Nicole Sims, IFBB Pro, Fitness and Wellness Coach, talks about beauty and the importance of why and how to develop a skin care routine. Get your notepad and pencil ready; Nicole has a wealth of ideas and tips you can implement right away.
Nicole Sims, IFBB Pro, Fitness and Wellness Coach, talks about beauty and the importance of why and how to develop a skin care routine. Get your notepad and pencil ready; Nicole has a wealth of ideas and tips you can implement right away.
Welcome to Fitness, another episode, and I'm talking to my fellow fitness friend, as well as my fitness and wellness coach you've heard her before and now it's just great to catch up with you and see how you're doing over in Atlanta, And I wanted to say, I have. Tell everybody that I wanted to talk about beauty, and you are my beautiful friend inside and out that loves talking about your routine. Because I had no routine people, I barely got into skincare as I felt like I was aging Mm-hmm. And so now it was like, Nicole, how did you get into it? What, what would you suggest? What is your routine? I had nobody to tell me about that. Even though my, my sisters, they kind of did their own thing, but it wasn't a thing that we talked about. But when I was talking to you, uh, about what type of moisturizer, because my skin is oily, and I mean, you knew exactly kind of what to tell me or what to order, and so just like we have a routine, like for workouts and doing all that, we need that routine for like a skincare cuz it's just, it's important. Just especially if you do wanna age gracefully, because I used to not even worry about it when I was younger, but then I started seeing more of the creases, right? Mm-hmm. And I was like, Gosh, what am I doing? Is it my food? Can I change some things? And don't get me wrong, I'm okay with aging.
Nicole:you just wanna always feel. You're best at that moment, and I know we're talking about skincare. You know, our skin is our largest organ. Mm-hmm. and just like when we mistreat our bodies by, you know, drinking too much alcohol, for example, that's gonna attack our livers. Well, same thing with our skin. Like your skin will show how your diet is, how you exercise, how your blood is flowing. Definitely skincare starts really with what we're already eating and doing for our bodies as a whole. You know, I got into skincare pretty young, relatively young. I think during my high school years I wasn't so much focused on it, but probably immediately afterwards I got more into skincare because I have an aunt who was actually a distributor for, a very high end. line that was distributed to a lot of the higher end spots. So she always got tons of samples. And she was also an esthetician herself. Mm-hmm. So it was great. I would go over to her house, she would perform facials on me. And that's How old were you? How old were you into that probably around 19. So that's how I kind of got into the different aspects of skincare but even going to a professional aesthetician, because my face was started acting out it's that age. I mean, I, that age
Adriana:even still in my twenties, Oh my gosh, I'm breaking out.
Nicole:Absolutely. So I was talking to Estheticians, asking them, you know, what do you recommend? And I think that's probably the best place for most people to start when they don't really have any experience in skincare. When they're not really sure what type of skin they have, whether it's oily, dry, normal, or mix both with like or mix. Yeah. Combination, which is very common, which is also myself, I feel like depending on the season. Mm-hmm. go, go see a professional esthetician. And I'm not talking about just going to some frilly spa. Go Google or ask another friend, you know, where do you go? Go to those people who have just a studio, and it might just be them where they, they specialized so many, where they specialize in strictly skincare. Mm-hmm. I feel like you'll get the most answers and don't just go there expecting, you know, some freely little treatment that you're gonna fall asleep, you know, really engaged. You know, Well, why are you doing that? What is this about? Ask the people you know, what is that? What's in. they are more than happy to explain everything that they're doing and then take mental notes. One of the things I remember, um, I went to aesthetician and she was washing my face and she was using, a little bit of pressure mm-hmm. on there, and I was like, Oh, why are you pressing so hard? Because you know, you look at a Neutrogena commercial, say example, right? And they just wash their face and they splash water on them. Mm-hmm. And they have this beautiful, glowing skin. Well, think about it. You know, if you're washing your hands and you have stuff on your hands, or you're just gonna like get the soap and kind of rub it a little bit, No, you're gonna like, use pressure and you're gonna wash it away. Another facialist or aesthetician told me, I see a lot of people just sprays on toner, just how it is. But you're actually supposed to apply that with a, a really like high quality cotton round to wipe away the imperfections because at that, or impurities at that point, you're just splashing on toner, but you're not, it's not doing anything. You're just layering it right on top of. Impurities. Yes. And clogging pores
Adriana:I have like larger pores, so I know that if I don't clean them out, I mean, I learned that later. See, that's the thing, right? I didn't get do it until later. Now I go get facials regularly. I learned that your skin replaces itself every month.
