The Glow Guide: The Tools That Actually Transform Your Skin

Your routine doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to make sense. Krista Guagenti sits down with Cayley Rich, our esthetician and aesthetics manager at Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique, to map out a clear, repeatable skincare routine you can actually follow. We start by nailing the order of operations for a morning routine, from cleansing and toner or essence to vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, eye cream, moisturizer, and daily mineral sunscreen. If you’ve ever wondered why products pill, feel greasy, or seem to “do nothing,” the answer is often timing and layering, not buying something new.

From there we move into nighttime skincare, where results are built. We talk double cleansing, stronger active ingredients like retinol and vitamin A alternatives, chemical exfoliation, and how skin cycling helps you get the benefits without breaking your skin barrier. We also make masks feel realistic again with simple ways to fit them into shower time or bedtime, and we share why you don’t need a thick, goopy layer to get real results from concentrated formulas.

Then we go deep on the stuff people argue about online: mixing skincare products versus layering them, how long to wait between steps, and the biggest misconceptions we see in real clients. We cover sunscreen myths (including darker skin tones and the “I don’t burn” trap), blue light protection for screen-heavy days, acne basics like exfoliation and hygiene habits, and what changes when skin gets drier and thinner in perimenopause and menopause. We also touch devices like high frequency, LED red light therapy, and nano needling versus micro-needling so you can spend smarter and choose lower-risk options.

If you want a routine that’s clean, effective, and based on how skin actually works, hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s overwhelmed by skincare, and leave us a review so more people can find Serenity and Fire.

Transcript

Welcome And Daytime Routine Order

Krista 0:11

Welcome to Serenity and Fire, the podcast where wellness meets grit. I'm your host, Krista Quadenti, founder of Panthea Luxuries Bob Boutique. Join me as we dive into the intriguing world of biohacking, clean living, cutting edge thought trends, and the hustle pride and grit of entrepreneurship. My personal battles with weight management and fertility, the 30-year journey to create and launch my dream business. Building a sanctuary for those who have been touched by cancer. I'm here to share a real talk, inspire big dreams, and spark a passion for holistic living inside each and every one of them. So let's dive in. Welcome back to Serenity and Fire. I'm here again with Kaylee Rich, my rock star, esthetician, aesthetics manager, and my sales training manager at Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique. And if you tuned in last week, you heard our episode all about this conversation around simplifying skincare. But there's so much to talk about. So we ran out of time and decided to pick up with a second episode. So if you didn't listen to that episode, definitely go back and listen to it again because there's so much good stuff in there. But we ended that episode talking about what the order of products is for your daytime routine. And just to refresh so that everyone has it fresh in their mind, we want to start with our cleanser. If you're going to double cleanse, double cleanse first. And then we're moving on to our toners and our essences. I'll let you tell the story. I don't need to tell it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

So toner essence. And then we're going into our active treatment, which would be like a vitamin C and then some hyaluronic acid just to kind of help hold that like water into the skin and keep hydration levels up. And then we're going to do our eye cream. Yes. The eye cream. And then finish with our moisturizer. You could also put like some niacinamide on your skin before the moisturizer or pick one that has one in it. Or other serums if you have like any other specialty serums. You would use those before your moisturizer. Oh, yes. Like my kombucha serum. I love that one. It's got like pre-pro postbiotics. Very good. And then so moisturizer, then we'll finish with some sunscreen.

Krista 2:21

I love this. I use this um

Oils And The Thinnest-To-Thickest Rule

Krista 2:25

charcoal and black sea clarifying oil, which is an oil, but it's weird because it's really more like a serum. It sits on the skin more like a serum and it has more active ingredients like a serum, wouldn't you say? It does. That one's like a very special one.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

It's um it's like a little bit thinner. I and it does, it sits on the skin really well.

Krista 2:43

And I think back to that, you know, you had mentioned on the last episode that you want to go thinnest to thickest. And I think that's true in general. But there are some things that are exceptions. So for instance, there are some oils that are thinner oils that you wouldn't want to use at the very beginning of your skincare routine. Yes. So you kind of have to follow the routine that you just said cleanser, toner, active ingredient, serums, eye creams, moisturizers, sunscreens. Yes. And if you're gonna use something like an oil, then what do you how do you like to use your oils?

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Um, I'm gonna be honest. I don't love having oil on my skin during the day. So I use mine at night. Okay. Um and that's just a personal preference. Um, I do have tend to have a little bit more oily skin. So um, I know my skin naturally produces that oil throughout the day. So I feel like if I put it on in the morning, that's just I'm not a fan of how it looks.

Krista 3:41

Kaylee's also in her 20s still. Yeah. In my 50s. So once you hit like that perimenopause, menopause stage where you're starting to get drier skin and you're looking for more of that glowy um effect, you can achieve that oftentimes with oils. Um, and if it's too oily, I find that if you just mix it a little bit with your moisturizer, it calms down the shininess of the oil.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Yes. And the great thing about our oils too is that you like whenever you have facial cover oil, which is my favorite, you need like two drops of it so for like your whole face neck. Like, you know, that's it. Two drops.

Krista 4:19

So and I brought this one to show because I actually love all of our oils. We have the rose hip oil, um, the grapeseed oil from Arcana. Oh my gosh, they're all so great and they smell so good. But this one, from a healing perspective, I feel like this oil is almost miraculous. Like it will help heal blemishes, um, burns, wounds, scarring, like so many things.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Oh, yeah. Um, I have a lot of clients that like to put it on for like dermatitis too. Um, I had a client actually last week, she's got some like around her ears, and um, she like she started putting it around her ears, and yeah, it's we did it actually during our service. She's like, Can I try it? And I was like, Yes, you can.

