Skin Essentials by Mariga Blog

A little video on how to use your Skin Essentials by Mariga products

05/04/2012 17:11:00

All Skin Essentials by Mariga products are concentrated so a little goes a long way. This video will help you to determine exactly how much you should use. (Please excuse the bad lighting, I will work on that for the next one).

Play Video

Think you have oily skin?

03/22/2012 11:59:00

Oily skin is seems to be having a bit of a 'moment' right now. I've recently been sent a few questions about dealing with it and there are lots of blog posts on other Irish beauty blogs in the last few weeks dealing with the same issue. I have to say that I'm surprised by this because, while oily skin is a valid skin type, it is relatively rare in Irish/Northern European skins. In my salon I would not see a true oily skin type even once a week. This got me to thinking; are we suffering a sudden hostile takeover by this minority skin type? Maybe those few that have true oily skin are uniting as one voice to be heard? Or, just possibly, are lots of people mis-diagnosing their skin type or causing an oiliness rebound by using inappropriate products?

Personally I favor the last theory because this is something I see frequently. Clients often present for their first appointment complaining of oily skin, mid-day shine or make-up that won't stay on and nine times out of ten they do not have an oily skin type. (I'll deal with the one in ten that do below).

What they do have is the mistaken idea that their skin is oily because they self-diagnose incorrectly or because they have past or present acne and assume this means their skin is oily.

Very often the "oily shine" they complain of is in fact water evaporating off the skin too rapidly due to a LACK of oil on the skin's surface. Yep, lack. In this instance a facial oil is prescribed to remedy the water loss and stimulate natural oil production. This is why sometimes you can drink gallons of water but still have dehydrated skin. With shine.

Some peoples skin is producing plenty of oil (as your skin should) but it is stagnating in the pores causing blemishes, flakiness and all sorts of havoc because many people use cleansing and exfoliation products that are too harsh or contain pore-irritating ingredients. This causes the pore to hold on to the produced oil in case you just come at it with paint stripper again to wipe it away! Your skin needs the oil and it knows that so it tries to protect it.

All these harsh 'oil control' products do is dry out water from the epidermis and create a layer of dead cells that will keep oil stuck in the pores gathering bacteria and not doing it's job of protecting your skin. These people usually think that they have skin that is 'oily with dry patches'. Popularly known as combination skin. No such thing, trust me. It's a marketing term, not a skincare one.

Do you think you have oily skin but sometimes have dry or flaky patches too? This would never happen in a true oily skin type.

Acne skin is just as likely to be dehydrated for the same reasons so treating it with oil control products will just cause flakiness and have no effect whatsoever on the acne.

For those with a true oily skin the problems are usually enlarged pores, shine and make-up sliding off. Pores will rarely become blocked. Using appropriate products makes a huge difference in this case. You need vitamin C and salicylic acid to keep pores refined, all the necessary nutrients for skin health but without an emollient base, anti-ageing ingredients after a certain age that are not suspended in a greasy, silicone-based cream, and to help control the oil output you need....oil! My Lipid Repair Concentrate is designed to regulate sebum production and can be a lifesaver for oily skins.

The moral of my story, as it so often is, is to get a professional skin analysis done to determine exactly what you are dealing with. Then you can treat it appropriately and watch your problems disappear. Well, your skin problems anyway :)

Note: If your therapist does not examine your skin under some kind of UV scanning device such as a woods lamp or skin scanner then it is impossible to determine the level of oil in the skin. This is the one thing that no level of experience or expertise can tell without a diagnostic tool.

Facial oils- the lowdown

03/09/2012 10:17:00

This post was inspired by Sarah from Viva Adonis who kindly gave me a great review on her fab beauty blog. In it she talks about facial oils in general and my Nourishing Oil in particular and how she subconsciously classifies them as ‘winter skincare’.

I’m a huge fan of oils and use them daily for cleansing and all sorts of other purposes.

This led me to thinking about how most people use facial oils and I thought I would set out the differences between the oils available in my Skin Essentials by Mariga range and how and when they should be used.

In a previous post here, I wrote about the difference between active and inactive ingredients and how active ones can change cell behaviour and inactive ones can just temporarily smooth or plump the surface of your skin. The same applies to different oils and combinations of oils. Generally (but not always) used for dryness of some kind, there are different types for different levels of dryness.

