Wouldn't it be nice to see the best of you, the beautiful you, the side of you that emanates a compelling aplomb, which gives the rest of us permission to cultivate that for ourselves. Although this seems intuitive, a lot of us are burned out and suffering from malnourished stores of energy and positivity. With all the inundation of the quick fix era and social media ‘experts’, it’s hard to sift for something with lasting tangible results for our inner and outer self, and in doing so, replenish the most important mental nutrient that will forever be the categorical key to success: confidence.
How the world sees us is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves; both of which feed and are fed by confidence, respectively. If your 2023 was anything like mine, then your appearance may resemble a mix of Ground Hog Day and the last two weeks of Survivor. Although everyone might be cheering you on, it’s time to focus on some self-love which can usher in some new year alacrity.
Let us simply affirm that 2024 is the year of the self care ritual. Not the sporadic, unintentional things we tell ourselves are self care, i.e. shopping, a quick mani.pedi, wine, but true devotion to taking care of ourselves. We use the word ritual with intent because it’s series of actions performed according to a prescribed order and with every performance, enhanced results. Any commitment you make to yourself this year is equally a part of your ritual, but we have some fabulous ideas, starting with booking some time at Encore Aesthetics and with Dr. Elizabeth Owings, MD. We sat down and talked in depth about their services and simple, noninvasive options to create a ritual of self care and confidence.
Offering over 30 different services ranging from micro-needling to hair restoration, you can find a routine that’s perfect for your 2024 ritual. What we love about Encore is their HydraFacial. You may have heard about this, but if you haven’t, this is a must try. The process starts with a cleansing and exfoliation of the skin with a proprietary enzyme or chemical peel process on the face, neck and decollate, extraction of debris from pores, and serum infusion. Treatment concludes with a facial massage and a leave-on mask for those going home and there is no down time. During the dry winter months, this will help to keep your skin hydrated and glowing.
Encore offers the amazing GLO treatment which we also love. We know spring wedding season is coming up and you need a quick GLO up then this is for you. It’s a mild non-ablative CO2 resurfacing treatment that will leave your skin looking so amazing, we are sure people will be asking you what you are doing differently. They also offer this CO2 resurfacing as a hand treatment as well.
Talking with Dr. Owings and getting her insight to basic home skin care ritual, she says, “It’s more than just cleansing and moisturizing. Very young people may be able use bath soap and hand lotion on their faces, but retaining youthful skin involves much more.”
Dr Owings recommends using a gentle cleanser intended for the face (body was or bath soap will dry out your skin over time and promote wrinkles). Next use a gentle exfoliant to remove dead skin cells. After rinsing and patting the skin dry, use a toner to restore the skin’s normal PH. This allows the rest of your skin care system to work optimally. Your next step is a good skin serum or a retinol product (night only) to promote faster skin turnover. Lastly, apply a daily cream to reverse sun damage such as Daily Power Defense by Z-O. Top that off with a little sunscreen, if your cream doesn’t already have it, and that is your basic skin care ritual. Dr’s orders!
Spending the time and money on yourself seem a little out of character these days? Then you need this now more than ever. Keep in mind one of the greatest gift we can give one another is the very best of ourselves. Manifest that show-stopping confidence and put a fresh face to the world. You deserve it.
www.vagaro.com/encoreaesthetics.
