simple beauty.

Olivia Wilde in Maison Valentino

@maisonvalentino
Thank you @alexandra_nea for the #illustration of @oliviawilde in her #hautecouture gown at the #Oscars

je veux | i want

THE RENEWAL OIL

by La Mer

Endless Transformation

This dual-phase elixir blends Miracle Broth™ and sea-sourced actives, unleashing a wave of activity to infuse skin with youth. Collagen production improves, helping soften the look of emerging lines and wrinkles while visibly firming skin. Day by day, skin’s natural barrier becomes more resilient. Miracle Broth energizes skin’s repair process. Soft and ultra-smooth, skin glows with new vitality. Aromatic and soothing, the Renewal Oil enriches everywhere it is applied, creating the possibility of infinite bespoke skincare rituals.

Gently shake to activate. Sweep 3-5 drops over face and neck morning and evening. Massage this nourishing formula into hair, cuticles and dry areas of the body as needed.

All the many uses.

Can't wait to try!

3rd visit w/ Amina ❥

What's behind door #2!??

The lovely and fabulous Amina at the Bien-Etre salon.

If you have not been following, catch up on visit #1 and visit #2.

mirror mirror on the wall. . . 

Shot from above before we start.

and we begin, sending electricity into the nerves to lift the face and rejuvenate. 

finally getting some attention to my left side - yay!

see the more chiseled jaw line, the opening of the eye, nostrils narrowing. 

BRILLIANT. 

Sorry for all the pictures of my MUG but I really wanted to try and capture the difference this makes.

here are some after shots.

2 days later, no makeup. feeling so good!

lounging with Buku, sans makeup.

my face is not perfectly symmetric but I can see the difference and see areas for improvement. 

the left side needs another go.

dark shadows at nite and Amina's work give my face that lifted look.

I couldn't be more pleased with subtle difference but def differences that the treatment is adding to my skin. Youth!!!

As Amina says " Youth is not stretching and injecting, making it wider; it is bringing together and tightening all the little nerves to bring a tighter fuller face."

Merci mon amie!!!!!

Le Magicien waving her magic wands!

www.beautesf.com

Get on the waiting list!!

Le Visage Lift Contour

We all know aging is inevitable, the search for miracle broths and cures, inject chemicals, plump, lift, poke. . . on and on.  Recently I was introduced to Amina.  An angel sent, le magicien . . . with her inviting french charm and beautifully styled salon, I share with you my unique experience.

Welcome to Bien Etre | well being in French.

Delightful right!??

Amina has combined her science and medical background with the help of a team of experts in the high tech facial rejuvenation to develop the French concept the fountain of youth in bodied in Le Visage Lift Contour Machine. This revolutionary technology involves computerized electronic stimulations using variety of wave-forms sending specific frequencies to stimulate the muscles at the cellular level promoting collagen growth and cellular functions, enhancing the blood flow to increase oxygenation and absorption of nutrients. It also helps the detoxification of the skin tissue by increasing lymphatic system function. All this results instant dramatic changes reversing muscle atrophy by plumping, lifting and contouring the face. Not only that but with this technology Amina is able to diminish dramatically and in most of the cases erase the fine lines and wrinkles in the most difficult common areas around the eyes and the lips. Another frequent problem that she has been able to solve for her clients is dark circles, puffiness and droopy eye lids.

Don't believe me? See for yourself. . .

the chair

the view and a sneak shot of Amina 

And we begin, with a fresh washing of delicious rose cleanser, natural feeling oil, a 10 minute steam. . . the wands begin their magic. 

this goes on for some time - get it all. s'il vous plait!!! 

You can read about the electronic process - similar style was featured in ELLE.

But Amina's machine is unique to her.

Do your own research, but I am convinced of this.

So here I am, post procedure.

Can you tell which side of the face is lifted? Do you see the plumpness vs the droop?

The widening of the eye and raise of the lips?

YOUTH!

Here is a close up. Skin like a babies butt!

And how I woke up this morning!

It is slight and yet noticeable. The rounder face and structure.

the brightness of the eye, less dark around it.

the lips lifted and full - on the side with no moles.