Nicole:And every night it's rejuvenating. you know, taking time to make sure you have a good nighttime care. So let's just go over your day routine. Yes. It's your morning routine. I actually use a very gentle, mild cleanser. Now, depending on your skin, you might not even have to actually use a cleanser. Nothing fancy, just something very mild to just swipe away what you have to think over overnight. We are rejuvenating sales. There's turnovers, there's, you know, you might be, there's some level of exfoliation depending on some of the treatments that you're using. So you actually wanna go ahead and get rid of those, those things, And then finish with a toner. So find a toner that works well for your, for your skin. A lot of people, um, who will make the mistake when they have oily skin, for example, thinking that they need to try to strip away all the oil. So they might use things with like harsh alcohols and you know, I used to do that. Remember back in the day, the old product, I don't even know if they carry anymore sea breeze. people used it all the time, all the time, but it, we didn't think about how much it actually strips our own natural oils. So if you already have oily skin, your body is thinking like, Oh my gosh, we're not producing oils like step up production, Step up production. So you actually make the problems worse. Now also in the daytime, what you really need to do, If you don't do anything else, get a good vitamin C serum. So we want to cleanse tone and then have a vitamin C serum because that's a in antioxidant. Mm-hmm. So that will protect people from, some of the elements from out outside. But what antioxidants will do, it will provide, it will blunt your skin, anti-inflammatory response to, the environmental pollutants. they're everywhere all the time. I don't care where you live and how clean you think your air is. there's always something flying around. Get ready to get stuck in your skin. I think probably every aesthetician, dermatologists will tell you there is a brand called SkinCeuticals. Mm-hmm. and they probably make the most popular, potent vitamin C on the market. just do your research. Ask around and read reviews. Mm-hmm. when you're trying to decide which one you know, will work best for you, because you could spend a lot of money on this stuff. You can spend a lot of money on this stuff depending on, like for example, that serum I'm just talking about from SkinCeuticals that runs about$165. Mm-hmm. a bottle versus where you can, might be able to find something, you know, similar. As far as content wise, it might not have the same quality, but as far as what it contains, you could still probably get nutrient, all of that. Nutrients Yes. At a different price point. Mm-hmm. for sure. so after you put on your antioxidant in the morning, you'll want to moisturize. So pick a moisturizer that's great for your skin, for your case, you have oily skin, like especially during the summer, you might wanna just have a gel based moisturizer. That's great for oily skin. If you have dryer skin, it might be a little bit thicker play around and find out what works for you. the second thing outside of an antioxidant that I have to stress that makes a world of a difference is sunscreen. Mm-hmm. Now, I was late to the sunscreen party. I probably didn't start applying sunscreen. I'm 45 now. I didn't start applying sunscreen probably until my mid. once again, I had, an esthetician, you know, telling me, Oh, you need to put sunscreen on. And I was living in Seattle, like, well, hey, you know, it's cloudy most of the time. Who cares? And she's like, Well, don't think of it like that because the UV race are still getting through the clouds. If you look at your phone, look at the weather. There's also a UV ray who tells you what the, you know, low high gives you like a per, you know, how, how it is. So that's another indication. But the major thing that blew my mind when I was talking to her, she said, You know, look at the left side of your face versus the right side of your face. You see how it's more spotty, more discolored on this side versus the other side? I'm like, Yeah. She goes, Cuz you're driving and the sun is beating down on your. On the left hand side of your face. Mm-hmm. So that's, you know, I'm like, oh my gosh. And you know, the more melon you have in your skin, the darker your skin skin tone is, the more risk you are. For Hypermutation, for example, my skin, because I'm a black woman, when I get even a bit, that's just under the surface. It will start to discolor my skin, start making my, my skin a little bit darker, like making a little spot. So I realized when I started applying sunscreen every day, my, the hyperpigmentation decreased greatly. Now I'm not saying it's all the way gone, but that it has decreased a lot and I don't, my skin doesn't react, to the UV rays as strongly anymore. And is that like the
Adriana:spots as. Is that the discoloration spots?
