Jean's Winter Beauty Secrets: Part One
By Pure+Simple Co-Founder Jean Eng
Cold weather brings new challenges to skincare. They affect all skin types ranging from dry, combination, and oily skin and trigger many unwanted skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, acne, rosacea, and just plain dry itchiness. These conditions have many people asking: what are the secrets to beautiful skin naturally in late fall and winter?
In the crazy fluctuations of this global warming-affected fall, I have been getting many compliments for the moist smoothness of my skin. So what’s my secret? It’s actually very “pure + simple”: after cleansing morning and night, I apply a serum followed by a face oil for my skin type before any moisturizer.
How can the secret be so simple and yet so many people suffer from dry itchy skin or dull skin with enlarged pores this season? Well, knowledge is power, so keep reading to understand why I live by this pure + simple philosophy. The reason why adding a serum and face oil before your moisturizer is so beneficial is because these steps help support the health of your skin by supplementing its moisturizing factors: your serum increases protein and water content; face oils help balance oils; and your moisturizer supports your skin’s sebum.
The right serum and face oil for your skin will be chosen depending on your skin type and what you want them to do. In this part of my “Winter Beauty Secrets” series, I will explain the importance of serums and how you can choose the best one for your skin.
Beauty Secret #1: Use a Serum
Traditionally, serums have been thick liquid-like products with active ingredients like vitamins and antioxidants to enhance your skin by delivering more concentrated amounts of minerals, vitamins and other ingredients. They have long been viewed as an implicit luxury.
But serums should not be seen as superfluous. Skin hydration is the secret to beautiful, plump skin and Pure + Simple serums are, first and foremost, designed to replenish the skin’s moisture content. The formulas of all our Seaweed, Aloe Vera, and Glycerin-based serums supplement the water + protein part of our skin. This base is supported by other hydrating ingredients such as Collagen, Honey, Hyaluronic Acid and Ceramides.
Knowing your skin type and needs makes choosing the best serum for your skin easy.
If you have mature or aging skin, the best serum is the Pure + Simple Collagen Elastin Plus. As its name reveals, it has the essential proteins that increase the plumpness and tone of your skin along with well-known hydrating ingredients like Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid. This serum is our most popular product as it is instantly nourishing, producing visible results and appealing even to clients who aren’t as concerned about natural skincare.
An excellent serum for more sensitive + aging skin is the Minimalist Face Lift Serum Plus, a lifting and smoothing serum featuring whey protein. Busy professionals love results but with fuss-free routines, so the Minimalist line was designed for those sensitive skin and/or maturing types. Clients have found that this product helps rejuvenate skin to make it smoother, more youthful, and with smaller pores. Other ingredients in this serum act as inflammation-reducing agents (Poria Mushroom) and increase skin moisture levels (Phragmites Communis Extract).
An increasingly popular serum is our Hydration Serum. It is designed to reduce redness by hydrating and calming skin with the nurturing base of Seaweed, Aloe Vera and Glycerin with soothing Poria Mushroom and Magnolia. This serum can be used by all skin types, especially those that are prone to skin conditions like eczema or dermatitis from dryness.
For skin that tends to break out, the Pure + Simple Pure Skin Face Serum reduces the appearance of acne with a hydrating base and actively purifying ingredients like Black Cumin Seed Oil.
Incorporating a serum to your routine can immediately alleviate dehydration and the negative effects of the cooler weather. But, to truly achieve well-balanced skin, a face oil should also be considered. Stay tuned for part two to find out what my secret to choosing an effective all-natural facial oil is!
