Want ‘glowy, dewy’ skin? This cosmetologist shows you how
I Didn’t Wake Up Like This is Yahoo Life’s beauty series in which experts, influencers and celebrities share their approaches to skin care, from their favorite products to their daily routine that keeps their skin healthy and glowing.
Cosmetologist Estefani German is passionate about protecting her skin and the planet from harmful substances. That’s why, after seven years of working in the skin care field, she decided to develop Earth's Shell — a simple, sustainable and clean skin care line.
So what inspired German's passion for cosmetology? “One of the reasons I became a cosmetologist was because I’m a mom of four boys," German tells Yahoo Life. "Add my husband, and that makes me the only female at home. I wanted to really keep my feminine essence and staying in the beauty industry gave me that power. It made me feel like I was a mom, a wife, and my own person.”
Founding Earth's Shell allowed German to embrace sustainability and ingredient transparency and deliver simple, effective, and ethical skin care products to customers, while cutting down on the carbon footprint of every order. The non-GMO skin care line is vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free and sulfate-free.
While skin care has always been important to her, German says, “We don’t have to obsess over it.” German understands that perfection is hardly achievable, so missing a step or two in your skin care routine once in a while won’t be detrimental. However, German shares that she enjoys each step of her nightly skin care routine, explaining it’s a way for her to relax, unwind, and get ready for a good night's sleep.
German starts off her nightly routine with Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, a pH-balanced face wash containing amino acid-rich soy proteins. “The brand is fresh and very gentle," she says. "I tend to have very dry areas on my skin, but I do have these areas where I tend to oil up a little bit. So this cleanser gives me a nice balance.”
After rinsing off the cleanser, she gently dabs — rather than scrubs — her face with a towel. Next, she uses a triple-action power toner called Youth To The People Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power. The toner contains a blend of 8 percent lactic acid and 3 percent glycolic acid to smooth the skin, improve texture, and minimize the appearance of pores. German says that while some people don't feel that toner is necessary, she finds that it helps her skin absorb more of the products she uses.
Next, German reaches for Earth’s Shell Shell-Repair, a pre-serum treatment with bakuchiol, which is a plant-based alternative to anti-aging retinol, as well as moisturizing squalane and antioxidant-rich hemp seed oil to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
German gently pats the pre-serum treatment around her face and avoids putting too much product around her eye area in particular. "When I do my under-eye care," says German, "I don’t go too crazy" when it comes to applying products. While she says you definitely want to take care of your eye area and "give it some love and attention," German explains that "all the product you apply on your face is naturally going to travel to that area, so you’re definitely going to get it to the desired spots.”
To help brighten her complexion, German follows up her pre-serum treatment with a vitamin C serum — namely, Youth to the People 15% Vitamin C + Clean Caffeine Energy Serum. "Most people apply their vitamin C in the morning," she says. "I’ve been doing it morning and night because I really want to work on the brightness of my face.”
After the serums sink into her skin, German hydrates her face with Tula 24/7 Moisture Hydrating Day & Night Cream, which contains probiotic extracts and superfoods. The moisturizer, along with the serums, all leave her complexion looking "glowy" and "dewy" — "not super greasy," she says. German also applies the Tula moisturizer to her chest area and says that "it’s made a huge difference in how my chest area looks."
To wrap up her nighttime skin care routine, German swipes on Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment, which leaves her lips feeling smooth and hydrated. The lip treatment is fortified with nourishing, anti-aging ingredients, including antioxidants and cupuacu butter, to hydrate and plump up lips, while smoothing fine lines around the lip area.
Video produced by Nurys Castillo.
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