I have been getting a lot of requests regarding the recommended skin care products to use following my post on "Evergreen Beauty = Maintenance."
Listed below is the products that Dr. Denese recommends. I have used most of these products myself and they are very effective. Since her book came out in 2005, obviously there are newer products that have come out since then, however, I have not researched some of the newer products to see if they meet the "science" that is needed to be effective. I like to follow the motto, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", therefore, I know for sure that Dr. Denese's recommendations work true and true.
Dr. Denese's Product Recommendations:
- Skinceuticals Simply Clean Pro-refining Gel Cleanser
- Facial Firming Pads by Dr. Denese (glycolic acid)
- Dr. Perricone's Pore Refining Toner Pads
- DDF Glycolic 10% Daily Cleansing Pads
- Dr. Brandt Exfoliation (microdermabrasion scrub)
- Loreal Refinish Microdermabrasion Kit
(microdermabrasion scrub)
- Skinceuticals Serum 15 (serum 15 AOX)
- Cellex C High Potency Serum
- Elizabeth Arden Bye Lines Anti-Aging Serum
- Hydro Shield Ultra Moisturizing Serum by Dr. Denese
Products I use and can't live without:
- Avon Anew Revitalizing 2 in 1 Gel Cleanser
- Glycolix 10% Gentle Facial Cleanser
- Glycolix 20% Treatment Pads
- Mary Kay Timewise Microdermabrasion scrub
- Skinceuticals Phloretin CF
- EltaMD UV Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 Facial Sunscreen (ELLE Genius Award 2010)
The products listed above are similar to the ones Dr. Denese recommends, but are a lot cheaper, except for Mary Kay, Skinceuticals, & EltaMD.
So there you go! You're on your way to beautiful, youthful, glowing skin!
If you have the time, I would love to hear how the skincare regimen is working for you or comment if you have any questions. Mahalo! xoxo
I'm always fascinated by women who seem to have the fountain of youth. How do they stay so evergreen? What's their secret? The secret is MAINTENANCE. You have to be very disciplined when it comes to your beauty and health regimens. No matter how tired you are - you just gotta do it! I was lucky to have older friends in the entertainment business that role-modeled these good habits for me and I've passed that down to younger dancers that I've worked with. Now, whenever they see me, they say, "maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!" It's my mantra!
There seems to be a common thread in maintaining a youthful appearance and having more vitality. Some famous female celebrities that demonstrate these traits are Courtney Cox (48yrs), Elle Macpherson (50yrs), Halle Berry (46yrs), Cindy Crawford (47yrs), and Mimi Kirk (73yrs).
Here are some Maintenance Tips:
*Eat a vegetarian diet.
Mimi Kirk is famous for being a 73yr.old vegetarian and looking 20 years younger.
*Eat a low fat, low carb, low sugar diet.
Most celebrities follow this diet anyway, but especially Halle Berry who is diabetic.
*Have a strict and religious skin care regimen
Courtney Cox and Cindy Crawford are religious about their daily skincare and using sunscreen. They also are not afraid to admit that they use preventive care like botox to help as well.
*Exercise often
Elle Macpherson reported that she does some type of sport activity every day and has done so her whole life. Courtney Cox also commented that she plays tennis every week for the last 20 years. Cindy Crawford exercises at home in between chores and Halle Berry works out with her trainer. I've been dancing for 20 years plus and it has really helped me maintain without even trying. In other words, Use It or Lose It!
*Do yoga
Being flexible will also help you to remain evergreen and keep you healthy mentally, physically, and internally. Where the mind goes, the body follows.
*Juice and/or take vitamin supplements
I strongly suggest that you juice over taking supplements, but if you can't do that you need to get your nutrition somewhere and there's no way your going to get everything your body needs by just having meals alone. It's just the bad FDA world we live in today unfortunately. Put in lots of dark leafy greens with an apple or pear and you will never know that your drinking a bunch of veggies - it's that good!
*Drink LOTS of water
We all know this is good for our skin, but it's also excellent for providing energy and vitality to our bodies. I'm totally guilty of not drinking enough water and can go all day without even thinking of it so don't feel bad if your guilty too.
*Laugh a lot
That's right, life is supposed to be fun and not so serious, so laugh often and you will have less stress and frown wrinkles.
Courtney Cox (48yrs)
Elle Macpherson (50yrs)
Halle Berry (46yrs)
Cindy Crawford (47yrs)
Mimi Kirk (73yrs)
In Hawaii, long hair is the traditionally favored style for most women. Long hair is considered very feminine and sexy and makes wahines (women) look fine and exotic.
Here are some tips on having beautiful, healthy, shiny hair:
1. Massage your scalp. Press hard on your scalp with your fingertips and massage your whole head. This gets the circulation going and can even help with individuals suffering from small bald spots.
