My FAVORITE Facial Oil

Okay so let’s do the math on how I decided this product was my absolute favorite facial oil…I have been an esthetician for 13 years, a skincare/beauty enthusiast for almost 2 decades, and I’ve been on this earth for 33 years. That’s quite a bit of time for me to shop for, test, and try ALL of the facial oils and I’ve come to the decision that the ‘nourishing serum’ is truly my favorite facial oil. This product is a part of my personal daily skincare routine and also something that I use during every facial at my care studio. Over the past few years the nourishing serum has become scrub me’s best-selling product, so I think it deserves a highlight on the blog 🥰.

Katherine M StribakosMarch 28, 2023Comment

Skin Dictionary: Your Dictionary For Dermatologist Prescribed Treatments 📖

Often times an idea for a blog post comes from discussions I have with my esthetic clients. And this blog post is exactly that! As an esthetician, I always know what my clients use for skincare, their skincare routine/habits, and if they are being prescribed something by a dermatologist. What I found so interesting is that SO many people have prescription items from their derm that they use as instructed but have no idea what the product is or what the ingredients are. You know my philosophy behind skincare, I want you all to have the most information possible; the more you understand your skincare products the better you can care for your skin.

Katherine M StribakosMarch 22, 2023Comment

Unpopular Opinion: Not Everyone Needs a Retinol

Retinol! It’s a skincare word we now hear so often and it seems like anyone and everyone is adding or wanting to add retinol to their skincare routine. Retinol products are interesting to me as an esthetician because while they can add benefit to your skincare routine it’s also possible for retinol and retinoid products to cause quite a bit of damage to your skin. So if you’re asking me if I think everyone needs retinol in their skincare routine…my answer is no.

Katherine M StribakosMarch 9, 2023 Comments

Face Massage: How it Really Works 🧐

Face massage is a technique that has many forms. This type of facial treatment can be performed using a gua sha stone, facial rollers, gua sha spoon, or just your hands alone. We can use massage to treat specific skincare concerns like lines/wrinkles, breakouts, sagging skin, dull skin, and a puffy face and/or neck. In this blog post, you’ll learn all about the science behind face massage and why I find it works so well for giving us the skincare results we desire.

Katherine M StribakosFebruary 25, 2023Comment

My Current Skincare Routine

This is my most current and up-to-date skincare routine. If I had to guess I would say I have been doing this specific routine for a little less than a year. For my skin, I have goals of keeping my dry skin hydrated and radiant (not dull), antiaging and preventing aging, and making sure my complexion stays even since I have the tendency to get small red bumps and breakouts.

Katherine M StribakosFebruary 17, 2023Comment

Quiz! Which Serum is Right for You?

My job as an esthetician is to help you feel your best in your skin! Part of that job entails curating skincare routines and recommending products that I feel would work well for your needs. Serums can provide amazing benefits and results for our skin, I find them to be some of the most beneficial skincare items. But there are SO many products out there it’s hard to know what’s out there or what works best for your skin. I created this quiz to help simplify your serum searching!

Katherine M StribakosFebruary 1, 2023Comment

Broken Out, Red, Textured Cheeks: What Your Skin is Trying to Tell You

Let’s get really specific today and focus on a specific area of the face that very commonly has issues. Our cheeks! For so many people, the cheek area of the face can get red, sensitive, & have small bumps, or break out without warning. So if this is happening to your skin, don’t feel alone because it’s super common.

Skin-Loving, Antioxidants and Greens Smoothie Recipe 🥬🥤

Often I share skincare treatment and skincare product recommendations that will help you have the best looking and feeling skin. Today I’m sharing my smoothie recipe that contains lots of hydration, vitamins, and antioxidants that give us skin that glows from the inside out!