Krista 5:00

Yes, let's try it. LED is great for that too. We'll get into that in a little bit. But yes, oh my gosh, I

Night Routine And Skin Cycling

Krista 5:05

love this oil so much. Okay, so now we know our daytime routine. What about our nighttime routine? Because they're not the same, right? No, they're not.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

So um we really want to focus more on like active ingredients in the nighttime routine. Not that daytime doesn't have them, but more of those actives that we can't use during the day. So that's when we get into like vitamin A's, um, and then also like our exfoliants. Um, those typically we don't want them to sit on our skin while we're out in the sun. Um, the sun can kind of, you know, like turn them a little bit um and cause some like different like damaging and like damages the skin, um, which we definitely don't want to do.

Krista 5:39

So it because it's like also thinning the skin too and making it more vulnerable. Yes, exactly. The elements.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Yes. Um, so for that nighttime routine, um, we're definitely double cleansing at night because we want to get rid of, you know, like all that makeup and buildup of like dirt and bacteria from the day. Um, so I like to start with um an oil cleanse that we do with dry skin, dry hands. Um, and then we move into our second cleanser. Um, and again, cleansing, you know, about 60 seconds or so, nothing too crazy.

Krista 6:04

And again, we you like the double cleanse specifically at night because you've spent all day wearing makeup, being out in the pollution and the environment and sweating and like all the things.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Yes, exactly. Um, and so that kind of you know, that all builds up into our skin and our pores. So really making sure that we get that double cleanse to, you know, get rid of everything is super helpful. Um, so yeah, then we'll move into our second cleanser and then our toner, tonique, essence, you know, that kind of thing. Um, and then after that we'll go and get into actives. So vitamin C we did in the morning. So nighttime, um, I kind of like to do that skin cycling that we talked about a little bit. So that way, you know, one night we're doing, you know, like our retinol or our vitamin A, you know, the next night we're doing maybe that vitamin C reparative treatment. Um, we also there's lots of other good ones, you know, like our overnight cellular repair complex. There's different things that she can do just to kind of help, you know, force that change into our skin. Um, and then of course, exfoliation, that chemical exfoliation um is good for one night. Um, and then we also need like a rest. So that's where that skin kind of cycling comes into play, where you know, we do our active routine for, you know, four days or so, and then we give our skin a break and then you know flip back through it. Um, so after the actives would go on the skin, um, you can follow with any other like serums that you're using, um, if there's any kind of specialty ones that you like, um, and then our eye cream. Uh, and then this is where I like to use my oil. Um, so I'll use my oil and then finish with my moisturizer or just mix a couple drops in with my moisturizer or my night cream.

Krista 7:36

And when we say actives, just to clarify, we're talking about kind of the more therapeutic grade ingredients, the ones that are, you know, the retinal alternatives, the vitamin A's, the vitamin C's, um, the chemical exfoliators, those kinds of things. And nighttime too, I think it's important to point out that that's when our skin and our bodies are recovering and repairing the most. And so I always kind of look at it like if my body's doing all of this cellular repair, like I want it getting the best possible ingredients in at night and absorbing those as much as possible while I'm sleeping and using them to help heal my body and my skin. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

And that too, where like we go into like the skin cycling, like our skin, you know, like and our bodies, they you we always adapt. So it's so nice to be able to kind of like change up what ingredient you're using. So that way your skin's not getting too used to it and you're not noticing, you know, as much change too,

Masks That Fit Busy Lives

SPEAKER_02 8:30

which is I feel like another, you know, big thing that is important in skincare.

Krista 8:34

Okay, what about masks?

SPEAKER_02 8:35

Oh, okay. We haven't talked about masks. We have not. Yeah, masks. Um, masks are so masks are basically like our, I like to call them our potions. They have all of our, you know, they have like all of like those good ingredients that are super packed in, they're full of antioxidants, you know. There's there's lots of really good things in our masks, and they we can use those to really target specific, you know, skincare goals. So there's tightening and firming masks, there's hydrating masks, you know, there's ones to help with pores, you know, there's so many different options. Um, and a lot of times I feel that we say, I don't have time for that, you know. And so especially eminence, I feel like they're really good with that. Um, where, you know, um our trainer, she's like, you know, you do you have time to sleep? Do you have time to get in the shower?

Krista 9:18

Then you have time to mask. Because you can put there's masks that you can put on and sleep in. Yeah. And there's masks that you can put on while you're in the shower. Yes. And so if you are sleeping and you're showering, which we hope you're doing both, you can do a mask.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

You can do a mask, yes. So it doesn't have to be, you know, where you sit down, you're like, okay, like 20 minutes of sits and I don't move. But I also do like to do that kind of at night, you know. That's whenever I I unwind, you know, my kids are in bed, you know. Did you say unwind or have wine? Unwind. Well, and maybe half a glass of wine too. I didn't have three, so but yeah, so that's whenever I like to do it at nighttime. And I know I even I do gouache at home too to help with lymph drainage. So um, I like our kombucha leave-on mask. I like that one a lot. And I'll put that on my skin and it kind of helps give a good slip. And then I'll add some of like the rose hip, you know, triple C and E oil to it. And um, I do my not aggressive gouache and at night.

Krista 10:13

I'm saying that because we're gonna talk about my little hack that I love so much, but we'll get to that in a minute. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

So yeah, I like to do um that, you know, and if you can mask, I mean, if once a week is great, if you can do twice a week, that's good too. Um, but just kind of building that into your routine um is a really good practice. It's one of those like beefier skin routines, definitely.

