iS Clinical - The Genie In The Bottle

iS Clinical Active Serum - The Genie In The Bottle

Skincare. There is so much involved in that one word. Is it one word? Is it two?

It's actually both. What I mean by this is that "Skincare" refers to the actual cosmetics, facial cleansers, moisturizers, serums, etc. to care for the skin. "Skin Care" is the actual act of using said items. In the world of skincare both are essential. The products are important as well as how they are used is equally as significant. The order in which they are applied and when blah blah blah....There's a lot involved here and it can but utterly confusing to decide what products to use and what's best. I'm creeping up on my 46th birthday (ouch!) and have used numerous skincare brands for years. Growing up I really didn't care all that much. Dove? Great. Neutrogena? Wow! That's an improvement. And that's about as serious into skin care that I ever got for many many years. Luckily my skin during my teen years was pristine. I rarely had a blemish and I was very proud of this fact since I knew that many of my classmates were struggling with this difficult issue. I felt very fortuitous. But that eventually changed...

I had an accident back in 2014. I received 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my face, neck, chest and all the way down to my waist. My face received the worst burns. Being a freelance professional makeup artist for many years, this didn't seem like it would be good advertising for my business. I've never really considered myself "vain" but I was deeply upset about this and desperately wanted to heal these wounds hopefully with little to no scarring. 

I took all of the necessary steps to help these wounds heal, but I was still left with some substantial scarring. Especially on my face. I began using better quality skincare but was quite uneducated in regards to effective medical grade skincare. Then in 2016 I was introduced to iS Clinical (Innovative Skincare) skin care products. Specifically iS Clinical Active Serum, which changed my life and my skin. Not only were my scars GREATLY diminished within about 2 months of use, my fine lines, old acne scars and hyper-pigmentation were improving substantially. I call the Active Serum magical and my hero product. I have to admit, I was skeptical that I would get great results as everything I had previously tried but I was proven very wrong. 

I have since fallen "in skincare product love" with iS Clinical products. I find them to obviously be very effective and I have always been pleased with the results. Of course as the burns started to heal the injured areas became smaller and smaller but I still had some pretty deep scars still left behind. Enough to make me a bit self conscious and for people to occasionally ask questions. Now, I hardly notice anything left behind. Granted, I do wear makeup which does allow some coverage of some remaining discoloration, but I'm no longer concerned about going out in public without makeup on. Yay!

Anyway, my Genie In The Bottle is without question iS Clinical Active Serum. I've been using it now almost 2 years and I have no intentions of stopping anytime soon. Thank you iS Clinical for helping me save my skin! ❤️❤️❤️

It's Here! It's Here! EltaMD Replenish!!!

EltaMD has become a leader in the sunblock industry and here at beautystoredepot we have anxiously been awaiting the release of EltaMD UV Replenish Broad Spectrum SPF 44!

I was incredibly excited to have our company representative drop off a sample for me to try a few weeks ago.  The EltaMD UV Replenish is best described as a cross between the ever popular EltaMD Clear SPF 46 and the equally as popular EltaMD UV Sport.  Both the Clear and the Sport are products that I keep in my beach bag, kids sports bag, and in my home throughout the year.  I love how smooth the Clear goes on and how quickly it absorbs, but it isn't water resistant and therefore not the best choice for longer periods of time in the sun.  Here is where the EltaMD UV Sport comes in.  This product is amazing and my "go to" for longer periods of sun exposure.  It is water resistant, long lasting, and no one in my family has ever had a sunburn while using the product, but it does go on heavier and not the best option for acne prone skin.

The EltaMD UV Replenish combines the things I love about the Clear and Sport into one amazing product.  The Replenish is water resistant, fast absorbing, goes on smooth, and incredibly moisturizing.  It is definitely my new favorite sunblock and I honestly did not think any product would ever replace Clear for me!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this product or any of our products, please do not hesitate to reach out to our friendly customer service team.

Until next time.....stay you and stay beautiful!