Nicole:so there's hyperpigmentation, which is spots, and then there's a thing called malama, which, a lot of people, especially darker, skin people will get it from mostly like around the like mustache area, you know, above the lip. Sometimes on the cheeks, forehead. those are two different type of, skin discoloration mm-hmm. A lot of times it's the same product that will treat them, but if you are experienced that, that's definitely something, especially with the, to go see a probably aesthetician because there are a lot of new treatments on the market that have helped, Those issues. Another professional told me it's not enough just to have some sunscreen in your tinted moisturizer or, That's what I was
Adriana:thinking when I told you, you're like, That's not enough. I was
Nicole:like, Enough thinking I was enough. Right. That's not, that's not enough. You should really try to shoot for having an SPF of 40 and above. Mm-hmm. I have like an assortment of different, sunscreens that I use depending on what I'm doing or if I'm putting on makeup for the day or if I just wanna glow. Like I have one that has little, you know, shimmers in it a little bit. Mm-hmm. I have another one that's kind of acts as a primer. Mm-hmm. like a makeup primer, so I'll use that one. Find a couple things that work for you, so that you'll actually use it because it makes a huge difference. So you'll actually use it. So you have to say, You know what, I don't have enough time for all these things. Or, I'm not really into skincare, so I'm gonna buy a, you know, moisturizer, that's all in one. And that's what you use during the day? Mm-hmm. the one that, the moisturizer that contains the spf, that's what you'll use as your moisturizer. Okay. Okay. So we wanna aim for at least 40 and. No matter what, no matter what the weather conditions are every day, put on your sunscreen. And if you're sweating, et cetera,
Adriana:try to remove that. Yes. Like if you work out. That was the thing. I don't like to wear makeup when I work out just because it clogs my pores. Yeah. And I want fresh skin. I want just like something light. So I just did start applying the moisturizer and. The, you know, sunscreen. Yeah. As well. Excellent. Just every day I think I've been using, you know, that bottle that you get that you suggested to use every day, and I was like, Oh, okay. And that does make a difference on
Nicole:my skin. It does. Right. As much. Yes.
Adriana:I'm, and I'm not as oily. I'm just kind of like right in
Nicole:the middle. That's amazing. See, simple, like just taking the steps to do it. So that's what I would, you know, recommend for your daytime routine. And then for nighttime it gets a little bit more, tricky. I know my husband's always like, Oh gosh, you're getting ready to be in the bathroom for another, you know, 20, 30 minutes. I'm like, Hey, it is what it is. I gotta put on my, you know, I gotta do my skin care, right? I gotta
Adriana:do care about the way we look. You know, Matt doesn't even use lot.
Nicole:I believe it
Adriana:is. Just don't even lose lotion.
Nicole:I mean, my husband, he was. Pretty much the worst, like growing up in Georgia, he kind of always figured, Well, you know, there's humidity outside, so he didn't feel dry. I don't need it. When he came to the Pacific Northwest and it was a different ballgame, but then I discovered, you know, I had this lotion that I just love and. I was noticing this was getting light, and I'm like, What is going on? He's like, Yeah, no, I actually like touched his skin and I was like, Wow, your arm is really soft. He's like, I've been using your lotion. He's told me that he secretly watches me and then. He'll go and try to use whatever it was that he think he saw me use. That's so ridiculous. But I'm like, Please don't touch my stuff unless you actually know how to use it. That's, please don't. It costs too much money for you to
Adriana:just be, Buy one for Chrisy. Here's your birthday. Here you go.
