'Facial skin care' is more a matter of discipline than anything else. A facial skin care routine is what you need (and you need to follow the facial skin care routine with complete seriousness). So let's check what comprises an effective facial skin care routine. Well, very simply, a facial skin care routine can follow the following 4 steps:

* Cleansing
* Toning
* Exfoliating 
* Moisturising

Cleansing is the first thing in facial skin care routine. Cleansing helps in removing dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil from your skin, thereby preventing damage to your skin. Just spot your face and neck with a good cleansing lotion or cream and gently massage it into your skin using upward strokes. Use a soft face tissue or cotton wool to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub).  Cleansing should be done at least twice a day i.e. morning (as part of complete facial skin care routine) and evening (on a standalone basis). Water soluble cleansers are the best for inclusion in your facial skin care routine.

Toning is the next in a facial skin care routine. However, this is the optional part of the facial skin care routine. Mostly, proper cleansing can compensate for toning. Toning helps remove all traces of dirt, grease and excess cleanser. Instead of making it part of your daily facial skin care routine, you can using toning occasionally i.e. when you have been exposed to particularly harsh environment/pollution.

Exfoliation is again, kind of, optional step in everyday routine for facial skin care. However, exfoliation is necessary at least once a week (or twice, depending on the skin type and the environmental conditions). Exfoliation finds its place in facial skin care routine because of the natural tendency of skin to replenish the skin cells every 3 or 4 weeks. As a facial skin care technique, exfoliation helps in removing the dead skin cells that block the pores, thus assisting the skin in the natural process. However, excessive or harsh exfoliation can cause damage to your skin; so you need to balance it out.

The next thing in facial skin care is moisturizing. In fact, moisturizing is the most important part of facial skin care routine. Moisturizers prevent your skin from getting dry. Dry skin is really undesirable since it may cause the upper layer of skin to become compromised, leading to various conditions. Again, use light upward strokes to make the moisturizer more effective. Moisturizers work the best when applied on warm and damp skin. So do not try to remove all the moisture in the previous steps of facial skin care routine.
 
Besides the normal facial skin care routine, you should also exercise the following for facial skin care:

* Use proper make-up remover instead of just washing it away
* Pay heed to your skin type and the environment, when choosing facial skin care products.
* Before you start using a new facial skin care product, test it by applying it on a short patch of skin e.g. behind the ear.
* Never rub your skin too hard.
* Use sunscreen for protection against sun.

This year I have some exciting new ideas and look forward to your participation and feedback as two lucky clients share their skin care journeys with the world!Before the videos begin there will be some very exciting announcements so make sure you check back occasionally because you just never know what special announcements may boost your skin care needs too!

More about the First Professional Skincare Competition, The Skin Games

Lurking in the corners of the glamorous billion dollar beauty empire are the unsung heroes of the skincare treatment rooms, the licensed estheticians.  These highly skilled, caring ambassadors of health and beauty bring honest results and lasting proof to the growing public of this rapidly growing industry.  The beauty industry rides upon the shoulders of these hard working, often un-noticed professionals of skin care.

Then why are our estheticians, the indispensable professionals of the beauty industry, found earning only $11-15 per hour on average and dropping out of the profession within their first 3 years... at an alarming rate of 90%?  We believe this is primarily due to the industry’s lack of promotion, education, encouragement, and recognition of its membership.  Also missing is adequate business training and social networking within the industry.  So for this, The Jen's, friends of the industry have come together to form The Extraordinary Esthetician.
The Extraordinary Esthetician strives to think outside the box and create a refreshing new equal opportunity showcase for skin care professionals.  We believe those who have made it this far deserve to have the resources and opportunity to take their craft and careers to the next level.

So now is the time to shine from the dimly lit treatment rooms, arise from the ashes of hard work, and get empowered from the love and commitment of the craft.  Use this opportunity to showcase your professionalism, learn to incorporate social media, and therefore improve your clientele and increase your income.

The flame of competition has been ignited with #THESKINGAMES2016 and we present to you, THE SKIN GAMES 2017. ​

May the best Esthetician win!