Episode 168 - Natasha Brinkman- SHE’S BACK -"From Tretinoin to Growth Factors: The Future of Skincare with Beauty Junkie Monkey (Full Transcript)
This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 168
Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.
SPEAKER_01:
Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of wellbeing and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.
SPEAKER_00:
Welcome back to the show Nirvana Sisters family. We are back. with Natasha Brinkman, aka Beauty Junkie Monkey on TikTok and Instagram. We did an episode with Natasha a while back. I was looking, it was like episode 96 and 97. We did a two-parter because we had so much info, but she is back. Natasha, master esthetician, skincare consultant, educator. Welcome back to the show. We love having you. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:
This is amazing. Always a pleasure to be part of your guys' podcast. So thank you again for having me. Yeah. I just love skincare.
SPEAKER_00:
And your videos just continue to educate. I'm always like, how does she have all these ideas? But then every Every time I watch a video or piece of content that you make, I'm like, oh, that's such a good tip. Oh, that's such a good idea. Like, I just love it so much. I know our community does too. So thanks for being on. And I was saying before that you look fabulous. Your skin is glowing. Your eyes are stunning. Your whole vibe is just
SPEAKER_02:
Thank you. I really went for, like I said, the international look. I wanted to kind of go... Plus I came from the gym and I didn't have time to do my hair. So I'm like... I love it.
SPEAKER_00:
I know. I was like threw my hair back today too. So what's been going on with you? Tell us everything. I know I've seen like tons of growth on your Instagram and TikTok and your brand partnerships and all these fun things, but would love to hear what's happening with you.
SPEAKER_02:
Thank you. Well, yeah, life just gets crazy and crazier. I thought last a couple of years were fantastic and then this year kind of popped up and I'm like oh my gosh. So last year I started taking my master's medical aesthetics because again I have my full esthetician which a lot of people don't understand in the business is that you have people that will either train in one thing like just waxing or just nails or just like one thing but when I took my aesthetics I did all of it. Okay. aestheticians, right? So I was completely full of aesthetics back then. But going from that career to policing now back to, you know, online skincare consultant, kind of a bit of a pivot again in my career. And I felt a little bit out of touch. So what I wanted to do is I went back to school, and I took my master's medical aesthetics. So this is all the advanced techniques. So I could work with a dermatologist or an RN and I could be either their assistant or basically I don't I don't inject, but I can use what they've pulled out of you. So if you wanted to do like a vampire facial, PRP, I could administer that after the fact. So laser treatments, any type of microneedling and so forth. So I went and I did that. On top of that, I did my 30 day skincare challenge, which I love to do every January. Yes, that was amazing. I followed that. Every single day I put out a lesson plan. So it is literally every day I'm trying to teach you to help you build your own skincare routine, because this is what's not taught. Right? So the biggest thing is everybody tells you, oh, this is the best product. This is the best product. Everybody will say that. But the problem is nobody tells you how to use it. So then that way you maximize the results. And there's some ingredients that are really awesome, but they're really active. And you don't want to start pairing them immediately right after you started another active ingredient because it can cause irritation. Some people can get away with it. Most cannot.
SPEAKER_00:
Right. So for our listeners, they could go back on, is it on your Instagram and TikTok, like the 30 days? Yeah. And it's just like step-by-step. So every day you can kind of like start fresh. Because I find that too, even though I have a million products and always trying things, sometimes you forget how to use them or in which order or like what pairs with what. It's complicated.
SPEAKER_02:
Well, it can be. It can be. I have to say, and honestly, all these new brands and all these brands that have been coming out, I love testing them and I play with them. So that's the other thing that I'm really adamant about is I make sure that I test everything before I bring it forward on my page. And there's a lot of products that I've tested, especially last year, that fell completely flat. And everybody's like, these are the best. And I'm like, no, it's not. It's average at best. But I don't like to poo-poo other companies because, again, that's not my That's not my angle, right? My angle is to stay positive and tell you what works. There's plenty of people out there that tell you what doesn't work. So I would like to be the other side of the coin. I'm going, this is what works. This is a good place.
SPEAKER_00:
You're like, if I'm not talking about it, that means I don't like it. I'm not a fan. So I recently got, so there was a product that you talked about a while back that I really wanted to try and there was like a, it was sold out for a while and I just got it a couple of weeks ago, the Maylove Peptide Squad, which I love because I was also using your recommendation for like probably the last year or so, the Matrixil and the Agera line, and I would use them both, but this seems like it has both plus more and it's a one-step. Correct.
