Welcome to my beauty blog!

  I'm so excited to start my new beauty blog. For the past two months I changed my skin care routine, look a decade younger and decided to share it. It's based on the theory of beauty through science instead of blindly flowing brand.

I am going to review skin care products honestly, and continue trying on different products and blog about them.

This was the result of Skyendor products and facials from Carol Baker Visage and my new routine that I tried products from Winners (TJMaxx) based on that theory. From their $10 facials of Carol Baker Visage I entered a new world of beauty

 I will be interviewing beauty professionals. I will address the problem of women in their 30s (I am 34), what can we do to delay the use of botox as long as possible? (It's sooo expensive!!!).

So this is my routine:

To have good skin you must understand science. 

DON'T DO YOUR OWN THING & EXPECT SAME RESULTS!!!!!

Also it's not how fancy the brand is but how good the science is!

To get good skin, you must understand how it works. I am no longer in my 20s so I will cover acne in another post. That's not the stage where I am now. To prevent minor acne, keep pores from clogging.

Hydrate in the morning - renew in the evening + 1 brightening mask a week + one other mask, a charcoal skin clearing mask every other week. 

                    

                                   

Hydrating Routine for the Day.

1. TONER:  (To clean) Use a hydrating toner to take out oils blocking penetration of product and old moisturizers IN ADDITION TO YOUR MAKEUP REMOVER. A hydrating one is the best kind. I use Garnier Skin Active $12 from the drugstore. Wipe your face with it, clean off the dirt
   
2. SERUM: (To hydrate) Use a hydrating serum during the day. I use one with Glycolic until it runs out and my skin is nice and even. Hyaluronic acid serum is the most powerful moisturizer.  After my face is even, then I use a Hyalurnic Acid serum and followed by a Collegin serum during the day (does wonders for growing my nails).. Why serum? Because the particles are small enough to penetrate your skin. Massage your serum in circles. SERUM IS NOT ENOUGH TO MOISTURIZE YOUR SKIN. Use a couple drops or more as needed. It will evaporate. You need a second thing, a moisturizer that's milky/gelly to keep it in. In Rio I'd put one drop. In Canada in the winter, I go through 2 bottles a month. 
   
3. MOISTURIZER: (to seal) A milky moisturizer. A creamy one will attack the serum. Moisturizer molecules are too big to effectively go inside. A milky one lets the skin breathe and foundation/tint/bb cream go on smoothly.  Rosewater ones are effective and refreshing. Recently I changed to a Bayer and Bayer one for $9, and its great. But like the $10 Skinlab moisturizer I got at Winners/TJMaxx. A moisturizer with a hyaluronic acid serum gel is amazing like Olay moisturizer with Hyaluronic acid. Nivea is surprisingly good 
   
   
   
4. SUNSCREEN HABIBI! And HAT!! (to prevent wrinkles). Make sure its over SPF 30. The burka and Niqab were invented as the earliest anti aging devices. Nothing ages like sunrays. Since suncreen has to be reapplied since you move your face, hat, sunglasses help. When doing nails with Shellac ... this is how I discovered I was aging... please use Sunscreen right before or don't use shellac. I had to almost botox my hands from the horrid damage UV rays created. Now I use Shiseido sunblock SPF 50+ no problem. I use such an intense sunscreen, so I mix it with a drop of BB cream three shades darker than my skin so that the sunscreen is the right shade. Always put foundation on top if you have acne. if you have a red spot, above the moisturizer, and below the sunscreen, put urban decay primer. If its red, add a green concealer. Then add your concealer. One shade less dark helps or same color. Let it dry, then put sunscreen, then put another layer of urban decay primer and regular concealer over the sunscreen if its that bad. If you drive, WEAR GLOVES or your hands will show your age. Get fabric princess fabric gloves at a halloween or little girl store, get scissors and cut out the tips.                                                                                
5. See Physician if you have ACNE Address the route of acne if you have it. Cover FX foundation will cover it, and tattoos, especially if you put mineral powder on top but covering acne will make it worse. Apparently some mineral powders that don't hide much on their own will not make acne worse ... but take the medicine your doctor tells you and listen to your doctor. Follow instructions of your doctor precisely and don't invent your own crap if you want results. If its not working, change the doctor after one or two weeks but follow instructions precisely.  
6. 

Remember the Day Time 4 

1. Toner. 2. Serum 3. Moisturizer 4. Hat and Sunscreen

5. See doctor if acne. 

For the eyes I have a special routine, I use a Shiseido Power infusing eye concentrate to moisturize the area, sometimes have an eye serum before. Then I apply my Urban Decay 48 hour eye primer. So whatever cream says its anti wrinkle eye cream moisturizes the eyes and helps the eye primer lay beautifully or it looks terrible and cakey without it. 

 Eye 4 Routine?
1. Micellar Water makeup remover. 2. serum (optional) 3. anti wrinkle eye moisturizer 4. Urban Decay 24 hour primer. 

