Spring into Beauty

Developing a Great Skin-Care Routine

By Sharon L. Shervington

With spring upon us at long last, good self-care is more essential than ever.

As we drop winter clothes along with the cold, achieving great skin is a wonderful way to prepare for the warmth to come and to practice the habit of lifelong self-care.

Several beauty lines are committed to just that by making healthy habits fun. According to Simone France, proper cleansing is key. And she should know—she still is the go-to New York facialist for women like Christy Turlington, who was one of a generation of models that were the inspiration for the term “supermodel.” Her client list is small, but with her home-care line, it is possible to pretend she is making a house call.

The centerpiece of the Simone France regimen is the Sandwich, which is used every morning. The first step is applying a moisturizer appropriate to the skin type. Then dots of a very fine-grained refining scrub are emulsified with a little water and then the two layers work together enhanced with a lather of special soap. This is followed by about 30 splashes of water. After patting dry, skin is left perfectly at ease.

At night, a milky cleanser is applied to remove make-up and dirt and then wiped off using one of the line’s signature cloths. This is followed by toner, and a weekly Instant Radiance mask completes the regimen. The products can be purchased online at Simonefrance.com and come in complete kits either for travel, or in a larger size for at-home use.

It is a line with variations to fit all skin types, including acne- and rosacea-prone, and it represents an easy way for American women to develop the habit of lifelong skin care, a practice with recognized benefits around the world. And if you like the Sandwich for your face you can then try the Handwich for your hands. (Yes, really!)

Another line with European origins, Erno Laszlo, is highly recommended and has been a favorite of Hollywood stars for more than 50 years. Unlike many lines today, the company does advocate the use of soap.

Their newest line is the White Marble Collection, which contains a serum and a soap that together promote clarity and evenness of skin tone. (The company’s best known product is probably its sea-mud soap, which to this day has a huge following.) In this case the soap, followed by thirty splashes of water and then serum, imparts luminosity. This abbreviated brightening line is more gentle than others on the market, one reason that it is such a pleasure to use.

Embryolisse, another great line for a regimen, is like the comfort food of skin care. Its simple blue and white packaging and iconic, updated French formulas, are so gentle that they relax skin every time they are used. The pared-down groupings, for example, the anti-aging group, contain a moisturizer in a tube, and sometimes one in a jar, as well as a serum packaged in a small cylinder.

One of the very best serums on the market today is the Elixir Eclat which is intended for use under makeup, but also adds radiance to bare skin. With this gem, and a proper routine, there is no need for foundation.

Long a favorite in the beauty sections of French pharmacies, Embryolisse is now available in the U.S., primarily online. Ancillary products like cleansers, toners, and body lotions are also available.

Meanwhile, for the bath and shower, Lush can always be counted on for good fun and smooth comforted skin. A huge selection of bath bombs, along with the more moisturizing bath melts, are top sellers and come in endless herbal, floral and other scents. And shower gels like Prince Charming (Pomegranate and cotton candy scents, but alas, this is only available seasonally), Grass and Happy Hippy (with a grapefruit scent) sometimes are gender neutral.

One of Lush’s very best products is the Ro’s Argan, a body conditioner intended to do for the skin what hair conditioner does for the locks. Smooth it on in the bath or shower, rinse, and then decide whether or not you need a lotion. With warm weather coming, the answer may well be not. And while Lush is, of course, available on line, they also have a store now at the South Park Mall in Charlotte.