I'm back from 2 months of travels and I need a holiday to recover from the holidays. I took a skin diagnosis with My Blend recently that analyzed my lifestyle and things got real. So starting from September I'm tweaking a few things in my day to day while relying completely on my new creams and boosters to do the rest. Hopefully, by January I'll be a changed person that eats healthy, exercises more and has a glowing skin so there will be no need for New Year resolutions.

My Blend cosmetics is one of the first to begin treating skin on a cellular level, after new research was discovered indicating excessive damage to nerve endings in the skin, which can be caused by everything from a higher level of harsh pollutants in the air to excessive dieting, stress and overall exposure to weather in general, could be directly responsible for an acceleration of the skin's aging process. The skin, being the largest organ on the body, is just like any other organ which can be affected by your everyday lifestyle; how much you sleep, what you drink or eat, if you smoke or don’t smoke, how often your exercise, and of course your age. Unlike other organs, however, the skin is much more affected, not just by how you live but where you live. Constant direct sunlight, harsh freezing temperatures, dry climate, even constant exposure to air-conditioning and how often you frequent environments with a high concentration of chemicals or pollutants such as the city, can take a toll on the skin's health and luster. For what affects the body also affects the state of the body’s immune system and therefore the skin’s ability to regenerate.

[caption id="attachment_13208" align="aligncenter" width="750"] My Blend Review[/caption]

My Blend has taken this all into consideration when creating their revolutionary My Skin Diagnostic test which not only takes into account the state of your skin but also the lifestyle behind it all. A simple yet telling twenty-one question self-diagnostic with questions ranging from how much sleep you get a night to what sort of beverage you drink during the day, to the environment you live in, how your skin feels in the morning, even touching on the emotional state of the body and wellbeing in question by asking about how different seasons affect your mood. Another question included yet often not thought of is addressing any sort of procedure or recent events, such as a surgery or air travel, that may have applied more stress to the immune system. The results of this high-tech program are analyzed by a well-trained My Blend Beauty Coach who then prescribes a skin care plan specifically generated around you and the life you lead.

It begins with a basic platform, a cream suited to your skin type that will act as a base to begin your own personalization of the skincare that is right for you. There are ten creams in total, five for daytime use and five for nighttime use. The treatment requires the use of both a night and a day cream. The results of my skin diagnosis showed that my skin would best benefit from the use of cream 04 Balance of Power, which works towards giving me a glowing complexion.

[caption id="attachment_13207" align="aligncenter" width="700"] My personalized skin care treatment[/caption]

My Skin Diagnosis Results:

04 Balance of Power Day & Night Cream: Imperata cylindrical extract( a Japanese Bloodgrass/Cogon grass), increases long-lasting moisture to the skin up to 82% while still reducing the appearance of shine while polysaccharide actively protects the skin from damage and aging caused by harmful pollutants in the environment. The added Cell Synergy Night Complex aids in stimulating skin cell vitality and resistance.

Next, it is time to create a cream unique to your skin's need by blending in  the boosters that are selected based on what is deficient in your skin. In order for the boosters to work at full efficiency, it is advised that only two be added per cream. There are nine potential boosters: Invisible Pore, Firmness Solution, Redness Rescue, Speedy Recovery, Vitamin Power, Anti Jet-lag, Anti-Oxidant+, Moisture Immersion and Radiant Burst.

After my skin diagnosis these were the boosters that my skin needed:

• Vitamin Power: An imbalanced diet can affect the amount of nutrients your body and skin receives which can lower the body’s immune system leaving the skin more vulnerable to outside agents, the Vitamin Power booster fills any nutrient gaps your diet may not, much like a shot of energy and revitalization for your skin. Linoleic acid kick starts the protective properties of the epidermis (the top layer of the skin) which is responsible for creating the waterproof barrier which serves as a protective shield to the skin, which reduces the effects of dehydrated and dry skin with the added ascorbic acids of Vitamins C and E to also aid in skin defense.


• Antioxidant+: Known as ‘the armor of youth’, this is used for aiding in the effects caused by pollution, smoking, excessive red meat consumption, and basically anything that can cause and increased amount of free radicals in the body and therefore signs of premature aging. An infusion that includes; thermus thermophilus extract which is rich in amino acids, peptides, and enzymes effective at soaking up free radicals produced by UV exposure and pollution, white tea extracts that protect against additional free radicals and rice peptides to preserve and renew damaged stem cells.


