5 months between facials, several vacations, multiple plane rides, and a lot of time in the sun — my skin was feeling dull, dry, and stressed out! I recently paid another visit to my favorite skincare queen, Toska at Toska European Spa in Charlotte for a much needed skincare revamp. With only two weeks left of summer and an upcoming change in temperatures it was time to reboot my skincare regimen.
It’s no secret that the sun takes a lot out of your skin – so, fall is the perfect time to correct sun spots, pigmentation issues, and focus on brightening and lifting (my favorite). However, today I want to highlight how you can do this on a budget because let’s be honest, good skin comes at a price. Investing time and money into a good skincare routine can be a pain, but as I’ve mentioned before it’s worth the hassle in the long run. Skin is the bodies largest organ, and it has the least protection. Everything we do in our daily lives affects our skin, right down to the air we live in. Ignoring these factors can lead to things like sun spots, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, acne etc. and I don’t know about you but — ain’t nobody got time for that!! So, here are a few budget friendly things you can do to keep your skin looking flawless this fall season.
Skin Instant Lab
Skin Instant Lab is a skin analysis test system offered at Toska’s spa that gives you an in-depth snapshot of the current state of your skin. This is a great starting point if you aren’t sure what facial is right for you, and it allows you to monitor the changes in your skin over time. Your skin constantly changes, especially with season changes, so to optimize your results I highly recommend starting with this. For example, over the 5 months between my facials, my skin declined significantly in elasticity, however my pigmentation became better with the use of P50 PIGM400. This gave the Esthetician a perfect snapshot of what type of facial would be most beneficial for me that day. A SIL test runs $50.
Mini Facials
The perfect option for an on-the-go mama, working woman, or anyone who desires to take care of their skin but doesn’t have $350 for a full facial monthly. A mini facial combines some of Toska’s most popular services in one 30 minute treatment. So yes, you can do this over your lunch break! My favorite facial at Toska European Spa is the Brightening and Lifting Bespoke facial which is on the pricier end of the facial spectrum, however, you can opt for a mini treatment for less than half the price and still receive the microcurrent, mask, and oxygen therapy parts of that facial! That’s a win, win situation if you ask me!
Rotate your P50
If there is one skincare product I love most, it’s the P50 in all forms. Trust me when I say, it is life changing and worth every penny the bottle costs. Switching up your P50 to Lotion P50 PIGM 400 is a great idea after the summer season as it balances the skin’s pH and illuminates while treating pigment issues. Every one’s skin needs are different, which is why I recommend taking the skin analysis test mentioned above, so I am actually rotating from the PIGM 400 to P50 1970 but I can vouch for the PIGM400 as my test results significantly increased in pigmentation levels after using it for 5 months. If you’re not ready to commit to the goddess of all exfoliators, grab a sample bottle for a fraction of the price and test it out until you have an accurate read on it’s worthiness.
Brighten with Masque VIP 02
Insert infamous Kim K IG story screenshot with this mask layered over her face perfectly! We used this along with Masque Vivant during my last facial to hydrate my skin, lighten pigmentation spots, and reduce dark circles. The results are incredible!
Moisturize
Probably the easiest tip to follow, but one of the most important! Just like the P50, I switch out my moisturizer each season too. Opt to layer SPF over top of your moisturizer, and watch the hydration from the moisturizer help skin cells repair themselves while replenishing the oils stripped away from cleansing. This fall I will be using Creme Echinoderm au Complexe Biomarin.
For those who are curious what the results of a facial at Toska European Spa look like — here are my before, and after photos from my most recent visit! For additional skincare tips & tricks click the skincare tab at the top of this page.