Krista 10:33

And if you have kids or you're having a girls' night, like it always makes for a fun little thing to do together too. So we actually did this one time where I brought all these little samples of masks, and my sister and my mom and my aunts and my cousins were all there, and like we I just let everybody like pick whatever mask they wanted. It was so fun and so cute. We had pictures all of us in masks, but I will say that's one misconception about masks is that a lot of people think you have to have this big chunk thick layer of mask on your skin, but that's not true.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

Yeah, no, so um, and especially through eminence, they want you to apply their products on um, they say pantyhose thin. So um they're they're so concentrated, you know, they're packed with so many great things for your skin um that you don't really need that much. And that's where again when we get into like budget and stuff like that, like are they more expensive? Yes, but also like they're lasting forever. You know, you're you're definitely getting your money's worth of.

Krista 11:29

I mean, a mask, a container of mask by eminence can last half a year. Oh, longer.

SPEAKER_02 11:35

Oh, yeah, mine lasts longer and my mask. So yeah, that's awesome.

Krista 11:39

Okay,

Mixing Products Versus Layering

Krista 11:40

the chemist in me is so excited to talk about this next topic, and that is around mixing of products. Yeah. Because you've heard me say a lot that I personally am not a fan of blending and cocktailing products, and I feel that way because as a chemist, we know that when we have ingredient A and ingredient B, ingredient A does one thing, ingredient B does another thing. When we combine A and B, then they do something completely different and they become something completely different. That said, there are a lot of companies out there that do recommend cocktailing. Um, and you see it on TikTok and all over the place as time savers and just, you know, a lot of other reasons why doing it. So I'm curious what your opinion is on it first. Um I definitely see your side of it.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

I think they're I think and honestly, it depends on like the brand and the company. Um, I would say like I like Arcana, for example, you know, they don't they don't recommend like mixing their products and we don't do that with their products. We don't add water to them, you know, like the product is that, and that's what it's you know, that's how it was formulated. Arcana was a chemist, you know, she that line was created back in the 80s. That was her name, Arcana, and um, you know, she developed this chirally correct um skincare line. Um, and it it works very well. Um, it's still non-toxic, um, but it's also still very clinical. Um, whereas then we get into eminence and eminence, you know, they don't just tell you to it, they encourage it. Like they're they're like, mix this mask and put this one on top, and then you know, like layer this together and add here. Um, so you know, there's really different things that you can create whenever, you know, you're doing this with your skin. And um I see your point to it. Yeah. Um I just again, I think there's maybe a time and a place where, you know, certain ingredients and certain product lines, um, I probably wouldn't do that with. Um, but more whenever we get into like eminence, you know, like they think their line was designed to do that.

Krista 13:33

Yeah, I agree with that. I think there are definitely some skincare providers that that's how they they've made their products to be mixed. And so in those instances, I think you, you know, have at it with what you're doing, but uh in general, I think layering is definitely a better way to go because and then giving some time in between each of those layers for it to start to absorb into the skin before you start putting on that next layer. And when you look at cosmetic chemistry, uh there's so many things that are taken into consideration. They're looking at pH, they're looking at solubility, they're looking at stability of the products, um, they're looking at how does it emulsify and sit on the skin, um, preservatives. They're also looking at, you know, how can we help the product better penetrate into the skin? They're looking at the thickness and the way it feels on the skin, what's attractive to the user. Um, also oxidation resistance is a really big thing. You may hear a lot of people talking about like if you open your skincare products and you leave the lids open, now they can become oxidized and that makes them not effective. And that's true with some skincare and not with others. So, like all of those things, shelf life, packaging, stability, all of that is taken into consideration when these cosmetic chemists are developing products. And so, you know, the science nerd in me is like we can't mix these things, but to your point, um, eminence is a really great example because they are very much known for that and their products are stable and can work in that way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:09

Well, and honestly, with that being said, too, I think it changes a lot with the line that you're using. Cause if you're, you know, mixing things that shouldn't be mixed, they're not gonna feel right on your skin. So whenever I have clients tell me, well, you know, I tried to do this, but I just don't like having, you know, the feeling of, you know, 12 different layers on my skin. And I'm like, well, you might not be layering it right. You also might be using way too much of a product where you know, you should be using a couple drops and you're using an entire dropper full. Yeah. Um, or you know, you're mixing things that maybe shouldn't be mixed and it's not absorbing properly into your skin. So you really shouldn't feel that you have, you know, like 15 products on your skin. Yeah. Um, and that's, you know, another like important thing.

Krista 15:50

I mean, because especially because you think about like our facials. I mean, what do you think the average amount of products are that we use in a facial? Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

I bet minimum 10. Oh, yeah, easily. Um, yeah, I'd say between 10 and 15. Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, our finishing steps, they always, I mean, you probably have about seven to eight different products on your skin by the time that, you know, that aren't wiped off by the time that you leave. And that's something that I always hear with clients who are like, I don't feel like I have anything, like my skin feels good. I don't feel like there's, you know, like a bunch of layers of things on it. And it shouldn't. That's how it should feel. And clients always look so amazing.

Krista 16:23

When that you can definitely tell when people are walking on the spawn, they've just had a facial. You're like, you just had a facial. You're skinning so good.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Oh, yeah. And they're beaming too. Because they're just like, they're so excited and relaxed. And yeah, it's it's a good time.

