Friday, May 11, 2012

My Sunday Riley Skincare Routine to Heal My Scars & Give Me Glowing Gorgeous Skin

As I revealed to you yesterday, in my Clarisonic post, my face was caught in the crossfire of a cat fight that erupted in our bed in the middle of the night. In an effort to flee the perpetrator, one of our cats literally ran across my face leaving me with 3 huge deep scratches. My prevailing reaction was one of mortification because I was horrified that I would be left with three unsightly permanent scars. I should have taken before and after pictures, but vanity prevailed and the thought of looking at the deep wounds in perpetuity was too much for me to bear.

Now, about one month later, and through the miracles of my Sunday Riley Skincare regimen the scar has faded to the point that it is now nearly undetectable.

Here's what I used (and by the way- this is also a foolproof method for achieving summer-ready glowing clear skin):

When my scratches were still open wounds I washed my face exclusively with Charisma Crème Cleanser- it is so gentle and I didn't want anything too active on my scratches- thereby making this the obvious choice. It soothed, cleaned and softened the skin beautifully, and never irritated my open wounds. This is a miraculous cleanser, and while it is formulated for normal to dry skin- it works beautifully on my combination skin as well. It is the only cleanser that I trusted during my time of healing.

After cleansing I feverishly applied Vitamin E and Juno Oil topically. Not only did the Juno Oil bolster hydration levels and make my skin glow, but it is also filled with so many anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients that it helped knock down the redness while offering UV protection, and sped up the healing process as a result.

Stimulant II Perfecting Stem Cell Serum was also extraordinarily instrumental in helping me heal quickly, and I applied it 2-3 times a day. This highly potent serum was designed to help fight UV damage, and to combat all forms of redness (including laser treatments, sun damage, and Rosacea). Trust me when I tell you there was so much red surrounding the wound- that the only logical thing was to slather the area with Stimulant II. I had already witnessed the miracles of this serum having inadvertently sunburned my chest while sitting under an umbrella. It literally banished the red because of its ability to combat solar radiation. I therefore was unsurprised when it nearly knocked all of the red out of the scratches.

I obviously did what I could to keep the scratches out of the sun, but never set foot out of the house without wearing Cashmere SPF 30 (which I wear daily anyway). This is a super potent physical mineral sunscreen, and its SPF factor can be boosted to the 50+ range by mixing it with Juno Oil-- which is precisely what I have been doing for years.

For my daily moisturizer I used Skin Adrenaline because it is light and filled with anti-inflammatory ingredients, anti-oxidants, essential minerals, and peptides-- making this one serious powerhouse moisturizer. One of the primary reasons that I chose this moisturizer during this period of time is the fact that it contains Live Yeast Cell Derivatives which soothe inflammation and also densifies the skin. This ingredient is a well known super-healer which is precisely what I needed to help prevent permanent scarring.

As soon as my skin was prepared for a more active approach to healing, I added in one of my daily favorites- that I have used every single day for 3+ years. Good Genes is a super active exfoliating treatment that contains Unneutralized Lactic Acid- this ingredient exfoliates, plumps fine lines, increases epidermal firmness and thickness, and helps accelerate skin renewal. Also the healing and anti-inflammatory properties from the Licorice, Arnica and Yeast Extract were essential to hastening my return to an unscarred face.

Once I added Good Genes back into rotation I figured this was a perfect time to add in the backstage trick that Valerie Plotnikova (Sunday Riley National Manager of Training and Events) taught me some time ago- she devised this backstage at the Jason Wu and Stella Mc Cartney Shows in order to give the models perfected runway-ready complexions. Val added a cocktail of Good Genes mixed with Stimulant II to knock down any redness, and then topped it off with Juno Oil mixed in with a touch of Skin Adrenaline for a gorgeous luminous glow- the end result was utter perfection, both for the models as well as for my healing skin.

The final step was adding back in Stimulant III which is a nighttime only highly active retinol based serum that is very very active. This fantastic serum is one seriously effective powerhouse product. It is filled with anti-oxidants, and many skin lightening ingredients that did wonders to help fade my scars,. It is also filled with many potent ingredients to combat hyperpigmentation as well as a myriad of healing vitamin and plant extracts to accelerate healing.

A delightful byproduct of this combination of super-healing products is the fact that my skin is now irresistibly fresh and summer ready, and of course my scars are well on their way to being banished from my face!

