Bioelements Series

About a month or so ago, in the middle of my "Turning 30" freak out, I was frantically doing research on skin care, more specifically anti-aging. Never in my life have I had what I would ever call "good skin." I had acne in high school (not helped by the fact that I wouldn't use the acne meds my pediatrician father prescribed for me), which really only cleared up partially as I entered my 20s. I have continued to be plagued by large pores, breakouts, and loss of radiance. Some of these problems are just me, some are definitely the direct result of inconsistency with my routine and my crazy lifestyle- working 80 hours a week in a very dry hospital can't help anyone's skin! I was feeling old, and as if I had never really had those years of looking great like everyone else. I wanted to help my skin and postpone the aging process if I could. This is where Bioelements comes in!

I know many people have never heard of Bioelements, so let me give you just a bit of background info on the company. In 1991 Bioelements was started by an esthetician, Barbara Salomone. She has a team of crack chemists, pharmacists, estheticians and just general skin care experts that help her to create the line. Originally started as a line of products for use in spas and professional facials, it quickly expanded into "take home" products.

The Bioelements products are very carefully formulated for optimal results, and are actually pretty easy to find. The products use plant and tree extracts, essential oils, trace minerals and high performance cosmeceuticals. There are no animal by-products, synthetic fragrances, irritating artificial colorants or pore-clogging ingredients. As well, for us animal lovers, they do not test on animals. The products are available at spas nationwide, and a quick search on their locator for me did reveal about 15 options within a 15 mile radius, so chances are that even if you aren't in Orange County, you'll have plenty of places to find this line. I recommend checking out the Biotype Chart to discover which categories of Bioelements products will work best for you before you begin.

Starting this week, I'll be progressing into the more product driven part of the skin series, and as I post about each type of skin care product (eg- Cleansers are the next post), I will also be posting about the Bioelements product I tried that matches this category.

I have to say that because of the Bioelements products that I have been using for the past month, my skin is in the best condition of my life! My skin has definitely cleared up to a huge extent, I have much less visible pores now, I am smoother and my skin gets less oily during the day. I use less makeup for work, and I now only wear concealer on weekends, which was not the case before. I have only been using the products for a month at this point, and I'm right at the time when results from any new skin care routine should be visible. (Due to cell turnover and such, it takes at least 4-8 weeks before you really should expect any big changes with new skincare products, most especially acne products. Yes, I learned that in medical school!)

My Bioelements Routine
Here is my skin care routine right now, with links to each product (or my review, in the case of the 2 non-Bioelements skin products that I'm still using). I had different AM and PM routines, and I followed this routine everyday without fail, unless I was on-call at the hospital, in which case I did the PM routine once I returned home after my 30 hours, right before my nap!

AM
The morning is when I'm the most hurried. I am not a morning person, and I have been known hit the snooze alarm for well over 45 minutes before I wake up and realize that I've been doing this. So, you can imagine that I tend to be a little bit rushed each morning! Once out of the shower and my hair is dried, I usually only have about 15 minutes to style my hair and put on my makeup (hence, the name of this blog). Therefore, I was pretty happy when I learned that switching to Bioelements would mean only adding 1 small step to my morning routine!
--Bioelements Flash Foam Cleanser
--Bioelements Power Peptide
--Bioelements Breakout Control- Only when needed
--Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF 15

PM
At night I do have more time, and although this list of products looks long, it truly only does take about 5-10 minutes to apply everything and have my face dry.
--Bioelements Flash Foam Cleanser
--Almay Eye Makeup Remover
--Bioelements Power Peptide
--Bioelements Breakout Control
--Bioelements Quick Refiner
--Bioelements Probotix
--Bioelements Sleepwear

Sunday PM
On Sundays, I have been doing my masks and "spa day" treatments. In an ideal world, I would love to do this twice a week, and if I'm in need of pampering I will do masks during the week, I just haven't been able to lately with craziness at work.
--Bioelements Flash Foam Cleanser
--Almay Eye Makeup Remover
--Bioelements Pumice Peel
--Bioelements Kerafole
--Bioelements Restorative Clay
--Bioelements CremeTherapy
--Bioelements Breakout Control
--Bioelements Probotix
--Bioelements Sleepwear


Now that you know what is coming up for the next couple of weeks, stay tuned! I hope these products and information can help you with your skincare woes!
Bioelements Website