Nicole:Oh yeah. No, he got his own now. He got his own. Cause I do not like sharing. So, okay, so at the, in the evening it's a little bit different for your skincare, well actually I recommend double cleansing. So you have your pre cleanse, A lot of it is maybe an oil based or, what are they called? Mylar waters. That's a great one. Some that will take off the makeup. And more importantly, cause I've noticed too, a lot of people think, Well, you know, I didn't wear any makeup today. I should be good to go. Let me just jump in the bed. Know we have all those pollutants and everything else that you expose your skin to all day long. And also sunscreen, You gotta get that off. And then you go into your, your cleanser. Now I remember I told you, in the mornings I like to use a, that very mild cleanser because at night is when I use the ones that are a little bit more, intensive, it just depends on your, your skin. I also learned the hard way to not get the cleanser all on your eyes. You know, don't scrub your eyelids and all this stuff because the skin on your, around your eyes is totally different from the skin on your face. So it was happening as I was getting sensitive. Yeah. So my eyelids were getting dry. Mmm. So you'll cleanse and then you'll tone again, and then you'll wanna apply an eye cream. And I forgot to mention that also in the morning, you also wanna use, you
Adriana:use eye cream or an eye serum.
Nicole:I kind of use both now I will say this eye cream is something that I did start using, in addition. To just your basic stuff like cleanser and toner and when I was younger, like when I said 19, just because I love, That's why you look so fabulous, I, I literally, I You really do, You look a lot younger. Thank you. I mean, I really do believe that eye cream has, like, I don't have, The, I don't have the pros feet or anything like that, and it's, cause I've been very diligent about eye cream at least, at night. Now the next thing it'll do at night time after you apply your eye cream is that's the time to do a treatment. At night is the time to apply. Things that will help, treat your skin. So if you have acne, this is the time to put on the acne. Treatments may be recommended by your dermatologist. Mm-hmm. Or better yet, if you're not doing any of these things, I recommend retinol. Mm-hmm. Now retinol will help with cell turnover and it will also help, prevent and decrease wrinkle. You can easily go over the counter, you don't have to have a dermatologist. You can buy something from like a Sephora or even Target. That has the same ingredients as long as it might not be as potent. So you'll just have to make sure you just stick to a routine, okay? Mm-hmm. So definitely recommend using retinol. See how your face handles it. Maybe just put it on one night, Some people will put it on just once a week because their skin just can't handle it. So just work your way up to have, be able to apply that several times a week. And then for myself, I also, will. Pivot from the retinol to more like an exfoliating treatment. So things that contain, alpha hydroxides mm-hmm. things that will also create cell turnover. Like lactic acid serum. I use glycolic acid serums to. Stimulate and promote cell turnover. And then I find that when I do all that, it helps, Keeps my pores cleared. Yes. Out from the gun, you know? You can just follow up with a good, specifically for nighttime moisturizer. After every step you need to make sure you allow time for your body to absorb that. So don't. Slap on your serum. And then as, as while you can still see that you're getting your moisturizer already. You slap that on, you have to give it everything kind of time to settle in, absorb. Mm-hmm. Yes. And when in doubt with your serums and your treatments and moisturizer, always try to apply things from the thinness to the heaviest. Definitely keeping your skin, clear and exfoliated so that your products can penetrate your skin is the way to go.
