Lisa's Bathroom Shelf

To continue in our series of peeks into our teams bathroom cupboards:


This month:  What Lisa uses in her day to day routine!

I've always had a combination skin, although it's definitely not as oily in my t-zone as it used to be - the joys of aging! I've always suffered with dehydrated skin, and once I hit late 20's, pigmentation.

In the morning I cleanse with NeoStrata Clarifying cleanser, and I use a homemade balm cleanser at night.

After cleansing I use Skinceuticals Vitamin C serum, Phloretin CF. I have been using a Vitamin C serum for 15 years now and it's made a huge difference to my pigmentation and gives my skin a real glow. I would never not use it now. 

After waiting a few minutes for the Vitamin C Serum to sink in, and drag the kids out of bed in the meantime ...., I then apply Skinceuticals H.A. Intensifier for hydration and firming and plumping, and finish my morning routine with NeoStrata Ultra Daytime Smoothing Cream with an SPF 20. The glycolic in the cream exfoliates, helps my congested areas and also helps with anti-aging.

Both morning and night I apply NeoStrata Intensive Eye Therapy around my eyes. I love this product! It's great for hydration but also contains peptides and very powerful antioxidants to help trigger and reinforce collagen.

In the evening, after cleansing with the homemade balm, a very gentle cleanser that melts on the skin,  I switch between NeoStrata renewal cream and their Dermal Replenishment. Both focus on antioxidants, plumping and hydrating, but the renewal also contains pro-retinal, so is more active.

Top tip

Always apply your products in thin layers, rather than one thick layer.  The skin can only absorb so much product at one time. You are much better putting one layer, and then 30 minutes later, applying a second layer. It will really help with dehydration.

(Photos our own)

Jurgita's Bathroom Shelf

Summer holidays is but a distant memory,  but even so,  getting back into the swing of things back in London takes some time!  Back to work, back to school, back to routine!!!  We understand how our skincare routines can slip while we are on holidays, so we are here to give you some inspiration and motivation to get back on track.  Following on from where we left off, the Fern Team are here to share with you what is on our bathroom shelves and what our daily skin care routines are.

What is on Jurgita's bathroom Shelf?

"My moto is quick, easy and practical. I like to spend max 5 min for my morning routine. 

My skin is combination, where the T zone gets oily and congested, however the skin over my cheek bones is dry and the very top of my cheeks can get red on a hot summers day or chilly winter morning. 

My morning routine is always the same:  

Glo Theraputics Hydrating gel cleanser, Skin Ceuticals CE Ferulic, Glo Theraputics Moisturising Tint SPF 30 on top.  

My favourite product is Skin Ceuticals CE Ferulic. I could not live without it. It brightens up my skin and gives a natural glow, protects the skin from premature ageing. 

My evening routine: 

Same cleanser followed by Glo Theraputics Brightening polish (twice a week) and Skin Ceuticals Phyto Corrective Serum. I do not like putting too much on my skin at night, so I use serums only.  Phyto corrective really helps to reduce the redness as well as hydrates my skin. 

Once or twice a week I will spoil myself with a Restorative mask – and leave it a bit longer than 15 min".

One Skin Does Not Fit All - Skin Conditions

Hello everyone,

One of the last blogs was all about Skin Types - this month I will explain Skin Conditions:

A Skin Type and a Skin Condition need seperate care.  With a Skin Type we can control the 'problem', eg, with a Skin Type that is Dry, we can recreate a lipid barrier on the skin to protect it and prevent further drying by using correct products. A Skin Type can be controlled but not cured as it is something we are born with.

A Skin Condition, on the other hand, can be treated as they have been caused by external factors and some internal factors. This can include dehydration which may have been caused by central heating, or not drinking enough water.

Skin Conditions include:

Dehydration – lack of water in the skin, possibly flaky, very fine lines, loss of ‘bounce’ to the skin, tight surface, dull complexion, oilness and blockages can still be present. We would recommend some regular light exfoliation and a serum with Hyaluronic Acid to help bind water into the skin.

Sensitised – reactivity to certain products/treatments/environmental factors, tendancy to redness, inflammation, reaction to heat and friction.  We would recommend soothing and calming products such as SkinCeuticals Redness Relief to help combat the triggers of redness and irritation.

Ageing/Premature – wrinkles, loss of muscle tone, pigmentation, dull, low in oil, course skin texture. Peels containing Glycolic and Lactic Acid are fantastic for treating Ageing and Premature Ageing skin conditions. Also use of products at home that contain Vitamin C, Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid and Retinol.

Pigmentation/Sunspots – brown or white irregular patches on the skin. A course of Alma Light Therapy to diminish the brown pigmentation patches, along side regular exfoliation, use of a Vitamin C serum and of course a high factor SPF is essential!

Congestion/Breakouts – under surface congestion, comodones (blackheads), milea (whiteheads), possible pustular breakouts. Build up of skin cells can cause a build up of blackheads which in turn can lead to breakouts. Regular exfoliation is a must alongside regular facials to have your blackheads removed.

So regular facials and a good home skincare routine are essential for your skins health.  Book in for a Fern Facial and we can determine your skin type, any skin conditions and a home skin care regime.

Uneven complexion?

One of the most common skin-care issues is that uneven complexion: dark spots left over from the acne-teenage years, pigmentation due to hormones or sun damage. To make matters worse, the are difficult to get rid of and challenging to conceal. 

Lasers can of course help, see our feature on Hyperpigmentation, and another great skinsaviour is Phyto+ by Skinceuticals.

It contains Kojic Acid, which is made form mushrooms, and this gives Phyto+ its brightening capabilities. Great for people with sensitive skin, containing also hyaluronic acid to help keep skin hydrated and calm.

Hyperpigmentation

Do you have hyperpigmentation? Do you understand what has caused it? Do you know what to do about it? At Fern we offer many treatments and products geared to help with this.

Glo Therapeutics has three serums specifically created to help with epidermal hyperpigmentation. Epidermal hyperpigmentation can be caused from UV damage, inflammation or trauma, oxidation.

If general brightness is what you desire:

1) The Brightening Serum is a great skin brightener. This serum targets skin discoloration with a full spectrum of natural brighteners.

Then there are two serums that can target and treat hyperpigmentation:

2) The Lightening Serum - this serum battles hyperpigmentation with a combination of lighteners, melanin inhibitors and a gentle exfoliant.

3) Triple Action Serum - a powerful serum to lighten hyperpigmentation and improve the texture of the skin. This serum contains 2% hydroquinone, an melanin inhibitor.

If you have dermal hyperpigmentation, often hormonally induced (melasma) but can also develop from Post inflammatory inflammation. This type of pigmentation is usually quite resistant. Treatment serums and peels can help but often needs something that can reach deeper. We have a great treatment, the Alma Laser that can specifically treat dermal hyperpigmentation.

Unsure of the cause of your hyperpigmentation or the depth of your hyperpigmentation? Book a skin consulation with us and one of our therapists can advise the best treatment protocol for you.