See how the mole slide slightly turns down? 

even the nostril is narrower and lifted.

(see the roundness on the left, plump! vs the narrow right side)

this is one treatment. ONE!

AMAZING.

le magicien working her magic.

www.beautesf.com

Get on her waiting list ladies! 

Last - thank you to my amazing friend EVA for making the introduction!

Face Oils

The 9 Best Clean Face Oils

But will it make me break out?! And: But do I really need another product?! These are the face oil questions. The truth in all but the most extreme cases is, not only will face oil not make you break out, it will absolutely change your life, not to mention your skin. Your skin will look and feel better. You will probably need less makeup. And you will probably need fewer skincare items altogether.

Perhaps the ultimate skin secret, face oil has been used by indigenous people all over the world in various forms for millennia; nothing lasts that long unless it works. Makeup artists, who love only what makes their clients look (quickly) fantastic, have been slathering it on clients for years; slowly, word spread. (Sophia Loren credits a lifetime of olive-oil baths as one of the reasons her skin remains so beautiful at 80.) One of the best-looking older women we’ve ever met, stylist/former model Linda Rodin, has made her fortune late in life mixing oils in her kitchen to create the runaway success Olio Lusso that launched her entire beauty company.

1. You See Instant Results
No matter your skin type, try face oil for the first time and you’ll see serious benefits right away. Conventional moisturizers, which combine waxes with water and oils, seal moisture in the skin with the wax. But they can also seal out some of the oil and water, not to mention treatment benefits included in the formula. With oil, it all sinks right in. And most oils are already naturally packed with ingredients like antioxidants, polyphenols, and omega fatty acids.

2. They’re Beyond Multipurpose
You can use face oil for basic (and really effective) moisturization, but it’s also amazing for makeup touchups—instead of adding more makeup, pat some oil on to revive the makeup you’ve already got on. In either case, avoid the T-zone unless you’re the driest person on earth. In a pinch, it’s makeup remover, frizz fighter, cuticle and under eye cream, lip balm…

You really need an oil if you use retinols or other drying anti-aging or anti-acne treatments. Treatments like Retin-A, AHA peels or creams, or breakout fighters from astringent toners all the way to prescription Accutane can really help your skin, but they can also seriously dry it out. Face oils return moisture and elasticity to your skin, smoothing wrinkles and soothing irritation in the process.

On the flip side, even skin that’s decidedly un-dry can also benefit from oils. While synthetic and mineral oils are comedogenic and clog pores, most natural plant oils are not. Believe it or not, the right face oil can help clear pores of excess sebum, and can reduce inflammation and irritation—critical, as inflammation itself is actually one of the primary causes of acne.

For ultra-dry skin, massage in some face oil, then layer over it with rich moisturizer. Another layering trick: Pat on face oil, then smooth all-natural mineral SPF over it. The sunblock seals in the oil a bit, but it also slightly mattifies your skin, so it’s less shiny. You can also use oil just the way you would serum or moisturizer when thinning out foundation or bronzer formulas.

And to treat a potential scar, massage oil in as often as possible. A friend endured a botched Mohs surgery for skin cancer on her face; the plastic surgeon who fixed it told her there was really no way to avoid some sort of scar. She massaged the spot with oil constantly—whenever she thought of it. The result was no scar, not even a hint of one.

3. Oils feel amazing
Moisturizer formulators spend an enormous amount of time, money, and unnecessary (sometimes toxic) ingredients on texture—how it feels when you actually put the moisturizer on your skin. Texture is important: If you don’t love using a product…you tend not to use it. And definitely tend not to buy it again. Oils have a naturally gorgeous, instantly skin-comforting texture—they need no extra ingredients to make them sink in.

4. Clean face oils are actually better
While conventional beauty companies have (finally) gotten into the face-oil business, the all-natural, pure options are absolutely superior, not just from a clean perspective, but because A. there’s no improving on perfection—adding in extra ingredients often just dilutes the benefits of the base oils, and B. most clean face-oil makers have been making it much longer than the conventional newbies, and they’ve learned what really works on skin.

Featured today on GOOP - full article here.