Dish-Houston

Zoey has been working on her craft for almost 10 years so sitting with her and talking about her passion - skin care - was an educational process that I wasn't expecting. I have been playing in beauty for many MANY years so to learn new things is very refreshing. Here is what Zoey at the Rice Village location of True Beauty had to say about Winterizing your skin care regime.

She starts with what seems basic but has to much wisdom to it. Regardless of how long you've been playing in skin care, preparing skin for winter is something you should see your specialist about first. Get analyzed for any climate change you encounter because you will need different skin care, even when you're just traveling because the climate will be different.  

Some folks who are in busy and needone stop shop product she suggests SPF. The Sun's rays are still very active during the winter months and you can still get burned, sun damage and wrinkles and skin cancer.

Zoey prefers separate moisturizer and SPF because the SPF product alone is usually more effective and a combo product. You won't use enough of the moisturizer to get the amount of SPF that your skin will need to be effective. Glow therapeutics has a great one that is 40 SPF and not heavy. Ultra Tint from Dermologica that is a 30 SPF if you like the combo product. It matches most skin shades but it isan SPF first so it is effective but you will still have to use a moisturizer during the colder months.

Remember, there is a huge difference between oil and water. Whentalking hydration they're talking water for the skin. Here in Houston we have humidity so a hydrating serum is prob best if you are, in fact, dehydrated which is the case for most people. If you are not drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water a day then you will be dehydrated and it will show up in your skin. If you are on certain kinds medications or hormones they will make your skin dry. IF you are truly DRY then you can add an oil to your skin that translates into a heavier moisturizer. If you are dehydrated from not drinking enough water and add a heavier moisturizer then you will break out more. You're simply confusing your skin. Water is self binding to it takes water from you to attract water to itself and hydrate your skin.

Again, before you decide what you need for yourself, treat yourself to a FREE consultation with Zoey so you don't cause breakouts or waste money on products that aren't right for your skin. You can have beautiful skin while being budget conscious.

It boils down to this, yes, you will have to move to a slightly heavier moisturizer for the winter months, just like changing your wardrobe but which one is something you should discuss with Zoey!

Another tip for younger, more beautiful and radiant skin: Don't over exfoliate!!                                        If you exfoliate too much you will end up with either thicker skin or thinner skin which leads to more pigment damage, capillary damage and environmental damage. So a chemical peel or lasers treatment would be better for you rather than a microderm for instance.  A professional won't necessarily give you what you ask for, they will educate you and guide you to what is best for your skin over all so be ready for that when you make your appointment.

Zoey has been a skin share specialist since 2005 and has her international accreditation meaning she can work in 34 countries. She had to learn more advanced physiology and deeper knowledge of the skin to receive this accreditation. Making people feelgood about themselves is her motivation. She has always loved skin care and had a deep love for skin care products since she was a little girl. She knew there was something special going on when she realised she was cconstantly buying the latest and greatest and like all of us, the gift with purchase was the best part! BUT rarely was it what was best for her skin so the free product and waste of money became tiresome. It took her a while to realize that if wasn't the product that made you beautiful it was the skin under it so she started researching and learning.

The thing about great skin care is there is the process of elimination. Even the best skin care specialist may recommend something that isn't quite right for your skin so it is trial and error. Just like working out or finding the right diet for yourself.

ZOEY'S FAVS:

* Hydrodynamic from Murad is gives moisturizer without being too heavy or causing out break for folks who still have oil. Great for the Houston climate.

* Ahava extreme day cream with Dead Sea salts so your body only absorbs what it needs. It creates the balance. It will leach and return moisture to skin as it needs it. And the product smells soooooooo good!

* Glow serum or the Deremologica Cyto Lluxe or Multi Vitamin Power (DISH Endorsed) 
The serum is like your vitamin so you will still need a moisturizer.

* Eye Cream: Dermologica Age Reversal has caffiene and light defuses! Plus it was Retinol so it exfoliates, the peptides and cermamides hydrate from the inside out.

*Glow Cyto Luxe Eye Cream is recommended but if you're a bit oily that is not the one for you.

Zoey would love to guide you and help you with your skin. She feels education is the best she can do for anyone. Make your appointment for a FREE 15 minute consultation and bring the bag of products you use! Together, you can decide if it needs tweaking or not. 713-526-2553

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!

Most Houstonians have heard of True Beauty Salon and Spas. There are two locations, one at Woodway and Voss and the other in Rice Village. What most folks don't know is that they are not affiliated with the national chain, they are locally owned! The same husband and wife team have owned True Beauty for 21 years! Of course, in the past they were affiliated with a national brand but just this year have gone out on their own. Isn't Houston so lucky to have such a great locally owned company? True Beauty offers a wide array of salon and spa services as well as top products such as Aveda, Eminence, Dermalogica, Pureology, Morrocan Oil, Phyto, and Bumble and Bumble.

Since taking full ownership Monique has really participated in giving back to the community! She participated in Fashion's Night Out with Carrie Ann Boutique in Uptown Park AND Rotary Skyline and Pepperdine Houston Chapter's Step Forward Day. Look for them later this year also participating as a sponsor for Tour de Pink and the cancer card!

There will be a lot more coming up about True Beauty here on DISH so keep checking back! We're looking forward to the holidays because we have new and unique gifts coming into the stores!

It's a beauty Christmas!