12 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for posting this! I'm still healing a scar from when one of my fur-babies accidentally (I'm hoping) slashed my throat a couple of weeks ago. It's tricky to get SR stuff up here in Canada, but reading your blog is giving me a mighty, mighty wish list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kate! My pleasure! I'm so sorry that you had the same type of slasher experience that I had!! That sounds absolutely brutal-- your throat sounds like a more frightening location than my face! I can't believe how much doing what I chronicled above has done to make the scar nearly disappear. It's still faintly there, but it is much much better. I will keep at it until it is gone altogether (fingers crossed). I imagine that you will find it much easier to get your hands on SR stuff in Canada soon. They are really widening distribution by making it available through Dermstore, Sephora, and the upcoming launch with Space NK. You can always try to order directly from Sundayriley.com or see if Barneys will send it to Canada-- however if you are forced to pay exorbitant shipping rates then it is probably worth waiting for it to become more widely available in Canada. Hopefully it will all be at your finger tips in no time!

      I hope that you heal up quickly!

      Delete
  2. I just ordered my first Sunday Riley product...the Ceramic Slip Cleanser. I'm super excited!!! And after reading this post, I can't wait to try more from this line :-) So happy I ran across your blog!

    G. McG

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gummy! I'm so glad that you found my blog as well! I have a few upcoming Sunday Riley specials for lola's secret beauty blog subscribers-- so be sure to subscribe, if you think that you will be interested! I'm super excited that you got Ceramic Slip-- you have to let me know what you think about it! If you haven't already seen my post with a comprehensive overview of all of the SR skincare products and links to my reviews of each product- then take a look:

      http://lolassecretbeautyblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/sunday-riley-skincare-for-face-body.html

      I also have swatched all of her eyeshadows, lipsticks, and blushes, and have likewise posted a chart detailing how to select the right shade of finishing products with a link to the individual reviews. There are over 50 Sunday Riley posts-- here-- so there is ample reading material, if you are interested!

      Let me know if you have any questions-- I have been using the line for years now-- so I am intimately familiar with all of the products!

      Delete
  3. Wow bad kitties! That would be horrifying. I'm so happy you have healed up so well. I will be checking out SR skincare one day. Rest assured!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, it was pretty horrifying! My husband wanted to take before and after photos, but I was so upset that I just couldn't make an even greater spectacle of it. It made me cringe every time I walked by a mirror. It is still slightly visible, but fading all of the time. Not so good for the vanity of a beauty blogger, ay?! Did you see my post that Sunday Riley is about to launch at Space NK? Your encounter with SR skincare is inevitable!!

      Delete
  4. Hi, Lola, what a horrific episode, I am glad you are healing. Well, it is almost time for me to re-stock on Juno, I will definitely look at Stimulant II this time. It looks like a serum I could use this summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rola! It was so awful, and what is almost worse is to be confronted by one's own vanity-- that it was located so prominently on my face was so stressful! However, it also made me feel guilty for being so stressed about something that was hardly a life-threatening affliction!! I couldn't look at my cat for a full day as I pouted around feeling sorry for myself! LOL! I found a way of stretching my bottle of Juno Oil that you might like (and that your wallet will definitely like)- if you put a smaller amount than you would usually use in the palm of your hands and rub them together until it warms up then it further emulsifies-- then just press it into your skin and then massage it as you normally would. I find that my bottle lasts between 30-40% longer (which is nice at $125 a pop!).

      Stim II is really lovely, and it is so gentle. It has so many of the anti-aging benefits of Stim III without the retinal (which not everyone can use, or wants to use).

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the tip on Juno! I was wondering if I might be using too much of a good thing because the bottle dwindled down really fast while I still have plenty of Skin Adrenaline and Good Genes left. Have a great Mother's Day!

      Delete
    3. You are so welcome, Rola! It's too expensive to go through too quickly. I have also found that mixing it in with Skin Adrenaline (and warming both up in the hands allows you to use less Skin Adrenaline as well. I usually I add Cashmere in at the same time as well. I try to make them last as long as possible because it is a costly vice!!

      Delete
  5. Is it wrong that as I look at your product line up in the photo I am mentally adding up the cost ;) I have some scarring left from cystic spots so this post is really helpful x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Replica, I am so very happy that this post is helpful to you! This combination of products has really worked wonders for these hideous cat scratches, and should have no problem fading away scarring left from cystic spots. Of course this line is not inexpensive, but I have been so happy with it over the last several years.

      Funny that you should mention adding up the costs-- I did the same thing when I took them out of the cabinet (that you saw in that earlier post) and was doing a rough calculation of what I had spent. I nearly started choking when I realized the approximate amount that I had spent!! xo, Lola

      Delete

I love reading all of your comments and interacting with you- so please do not hesitate to share your thoughts, and to ask questions. Remember that what you have to say is of interest to all of us! Always feel free to email me directly as well. SPAM and advertising links will not be published.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...