I like this image because its not retouched and my first two weeks of taking care of my skin.

Revitalizing Night Routine:

1. Makeup Remover: Micellar water is the best anti makeup remover. I use primer, setting spray, waterproof industrial grade makeup. I have tried from Lancome to every makeup remover there is over the course of my life. Garnier Skinactive Miceller Water for Waterproof makeup is the best out there, especially if you wear professional makeup as a model or pageant contestant
2. TONER:  (To clean),  I use Garnier Skin Active $12 from the drugstore, with Aloe Vera, as I said earlier. Use what you like as long as it moisturizes. As you age the skin is stripped of moisture so be careful with the anti acne ones. 
3. SERUM: (To revive your skin). After the age of 25, your skin stops producing elasticin, collegin and hydrates less. So basically your skin is less moist and less elastic, because you produce less of that naturally. If nature is not helping you, you got to pump those elastic numbers up! The fastest way to do that is a retinol serum. * Tip: use brands that say MD/Lab/doctor over any famous fashion brand. Their products perform better.* 
4. OPTIONAL - MOISTURIZER: (to seal). In the winter in places that snow like Canada or desert like conditions like Sanaa Yemen, do seal. If you are in a tropical place like rio, not necessary. In a tropical place just put a tiny bit to seal.
5. OPTIONAL - Bio oil n -a drop if you skip the moisturizer if your face is un-even. I hate wearing foundation so I always opt for even skin instead. But too much bio oil can clog pores and cause acne, so put a minimal drop and massage the discoloured area - its good to go for a professional microdermabrasian/peel facial once a year and do brightening masks. This is more of a spot treatment because too much can clog pores thus cause acne - just a dab on the spot. 

And the lovely thing about the night routine? You don't need to wear a hat! 

Christian Dior models wear two masks a week. I learned that it makes a huge difference to have a brightening mask once a week. One that involves peeling is even better. Rich ladies can do a mild chemical peel once a month or the lastest medical advances are. I used a drug store $1.50 mask. Now one that gives CRAZY results, the best  results is this mask you should use once a week. I bought it for $8 at Winners/TJMaxx. 

I will one day do a before after. It's very key that you detox your face with a brightening mask of some sort once a week. A peel off mask works better for this. 

Why? You moisutrize and moisturize your face like crazy with my routine, that creates build up. So you got to clean up any extra guck that could clog pores and cause adult acne. If you do your brightening mask once a week and anti adult acne charachoal clense mask once every two weeks, you will not get adult acne. I was lazy doing this so today I got one little bump I have to clear out with my anti acne kit. Discipline makes a difference.

Again faces are different. Dry faces require more moisturizer so you have to do brightening and anti acne thing religiously to compensate for the hydration you put in. 

Dior models have 2 facial masks a week. A friend modeled for Dior, so I know. 

My First facial is always a brightening. Week 1, pick what you need. If your face is not elastic, collegin gold masks do help a little (not the plastic surgery replacement they allege they are in the advertising). Snail masks are a waste of money. A Hyalurnic Acid masque from Garnier does the same thing but for $4. 

Week 1.

1. Brightening Mask. 

or

2. Gold collegin/ A Hyalurnic Acid moisturizing mask/ whatever you think you need

Week 2.

1. Brightening mask 

2.Clay/ Charcoal acne prevention & blackhead removal.

From Carol Baker visage, I tried a few facials. They did hydrating, brightening and then anti acne. My face started to glow. Then I saved up and got their anti wrinkle rattle snake poison ampules. 

That is another post. I massaged it in, and it worked like botox and restylane. I have not seen anything like it. My skin even got impressions when I sadly massaged it too much the wrong way so I had to massage it the other way. 

But what I learned is skin needs to be hydrated, then brightened and then hydrated then cleansed after hydrated.  In some climates, you might need the acne prevention mask twice a week, and brightening once a week. 

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My main take away? 

The difference between the baby's skin and yours?

The difference between this under 25 woman's skin and yours?

Elasticity and moisture.

Notice the skin is not dehydrated and it's bouncy.

Here is a child's dehyrdated skin. Does it not look old?

The good news for children is they can recover by moisturizing. 

Keep your skin bouncy by having retinol A bring back the skin's collegan which is like the skin's bouncing castle. It's great at night. 

Moisture keeps it young too. 

Keep your skin moist and bouncy and it will look youthful. 

Why are women scared of botox? Surgery? Because it looks like a stretched old drum and looks fake if a woman does not replenish the collegan and moisture her face stops giving out as regularly as it used to before she was 25. 

Notice in this photo we see old skin tied tightly like a drum and then stuffed with fillers, but the skin is old, so it looks uglier and more unnatural than if she had nothing done at all. 

Lebanese 40+ year old actress Haifa Wehbe has had every injection and surgerical procedure imaginable. 

Indian Actress Aishrawiya Rai also had work done or creams or botox or something.  

Now let's compare them. 

The blonde?                       vs                             the Brunettes

                                                                               

The difference?

