Contour Collection's Skin Care Guide for the client who loves the essentials.
The Essentialist is for the client who wants just the essentials. The skin care lover that prioritizes investing in high-quality products that actually deliver noticeable results. If you cross your t’s and dot your i’s in all of life’s endeavors, look no further because this one's for you.
THE ROUTINE
The Essentialist routine gives you exactly want you need, and nothing more. See below for the 5-step morning routine and the evening 6-step ritual.
☼ THE AM ROUTINE
Cleanser: Refresh the skin and get it primed for morning skincare without stripping the barrier.
Product Recommendation: SkinCeuticals Gentle Cream Cleanser (#1)
Vitamin C: Neutralize free radicals, prevent environmental damage, boost collagen, increase your SPF efficacy by applying Vitamin C first.
Product Recommendation: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
Hyaluronic Acid: Boost your skin’s natural hyaluronic acid levels for smooth, firm, plump hydrated skin (and increase the longevity and effect of dermal fillers).
Product Recommendations:
SkinMedica HA5
SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier
Eye Cream: Re-energizes and rejuvenates to help eyes look brighter and more youthful, improves eyes’ appearance, including dark circles, sagging, puffiness, and lines specifically designed for the thinnest skin on the face.
Product Recommendations: SkinMedica Instant Bright
SPF: Both UVA and UVB light breaks down collagen leading to thin skin, fine lines and increased risk of skin cancer.
Product Recommendations:
For Sheer Coverage: SkinMedica Mineral Shield 35 Non-Tinted
For the Perfect Tint: SkinMedica Mineral Shielf 32 Tinted
☾THE PM ROUTINE
Cleanser: Choose between a gentle cleanser that will refresh the skin without stripping the barrier, or opt for an exfoliating cleanser that helps loosen dead skin cells to create a brighter glow, lighten sun spots and prevent acne, milia, and build up.
Product Recommendations:
SkinCeuticals Gentle Cream Cleanser (#1)
SkinMedica AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser (#2)
Exfoliator/Cellular Turnover: Increase glow and brightness, tone and texture by buffing dead skin cells to allow skin care to penetrate healthy skin cells all while preventing build up (milia and acne), lightening hyperpigmentation and minimizing fine lines.
Product Recommendation:
SkinMedica AHA/BHA Cream
SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight
You may replace one of these products with a retinol or Tretinoin of your choice.
Hyaluronic Acid: Boost your skin’s natural hyaluronic acid levels for smooth, firm, plump hydrated skin (and increase the longevity and effect of dermal fillers).
Product Recommendations:
SkinMedica HA5
SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier
Eye Cream: Re-energizes and rejuvenates to help eyes look brighter and more youthful, improves eyes’ appearance, including dark circles, sagging, puffiness, and lines specifically designed for the thinnest skin on the face.
Product Recommendations: SkinMedica Instant Bright
Neck Cream: Exfoliate, plump and tighten the skin that is often neglected but shows signs of aging before anywhere else.
Product Recommendations: SkinCeuticals Tripeptide-R Neck Repair
Moisturizer: Restore the skin’s barrier function, enhance hydration and help seal in all the benefits of the previous steps of your skincare routine.
Product Recommendation:
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore
SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture
☆ As always, remember that your skin care routine should be as unique as you. Your routine may need to be refined based on your skin care concerns (hyperpigmentation, acne-prone, age), season/climate, and your daily habits. Please know that our Providers are always happy to customize our skin guides to you.
Are you The Essentialist? Stop by Contour to shop the products, chat with our experts, and start your essential skin care journey today! Love to nerd out on science? Read on below.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE PRODUCTS
CLEANSERS:
SkinCeuticals Gentle Cream Cleanser:
Gentle Cleanser is a creamy, mild face cleanser for sensitive skin formulated with an emollient-rich surfactant and a 3% concentration of key ingredients combining allantoin, glycerin, and orange oil to soften and restore skin’s surface. This gentle skin cleanser efficiently removes impurities and long-wear face and eye makeup. Skin is left feeling soft, moisturized, and primed.
SkinMedica AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser:
This elegantly formulated exfoliating cleanser gently scrubs away dead skin, improving the appearance of skin tone and texture.
Ingredients:
Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Citric Acid & Malic Acid:
Each is a natural, alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) derived from bilberry extract, sugar cane extract, sugar maple extract, and citrus extracts that provides mild exfoliation to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and enhance skin texture.
Jojoba Oil
Round soft jojoba spheres gently exfoliate minimizing irritation to skin.
Salicylic Acid
A beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) that helps exfoliate skin.
VITAMIN C:
A patented daytime vitamin C serum that delivers advanced environmental protection and improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, loss of firmness, and brightens skin's complexion. Now clinically proven to reduce combined oxidative damage from free radicals generated by UV, Ozone, and Diesel Exhaust by up to 41%.
The synergistic combination of 15% pure vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid), pure vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and 0.5% ferulic acid. It is formulated under the Duke Antioxidant patent. Vitamin C is a highly-potent antioxidant that by its structure has difficulty being effectively absorbed by skin. The Duke Antioxidant patent outlines the formulation parameters required for effective delivery of vitamin C to skin: 1) pure l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C); 2) an acidic pH within the 2.0-3.5 pH range and; 3) a concentration between 10%-20%. SkinCeuticals is the only brand to formulate antioxidants according to these parameters.