How Long To Wait Between Layers

Krista 16:35

I love that. Um, so that brings me to the next topic of how long does it take for your products to dry? Because some people will say 30 seconds, some will say two minutes, some will say 10 or 20 minutes in between your layers. So if you're someone like me or you're working with a product that can't be cocktailed and you want to layer your products, what how how long does it take for things to absorb before you can move on to the next?

SPEAKER_02 16:59

Uh honestly, I think it depends on the product. Like those like thinner, like a vitamin C is gonna absorb super quick into the skin. Um, but if you have like, you know, like a thicker um like an oil or, you know, like a thicker serum that you're using, um, that's probably gonna take a little bit longer. Um, so if it's a time thing, you know, you can maybe build it into your routine where you're doing something else while you're putting your skincare on, you know, maybe you're doing your hair so that way you, you know, you put on one product and let it sit and then, you know, start doing something and then put on your second product to kind of really let that absorb in.

Krista 17:30

Yeah, and I feel like I feel like in general, most things are like 30 to 90 seconds. To your point, you put a vitamin C on, 30 seconds later, it's you're ready to go for the next layer. And it's not that it's fully absorbed. Um, your skin doesn't stop absorbing the product, it continues to absorb, and a lot of products are still absorbing hours later into the skin. So it's kind of like there's a sponge analogy where like if you put a drop of water onto a sponge and you let it soak into the sponge and then you add more water, like that water is still inside the sponge. And that's the same thing that's true with products, like you just because you put another product on top of it doesn't mean that that product is no longer the product before it is no longer absorbing into the skin. Yes. But also if you don't give enough time in between, um, I like to think of it like painting a wall. So you put your primer on and then you put your paint on top of it. But if you don't let that primer dry enough to put the paint on, then you're gonna end up with a sloppy mess of maybe a color you didn't intend or streaks that you didn't want, or like all of these crazy things, but you also don't need that primer to completely dry all of the way before you put the paint on. It just has to dry enough that the paint's then going to stick to it. And that primer is gonna continue to keep drying underneath. So kind of look at skincare products like sponges and paint. I was gonna say that's a I like that.

Common Skincare Mistakes To Avoid

SPEAKER_02 18:55

That's a the sponge one I've heard, not the paint. I like that though.

Krista 18:57

That's a new one. Um, okay, let's talk about what do you feel like are some of the biggest misconceptions in skincare? Oh gosh. Um or maybe we can say like some things that clients tend to do wrong that they're telling you that they're doing, and you're like, oh.

SPEAKER_02 19:19

Um I would say I'd probably have to say mixing products that shouldn't be mixed or using them on like the same days. Like sometimes I'll have clients that are like, oh yeah, I'm using this niacinamide, but they don't know that the niacinamide, like they don't know what's in it is the problem. I mean, my my sister actually had an issue with her skin. She went somewhere and didn't talk to me, and she's like, Oh, I bought this product, and the girl said I can use it twice a day and it's great. And um, and I'm like, she goes, What's going on with my skin? And she was using it twice a day for two weeks. And I was like, Send me a picture of what you're using. And I looked it up. I'm like, this has retinol in it. This has like this, this has that. And she goes, No, she goes, I swear it doesn't. I'm like, it does. Look at the label. And so, you know, just like not knowing what's in your skincare is very common that happens like, well, I'm using a CR. I'm like, oh, cool, what's it for? And you know, kind of like, oh, I'm not really sure. And I'm like, okay, well, you know, it's really hard to judge, especially if we're doing professional treatments. I want to know what's going into your skin normally. Um, so that way we're not irritating.

Krista 20:20

And on that note, in our consent forums at the spa, we always ask people what they're using. And I know sometimes it's annoying to have to fill all of that out, but this is exactly why. Oh, yeah. Because then if they're having certain results or certain issues, you can address that with them.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Yes, absolutely. So, and that's where, you know, just like knowing like what's in your skincare and your routine and like what is okay to mix and what isn't. Um, you know, I've run into sometimes where people are using retinol in the morning, but then they have like a lot of sun damage too, and you know, like dry, like cracked skin kind of things. So um just really making sure that's important that you know like what you're putting on your skin and like you know the appropriate times of when they should be put on. And you know, retinol, you shouldn't use the same night as you're using an exfoliator, you know, and making sure that we're you know separating those, I think is really important.

Krista 21:06

Okay, so I want to go back to the person who says they only use water to cleanse their skin.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

Yeah.

Krista 21:11

Because I we do hear that. We do. I I feel like I typically hear that from younger people saying, like, well, my mom only uses water to cleanse her skin, or like we'll hear it from older people who have been doing it their whole life, and then and they may actually have really great looking skin. So what do you say to that?

SPEAKER_02 21:30

I mean, genetics play a factor, honestly. They do, you know, there there's gonna be, you know, people that need more skincare and people that don't. Um, and that's just it's you know, there can be you can have great genetics, and you know, maybe you just need a little sunscreen. And uh unfortunately for most of us, I don't think that's the case.

Krista 21:48

Yeah, at least it's not for me, me neither. Um, okay, and then what about overwashing? Because I think some people have the mindset of more is better. Um, less is more, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:58

Um, so when I Whenever we're cleansing our skin, you know, we are there's benefits to it, but there's also like a downside. We, you know, we're stripping away like our skin's natural oils and barriers that it's trying to build back up. So we definitely don't want to like overwash. Um, but I can see, you know, maybe using like a toner pad, like if you're working out kind of thing, because you don't want that sweat getting on sitting on the skin and you know, kind of building up to you.

Krista 22:20

Yeah. Um, and then what about um the people who say natural skincare products don't work? They're not potent.