Shine Bright like a Diamond

           As skincare becomes more and more advanced, so do the ingredients they contain.  The most luxurious and infamous of these is diamond. Elizabeth Taylor once said, “Big girls need big diamonds” and we here at beautystoredepot know if Liz could have applied diamonds directly to her skin, she would have drenched herself in them.  We will explain why diamond is the premiere in skin care ingredients and steer you into the right product to address your specific skincare needs.

Everyone knows the saying “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”.  Well now, they are also the skin’s best friend. As development in skincare advances, cosmetic chemists and surgeons alike have realized the benefits of utilizing diamonds in the cosmetic and skin care products   Ni’Kita Wilson (a cosmetic chemist) CEO of Catalyst Cosmetic Development explains, “Diamond...nanoparticles have an exceptionally high absorption rate and when they chemically attach to active anti-aging ingredients, those skin plumpers and line smoothers can penetrate deeper into the skin yielding better youth-renewing results.”  Additionally, cosmetic surgeon Yannis Alexandrides explains, “...diamond microspheres transport active ingredients including vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, collagen and arbutin to the deepest layer of the skin where they target cells for regeneration.” All-in-all, diamonds help exfoliate by encouraging cellular regeneration, stimulate blood circulation yielding anti-aging results, boosts collagen production resulting in firming, binds to water allowing skin to stay hydrated longer and brightens skin by removing blemishes and restoring original skin tone.  With realizing a diamond’s true potential skin will now reap the benefits.

While skin care continues to advance, beautystoredepot remains at the forefront encouraging our customers to treat their skin like royalty and live their ‘luxe’ life.  From the G.M. Collin Diamond Eye Contour to the Diamond Cream, an immediate boost in skin’s radiance will have you coming back for more. G.M. Collin has formulated their diamond line with ingredients such as: Diamond Powder, Ultra Filling Spheres, Diamond Peptide and Snow Algae that help boost hydration, encourage firming and correct hyperpigmentation leaving skin looking younger and more supple.  Clinical trial showed visible results in 28 days when using the entire G.M. Collin Diamond line! Another brand we boast and also loves to drip in diamonds is Sircuit Cosmeceuticals. Sircuit Cosmeceuticals uses only all-natural, chirally correct (ultra potent) ingredients free of artificial coloring, fragrance, thickeners, parabens, or chemical preservatives.  This premiere brand already commits to giving their customers what is best for their skin. Sircuit’s Nine-one-one Calming Serum and White Out+ Under Eye Care are perfect examples of this.  Nineoneone Calming Serum features diamond core particles as one of its key ingredients helping to increase luminosity, decreases redness and the appearance of wrinkles as well as reducing the appearance of pore size, evening out complexion.  White Out+ Under Eye Care also utilizes color-correcting diamond core particles having them settle in the fine facial lines and subtly illuminate a blue light-deflecting effect. This effect helps to reduce the look of shadows, thus enhancing the overall luminosity of the skin.

Whether you want to treat yourself or reap the benefits of diamond skincare technologies, beautystoredepot will have you covered.  Go to beautystoredepot.com today and use code DECADENT25 for orders of $125 and up or code DECADENT20 to receive 20% off of purchases $75 for those who love to remain frugal AND fabulous!  For any additional queries and/or you feel you need more assistance to get your skin into its best fit, contact us via web chat or call us at 1 (800) 926-5219. We look forward to hearing from all of you and as always thank you for shopping with beautystoredepot!  

Skin Purging - "What's Happening?!?!"

So, you’ve been saving up for the latest and greatest skin care line. The products to end all products and dished out your hard earned cash. Excited at the prospects of perfect, flawless, no-makeup-needed skin. You read all of the directions on your new skincare line to ensure you make no mistakes and properly use them as they are meant to be used. Bedtime approaches as does the time for you nightly regimen:

• Cleanse = Done.
• Facial Mask = Expertly Applied. Michelangelo would be proud.
• Rinse and Tone = Like A Master.
• Serums = Check!
• Eye Cream = As if it were applied by a delicate cloud.
• Retinol = Never used it but it's effective and popular so it's gonna be the best thing I've ever done to my skin. Go Me!
• Moisturizer = Never better. Your skin thanks you for your indulgent purchase.