SPEAKER_02:
So this is the best part about evolving and a lot of my followers and even clients, they're all like, okay, well, why is this not good? It's like, no, no, no, it's still amazing. It's just, this company was working on this product for two years. So Mela, I had the awesome opportunity to talk to their doctor who actually created that formula. Because this is unique. You typically don't use a vitamin C, especially L-ascorbic, with any type of copper because it can have some counterindications. So you can use it with different forms of vitamin C, but L-ascorbic or ascorbic, typically you don't touch with peptides, you don't do it with everything. So I was emailing them and sending them messages left, right, and center, and I know they knew who I was. I love their brand. So they're like, do you want to talk to the formulator? I'm like, yes. Amazing. So I had the awesome opportunity to talk with them. We decided to do a live event. So I was a guest and got a chance to talk and pick her brain and help my viewers understand the peptide squad. But the peptide squad is truly unique because it has your Agera line, which is your neuropeptide, tells the muscles not to move so much. Everybody calls that the Botox in a bottle. Then they have Metrixel. So there's four different versions of Metrixel. So they have your traditional Metrixel 3000. So that's the hardy one. That one is a signaling peptide. So everybody's concerned it doesn't go in. No, no, no, it's not meant to go in. It's a signaling peptide. It sits on tops and sends signals. Tell your skin, help me, I need more collagen. So that's the nice thing about what that product will do. Plus niacinamide, if you ever, as long as you don't have an allergy to it, niacinamide is next to godliness. I call her sporty spice because she shrinks down your pores. She tightens up your pores. She helps balance out the oil and hydration. So if you're dry or if you're oily, she's just amazing. She lightens and brightens. She's an antioxidant. Like I could go on and on and on. So love niacinamide. Then what she did is she added copper peptides. Now, copper, again, if you use it too much in your skin, it can actually have an adverse reaction. It can break it down. But they used a really nice copper blend, and they bound their copper, which maybe for most of us, we're like, well, what does that mean? It means it's not free-floating. You can use it with an L-ascorbic vitamin C, and you can use it with any type of retinoid. So, tretinoin, retinal, or retinol. And so I was just like, oh my god, I can use this both day and night and get all these amazing results. And I forgot to mention, sorry, last ingredient was rice peptides. Rice peptides help to prevent the breakdown of collagen. And the best part is I call this peptide squad like the steel magnolia. of peptides because every single actress in there is. Yes. You get the best thing for you.
SPEAKER_00:
It's just a one stop shop. So like now I'm not putting on like five different layers. I just use that. Now, do you use that before or after a vitamin C or retinol or all those things?
SPEAKER_02:
Well, typically, whenever you're doing any type of layering, the laws of layering are always the same. Thinnest to thickest, water-based first, then creamy, or it's a water-based, kind of serum-y based, then you want to do anything kind of a creamy serum-y, and then creams, and then oils. There's always rules to the exception and you can see which certain one's in. But if your oil is more like that kind of, or sorry, the vitamin C is more in an oil base, that one's going to go on after everything else. So then that way it has time to do its magic. So you don't put it on right out of the gate, you put it on a little bit further on. So whenever you're looking at your skincare product, if you ever get confused, go thinnest to thickest, water-based, cream-based, oil-based.
SPEAKER_00:
And water-based, I know this is a dumb question, but like water-based, so like the Peptide Squad, which is like a blue, ceramic, is that water-based? Yeah, that's a little more water.
SPEAKER_02:
It's more serum-y-esque. I would say that's more of a serum. So if you're using like L-ascorbic acid, vitamin C, like SkinCeutical seems to be a popular one. So if you use that one, you would use that one first, then you would use the Peptide Squad, and then you'd use Moisturizer SPF if you did it during the day.
SPEAKER_00:
Okay, it makes sense. And then at night, same philosophy applies. Correct. So I just wanted to shout you out for recommending that product because it saved me a lot of time and thought. I don't have to think about it now. Before, I'm like, wait, let me put all my metrics on. and then my Agera line, and then my vitamins. And now it's just like, I don't have to think about it. I put it on and it's fabulous so far. I'm loving it. I've had it for like a few weeks, so it's so good.
SPEAKER_02:
Wait, it just gets better and better. That peptide squad is just sensational. And like I said, I'm able to build any skincare routine with it. And people who want to do the peptide squad, you want to make sure that you're using it when you need it. So if you're in your 20s, you're not going to need it, my friend. You're really not. But if you're like your mid-30s and up, definitely put it into your skincare routine. It will not
SPEAKER_00:
And it's fine. And is it safe to use every day?
SPEAKER_02:
Yes, absolutely. Day and night. Absolutely. Totally safe.
SPEAKER_00:
Okay. And then I've been hearing you talk about, which I don't know anything about, just I've seen your videos on the anti-age or is that how you say it? That new entourage. What is this and what do we need to know about it?