SPEAKER_02 22:27

No, that's not true. They do take longer, I will say. Like that is, you know, they do they do take longer to work. Um, but to me, that just kind of, you know, that it has to be what's important to you. So it's important to me that, you know, like I have products that are non-toxic and I know what's in them, and you know, I know that they're effective. Um, so that's important to me.

Krista 22:47

And the consistency. Like you have to really be consistent with good skincare. And I think um, you know, one of the reasons we picked Arcana, back to your point, was she developed that line, a product, because she was so frustrated with all of the chemical based products on the market, um, but also frustrated with the natural products on the market not being therapeutic enough. And so when she developed the Arcana line, she was determined to create a line that was clean, all natural, but also therapeutic and potent at the same time and not not flooding your your body and your skin with toxins that are unnecessary. And so she created the brand, and you mentioned that her products are chirally correct. And for those of you who don't know what that is, is um it's a chemical scientific term for basically creating products that are gonna be the most biodynamic with your body, and they're gonna work the most therapeutically with your natural physiology. Um, her products are also cold pressed and made in small batches, so they're super, super fresh. That sometimes causes challenges for us because we can sometimes run out of products, but you know, there's a trade-off with that. So I think understanding the makers of the skincare that you're using and what their intent behind them is and the kind of clinical results that they're getting with them does definitely make a difference. Cause there are some products out there that are like not doing anything for people's skin.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

Yes, there is. And going back to like the consistency, that's like a big thing that I hear is well, I have this, but I use it sometimes and sometimes I don't, and but I'm not getting results. And so, like, my favorite way to think about that is like the gym and working out, you know, like okay, are you seeing a personal trainer, you know, once a week? Are you um like going to the gym by yourself a couple days a week? And then are you going home and eating good food? You know, like you're gonna see much difference in your body whenever you're doing those things versus, you know, like are you maybe working out once a week and then you're, you know, maybe swinging through McDonald's on the way home kind of thing. You know, it's you're gonna see different results based on, you know, your routine and how consistent you are with it.

Krista 24:56

Okay, so on the last episode, we talked about the one skincare product that we

Clean Skincare Potency And Consistency

Krista 25:00

both can't live without. And for both of us, it was sunscreen. One thing I want to add about sunscreen, and one of the things that I love so much about our sunscreens is that so many of the great mineral-based um versions are now also incorporating blue light protection. Yes. And um, that's such a big deal because we spend so much time on our computers and our phones and in front of lights like this.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

Yeah, we're on around we're on screens all day, whether it's the TV, the yeah. I mean, you walk in anywhere, it's always screens, all the blue light, and blue light emits like and so much light it goes down deep. I think it's like the deepest penetration into your skin, right? Which is wild.

Krista 25:34

Yeah. And we're putting these phones right up to our faces. So um the sunscreen's really important, and another reason why not just going outside is the only reason to use sunscreen. Exactly. Yeah, if you work from home and you're working on a computer all day, it's the same thing. Yeah, you're getting that blue light. One thing I also wanted to talk about relative to sunscreen is um the misconception that if you have darker skin tones that you don't need sunscreen. That's not true. And have you heard that? Yes. Yeah. Do you hear it from clients when they come in?

SPEAKER_02 26:02

Oh yeah. And it's also, well, I don't burn, so I don't need it as the other thing too. Well, I I just get tan.

Krista 26:08

Yeah. Yeah. And I will say that um it is true that uh people with darker skin cut skin tones do have more melanocytes um and more pigmentation, but that doesn't it doesn't mean that you can't get skin cancer. Right.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

Yeah.

Krista 26:24

Yeah. It doesn't mean that you, yeah, it doesn't negate the fact that you need to use sunscreen every single day. In fact, I would argue that people with darker skin tones are at a higher risk of getting cancer because of that misconception. So they're oftentimes tend to use sunscreen the least, leading them to more propensity to have um cancers.

SPEAKER_02 26:45

Yeah, definitely. And pigmentation in the skin, you know, extra kind of hyperpigmentation that you're not wanting, and you know, those dark spots and uh everything.

Krista 26:53

So aside from sunscreen, of all the products that we carry, what is one product that you absolutely cannot live without?

SPEAKER_02 27:03

Oh gosh, do I have a category?

Krista 27:05

Just one product. It can be it can be a product or it can be a category.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

Oh, okay.

Krista 27:10

Um my birch water is my favorite.

SPEAKER_02 27:14

I know that's um the essence, the birch water essence, it's like it smells good, it feels so good on your skin. It helps to like boost that collagen production too. And it really just kind of sets like the tone for you know, putting all that skincare, you know, like that sponge analogy. If we have a dry sponge, we're putting stuff on top, it's just gonna sit on top. So that birch water really helps pull everything down into your skin. That's that's probably one of my favorites.

Krista 27:34

I love that one too. I will say mine is the Arcana Triad palette. Oh, I knew you were gonna say that. Yes. Literally, if stranded on a desert island and I have sunscreen, this is the one thing that's coming with me because it is a um cleanser, toner, and hydrator all in one. But you're also getting a little bit of that physical exfoliation because they're toner pads. Yeah. And so I love, love, love these. Yeah. And they smell good enough to eat. They're so amazing.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

Oh, yeah. And if you haven't been to the spa, we have the cranberry toner in the locker rooms and everywhere. So anytime I get somebody on, you know, you know, on my table and all the use cranberry toner, they go, that's what's in the locker room. I'm like, yes, it is. I was like, it's Krista's favorite product.

Krista 28:12

I was like, she makes sure it's always here. Yes, we do. I love that product. Okay, what's something new that you've been wanting to introduce into your skincare lineup that you maybe haven't tried yet?

