Fav Skincare Products

I often recommend these products to my friends because I love them so much and they have worked well for me the last two years.

Some background: I was born and raised in LA and had oily skin for years, then turned pretty normal as I got older. I did NOT take care of my skin properly; I was just ignorant about skin care. I used to go HAM on my skin for a long time - I'm talking scrubbing my face with a rough a** face loofah or face brush EVERY DAY, not wearing sunscreen, you name something bad for your skin and I probably did it. My skin was okay with it for a while because I was young. But now, I definitely see the damage I caused my skin - I have broken capillaries on my face, micro tears, and early signs of aging. I don't suffer from acne, but obviously get the occasional pimple, and struggle with blackheads on my nose. I moved to Oregon in 2017 and my skin did NOT like the change - I was suddenly very dry. I had majorly dry, flaky spots and my foundation did nothing but cling to it.

Thankfully, my bestfriend shared Fenya Abramian's Instagram page with me - @guidance_to_glow. I was hooked. This was seriously life changing for me! Fenya is extremely knowledgeable, responsive and seems very kindhearted. I never got the chance to be blessed with her magic hands for a facial, therefore never met her but this is my takeaway from her interactions with her followers on Instagram. She essentially offers free advice on good/bad ingredients when she discusses her online consultations in her Instagram stories (she keeps the identities of these consults private). She takes the time to respond to questions in her comments. When she shows before and after shots of her clients, she's nice enough to include the products she recommended to that client. But you have to remember, she tailors a routine based on each individual's skin type/issue. Aaaaand she just started a Youtube channel *crowd cheers* to share her plethora of knowledge even further!

Fenya is very conscientious about the ingredients in skincare products and the ingredients that go into her own line of skincare called Guidance to Glow. She works with a lab to develop products with the best ingredients to her knowledge. All but two of the products I use are from Guidance to Glow. Here's my current skincare routine + a small description of each product that I got from the products' websites, and how each product has worked for me:

Morning

+ Cleanser: Guidance to Glow Gentle Face Wash (5 fl oz $31) Vegan, paraben free, cruelty free, good for all skin types. Pump. Gently cleanses without stripping the skin; no harsh chemicals. This leaves my face feeling squeaky clean but not dry. I have purchased once and might purchase a second time. + Serums: 1) Guidance to Glow Phyto Calming Serum (1 fl oz $61) Paraben free, cruelty free. Dropper. Helps soothe sensitive, inflamed/irritated skin. Contains arnica extract, cucumber and aloe. When I first purchased this, I used it daily because I had A LOT of cheek redness and this did a great job to calm it down. Now, I'll typically only use it if I have some redness, was out in the sun, trying to calm down a break out or just threaded. I have purchased three times.

2) The best of the best *drum roll* Guidance to Glow Copper Complex Peptide (1 fl oz $74) Paraben free, cruelty free. Dropper. Highly concentrated hyaluronic acid serum (nearly 80% HA)! Copper Complex was a serious game changer for my dry, flaky skin. If you suffer from dry skin and you can only buy one thing from her line, you need this item! She recently changed the formula so that it's a thinner consistency; people were having a difficult time getting every last drop. I've found that I can get away using much less with the new formula. I have purchased three times.

+ Moisturizer: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration (2 oz $14) Vegan, cruelty free. Squeeze tube. Provides long term hydration for dry, irritated skin. Good for sensitive skin. This moisturizer is pretty light that absorbs quickly, has a whipped-like texture. - Sunscreen: Solar Defense Mineral Moisture Creme (2 fl oz $32) Contains Zinc Oxide 14.5 % and Titanium Dioxide 2.0 %, non comedogenic. Squeeze tube. My facialist in Oregon introduced this to me and I love it! It absorbs nicely into the skin, doesn't leave a residue, and gives me a healthy glow. I prefer mineral sunscreens to chemical sunscreens. Read my blog post about physical vs chemical sunscreens here.

Night

+ Cleanser:

Same as morning - Guidance to Glow Gentle Face Wash

+ Serums:

1) If needed, Guidance to Glow Phyto Calming Serum

2) Guidance to Glow Ultimate Growth Factor (UGF) (1 fl oz $92)

Paraben free, cruelty free. Dropper. Full of stem cells! Targets age related degradation, reactivates collagen and dermal activity. I know we're not supposed to pop pimples, but if I just can't help myself and end up popping one, the Phyto Calming Serum with the UGF heal my skin SO QUICKLY and prevents scarring. I have purchased twice.

3) Guidance to Glow Copper Complex Peptide

4) If needed, Guidance to Glow Luminance Serum (1 fl oz $84)

Paraben free, cruelty free. Dropper. Luminance Serum contains very active acids; it should not be used daily and should only be applied at night. It targets hyperpigmentation and acne-scarring. Occasionally I'll use it as a chemical exfoliant and apply it all over my face (maybe once a month?), but I'll normally just apply it on a pimple that's come to a head and it kills that sucker pretty quickly. A little goes a long way. I have purchased once.

+Exfoliation - 1x/week not used on the same night as Luminance:

Guidance to Glow Revive Bright Polish (1.7 oz $44)

Paraben free, cruelty free. Jar. Physical and acid-based exfoliant. Contains mild flower acid to improve the skin barrier and aid in hydration. Giiiiiirl, if you haven't heard, throw out that St. Ives Apricot Scrub (or any other scrub lol) IMMEDIATELY! Many physical scrubs contain jagged-edged/shards of Lord knows what (seeds, walnuts shells) that cause micro tears in the skin. The Revive Bright Polish contains jojoba beads that are perfectly round, smooth spheres that do not tear the skin.

+ Retinol - 2x/week NOT used on the same day as Luminance or Revive Bright Polish

Guidance to Glow Retinol Radiance (1 fl oz $84)

Paraben free, cruelty free. Pump. Contains AHA and sea algae to address skin texture, vitamin A to aid in cellular turnover and skin renewal. I use this primarily for the anti-aging benefits. I've only been using this for about 4 weeks so far so I haven't noticed too much of a difference; I read that you start seeing retinol benefits in about 12 weeks.

+ Moisturizer:

Same as morning - First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

+ Eye Cream - Every other night:

Guidance to Glow Bright-n-Lift Eye Cream (.05 fl oz $66)

Paraben free, cruelty free. Pump. Moisturizing eye treatment that encourages collagen synthesis and elasticity. Contains Alpha Lipoic Acid to diminish wrinkles and fine lines, glycolic acid to soften lines and even skin texture. I purchased this because I noticed my concealer was creasing and settling into the fine lines (little baby crow's feet) in the outer corner of my eyes. I haven't noticed a dramatic change but I definitely think it's helped. I have purchased once so far.

Guidance to Glow has a lot more products that I'm eager to try, but like a lot of people, I'm ballin' on a budget and have decided to continue using the products that I know work for me. I know these prices can be a bit scary at first, but in my opinion, totally worth it. My skin is not as dry as it used to be, my redness has been relieved, my skin heals much faster, and I have fewer break outs. Since I didn't care for my skin the way I should've in high school and my early 20s, I have to work harder now to keep from lookin' like I'm 45 years old (I'm 29 now). Now that I'm back in LA, I'm hoping to get a facial from Fenya (once quarantine is over) one day! Hope this breakdown helped! If you use Guidance to Glow products, lmk which items and how you like them!