2. Get a scalp brushing. My favorite place to do this is at Ulupono Academy, A Paul Mitchell beauty school salon, in Kaimuki, Oahu. It's really inexpensive, and great for your scalp. Students will use a hair brush to brush your scalp in sections and invigorate your scalp and hair follicles and exfoliate the skin.
3. Brush your hair, especially the scalp. My girlfriend, Iwa, has the most beautiful long hair and she brushes her hair every night at least a 100 times. I remember Frederick Fekai saying the same thing once in an interview. The proof is in the haupia pudding!
4. Take prenatal vitamins. I know this sounds crazy and I'm not promoting that you get hapai (pregnant), but prenatal pills is a hula dancers secret! We take prenatal pills when we want our hair to grow longer and faster. Plus you get the benefits of healthy full hair and strong nails.
5. Deep condition your hair weekly. I like to use Biolage deep conditioning balm when I am home. Put a lot on damp hair, put it in a bun, and do your housework. If you want extra conditioning, put a shower cap around it so that it seals in more heat. I also like to use oils, such as organic argan oil, coconut oil, or manoi (Tahitian) oil. I will put this in my hair in a tight bun before I go into my Bickram hot yoga class, and by the end of the class my hair is deeply conditioned. You can also do this before entering a steam room, but be sure that the oil/conditioner in your hair does not get all over the steam room or you may not be welcome there anymore!
6. Eat healthy and try not to dye your hair too often. Try to eat lots of dark leafy green vegetables and give your hair a break by not dying it too often or using hair products that damage your hair on a daily basis.
7. Let your hair air dry instead of blow drying it.
8. Do not comb your hair while it is wet to prevent breakage.
Many years ago I stumbled upon a beauty skincare book at Border's in Waikele, Oahu, and I feel as if my guardian angels literally dropped it in my hands in the middle of some random aisle. For years, I have been on a quest for beautiful skin because I sufferred from acne and spent tons of money on dermatologists, medications, and over the counter products either at the drug store, informercials, or department store brands - and nothing seemed to work effectively and/or longterm.
Following the principles of this book changed my skin forever! My skin has never looked so radiant and people who don't know me can't believe I even has acne issues. And this is why it is my go-to Beauty Bible that I always use as my reference point when buying products. Whether it is a high end or low end skin care product, it always has to pass the test regarding ingredients and the percentage amount of the ingredient in the product. If it doesn't meet the rules, it's not worth buying because I know it will NOT be effective so don't waste your time!
The book is written by Dr. Adrienne Denese, M.D., Ph.D., one of the first doctors in the United States to specialize in anti-aging medicine. Dr. Denese owns the Manhattan Anti-Aging Clinic in New York City and was progressive way before her time. She was also the first person to make "BB Cremes" way before it even became coined recently - she is that innovative. The book is titled, "Dr. Denese's Secrets for Ageless Skin" and I strongly suggest you get it and study it.
I'm not going to tell you everything that it says in the book, but I will give you some good tips from the book:
1. Don't buy fancy, expensive facial cleansers. Just get one that you like that leaves your skin feeling soft, refreshed, and not dry or tight in any way.
2. Don't buy water-free, leave-on cleansers. It can lead to clogged pores.
3. Exfoliation is key for flawless skin and must be done daily in order to to get rid of thick layers of dead skin so that ingredients of skin care products can penetrate your skin.
4. Use a glycolic acid pad that is 8-10% glycolic every night. If your face isn't tingling, then it isn't strong enough. I personally use 20%.
5. Use a microdermabrasian cream once or twice a week to micropolish your skin to help with exfoliation. Make sure the particles are small and not large like St. Ives Walnut cremes. I like Mary Kay's microdermabrasian creme.
6. Moisturzing facial creams do not work to moisture your skin. A moisturizer is a "feel good" product and lays on top of the skin. You MUST use a serum because it can penetrate the skin; preferably with 15% Vitamin C, peptides, and ceramides in it.
7. To seal in all of the serums, you can use a moisturizer of your choice to put on top. This is only a "feel good" product and used only to seal in the serums, but not necessary if you don't want to or if you have oily skin.
8. Use SPF 30 every single day of the year, even when it's cloudy, preferably with zinc oxide.
So, the next time you have to buy skin care products, remember some of these rules and live by them. If the ingredients don't meet the requirements, don't buy it. If someone trys to convince you that a moisturizer will be the cure-all for beautiful skin, you know that it's not true. In the foreword of Dr. Denese's book she writes about people asking her what her secret is for looking so young and beautiful and her answer is "my secret is science", and now it's your secret too!