Nourishing Oil: This is one to use if you have occasional dryness and/or flaky patches but don’t suffer with dry skin year round. If your skin is temporarily dry, itchy, flaky or tight due to cold weather, reaction to a product or a late night with one too many drinks then this is the one for you. Use daily until the problem is gone and put it away again until the next time you need it. It can also be used as a weekly mask for prevention. This is the one that Sarah talks about in her post and the way she used it was perfect. 15ml €15

Lipid Repair Concentrate: This is the one for people who have dry skin all the time. It works in two ways, first by mimicking the natural oils on the surface of the skin to give immediate comfort and protection, and over time it will stimulate your own oil production to normal levels. Used once a day under your day or night cream, this may be reduced over time as your skin’s natural systems become stronger. 30ml €55

Rosehip Seed Oil: This oil provides essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants to the skin. If your skin is not usually dry but suffers a little bit in the winter then this is the best oil to choose. Mixing a couple of drops a day with your regular cream or under your SPF will enhance it’s moisturising abilities without giving you a greasy feel or sitting on your skin. Use in cold weather or for outdoor exposure as necessary. 30ml €20

All my products are available to buy from my web shop here.

Note: Acne skin may also benefit from correct use of Lipid Repair Concentrate as it regulates the oil production to normal levels.

I hope this helps, remember a facial oil is for life not just for winter! Have you tried facial oils yet?

Better skin: you have to put the work in!

02/28/2012 16:19:00

The importance of following your prescribed regime:

When you embark on a new skincare regime it is usually accompanied by high hopes and great intentions. Hope that this will be ‘the one’ and intentions to stick to it this time. But many people give up when they don’t see immediate results.

What is vital to realise is that changes in the skin can takes weeks and even months to show on the surface. The ravages of a lifetime of incorrect skincare/environmental damage/hereditary conditions are going to take time to address. However, the good news is that most skin conditions can be improved at the very least and often reversed.

Your skin treatment is a two way street. Simply coming to the salon for analysis and prescription isn’t enough, you must stick exactly to your programme to get the results you want in the time that you expect.

When I first see a new client I am happy to spend as long as necessary at the consultation to ensure that each person knows where they have been going wrong; how products, medications, diet, lifestyle choices and their unique heredity have led their skin to where it is now. I explain how that can be changed and prescribe a homecare and professional course of treatment as necessary. I follow up every month free of charge until we see the expected results to ensure that everything is going according to plan.

Your contribution to the plan is to use the products faithfully as described, keep your follow up appointments, and make any necessary lifestyle changes.

Without this co-operation on both sides any skincare regime is doomed from the start. The few failures that I see are inevitably down to lack of compliance with either the homecare regime or follow up appointments. This is really such a waste of time and money as sometimes (in the case of acne and rosacea treatment particularly) you will have to start all over again.

Is it possible to have the skin you always wanted? Yes – but like anything in life worth having you have to put the work in first.

Skin Essentials by Mariga FAQ's

02/17/2012 16:14:00

Skin Essentials by Mariga FAQ’s

1. Are Skin Essentials products suitable for sensitive skin?

Yes, the whole ethos behind the product range is to create a line of products which are free from all known irritants. All Skin Essentials by Mariga products are free from fragrance, sulphates and colourants.

2. How do I know which products are right for me?

I love to see as many people as I can personally to analyse their skins needs and prescribe a tailored programme. My advanced skin analysis service has been specially developed to comprehensively assess your unique skin problems and solutions. Read about it here.

For geographical or other reasons it is not always possible to visit the salon so you will find a distance analysis form on my website for those who can’t. Just fill it out and I will take it from there. Prefer to talk to someone? You can always just give me a call to discuss you skin concerns on 053 9145981.

3.When is the best time to apply my products?

Any time! The important thing is to use them; they won’t work in the bottle. I can make out a suggested homecare routine taking into account your available time, lifestyle and commitment level. It doesn’t matter whether you apply the products day or night except for SPF which must of course be used during the day and Overnight Repair Cream which must only be used at night.

4.In what order do I use them?

Serums, if used, are always applied to a freshly cleansed skin followed during the day by your SPF or at night by your treatment cream. If using both water and oil based products, the water based one must be used first with any oily or creamy product layered on top. It is not necessary to wait between layers, Skin Essentials by Mariga products absorb and get to work very quickly.

5.When can I expect to see changes in my skin?

This varies between individuals and you will be given guidelines at your assessment, but generally speaking surface issues will be resolved within a couple of weeks, deeper changes such as stimulating sluggish oil flow or boosting collagen production take up to 3 months and acne and rosacea take at least three months to correct. It is necessary to be patient, a lifetime of incorrect treatment takes time to correct but with compliance you will reap the benefits far into the future.

6.My skin feels dry, is this normal?

In the first few weeks of your new regime it is possible that your skin will go through a period of feeling dry or tight. This is usually due to the fact that most mass market skincare is full of surface conditioners such as silicones or mineral oil which sit on the surface of the skin and while they feel nice, they can’t change any cellular dysfunction. Skin Essentials by Mariga products are designed to absorb fully, penetrating deeply into the epidermis where they can correct cellular function. Your skin will miss the ‘greasy’ layer it is used to at first but as your skin becomes hydrated from within, this feeling will go.

