Dish-Houston

BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR LORI FREESE:

True Beauty is so much more than a one stop shop for all of your favorite beauty lines…and so much more you had no clue you wanted or needed….but it is also a really great salon! YES SALON!! I was taken aback when I walked through the store while awaiting my facial with Erika Rodriguez. The salon is so beautiful, clean, well run and a bonus: everyone smiles and says hello! It was a peaceful Saturday morning, people were milling about smelling shampoos and lotions, a few clients were getting their hair done and the manicurist was giggling away while performing her magic. It is such a peaceful and fun environment. I’d like to think this is a little bit of what Heaven will be like because I LOVE being pampered and playing in beauty products.

When Erica came out to greet me she handed me a very well thought out skin questionnaire with details you never thought would matter when just going for a facial. That was the first sign I was in for something great! The room is quaint with a curved ceiling painted with clouds that take your imagination away as you lay on the warm bed with a large plastic, oil covered water bottle…I admit it made me wonder. Once she got to the massage it all made wonderful and blissful sense.

While Erika worked on my skin I took the time to get to know her. I don’t know about you but it is one thing when someone is recommended to you but I still want to know about their education and history! Turns out she is very well educated! I grilled her, believe me! She takes every possible continuing education class she can get herself to and is in the process of learning how lasers work! She is on the cutting edge of everything skin care that she can be. Ms. Rodriguez has been a skincare therapist for 8 yrs and been in skincare and make up for 14 yrs. She started as a make-up artist but was having trouble helping people look their absolute best on their big occasions because they didn’t have a good skin care regime. Having a good canvas helps the paint go on better. That is what made her go back to school. She truly cares about helping people look their best thus feel their best.

In my treatment she used the Precleanse by Dermalogica which is an oil based cleanser. I like this for the evening after the day of make-up and skin oils all caked up. Oil attaches to oil and gives you a cleaner clean without stripping your skin. This is available for purchase $35. Next was Skin Resurfacing Cleanser which has little exfoliates in it and is also available for purchase at $38. Keep in mind; you only need a little bit of each product at a time. These may sound a little expensive but they will last for at least 3 months and the improvement you will see in your skin will be priceless! Erika followed that with a back bar product, which means it is not available for purchase, the skin exfoliating system, a scaling fluid with calming botanical mixer then post extraction solution and a soothing additive because my skin had been worked over, which I asked her to do!! She followed that with an environmental serum topped with the Ultra Calming Masque that felt so good, cool and calming $43. The Age Smart Toner which retails at $38 followed by the Ultra Calming Complex (back bar), The Ultra Calming Serum Concentrate $53, and finished with The Hydrating Serum by Cellex C and of course…Lippy Stuff!

As previously mentioned my skin had been worked over meaning I had a derma-blading treatment a week before my treatment with Erika so it was VERY sensitive. She used the ultra calming line to help reduce redness and inflammation.

When I asked Erika what the main message she wanted to get across to people was she had this to say,

“The main thing I want people to know is that I provide services to help you feel good, look good, as well as address your specific skin care needs. I use my years of education and experience to assess your skin as well as the questionnaire you fill out before you even come into my room so I can give you the best service for your needs. My services include facials, acne treatments, and varying strengths of chemical peels, microdermabrasion, waxing, tinting, and make-up services.”

The massage that comes with the facial as you are waiting for your mask to set is probably the best kept secret in Houston…until now…remember the oil covered plastic water bottle type thing I mentioned you lay on?? Wow, whoever came up with that should be knighted.

Ms. Rodriguez in all of her brilliance suggested two take home products. The first was the Aveda Lip Saver.

The packaging says:

Nurture your lips with our soothing, moisturizing, botanical balm containing nature's anti-oxidants and natural waxes that help seal in moisture.

• Delivers lasting moisture relief to dry lips
• Refreshes with cinnamon leaf, clove and anise oils

In the nature of full disclosure I have to say I am a lippy stuff fanatic. It is my very favorite thing in the world and no matter what purse I am carrying you will find no less than 5 lippy products in said bag at any given time. Buying this was a no brainer but I actually like it. I can eat and drink and my lips are still moisturized afterwards so there is less application and the product lasts longer. For only $8.50 it is practically a steal.

The next take home was from Dermalogica. This is a skin care line that I have used on and off since I was a teenager so there was familiarity with the history of the brand. The product itself is brand new to the line however and I was able to take it home and use it well before it officially hit the market thanks to the local Dermalogica rep, Jackie Casteneda who made sure it was in my hot little hands and on my face for a couple of weeks before it was available to the public just so I could write this story!

It’s the new Multivitamin Power Serum. Here is how it works, microencapsulated vitamins A, C and E penetrates deep into skin- where they can do their best work. Over time, this helps to decrease fine lines and hyper-pigmentation (age spots) while stimulating collagen formation to decrease sun-induced aging in skin. According to the literature, it also boosts elasticity levels with a skin-strengthening protein peptide that overrides biochemical triggers that lead to skin aging. Don;t you love science-y talk?

Now, the truth of the matter is I did see a difference while using this product. My skin is softer, the wrinkles around my eyes are lesser and there is an overall healthier look to my skin’s appearance. AND, this is the best part, I am actually getting compliments! If you have the beginnings of age signs creeping up on you I do suggest you run to True Beauty ASAP and snag some before there is a wait list for it.  $65

Call True Beauty today for your appointment and tell them DISH sent you!