Katherine M StribakosJanuary 16, 2023Comment

How Your Diet Affects Your Skin

Our dietary habits play a big role when we are aiming to maintain healthy skin! When I’m talking about “diet” in no way am I speaking about goals of losing weight, total body wellness is important when striving for a clear and radiant complexion. Certain proteins and carbs work with different vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies and the skin's barrier functioning properly. Since we are all different, there is no one specific diet that will lead to bright, healthy skin. But, there are definitely some good things we can add or subtract from our diet to help our skin look clearer and more radiant! With each different skin type, concern, or condition comes different nutritional changes that can be made to achieve the healthiest skin possible.

As an esthetician and wellness enthusiast, I have learned and experienced many different ways of approaching diet when it comes to our skin’s health. I’m sharing all my helpful info with you all!

My Current Gua Sha Face Massage Routine

Are you looking for a sign to start incorporating more gua sha into your skincare routine? Well, I think this is it! For the past couple of years, I have been really consistent about giving myself a gua sha face massage about once a week. I set aside 15-25 minutes to use a facial oil and a gua sha stone to massage my face using movements I’ve learned through my education and training classes. My current goals are to prevent signs of aging, keep my complexion clear, lift and firm my face/neck, and make sure my skin always looks radiant. I’ve found that having a consistent face massage and skincare routine helps me achieve these goals.

Katherine M StribakosDecember 29, 2022Comment

Deep Hydration: Moisturizer Recommendations & Hydration Tips for Winter 💦

Do you struggle with dry, flaky, dull, and/or itchy skin? I can relate! My skin has the tendency to get so uncomfortably dry and itchy that I literally started a skincare company because of it 😉. Over the years I have gathered many hydration and moisture-boosting tips for treating and taking care of dry skin. After reading this blog post you’ll go from feeling dry, tight, and itchy to soft, firm, and healthy.

Katherine M StribakosDecember 18, 2022Comment

10 [Esthetician Approved] Skincare Products Under $50

I know so many of us are in a shopping mood this month! I just love to treat myself a little extra in December 😉 it’s well deserved after an accomplished year. I discovered a lot of new skincare items this year and also used a lot of items I know and love. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you so you can elevate your skincare routine before the year ends! These are 10 of my current favorite items under $50. At the end of this blog post, you’ll find an extra special scrub me secret 🎁

Katherine M StribakosDecember 6, 2022Comment

An Esthetician's Guide to Getting the Best Facial

Think about the results we ideally want from a facial. What are some words that come to mind? Clear skin, healthy skin, glowing face, soft skin? All of these are things that come to mind for me when I think about regular facial visits to your trusted esthetician. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we hope to leave a facial feeling amazing about our renewed skin. Unfortunately, a positive facial experience isn’t something that happens for everyone; sometimes you can leave a facial feeling bummed that your skin didn’t get the care/treatment you had wanted or hoped for. I’m giving you my best tips and esthetician info for getting the best facial possible and finding an esthetician that can be your teammate for achieving better skin!

7 of My Favorite Facial Masks✨

While face massage might be my favorite way to elevate a skincare routine, masking is in a close second. Adding a therapeutic facial mask to your skincare routine once a week is a great way to make your skin even better than it already is! It’s like giving yourself a mini facial at home. Just think of your #1 skincare goal; is it to be more hydrated and have softer skin? To clear pimples? Balance oils and diminish blackheads? Brighten your skin? There’s a mask for every skincare need and I’m listing my favorites below!

Katherine M StribakosNovember 17, 2022Comment

Light Therapy For Clear & Youthful Skin

Light therapy for skin: what is it? LED light therapy for skin is when a device that holds many little LED bulbs emits light to provide therapeutic benefits for your skin. These devices come in handheld form, masks that you can place onto your face, and flexible panels that you can bend and place over your face, neck, or other body parts. In order for an LED device to be effective in delivering results we’d like to see if 400-500 nanometers of light for blue light devices and 600-700 nanometers of light for red LED….

Katherine M StribakosNovember 8, 2022Comment