Skin care in the virtual realm

Did you know that only 20 percent of visible skin aging comes from the natural aging process? That means that 80 percent of skin aging comes from UV rays, pollution and lifestyle, something that we can have a level of control over.

Hi, I want to take the opportunity to introduce myself as your local independent Mary Kay consultant. I keep a full inventory, with a "full store" for immediate delivery and personalized customer service is my highest priority. I take skin care seriously because if you are anything like me, I want to stay as young looking as possible and want to reverse the visible signs of aging.

As part of the 80 percent of controllable aging factors, UV rays cause the most damage, yet many of us go about our daily lives without any sun protection on our skin. We forget to put on sunscreen; the ladies in the equestrian community are especially notorious for being out with our horses without SPF protection. Moms with young kids, busy running from activity to activity, forget about SPF protection for themselves.

Secondly, pollution is also a big factor in premature aging of our skin. Our skin is exposed to car exhaust, even smoke from forest fires, and at high concentrations we can see this as smog, soot or haze, but most of the time, it is invisible to the naked eye. Think about our cars and how dirty they get by the time we make it to the car wash, yet those same pollutants and dirt cover our faces as well.

Finally, our lifestyles also factor into the aging process. Stress, sleep loss, our diet, smoking, and other factors also contribute to skin aging by triggering a cascade of age accelerating free radicals on skin that overwhelms its natural defenses. The last year has been very stressful on most of us with the COVID restrictions, changing of our lifestyles, kids staying home versus attending school. We are eating comfort foods versus healthy foods, which are better for our bodies. I am just as guilty and have to lose at least 20 pounds.

So, what does all this have to do with the cosmetics and skin care that I offer with Mary Kay Cosmetics? If you are like me, you live a busy life. I have horses, kids at home and also work from home. First of all, one of the major factors of aging has to do with UV exposure. One of my favorite products in Mary Kay's skin care line is the TimeWise® Age Minimize 3d Day Cream SPF 30 Broad Spectrum Sunscreen. It is so simple to use and gives UV protection for the rest of the day. Simply apply it in the morning and make it part of your routine.

As mentioned above, pollution is also a large factor in the aging process. Having a good facial cleanser is essential and so simple to use. I keep mine in the shower and the cleanser removes impurities, exfoliates at the same time, and leaves your skin feeling clean and looking brighter, without stripping essential oils from your skin.

At night your skin rebuilds its reserves. While we're sleeping skin switches into "recovery mode," a time of intense repair and regeneration. In addition to using a good day moisturizer with SPF protection, having a good night cream that helps in the rejuvenation process is essential. Both day and night creams come as part of several of the Mary Kay skin care systems.

With COVID-19, I have changed how I conduct facials and one-on-one appointments for you to try out the skin care line. Nowadays, I drop off or mail skin care samples to your home, then set up a time to conduct the skin care appointment virtually, using Zoom or FaceTime. You can have some pampering "me time" by yourself or share it with a few friends. In addition to skin care appointments, I also offer advanced skin care appointments as well as color appointments for makeovers. Additionally, I offer the convenience of shopping online, directly from my personal website at: http://www.marykay.com/vera.