Adriana:I usually do those nose peels, that kind of help remove all the, not just the black hits, but the, you know, there's the little teeny floors have bacteria and stuff in there. How often, for sure do you suggest using one of those? Well,
Nicole:yeah. That kind of creeps into like a mask. Yes. A, a, a really like more in depth treatment than your nightly treatment. And I recommend doing some sort of mask at least once a week. Mm-hmm. So whether that's a clarifying mask is what you're kind of speaking of right now, You know, some that will bring out the impurities. You should do that if it's something, if you're feeling like your skin is dry or dull. There are masks that are specifically. For those things too.
Adriana:That's so good. I mean, cuz it is an important like self care. Recently I started adding, I only do it once a quarter. But go to the spa and actually get that scrub for your whole body. Right.
Nicole:The Korean body. It's
Adriana:like it, I feel like a shiny penny every time I walk outta that place.
Nicole:I remember the first time, you are the first person, in course that took me to the Korean, but Korean spa And first of all, I didn't know that we were gonna have to be butt naked in the wet room. So that was a shocker. But we did that scrub and I never had a scrub like that before. And you know, there were splashing water on me. And I remember I saw the thing that said mug war. You know, mug warr water. So when they were splashing the water on me and I saw these particles like floating around on the ground, I thought it was the tea. Like I thought it was like herbs from the tea. I didn't know it was my dead skin I had no idea. At first, I did not know I had that much dead skin, but you're absolutely right. They actually, they said that you should at least do a body scrub like that at least every season.
Adriana:And it's also about like loving your body and your image too. Yeah. Cuz I know, like I took my knees there and she was so uncomfortable. Oh yeah. And she was a teenager, so of course she's just like, Ugh. And I'm just like, Well, miha, like I just wanna introduce you to it and if you keep it, in this your routine, or if you do it for the first time and maybe later on you'll remember what it feels like and then just kind of go through that hydration. There's a reason why they look so much younger. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. They do that hydrotherapy, you know, where you go. Hot cold. Hot cold too.
Nicole:Yeah. Well, you think about it that's like a bonding time. They'll go for, hours and hours and hours and just work on and just do that stuff. And it's relaxation and they don't feel guilty. That's what sometimes we lack. I don't know, Americans or whatever, it's like this hustle. Go, go, go, go, go. Yeah. Like society, getting things done. Hustling. Absolutely hustling. sometimes just focusing on yourself is getting things done. I don't feel guilty, you know, for spending an hour or so in the gym. Like I'm not taking, I'm actually adding to my family, not taking away from them because I'm happier. I'm healthier. You know, there's just so many pluses that when you look at self care, however it is, you know, that it, it aids to your community around you as well.
Adriana:This is like a time to. Take care of myself and then bring up that part of my family too, cuz I feel so good. And Matt like, Oh you look beautiful, you look gradient like, just for myself. and it does for really help my family. So thank you. Thanks for
Nicole:sharing your expertise. When you look good, you feel good.
Adriana:Exactly. And when you feel good, you want other people to feel good too. I feel. I definitely believe that. and everything that we do, right? You're like, Oh, oh man, I gotta share this with that person. Or let's go do the stairs together and just talk and unload and
Nicole:have fun.
Adriana:I love being able to hop on the elliptical and catch up with you. Nicole, gimme a call. What are you working out? Okay, call me at nine and then we can have a good half an hour, 45 minute conversation on the elliptical or whatever we're doing. And we just feel so much better. Cause we know that we're connected.
Nicole:Absolutely. Those are the, those good vibes. Mm-hmm. Cause we
Adriana:all need'em. Yeah. And they're all vibes. Right. You know, you can feel people's energy when it's like negative. You're just like, Whoa.
Nicole:Oh Lord, Yeah. Stay away from those people and, and then trust your intuition if they're giving you bad vibes. Trust. Trust. Trust it. You know? And trust that it has nothing to do with you. Yes. If we could
Adriana:take one thing, that would be it. Like don't take it personal. Just do what you can do. Do your part,
Nicole:absolutely. All right,
Adriana:Maitay, thanks so much for a great conversation.
Nicole:You're welcome. Thanks for having me on again. Time we hint it.