EXFOLIATOR/CELLULAR TURNOVER:
SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight:
Nighttime glycolic acid cream delivers a true 10% glycolic acid value to promote cellular turnover for healthy, glowing skin
Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight is formulated with a free acid value of 10% glycolic acid, allowing it to work at a true 10% concentration proven optimal in promoting effective exfoliation and natural cell turnover. Free acid value refers to the true strength of a glycolic acid product, and is affected by both the concentration of acid and the pH of the formula. This potent night cream is synergistically blended with 2% phytic acid to promote skin clarity and brightness, and a triple action-soothing complex to help support the skin barrier. Proven tolerable for nightly use, Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight improves the appearance of skin texture and tone to promote a bright complexion and glowing skin.
Exfoliates and improves the appearance of skin tone and texture revealing brighter skin.
Ingredients:
Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Citric Acid, and Malic Acid:
Each is a natural, alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) derived from bilberry extract, sugar cane extract, sugar maple extract, and citrus extracts that provides mild exfoliation to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and enhance skin texture.
Salicylic Acid:
A beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) that helps exfoliate skin.
Tocopheryl Acetate:
A stabilized ester of vitamin E considered the most important antioxidant and free-radical scavenger.
Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5):
A moisturizing agent that binds moisture to surface skin layers.
HYALURONIC ACID:
SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier:
A multi-functional corrective serum to help amplify skin's hyaluronic acid levels. This product increases endogenous (the amount your body natural produces) hyaluronic acid by 30% in 12 weeks!
It also delivers surface hydration, helping improve the visible appearance of firmness, smoothness, and facial plumpness. This hyaluronic acid serum may be used as part of a home skincare regimen to increase effects of dermal fillers.
A SkinMedica® exclusive technology that harnesses potent antioxidants found in Vitis Flower Stem Cell Extract, Peptide Complex to support rejuvenation and hydration, and Polysaccharides from French Polynesia for healthy-looking skin—all working to support skin's ability to replenish its own hyaluronic acid for overall skin health.
Contains 5 types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Time Release HA — A SkinMedica® proprietary ingredient for sustained release of HA
Sodium Hyaluronate — For immediate hydration
Uncross-linked HA — For smoothness and hydration
Nano HA — Soothes skin
Cross-Linked HA — Provides long-lasting hydration for up to 8 hours
Eye Cream:
This refreshing treatment delivers advanced ingredients to instantly improve the eyes’ appearance and continues to brighten over time, leaving a refreshed and more youthful look at first use, and for weeks after.
Ingredients:
Phenylethyl Resorcinol
Helps support melanin balance to correct the appearance of hyperpigmentation
Marine extracts
Correct and prevent the appearance of darkness and shadows
Hyaluronic Acid Blend
A hyaluronic acid blend moisturizes and smooths
Vitis Flower Stem Cell Extract
A potent antioxidant, which helps to prevent damage from free radicals
Specialty ingredients
Caffeine, Persian silk tree extract, and St. Paul's wort addresses puffiness and uneven skin tone by adding a powerful shot of firmness and radiance
Neck Cream:
SkinCeuticals Tripeptide R-Neck Repair
Corrective retinol neck firming treatment targets early to advanced signs of visible neck aging.
A daily retinol tightening cream specifically formulated for firming delicate neck skin, Tripeptide-R Neck Repair is designed to target early to advanced signs of neck aging, including lines and wrinkles due to repetitive movements from looking down at mobile devices. Formulated with 0.2% pure, slow-release retinol, 2.5% tripeptide concentrate, and 5.0% glaucine complex, this corrective technology is clinically demonstrated to target multiple signs of visible neck aging. Tripeptide-R Neck Repair is specifically formulated to tighten delicate neck skin, is appropriate for daily use, and complements professional treatments.
SPF:
SkinMedica Essential Defense Mineral Shield
Best known for its lightweight and silky smooth consistency. Feels ultra-hydrating and is easy to use under makeup, does not pill, does not clog pores. Comes in both 32 tinted and 35 non-tinted formulations. UVA and UVB mineral protection.
MOISTURIZER:
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2
Supplement ceramides and lipids to restore the skin’s barrier function and help seal in all the benefits of the previous steps of your skincare routine and lock in moisture.
Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 is an anti-aging cream that contains the optimal and patented lipid ratio of 2% pure ceramides 1 and 3, 4% natural cholesterol, and 2% fatty acids, which is proven to nourish skin and correct signs of aging. This unique lipid correction cream contains the first 2:4:2 cholesterol-dominant ratio to help restore skin's external barrier and support natural self-repair, while potently nourishing aging skin for improvement in the visible appearance of skin smoothness, laxity, pores, and overall radiance.
A daily face moisturizer that provides normal to oily skin with lightweight, long-lasting hydration as it helps minimize the appearance of pores.
Daily Moisture is a lightweight face moisturizer designed for normal to oily skin types, offering hydration, nourishment, and a reduction in the appearance of pore size. Crafted with an exclusive blend of vitamin E, three nutrient-rich algae extracts, and seven botanical extracts, it effectively shields the skin while leaving it soft, devoid of any greasy residue. This formulation caters to the unique needs of oily skin, addressing both moisture and oil control concerns. Despite seeming contradictory, oily skin can also be dehydrated, characterized by a shiny, blemish-prone complexion with enlarged pores resulting from excessive sebum production. Additionally, dehydrated skin, often a temporary condition induced by harsh skincare products or environmental aggressors, can benefit from the balancing and hydrating properties of Daily Moisture.
If you have any questions about skin care, we are here to help! You can reach us at (720) 629-8921, or you can book a New Client Consultation to learn more. We're happy to answer any questions you may have and guide you through the process.