Certainly this was the best thing you could have done for yourself. No way will you have buyers remorse as this was important. You deserve to pamper yourself.  You drift off into La La Land dreaming of Goddess/God-like skin…. You wake up and pick up a mirror to revel in the glory of your new found flawlessness only to see the unexpected reflecting back at you. Is “THAT a PIMPLE??!! What the?? What!? Oh wait. Maybe it's...oh no. Right between my eyes! There’s another one! And another....” Tears begin to flow. Shock and awe has commenced. Or, what if it’s an allergic reaction? What if it gets worse!??! Oh no! Date! I have a date tonight!?!? I’m taking all of these products back STAT!  You collapse into a heap of despair and anger…whatever will you do!??!

Okay, okay, so yes all of that was rather dramatic, but you know many of us have BEEN THERE! The big question other than why, is, “What is this? Is this purging or is this an allergic reaction? How can I tell? What do I do?”

After reading many articles and speaking with skin care professionals and experts there seems to be, unsurprisingly, differing opinions. Some experts believe that with many of the higher-end skin care product lines (i.e. iS Clinical, Jan Marini, Osmosis, G.M. Collin, Avene and the ever faithful Bioelements and Dermalogica to name a few) the possibility of having a purging breakout is not as likely as with the use of drug-store brands due to the nature of the ingredients. That said, if you are starting a new regimen that includes Retinol or different hydroxy acids that increase the cell turnover rate you might be more likely to experience a purging effect. This happens as debris and subsurface comedones work their way to the skin surface during this more rapid cell turnover phase - usually at night time. Other professionals say that any time you switch to a new skin care line/regimen you could experience a purge and should possibly even expect it. Especially if you’ve used a drug store brand or basic soap on your skin for years and then make a leap to a quality skin care line.

Either way, if your skin does purge, keep in mind that this should only be temporary and that this is usually, in the end, a good thing even though while it’s occurring it can be less than convenient. Usually the benefits outweigh the inconvenience due to healthier skin. In my studies I did find several skin care articles that say that purging is NEVER a good thing and should not happen with any good skin care line.  However, there was little to no documentation to support this theory. Now that skin care product ingredients have vastly improved over the years with technology and availability, skin care companies are able to target specific concerns and a broader range of skin issues. Cleaner, more pure, Chirally correct ingredients purify the skin bringing pre-existing subsurface comedones to see the light of day, therefore the concept of skin purging is considered normal and definitely possible as skin becomes healthier. Basically sometimes it’s got to get worse before it gets better. This purging period requires diligence and patience and incredible control to not mess with any offending “unpopular facial spots”. The purging stage can last from a few days to a few weeks, although, if this stage lasts longer than 4 weeks or a little more, it could be that there is a deeper skin issue that needs to be addressed and seeing a dermatologist is definitely recommended.

So now what? Suffer through it baby! And leave those little pimple jerks alone. Let your skin do it’s thing. Within reason of course. If your skin is showing signs of extreme irritation, heat or redness, etc., it’s probably best to discontinue use. But if some pimples show up, usually not where you’ve experienced breakouts before then it’s likely just a purge. Often this can progress a bit faster than a normal breakout so...YAY!

Now, if you were to experience extreme redness, itching, hives, or blisters, these are all signs of a skin reaction, so please, for the love of the skincare gods, discontinue use and if your reaction worsens or does not go away see your dermatologist.

In short, stick with your new routine. Don’t give up and decide to return your skin care products unless there is an allergic issue. Continue on. Be patient. Hang in there and most importantly WEAR SUNSCREEN!!! Stick with it and odds are you will be glad that you did and your skin will love you for it.  

“Dang Girl...You’re skin looks like it’s Instagram filtered all day every day!”

                                           Mission Accomplished.