SPEAKER_02 28:23

Oh, that's a great question. Honestly, I feel like I've tried most. Um I have been either pregnant or breastfeeding for the last few years. So my actives, you know, I would like to maybe get into a little bit more retinol um soon, hereafter. But yeah, like that stronger kind of vitamin A.

Krista 28:39

I think I want to do more niacinamide because I don't really use it. And it's such a great ingredient and um kind of like the Swiss army knife ingredient. You know, it's strengthening the barrier, reducing inflammation, helping with pigmentation, regulating oil, and it's improving just that overall skin resilience and then help magnify the results of your other products, your vitamin C's and your um vitamin A's. No, your vitamin C's and your vitamin E's.

SPEAKER_02 29:04

Yeah, yeah, and your A. No, yeah, and iacinamite is it's kind of like that all over like powerhouse, very like antioxidant pack too. It's yeah, it's very good for the skin.

Krista 29:12

What about devices? Oh gosh, like I wanna, I wanna, we're gonna be bringing microcurrent to the spa. I'm so excited for it.

SPEAKER_02 29:19

I'm excited for microcurrent. I will say I am I have not had a treatment done. So like I am very excited to have that, yes.

Krista 29:26

Yeah, me too. So that's coming soon. Um, okay, when someone comes

Sunscreen Myths And Blue Light

Krista 29:30

in and they say that they want you to recommend a skincare routine to them, what questions do you ask them in order to make your recommendations?

SPEAKER_02 29:38

Yeah, um, I mean, really just understanding like their needs and their ones for their skin. Because whether it's something that I think they they need, you know, it's they're not going to want to do it if it they know it's not a concern for their skin. So really just kind of like listening to, you know, our clients and making sure that we know like what's important for their skincare routine um helps me build that. And then of course what they're already doing at home. Um, I tell the girls on my team, you know, we kind of like to like plug and play with, you know, skincare routines because it's really hard if you know someone comes in and you know they already have a good routine and you know, they or they have another estation that they trust to kind of help like them and maybe some areas that they're not, you know, getting those products in. Um so I definitely like to know what they're using first and then just kind of starting to build that base layer, you know, are we kind of in the cleanser moisturizer sunscreen or is that something we need to start? Um so that way we're not building that, you know, that kind of like 19-step process, you know, isn't gonna start at first. Um it can be, you know, a little overwhelming. Um, so just kind of seeing where we start. So, you know, cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, are we doing that? Yes, okay. Do we exfoliate the skin? Um, and that's where I just kind of start to, you know, build in like one or two products um just to make sure that first of all it's working for their skin too. Um, I don't ever want to send somebody home with, you know, eight products and they don't know if they like them. And they never use them or spend all the money. Yeah, exactly. Um, you know, we never want anybody to like waste their money on anything like that.

Krista 31:00

So well, and I think that while we would love for everybody to use our skincare products, there are so many great products on the market. And being able to help people, if they have products that they love, like you said, what are they missing? Yes, you know, if anything. And if they're not, then you know, keep up the great skincare routine. Oh, yeah. Have a visia analysis now and let's have you back and and see how you're doing in six months. So um, if budget was no concern and time was no issue, okay. What would my guess you kind of already answered this? The perfect skincare routine. What do you think it would look like? No budget, no time constraints for the person.

SPEAKER_02 31:37

Yeah, um, I mean, honestly, everything that we've talked about. Yeah, doing the AM and PM routine, those are kind of, you know, those are that's what I built into my skincare routine. And I feel like I have pretty nice skin and yeah, yeah, we can do that. Yeah.

Krista 31:50

And if you if you had only $100 to spend, what would you buy? Um Oh gosh, that's a tough question. I think you could get a cleanser and a sunscreen. I would do a cleanser and a sunscreen. Yeah. And no, if only I'm like adding it in my head right now.

SPEAKER_02 32:05

I'm like, I think I can still get my sunscreen. Yeah.

Krista 32:08

Um, and if they only had $50, sunscreen?

SPEAKER_02 32:11

Sunscreen, yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, me too.

Krista 32:14

Um, what do you think someone would need to do to do the AMPM routine that we talked about? What's a good budget for that person?

SPEAKER_02 32:23

Um if you're building it from scratch, uh, I will be honest, it's probably gonna be around like the $500 range if you're trying to get all of your actives in, because they're like especially like our, you know, our more actives like vitamin C and vitamin A. I mean, they are about $100 a serum. Um, and then so it does easily, yeah.

Krista 32:43

Yeah, easily. But I think the good thing is is that because of the potency, one, and also if you're cycling your actives in the evening, those actives are gonna last you three to six months easily. Um, and then your daytime stuff easily three months minimum. Yes. Um, if you're using them in the right way.

SPEAKER_02 33:02

Exactly. And so, and you know, it definitely is kind of like that upfront cost. Um, but once you get into it, you know, it's not like you're replacing everything all the time, you know. You might have to replace, you know, a serum every couple months here and there kind of thing, or you know, or add in another cleanser after three or four months, but they just they last for so long.

Krista 33:20

Um, okay, now let's talk about acne because I know this is one of the areas that you really um like to specialize in. Yeah. What if someone comes in and they have acne, what is the first thing

Must-Have Products And Real Budgets

Krista 33:30

that you recommend that they change?

