How is your skin feeling these days? Mine has been extra dry and dull lately—perhaps a direct result of somewhat slacking in my skincare routine along with the change of temps we’ve been having here on the West Coast. For this reason, I’m always on the hunt for tips and tricks to improve my skin in any way possible that I can easily do at home. Luckily, a friend put me in touch with medical esthetician Candace Marino, also known as The LA Facialist. With a large celebrity clientele, she has the magical ability to make your skin #radiantAF, as she puts it on her Instagram page.
Of course, I immediately tapped in with Candace and asked her to share some of the most effective things we can do while at home to improve our skin. From her signature triple cleanse to facial massages, keep scrolling to find out her pro tips for healthy skin and the game-changing products she recommends.
Triple-Cleanse
"Thorough nighttime cleansing seems like a no-brainer, but it's actually a step that is either skipped or not done properly. Removing the makeup, SPF, dirt, and oil that build up on the skin is imperative to having a healthy complexion. If we fall asleep with the grime of the day on our skin, we are disrupting our skin's ability to repair and renew itself overnight, and we are allowing free radicals to damage our cells during a time that our skin should be rejuvenating.
"Because so many people aren't properly cleansing the skin, I developed the triple-cleanse method (this is for makeup wearers) to ensure the skin is thoroughly cleaned before bed. The triple cleanse is a makeup-removing cleansing step using a cleansing oil or balm (not a makeup wipe that strips/dries and really just moves makeup around), followed by a double cleanse to deep-clean the skin. Again, this is for makeup wearers.
"I developed this after seeing clients come in for an early morning facial and seeing makeup residue from the night before. I'd ask them if they had cleansed their skin before bed and they all would say, 'Yes, I double-cleansed,' which is the gold standard in the industry. Because so many women double-cleansed and still had makeup leftover, I decided to recommend an oil-based cleanser as a first step, and that's how the triple cleanse was born."
"My top picks for an oil-based cleanser that will truly emulsify and remove makeup are Augustinus Bader The Cleansing Balm and One Love Organics B Enzyme cleanser (below)."
"For my second cleanse, I'll reach for something gentle like IS Clinical Cleansing Complex, which will sweep away any leftover traces of makeup and oil and deeply cleanses the skin without stripping."
"For the third step, you can either repeat with your second cleanser (remember a triple cleanse is really just a double cleanse with an added makeup-removing step) or you can grab an exfoliating cleanser—either enzymatic or chemical in nature.
"For enzyme-based cleansing, I love the Restorsea Pro Foaming Wash, which has an enzyme derived from salmon eggs that eats away at dead cells and brightens the skin."
"For chemical, I'll grab the Jan Marini Bioglycolic Face Cleanser, which is lightly resurfacing and will cleanse the skin with concerns like acne, rosacea, discoloration, and wrinkles in mind."
Do Your P.M. Routine Every Night (Before You're Too Tired)
"Do your full p.m. routine every night. Outside of cleansing the skin, the application of your nighttime routine is imperative for healthy, beautiful skin. Because the p.m. routine can be easily skipped if you drift off to sleep on the couch, I tell my clients to do their routine as soon as they're in for the night. Don't wait until you're already tired to do your routine. Get it done when you walk through the door so it's done and out of the way."
Exfoliate Regularly, 2 to 3 Times a Week
"Exfoliating treatments like peel pads, masks, or gentle scrubs are the best way to keep your skin exfoliated and functioning properly.
"Exfoliation is truly the key to keeping the skin youthful. The goal as we age is to keep a very thin, compact outermost layer of skin and a thick dermis. Having a thin stratum corneum allows for our skin to glow and also ensures our serums and creams are able to penetrate well.
"When people have chronically dry skin, nine times out of 10, they have skin that's begging to be exfoliated. When you constantly hydrate skin that needs exfoliation, you actually build up the dead layer of cells, the products added to the dead cells create a glue-like layer that thickens and gets harder, and over time it makes the skin extremely rough and unable to retain moisture. Exfoliating the skin will keep it happy, healthy, and functioning its best."
"For exfoliants, I’m a big fan of chemicals, as they help break down the chains of cellular debris that builds up, robbing us of our glow and clogging pores, leading to breakouts. I love a good peel pad—AlphRet Peel Pads by Skinbetter Science are the perfect way to give yourself a professional-grade peel at home two to three times a week and will keep your skin glowing and clear."
"For enzymatic exfoliation, I can’t live without the Jan Marini Skin Zyme mask. This one’s great because you can’t overdo it. The enzymes are only attracted to dead cells so you will never find yourself in a situation where you’ve over-exfoliated with this product. It won’t negatively impact live cells or make you peel."
Do a Facial Massage Once a Week (or More)
"Give yourself a little love! Take some extra time one day a week (or more) to do a facial massage. Facial massage not only feels incredible but is a great way to energize and stimulate the skin. When we massage, we encourage oxygen-rich blood cells to flow to the area of stimulation, which makes us glow from within. Massage will also help to drain lymphatic fluid, removing toxins from the skin, which will depuff and allow for our natural contours to be more prominent. Different sculpting techniques can be done to lift and tone the skin. I like to use hands, but gua sha and electrical devices like NuFace are a great way to give your skin a little extra TLC."
"For a massage balm, Furtuna Skin makes the most decadent balm on the market. It's packed with wild-foraged botanicals from a private estate in Sicily and packs powerful healing benefits. The balm can be used for massage, but it's also wonderful for an overnight treatment to lock in moisture and repair the skin."
"For facial oil, I grab the Furtuna Skin Due Alberi Oil, which is unique in that it uses both olive oil and olive leaf water, which address both the moisture and hydration levels of the skin. It's lightweight and safe for all skin types—yes even oily!"
Try LED Therapy
"This has been a buzz in the industry for a long time, and there are many devices on the market, but I am a huge advocate of red LED therapy for the skin and for the entire body. Outside of its healing and collagen-stimulating effects, LED therapy is an incredible mood elevator. It helps all recovery processes of the body and even helps you achieve better sleep.
"I love the LED panel from Vital Red Light (which has third-party testing done on its devices to prove that the LED is doing something, unlike so many companies that have colored lights that aren't doing anything to the cells). This panel will literally light up your whole room. Ten minutes a day will greatly impact the appearance of your skin and also your overall health and well-being. I can't stress this practice enough—it's truly changed my life. I feel better and have more energy when I'm consistent with this practice."
Eat Water-Rich Foods
"Drinking water is obviously recommended for all aspects of health, but I'm a huge advocate of eating water-rich foods like watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, lettuce, oranges, peaches, celery, zucchini. Because these foods are packed with other minerals and vitamins, they help to retain more water for the body instead of drinking tons of water, which will really just flush the body. We need minerals to hold water in the cells, so when you're truly dehydrated and seeing its effects on your skin, eat fresh water-rich food. This is a great best practice for daily health, and the skin will benefit as well because the state of our gut and internal health is directly linked to our skin, how it presents, and how it ages."
Up next, the best drugstore buys from a pharmacist who looks 10 years younger than she is.