• Anti Jet-lag: Refreshing relief for skin that has endured fatigue, frequent travel and ever changing climates, this serves to detoxify skin and renew plumpness to dehydrated and tired skin up to 90%. Hyaluronic acid helps to limit the skin’s natural water loss and restore depleted moisture while antioxidant and amino-rich ingredients such as green coffee extract and oat peptides work to revitalize and lift the skin within moments of application.


• Radiant Burst: Restores dull skin’s natural luminescing glow after a late night out or a long stressful day at work. Immureline works to stimulate cell turnover and strengthening the skin, while natural ingredients such as ginseng and wheat protein serve to stimulate and tone the skin in an instantly face lifting effect.

Now get ready to have your own skin diagnosis HERE and find the perfect boosters that will help your skin. 

 

How to mix My Blend creams with My Blend boosters:

[caption id="attachment_13209" align="aligncenter" width="800"] My Blend: How to mix creams and boosters[/caption]

*This post is in collaboration with My Blend

After an overnight flight from New York to Milan, a train to Florence and a 2 hour trip by car I finally reached Val D'Orcia for my wedding shoot with the talented Anna Ambrosi. I had just 1 hour to get ready and remove any jet lag sign from my face, but I wasn't worried given that I had a little beauty secret in my bag, the Darphin L'Institut Facial Sonic Cleansing and Massaging Expert.

Pierre Darphin, the brand’s founder, was a kinesiotherapist that opened his Paris institute in 1958 along with offering his line of skin care products for treatments that used intensive facial devices. This brush was inspired by the history of the brand while being designed to give us the opportunity have facials in the comfort of our homes.

Darphin Facial Sonic Cleansing

For my bridal preparation, I started with the cleansing head  which cleans, detoxes and purifies the skin with its 42,000 supple bristles that ensure the brush is gentle but effective in removing all residual makeup and skin impurities. Within the bristles, there are six green nubs whose vibrations are designed to replicate the circulation-boosting massage of the ‘magic fingers’ at L’Institut Darphin. For this part you can use whatever cleanser gel or cream to be put all over your face, avoiding the eyes. The brush can't be used for the eye contour.

The Steps:

1. Apply Cleansing Gel or cream. I'm using a water-based cleanser from Darphin with Water Lily


2. Wet the Darphin Sonic Cleanser brush and turn it on


3. Move it slowly around your face, focusing first on one half. The brush will stop vibration after 30 seconds telling you that you need to change position.


4. When finished remove all the residuals with a washcloth or by washing your face.


5. Don't push the brush into your skin thinking it will get you a deeper cleanse. The brush works just right by moving it around your face with gentle pressure.


6. After each use rinse the bristles with warm water, followed by cold to ensure it doesn’t breed bacteria.


7. Change the head of your brush every 3 – 6 months, depending on how often you use it.

Darphin Facial Sonic Massaging

This is the feature that got me excited about because it isn't available in other brushes in the market. After the cleansing the massage part comes by changing the head to a smooth steel head designed in a star pattern that works with the natural facial muscle structure. Its aim is to refresh and smooth the skin while relaxing the facial muscles and stimulating microcirculation.  It can be used with whatever skin treatment you are having, helping to better absorb the creams in use.

The steps:

1. Apply the cream or gel of choice either to the head directly or to the skin. Right now I'm using Darphin Smoothing and Retexturizing Radiance Cream 


2. Apply a minimum quantity to the head


3. Let the device do the work, just move it around in a gentle way.


4. Use it twice a day with your morning moisturizing routine and the night treatment.


5. This brush doesn't need to be replaced in time, the steel will resist forever.

 

The Darphin sonic cleanser and massager contributes on the long term in reducing pore size, boosting microcirculation and giving an optimized absorption of moisturizers. I needed a smoother, radiant and hydrated skin for my wedding shoot in Tuscany and I had the best help I could have asked for given the 18 hour trip across the world to reach my shooting location.

*This post is in collaboration with Darphin