SPEAKER_02 33:32

Um, a lot of times I honestly, our acne clients, they're not exfoliating. Um, and so that's like a big thing because if you have acne prone and oily skin, you know, that dead skin, dirt bacteria, it's like sitting and clogging up your pores and it's just kind of sitting there and it's causing breakouts. Um, the other thing is we want to look too like, is their skin barrier healthy? So whenever our skin barrier is, you know, broken down or stripped, um, you know, it's allowing in all of these bad things basically that we don't want into our skin to go in. And so is that causing your breakouts? Um, I mean, there's also little habits like do you wash your pillowcase often? You know, are you talking on the phone and you don't clean your phone? You know, so there's a lot of like little habits that I kind of like to tell my clients and give them little like tips and tricks because those small things make such a big difference.

Krista 34:18

And do you ever have conversations about diet? Because I feel like diet can be a big factor in acne as well. Diet can absolutely, especially sugar.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

Um, it's I know and dairy. I know it's sugar and dairy, yeah. Um, sugar and dairy, definitely. Uh, it's kind of hard to get into diet, I will say, with clients sometimes. So I definitely tried and help with their skincare routine.

Krista 34:38

Um okay, so what about people my age and in the menopausal, perimenopausal stages? We talk a lot about this on serenity and fire. So how does being in those stages of life change your skin and how do you approach those clients?

SPEAKER_02 34:55

Yeah, so a lot of times um whenever you know we're aging, our skin starts to get drier, it starts to thin a little bit more. Um the other big thing, which I don't feel a lot of people know, uh, is that we lose about 1% of collagen production every year after the age of 25, um, which is you know huge. So if you're at if you're 50, then you've lost about 25% of your collagen production. Um, so that's whenever we notice, you know, more kind of sagging and fine lines and wrinkles in the skin. Um, our collagen is, I like to actually I think you taught me this, it's very similar to like a mattress. So we have collagen and elastin. Um elastin is like the spring in the mattress, basically. That, you know, holds like our skin, kind of gives us that like youthful, like bounce looking. Um and then the collagen is gonna be like kind of like that cushion pillow um in the mattress. So that's what's gonna make our face look, you know, like nice and full and our cheeks aren't sunken in. Um so you know, really kind of helping with that is peptides. And I know you just did a few, uh, you're the peptide queen right now. Oh still working on it. Yeah. So um peptides are really great um to add in to kind of like that more like aging mature skin um care routine. Um, of course they're good when you're in your 20s too, to kind of help prevent, um, but really making sure I think that's a big product that you want to have in.

Krista 36:08

Yeah. And I feel like when you're younger, maybe peptides aren't as important when you're younger. And like what what what tell me about the age differences and what someone who maybe in their 20s should be more focusing on versus someone in their 50s or older should be focusing on.

SPEAKER_02 36:24

So um in 20s, you know, it's normally kind of maybe some more like hormonal acne kind of thing, is what I see a lot of issues with, or um, poor congestion, you know, our hormones balancing out, you know, our hormones change so much as women, which is super fun because, you know, once you think you have everything figured out, it changes again. Um, so that's kind of a little bit more like leaning into 20s, and that's also, you know, where we're just trying to make sure skin's healthy. Um, and if we're starting in our 20s,

Acne Habits Barrier Health Diet

SPEAKER_02 36:50

you know, that's where, you know, we're kind of really working on that anti-aging, where we're doing it before, you know, we start to notice aging, um, which is really important. Uh, and then whenever we get into, you know, like more aging and mature skin, we want to make sure that, you know, we have lots of antioxidants in the skincare routine, the peptides are great for collagen elastin production, um, and kind of leaning into more of those like active treatments, like making sure we are using the retinol. Um, you know, those kinds of things are really helpful.

Krista 37:16

I think also, too, one of my biggest priorities that I tell people is that whatever you do to your face, you should be doing to your neck decalate or your chest area, your ears and your hands. Yes. So anything we're putting on our face should go in all of those areas too, um, because we get so much aging in those areas.

SPEAKER_02 37:36

Yeah, absolutely. That's a lot of times where women will notice their aging, and you know, I can see in their consent forms or checking, oh, it's my I'm noticing wrinkles in my um neck, you're you know, like sagging and like jowls, that kind of thing. Um, and then especially, yeah, the hands is a big one.

Krista 37:49

Yeah, people don't think about the hands. Um, okay, let's talk about devices. Okay. I'm so excited to get into devices. So um, I brought a couple here that I personally love. This is our high frequency wand, which unfortunately you can't see, but it it does turn different colors. You can kind of see the red in there right now. Um love it. Yep. Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_02 38:10

You love it. Um so there's different types of high frequency. So there's two different gases. There's neon and argon. So the neon and argon. Um, so one's going to be beneficial for um like acne, and then the other one's beneficial for more aging skin. Um so that like more kind of purple, that's gonna be um for acne. Um, so it helps with like product absorption into the skin. Um, it helps to like break down um bacteria too. Um bacteria is anaerobic, so um can't survive in the presence of oxygen. So it helps to put that oxygen into the skin to help kill bacteria.

Krista 38:48

Great for men. So all of you men listening.

unknown 38:50

Yes.

Krista 38:50

We love doing this in your beards because that you get all of that bacterium buildup under there that you sometimes aren't so great about cleaning out.

SPEAKER_00 38:57

Yeah.

Krista 38:57

Um, and also there's they make different probes for different things. So there's some that are specific for zapping. I shouldn't say zapping, but that's kind of what it feels like. It's like a little zap. It doesn't hurt though, um, for acne. But then also there's one that looks like a comb, so it can help stimulate hair growth.

SPEAKER_02 39:16

Yeah, exactly. There's a there's a lot of good benefits to it. Um, yeah, there's different treatments you can do. The more kind of like zapping one, um, you can use it on like individual, like if you're getting like a pimple or a breakout kind of thing, those are really helpful.

