out what they?re doing to look so great!
Beyond the obvious surgical procedures of eye and face lifts, peels are par for the course in Tinseltown, a treatment extended from the salon to the home with daily glycolic homecare. Less invasive than traditional chemical peels, with no downtime or irritation because they are pH-balanced, Jan Marini glycolic peels renew tissue and stimulate collagen while revealing radiance, minimizing pore size, softening lines and lightening age spots. If one peel gives results, imagine a series of 6 over 3 weeks, for deeper resurfacing that boosts skin?s natural glow while softening and smoothing.
Manjula Jegasothy, M.D., head dermatologist of the Miami Skin Institute, predicts skincare breakthroughs and believes that antioxidant creams and growth factor serums will continue to evolve even more than they have, acknowledging that consumers ?want products to help their skin look smooth ? not rough; younger than they look as they age? (such as Jan Marini C?Esta and TGF).
Peel, Peel, Peel! Beauty in Hollywood IS skin deep, and that?s why chemical peels are the gold standard of maintaining that ?look?, even for leading men (a well-respected New York plastic surgeon recently opined Brad Pitt had had recent chemical peels, noting the improved texture of his skin)!
Los Angeles based esthetician Michelle Garbin, whose clients include Naomi Watts and Jenny McCarthy, is a strong believer in the restorative powers of peels used in combination with the right skincare products. ?I make my patients fully aware of the vitamins and crèmes that will help them.?
More celebrity skin care secrets soon on our blog! GreatSkinCompany.com/blog
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MONTHLY PROMOTION
When Nora Ephron wrote “I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being A Woman “, she hadn’t heard about SOTHYS
Total Cohesion Shaping Neck Cream. Schedule a peel series this fall and receive your complementary tube (Value $52) of this effective mamaku & almond protein gel to redensify and firm the neck contour, a la Audrey Hepburn (don’t we all wish we had THAT swan-like grace…)
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
“Back to School — Back to You!”
What: JAN MARINI specialists Michelle Angel and Brandy Ewers will educate and consult on how to achieve your personal skincare
goals; from hyperpigmentation, to menopausal loss of tone and wrinkle reduction and adult acne.
When: September 9
(Two sessions for your convenience)
2:00pm and 6:00pm
Where: The Great Skin Company
Why: Receive 20% off the product of your choice or $20 off your next Peel.
Light hors d?oeuvres and door prizes!
Receive a Beauty Bounty Entry Ticket for attending, another if you bring a friend and another if you spend $50!
A portion of Beauty Bounty proceeds will benefit CASA Advocates for Children.