To make your skin feel more comfortable during this ‘withdrawal’ period I recommend layering your products onto a still-damp face after cleansing as this will lock in water. For those with very dry skin to start with I recommend using two drops of Nourishing Oil under moisturiser until your skin is producing more oil by itself. Also, this can be a sign that you are not drinking enough water so make sure you are getting your eight glasses a day.

Facials; relaxing or results-driven, which type are you?

02/02/2012 17:03:00

Facials: which one to choose?

Something that I have been asked about recently is what is the difference between all the facials on a skincare menu and how would you know which one to choose? The simple answer to this really is don’t bother burdening your brain with the details, just ask your skincare professional to recommend the treatment that is correct for your needs. If you are worried about price just state your budget and ask what can be done under that amount.

Often you will be asked if you want a pampering or a results-driven facial. The differences between the two are:

A pampering facial is one that is mainly performed with relaxation in mind. It will involve a lot of massage, often essential oils, (shudder) and masks. It will not include any modules to correct skin function at a cellular level. Your skin will look and feel better for a day or two afterwards (as a result of the massage draining tissues) but will not have any lasting effects. This is the type of facial to have if you are on a relaxing spa day and want to unwind.

Personally if I want relaxation I will have a massage.

A results-driven facial is one that is performed with long term skin changes and benefits in mind. It is done as part of a professional skincare programme which includes skin analysis, corrective homecare and prescriptive treatments. It may include one or a combination of the following: acid peels, enzyme peels, microdermabrasion, microcurrent, phototherapy. They are not usually taken as a one-off as they are part of an overall programme. You can expect this type of facial to be more expensive. The results will last for a few weeks as long as you use the correct homecare products. (Most people on a Skin Essentials programme will have a salon treatment 3-4 times a year).

Although designed to be results-driven, these types of facials are also enjoyable to have. The Skin Essentials by Mariga prescriptive facial includes a deep facial massage as I believe that massage has great beneficial effects on the skin, and is usually everyone’s favourite part of their treatment.

Do you need a facial? See an earlier post which answers that question here.

Do you like your facials to be relaxing or results driven? Leave a comment and let me know.

Skincare rip off - it's nothing new!

01/20/2012 10:55:00

I have been reading a little about the history of the cosmetics and skincare industry recently and a little gem of a quote caught my attention. It goes to show that human nature never changes, no matter how sophisticated or clever we think we have become! Interestingly, I found this quote just after writing my previous post on the price of skincare products.

It is from a Victorian gentleman named Peter McEwan who was the author of a prominent book at the time called Pharmaceutical Formulas (1898). At that time if you wanted a preparation made for your skin you went to your pharmacist who made something up for you. Cold creams, lip salves and pomades were popular. Each pharmacist would have his own recipes and would custom make a product for each customer and also for the then fledgling cosmetics business.

McEwan said of toiletries ‘they appeal to the tastes of the refined and the rich – to the beautiful and those who wish to be..’ but he goes on to caution the pharmacist against taking advantage of the naïve customer when he says:

..’The public expect too much from the class of specialities called ‘beautifiers’. It frequently happens that the higher priced an article is, and the more highly it is vaunted, the better its success. This applied particularly to the class of articles we are now dealing with [cosmetic preparations], and is a source of danger to the compounder’s self-respect.’*

It seems to me that much remains the same. While we have made enormous progress in respect of what our modern day ‘beautifiers’ can achieve, it seems that there are still consumers who buy based on the belief that more expensive means better, and many companies are very willing to exploit that. Some skincare formulators would do well to read McEwan’s caution about self-respect.

For my advice on price vs. quality read an earlier post here.

*Source: The Victorian Pharmacy by Jane Eastoe

How much should you pay for skincare?

01/11/2012 17:32:00

How much should you be paying for you skincare products?

That depends on what you want a product to do. The more active a product, likely the more expensive the ingredients are.

Paying big money for your skincare is no guarantee of quality. That said, you won’t get quality formulas and active ingredients cheaply, so from that we can we infer that a cheap product is not doing any good? It all depends on ingredients:

Ingredients in a skincare formulation can be active or inactive. (Occasionally both).

Active ingredients are those which can change, correct or support cell function deep in the epidermis.

Inactive ingredients can change only the surface appearance.

Usually, active ingredients are expensive as they have undergone years of research and development. Any formula that claims to change how skin cells act such as anti-wrinkle, acne clearing or rosacea control needs to have active ingredients to work. Therefore they will be more expensive than inactive formulas.