Krista 39:29

Okay, and then my next favorite is well, this is probably my ultimate favorite, is LED. It has to be LED.

SPEAKER_02 39:35

Yeah.

Krista 39:35

Um, I actually now have a whole professional panel at home that I try to use. I bet you do. I'm jealous. So so much. Um, but LED, tell me about your thoughts on LED.

SPEAKER_02 39:48

Oh, I love red light therapy. It's um LED in general. There's red light and blue light, are the most common. There's also green, um, but we don't really use that too much. So red light is what we see most. Um, it's for typically anti-aging. Um, so it helps boost collagen production in the skin. It's really great for fine lanes and wrinkles. There's also, we have the full body red light table at the spa, which I'm sure you've done. Yeah.

Krista 40:09

I'm sure you've done an episode on. I have go back and listen to it. Yeah. Like there's over 45,000 studies done on LED light therapy and the benefits of what it can do for the body. Everything

Aging Skin Collagen Loss Peptides

Krista 40:20

from um helping with macular degeneration to antibacterial brain benefits, skin benefits, everything.

SPEAKER_02 40:28

Oh, yeah, muscle, joint pain. Yeah, I mean, everything. So I love red light.

Krista 40:32

It's so great. And it's so soothing too. You get into like this euphoric state. And if you have one of these wands, um, I usually will like netfix Netflix and chill while I'm doing it. And then it's so calming and soothing that half the time I fall asleep before I get through my whole face. So I'll do one half one night and then the other half the next night. But now that I have the panel, it's so much easier because I just do the whole face all at one time. It's the best. If you want one, I can definitely get one for you. Yes. Um, all right. So I also have like, we're not gonna dive deep into these, but there's so many other devices out there. Gua shaw. I micro gasha. I know me too. I love goua shaw. Um microcurrent facial massage, um, cupping on the face now. That's kind of a newer thing. It is getting newer, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:21

The cupping. We don't do that yet, and I have not tried it, but um, I've heard a lot of people like it.

Krista 41:25

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:25

Um I don't I'm curious, like I wonder if it bruises you though. That's the one thing. Yeah, because whenever you do it on the body, you definitely get bruises. And then I guess I think about like the suction too, like with the face and the skin, you know, like is that kind of like pulling too hard on the skin, you know, because we don't want to do that either. And are we, you know, messing kind of with the elasticity in it?

Krista 41:43

And that's one of the things that we always talk about um relative to like hydrofacial versus our skin system that we use uses nano needling and no suction, but hydrofacial does use a suction component.

SPEAKER_02 41:56

Yeah.

Krista 41:57

And I always feel like one, you are increasing your risk of um like telangie actases or like um broken blood vessels and capillaries. Um, and then also potentially disrupting the integrity of the skin barrier. Yeah. And I feel like those are things that you definitely need to be cautious of. Um, and that also gets us into nanoneedling versus microneedling. So microneedling, um, for those of you who don't know, uh microneedling and nano needling creates microchannels into your skin to help push product and ingredients deeper into the skin. But microneedling can be more invasive, it goes past the epidermal layer and can potentially, if not done the right way, damage your skin barrier and and create long-term effects that are unwanted. Whereas nanoneedling only goes into the epidermal

Devices LED High Frequency Needling

Krista 42:50

layer and provides, in my opinion, the same results that you can get from microneedling, but with much less downtime and um potential for injury.

SPEAKER_02 43:00

Yeah, no, definitely. The nanoneedling is nice, it goes to it's like 0.15 millimeters into the skin, so it's like the epidermal dermal dunction where your microneedling is going, you know, more to like 0.05 into the skin millimeters, you know, up to 2.5 um millimeters into the skin, which is really far. Um, you have to use numbing creams with it. I mean, there's you know, downtime of usually between like two to five days, um, lots of like redness, you can peel. There's lots of different like things into it. Um, with the BDR system, we combine microderm abrasion with nano needling. Um, and honestly, we get a lot of really good results from it. It's probably one of my favorite things our Fountain of Youth facials.

Krista 43:34

Yeah, they're so nice. It's called Fountain of Youth for a reason. Yeah, literally. So good. Um, I love that. And it does a little bit of a like a mild peel, a mild microderm abrasion. We're also doing um some lymphatic drainage, massage with it.

SPEAKER_02 43:48

Yeah, and then we finish with red light too.

Krista 43:50

Yeah, like all the things, everything but the kitchen sink.

unknown 43:53

Literally.

Krista 43:54

Okay, so we did it again. We ran way over on time for today. But I have so much great other stuff that I want Kaylee to share with you. So we're gonna cut the episode here and pick back up next week. So make sure you tune in. We have lots of great other things to talk about. And thank you so much for joining Serenity and Fire today. It's always such a pleasure having you here. And if you like the information that we're sharing and talking about, please share this episode with those that you love, follow us on social, leave us a review, and keep balancing serenity with fire. I'm Krista Guigeny, and I'll talk with you more in our next episode. At Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique, we don't just offer traditional spa treatments. We create rituals that relax your mind, restore your health, and rejuvenate your spirit. From biohacking technologies to advanced oncology trained

Wrap-Up And Spa Offer

Krista 44:45

care, everything we do is designed to help you heal on the deepest level and holistic therapies, products, and are second to none. And right now, you can experience two of my favorites our whole body LED light or hyperbaric oxygen therapy. And as a thank you for listening, you'll get 10% off your first section when you use the code to renovate 10 epics. What is your hands to us? Let us help you find it because true honest isn't a quick fix, it's a ritual.