What Your Skin Needs at Every Age: A Complete Skincare Timeline

As an esthetician, I hear these questions all the time:
❓ “At what age should I start using this serum?”
❓ “How young is too young for a facial?”
❓ “Does my teen need a skincare routine?”
❓ “I just turned 30—should I be switching things up?”
❓ “I’m 50… why am I still dealing with acne?!”

In this blog, I’ll answer those questions while I walk you through what skincare products and goals to focus on at different stages of life. Of course, everyone’s skin is unique, so this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach—but it’s a great guide to help you understand what to expect and how to care for your skin at any age!

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New Esthetician? Here’s How to Get the Best Facial + 4 Skin-Clearing Tips

Your skin deserves the best care, and finding a new esthetician can feel nerve-wracking. Right now, I’m in the process of relocating my skincare studio from Chicago to Colorado, and I feel for my skincare clients because I know it can be hard to find a beauty practitioner you really connect with and feel good about spending your money with. Will your new esthetician understand your skin like your previous esthetician did? Will the facial be worth it? Will you get the same results?

The good news is that there are a few simple steps you can take to make sure your experience is smooth and beneficial. Plus, I’m sharing pro tips to keep your skin glowing between facials!

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Manuka Honey for Skincare: Science-Backed Benefits You Need to Know

Manuka honey is well-liked in the wellness and beauty community for many reasons. It is different from regular honey because it contains naturally occurring antibacterial compounds. These compounds make it great for wound healing, digestive health, and immune health. And it is antioxidant-rich! Truly an esthetician’s dream.

Manuka honey is derived from the nectar of the Mānuka tea tree and must pass specific guidelines before being sold, making it a very special type of honey. This medicinal honey is used internally and externally for its various health and beauty benefits; today, I’m focusing on its external skincare benefits.

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Katherine M StribakosComment
Skincare Advice: Estheticians vs. Influencers – How to Find the Best Products for Your Skin

Skincare advice is abundant! But, this overload of information can make it difficult to figure out exactly who has the best advice or who to listen to. Some people are giving sound skin care advice based on science and education, others are giving advice based on personal experience, and many are trying to promote products simply just to make money 💰

So where should you get your skincare advice from? Those who have the knowledge and have your best interests in mind!

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Katherine M StribakosComment
Dry Skin? Here’s Why You Need a Humidifier in Your Skincare Routine

If you live in a dry climate or are experiencing dry skin, this blog post is for you! As someone with dry skin who braves Chicago winters every year, I can tell you firsthand—a humidifier isn’t just nice to have, it’s a total game-changer. Without one my skin feels tight, dry, and dull and is prone to flakiness.

Let’s talk about why a humidifier might be the secret weapon your skincare routine is missing!

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Gentle Facial Cleansing: The Rise of Creamy and Non-Sudsing Formulas

Gentle, creamy, non-sudsing cleansers are rising in popularity!

Could this be because too many people overdid it with retinol and chemical exfoliants in the past year? Or maybe now with the influx of skincare information, more people are now realizing that a gentle, balancing cleanser that doesn’t disrupt the skin’s barrier health is what their skin needs. Whatever the reasoning is, I am excited that these hydrating and nourishing cleansing products are getting more eyes on them 👀

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Keeping Your Skin Hydrated in Winter: 8 Expert Tips

Keeping your skin hydrated and healthy in these months with harsh, cold, winter air can be a hard thing to do! Freezing temperatures and dry air can make your skin feel tight, itchy, and flaky but they can also highlight certain fine lines, wrinkles, and pigmentation because our skin is so dry.

Follow these expert hydration tips to ensure your skin stays soft, healthy, youthful, and glowing all year round.

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Facial Massage and Gua Sha: Your Complete Video Tutorial Collection

Explore this collection of all my video tutorials for facial massage, facial gua sha, and more! I created these video tutorials and step-by-step guides to teach you the best techniques to de-puff, list, brighten, and enhance your skin’s health. My main goal is for everyone to have healthy skin that they feel confident in. That’s why I created all of these free and easy-to-access tutorials. Grab your skincare bestie, facial oil, and maybe a gua sha stone or facial massage tool and enjoy the tutorials!

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Katherine M StribakosComment
Face Taping Tutorial: Your Esthetician's Go-To Way for Applying Face Tape

If you read my previous blog post you now know exactly how facial tapes work and why we love them for helping our skin to be healthy, firm, lifted, radiant, and wrinkle-free. If you haven’t gotten a chance to read it (which I highly recommend before starting your facial tape application) I’ll list a few key details about face taping ⤵️

  • Facial taping helps reduce wrinkles by promoting healthy oxygen and nutrient flow to the area you apply it to

  • Facial taping is NOT about stretching or physically lifting the skin using tape

  • There is a proper sequence for applying and removing tape

  • You’ll need a specific K-tape made for the face. I bought mine from thenaturalfaces.com

  • Just like facial massage, when done consistently (a few times a week) you’ll start to see your wrinkle reduction and antiaging results

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Katherine M StribakosComment
Face Taping 101

I love nothing more than skincare treatments that reduce wrinkles, keep us looking lifted, AND benefit the overall health of our skin and body. Utilizing specialty kinesiology tape made for facial application is one of the ways that we can treat the overall health of our skin and receive anti-aging benefits. Face tape application can also be helpful for opening nasal passageways and the release of jaw/neck tension.

So what is face tape and why are we all of a sudden hearing about it more and more?

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Katherine M StribakosComment
From Nature to Science: Trending Skincare Ingredients to Watch

Last week on my social media I asked what topic you wanted to read about the most, and an overwhelming amount of you wanted to learn more about trending skincare ingredients. I love that! Things change, evolve, and progress very quickly and I know it’s my job as an esthetician to keep you up to date. I did some research and made a list of skincare ingredients that all of you are searching the internet for the most.

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Katherine M StribakosComment