Thursday, April 21, 2011

BellaPelle Beauties Favorite Things Post 2

What are your favorite things? Five of the beauties from BellaPelle share their favorite things in this second post of a 10-blog post series. From favorite places to how they spend their time, BellaPelle Beauties love to get out and about in the Bay Area.

Where do you go to have your hair done (cut, colored, etc.)?

Shelley, CEO and Founder of BellaPelle, says, "Atelier Emmanuel—I go to Claudia for color and Stephanie for cuts. The salon in general has wonderful energy and everyone is talented. And they're going to do the hair for the models at the Beautiful Things Fashion Show at BellaPelle on May 12. Everyone's invited to attend—it's part of the Every Day Counts fundraising campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society." (Learn more about the campaign and get tickets for the fashion show.)

Dulcinea, a waxing specialist at BellaPelle, says, "I like Red Chair Salon for coloring. For cuts I go to Vim and Vigor."

Keri, a BellaPelle skin specialist, loves the short answers! She simply says: "The Cutlery."

Victoria, a studio coordinator at BellaPelle, says,"I go to Turning Heads in San Leandro. My beautician Zinelle is the best. She does it all!"

Erika, another of BellaPelle's great studio coordinators, says, "Jun's Beauty Salon. It's a small mom and pop type shop with a really skilled husband and wife team."

Maddie, the studio manager at BellaPelle Skin Studio, agrees with Dulcinea, "I always go to Red Chair Salon on Union Street. I get my hair cut by Kristin and colored by Chris."

Comment and share your favorite places to shop in the Bay Area!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

My Skin Care Regimen: Shelley Costantini

Having a regular skin care regimen can help you stay dedicated to keeping your skin beautiful. My daily skin care routine starts in the morning, which is when I like to shower. Of course I use one of the BellaPelle Skin Care cleansers. Specifically, I use the BellaPelle Gentle Wash for my face and body.

Once I’m out of the shower, while my skin is still moist, I spray my face, neck and chest with Urban Hydrating Mist. Using this type of mist protects and strengthens my skin while keeping it moist longer. Then, while my skin is still wet, I apply my Mighty Serum and press (basically, smack) the serum into my skin. This serum is perfect for my type of skin, because it is energizing and is an anti-aging, firming treatment. As I get older that's really important for my skin. Mighty Serum is great for most skin types as it contains Epidermal Growth Factor and Tripeptide-3. I know, you're saying, "What are those?" Basically it's a peptide cocktail that stimulates cell growth and helps repair collagen.

Before it dries, I put on the BellaPelle Gla-Mour Cream. This cream gives my skin the perfect blend of moisture, firming, strengthening and nutrients.

I'm a make-up wearer. Many women today don't wear much makeup, and I don't wear a lot, but I do like the look of it on me. I wait 10 minutes before I put on makeup so that the moisturizer has time to penetrate into my skin. Of course, I use the BellaPelle Mineral Makeup Powder. What's great about it is that it has SPF 30 in it, so I can use that to protect my skin, and it's custom-blended for my skin color. I like using skin protection that is in my makeup since it stays on longer during the day and I can quickly touch up my powder to make sure my skin is protected all day, rather than using a lotion that I would have to reapply and then reapply my makeup.

Once I’m done with my make-up, I apply our Preserve 30 SPF on my neck and chest. I don't put makeup on my neck and chest, as most people probably don't, so I want to make sure these skin areas are also protected.

Then, I’m ready for the day! Work, fun and everything in between!

When I come home at night, I wash my face with Lighten-up Bar. This cleanser is a pigment inhibiter that helps reduce coloring damage that my skin may endure, even through my SPF protection. It's also an emulsifier with anti-acne benefits. After cleansing and rinsing I towel dry and splash my face, neck and chest with Damage Control Tonic, which has active antioxidants and L-lactic acid to refine and balance my skin.

Cleansing your skin at night is so important and something so many people don't do. With our busy lives it's hard to always do things that are good for you, but this one is so important for beautiful, healthy skin. You don't want the city grime and build up from the day to be damaging your skin all night.

Next, I mix Super Bright Complex and Vital C, along with Mighty Serum again and pat that mixture into my skin. While still moist from this mixture, I apply my Gla-Mour Cream and eye cream. All of this really makes my skin feel moisturized, renewed and fresh.

A couple times a week, I use Chiara Polish all over my face and body and stand in the shower for a couple minutes letting it rest before rinsing it away. It's a super-powered scrub has a medi-edge that makes my skin buttery soft. I also, use the Cherry Preserve and run around the house doing projects while it exfoliates all of the junk off my face, neck and chest. When I rinse it away after about 10 minutes it makes my skin feel smooth and looks clear and beautiful.

I do my best to remember to apply the Renewal AX because it has a complexed Retinol (Vitamin A) together with Glycolic Acid that really helps fight the signs of aging. But I can be forgetful—it’s not something I can use every day because I’m building a tolerance to it. Some people can use it daily but, it makes my face flakey because I have generally dry skin.