The brunettes have moist & elastic bouncy skin. Thus even if they had work done, it does not appear this way. 

If your skin is moist and elastic, botox will not give you a botox look. Neither would surgery. 

There is no way of cheating around skin! Youthful skin and figure requires discipline! Past a certain age if you don't lift weights and go to the gym, the skin on your body will sag and tell your age. When you are young, you can eat what you like but as you age, it sticks more and more to your body so you need discipline. Same goes with the face. 

You need a regular regimen for your skin and body!

Just like when someone who eats pizza, all the bad foods, never exercises gets surgery to remove their fat will get their fat right back if they don't have a routine - botox/surgery alone won't help if you don't work on keeping your skin bouncy & moist, and safe from the sun.  

But how do I tan you ask?

In Miss Universe Canada, we always use sunless tanner. A month before the pageant I'd start with neutrogenia sunless tanner and mix it half with La Senza or Victoria's Secret body lotion (so that I like the smell, and you need something to smooth it to reduce lines). I would take the darker or blacker one so it does not have an orange effect and mix it a lot with my scented body lotion to dilute it and smooth the application and in a month the gradual results are natural and beautiful. It lasts as long as a natural tan if not longer. San Tropez apparently can give you a faster tan, but what is done gradually doesn't have streaks, is smoother and looks better. 

This is the oldest anti aging strategy from Yemen. It works like magic. Ask dermatologists who worked there.

The problem is wearing this on western streets is impractical. But it works. A Bosnian dermatologist married to a Yemeni told me in Bosnia, she'd get a skin cancer cancer once every two weeks, but in Yemen it was once every two decades. 

Keep out of the sun if you want to stay young. And wear a hat.

                                    

This Yemeni gentleman did not care about hats and not tanning. 

The reason why youth matters more in a woman than a man is women lose their fertility when they lose their youth, while men retain theirs. So that's why a clearly not young but rich and famous actor like George Clooney was an eligible sought after bachelor. He managed to marry a young woman and had two kids with his young wife. 

At the same time we do not see young men lining up for Helen Mirren, as elegant as she is. 

                           

The cry isn't "he left me for a younger woman." Rather "he left infertile looking me for a fertile looking woman." You can fake youthfulness and looking fertile by keeping your skin youthful with a good skin routine. If you take care of yourself, age is only a number. The human body is not ready for 21rst century technology to deceive biological reproduction strategies that hold families together. Feminists can cry that men should accept them as they are, but the biological hardwired nature of the human body is stronger than any social engineering. But that can be overcome by herbal engineering to deliver women compounds to mimic and generate fertility. 

We start with hydrating the face and tricking the face to produce its own bounciness/elasticity more often through serums and sealing the serums with moisturizers. 

For reducing wrinkles, we add another cream or serum. I will update you with the magical serum I found at Carol Baker visage that erased my forehead lines & wrinkels and all the feeble anti wrinkle creams and ones I've used that were a total waste of money. 

I'm lucky to to living in this modern age with better living through science. My skin looks youthful because it glows, full of life, vigor, moist and bouncy and super soft "like a kitten" my husband says.

When I walk in the the door, the first thing people compliment me on is my skin. This is my basic maintenance routine. This is what you need to do BEFORE an anti wrinkle treatment whether serum (in my case), or botox or plastic surgery. By maintaining skin's health and youth at a young age, you delay when you need botox and then plastic surgery to stay youthful. I'm 35 and haven't touched the crazy expensive botox yet. My skin has improved since and I'll take more pictures of my journey. My next post is killing wrinkles.  Ciao.

Recap. 

Day Routine: Toner, Hydrating (ideally Glycolic) Serum, Moisturizer to seal, sunblock stuff

Night Routine: Toner, Retinol Serum, possibly moisturizer depending on climate. 

Two masks a week. Week 1, Brightening masque + your choice (like a collegin mask)

Week 2 Brightening and charcoal/mud anti acne/purifying mask

Moisturize - Sunblock - Revive (retinol) daily, brighten weekly, purify biweekly. Moisturize/make bouncy bi-weekly.

Yes for the first month you can just put Bio-oil after toner at night instead of retinol serum + moisturizer. 

Finally - 1) NEVER USE THE SAME PRODUCT FOR MORE THAN HALF A YEAR in a row or they stop working or worse you can get allergic. Know the key functions and ingredients and change them up.

2) HANDS & NECK GIVE OUT YOUR AGE. So don't forget to wear gloves while driving, moisturize, and do your anti aging routine on the neck, cleavage and hands. Finally NEVER get nails done without SPF 30+ sunblock. Damage from UV lamps for shellac to the skin are the same as tanning beds.

3) Nothing ages like the sun and dryness. Moisturize! Moisturize smartly.  And stay away from the sun!  

Once you see changes, then I will discuss anti wrinkle products. Discipline and not changing this and following it to the letter is key. You do your own thing if you are not a dermatologist and not realize why what is in the routine, you won't get the same results. 

Maria Al-Masani