Inactive ingredients are things like inert (not essential) natural oils, silicones, glycerine, mineral oil or other conditioning agents that give that nice feeling of slip under makeup and usually serve to retain moisture in the skin. There is nothing wrong with using inactive formulations as long as you are aware that they can’t change anything in your skin and are just washed off every evening. Do not expect to pay so much for these types of products.

Irritating ingredients like sulphate, synthetic fragrance and artificial colours cost pennies per gallon and appear in most mass market skincare, even the most expensive. Beware of these as they will irritate and age your skin at its deepest level.

Whether you choose products with high levels of active ingredients really depends on your needs and your budget. Just don’t part with your money for something that looks/sounds/smells good until you know what it can and can’t do for your skin.

All Skin Essentials by Mariga products contain the maximum actives for results in each formulation so all our active serums and creams do exactly what they claim.

What's your limit? Have you ever felt that you overpaid for what you got? Leave a comment, I love to hear from you.

How to: keep your skin under control during the party season.

12/23/2011 13:37:00

Caring for your skin over the festive period.

The holiday festivities are well under way and we have another week or more to go. While it’s all great fun, usually we are left with the tell tale signs on our skin – not to mention our waistlines and wallets. While I can’t help to control your bank balance or calorie intake, I can offer some tips to surviving the party season with your skin intact(ish)!

1. Prevention is better than cure. If you anticipate a late night, drink plenty of water between drinks to help keep skin hydrated. (It will help with hangovers too). Leave your cleanser and a clean cloth out where you can quickly pick them up on your way to bed, reducing the likelihood of sleeping with your makeup on.

2. If you do sleep in your makeup, I recommend an enzyme exfoliation next morning followed by a deep oil treatment such as my Nourishing Oil. Apply 6 drops over a freshly exfoliated face, then go back to bed for twenty minutes with a cup of tea while it does its work.

3. Give your skin extra nourishment daily as a protection against dehydration. A couple of drops of rosehip seed oil, or other non-fragrant facial oil, under your moisturiser every day will ensure that your skin retains water and is supplied with essential fatty acids.

4. Try to relax. I know it’s hard when you have a million things to do, but stress will exacerbate breakouts in people prone to acne or can cause rosacea flare ups in others.

5. If you are prone to spots, go easy on the dairy products and salty foods.

6. If you are prone to facial redness avoid spicy foods, shellfish, fizzy drinks, alcohol and caffeine. (Ok, that’s hard, but at least be aware that they are potential triggers).

7. If your Christmas is more walks on the beach than drinks by the fire then remember you still need an SPF 30 every day and in cold or windy weather I recommend using a barrier cream on top, such as my Winter Skin Balm to give you an extra layer of protection.

8. Remember that sugar is an ageing agent on the skin, so think twice before you have that extra piece of chocolate.

9. Eat lots of fruit and veg. We all tend to ignore the fruit bowl at Christmas when there's much more 'interesting' fare on offer but be nice to your skin and feed it lots of anti-oxidants from the inside too.

10. A smile is a great facial treatment! A good laugh takes years off you and is the best form of relaxation. Enjoy the time off work, catch up with friends and try not to fight with your family!

Have a very Happy Christmas.

Mariga x

Your questions answered: What age should you start using anti-ageing products?

12/17/2011 11:33:00

What age should you start using anti-ageing products?

When thinking about anti-ageing products the rule is prevention is better that cure so anti-ageing should be the first skincare we use. Taking care of your skin’s health and protecting it from the sun are the best anti-ageing weapons so simply using an SPF30 every day, drinking water, eating well and getting enough sleep are your first anti-ageing steps that you should be using right from childhood!

As you get older, presuming you don’t have to deal with acne or rosacea or other skin condition, you should add a serum which will give your skin all it needs to keep healthy such as my Daily Nutrient Serum. I would recommend a multi-vitamin product like this from your twenties to be used at night on normal skin after cleansing. If your skin is dry you will need a facial oil.

In your thirties to forties, depending on past sun exposure and other skin damage, you can replace this with a serum designed to boost your natural collagen production. This gives your skin cells all the ingredients necessary for it to stay functioning as younger skin does, replacing dwindling natural supplies of essential ingredients.

Both these serums also function as your eye treatment, it is not necessary to have a separate product. See an earlier blog post about eye creams here.

In your forties to fifties and beyond, repeated sun exposure and other lifestyle damage can show on your skin. It is then time to use a repair treatment to reduce lines, dark spots and old acne marks. My Overnight Repair Cream is designed for treating all the signs of ageing that have already shown on your face.

These are general guidelines, it is always best to have your skin professionally analysed if possible to determine your personal needs.

Click here to read an earlier post about anti wrinkle vs anti ageing.

Thanks for your question, I hope this gives you the information you were looking for. If anyone else has a question they would like featured, please leave it in a comment.