SPEAKER_02:
Oh, that's a whole new level of awesome. That's a whole No, when I went back to school during my practicum in their studio, in their course, they had the entourage and I remember looking at it going, I remember this. I've used this before in my earlier 40s. So this company's been around for over 12 years. And I had some concerns because it has growth factors and cytokines and this is extracted from human bone marrow stem cells. And as soon as you say that, you get all these crazy images of back alley stuff being sold, which of course was not the case at all. And what I really liked is that my instructor, she was so good, talked me through it and how it was done and went on the website and read more about it. What I really want to point out is that this is ethically sourced and they only get it from Sorry, 18 to 24 year olds because you want to have that. That is the peak time where you pull out those communicators and that's what they're doing. They're taking it out of the bone marrow. And by the way, these people are well compensated, so this is a long process. This isn't just some quick thing, just to be clear. And then what they do is they extract the cytokines and the stem cells or the growth factors, pardon me. Those are communicators. That's all they are. So there's no DNA transfer, there's nothing that's going to freak you out. It isn't oncology approved, so this was really important to me. I had skin cancer, I don't want to have anything. Not to mention my husband's been through cancer, so anybody who's been touched by that, we get really nervous when we hear things like that. has been oncology approved. It is also breastfeeding and pregnancy approved. Now I will say the caveat always bring it forward to your doctor. Everybody is different. But before you start it, but I like that they had the approval from the oncology and pregnancy safe. So that was like, So what they did with the entourage, so this is where I would say, this is where skincare will be eventually going. So just to kind of break it down, when you have basic skincare products that you can purchase, you can purchase all of them, you know, through, you know, local drugstores, Sephora, you know, your spas and so forth. But they're the key components, vitamin C, peptides, retinols, and exfoliants. Those are kind of like the pillars, the base. Then what you do is you go up a step if you wanted to do things like treatments where you had PRP plasma-rich platelets, you know, things like that. That's kind of the next level, but that's Not always convenient for people. Not everybody likes needles. Not everybody wants to use that as a procedure. So that one's kind of fallen off to the wayside. It was really big. I think when Kim Kardashian brought that out, I don't know how it was effective, but it's only effective because it's based on how healthy you are. So if you're not great, you're not going to get great results, which again, another limitation. Well, here comes growth factors and cytokines. If you have a human, human to human, they speak. Human and plants, they don't speak. It's like trying to talk to your husband when he's watching the game. There's no communication. I love my husband. But that's what I mean. So when people are like, oh, well, I get mine from plants. then it's just an antioxidant, meaning it's not going to change your skin the same way. So with ATIAGE, they took all your serums that you typically would find in a skincare routine, all your retinoids and your vitamin C that you would see in a two-part system, and then they loaded it up with stem cells and cytokines. And it has been a game changer. What can people expect? Maybe that's the best way to describe it. Um, volume back in the skin. So for people who have had the face dump, this typically happens when you kind of start hitting perimenopause menopause, we lose 30% of our collagen. There was no, you can't control that. It's going to bite. Right. So when that happens, this is an option for you. We also lose the fat pads in our face, so unless you want to gain weight, and who wants to gain weight? Most people do not. So that's what this does, is it tells your skin, it's a communicator, and it tells your stem cells and your cytokines to behave like they did when they were 18 to 24 years old. So that's where the healing comes back in. So your skin is constantly healing, so your skin will get thicker, you'll have more volume. It's actually the nasolabia and the marionette lines, that's the biggest part where the jowls start popping up. As soon as you start noticing that, you might want to start considering the entourage because it's going to pop those right back up. Or maybe do it before. Well, I don't know if you'll see the same results. That's the problem. I did try it in my early 40s and it was like, you know, I didn't appreciate it because I wasn't there. Right.
SPEAKER_00:
And now you can actually see the difference.
SPEAKER_02:
Yeah. Huge difference. And what I like about this product is because it's speaking to your skin differently, your results are sensational. The longer you're on it, the better it gets.
SPEAKER_00:
Is it a, um, is it something you do? Is it a night treatment, a morning treatment? Like, is that a cream? Like what's okay. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:
It's simple. You cleanse the one part, the two parts, you put a moisturizer on in the morning SPF at night, you cleanse one, two moisturizer, go to bed.
SPEAKER_00:
Oh, wow. And you don't need to put on anything else that that's like we're talking about the peptide squad and all that, like this, like takes all that away and you just take.
SPEAKER_02:
Yes, you can add little boosters in there, as I like to call it. So if you wanted a little extra peptides, you can. It doesn't have the copper or like if you're nitpicking and you want to, you know, some people like to do more than just the base. But I would say use it in its purest form at least for three months. Because the results for me, when I was using it, I used it solid.
SPEAKER_00:
I mean, you look amazing. Your skin looks incredible. But it always does. But it does have that extra, like, it does have a little plumper and more, I don't know, just lifted.
SPEAKER_02:
Yeah. That's the entourage. So I was on it for three months. I had a really, really hard time. I tried a different skincare line. I promised them I'd try it. I'm a woman of my word. And within about three weeks, my skin started to regress.
SPEAKER_00:
And I'm like,
SPEAKER_02:
Nope. Can't use this. I don't want to sacrifice myself. So we'll see how that goes now. But yeah, it's a game changer. And then of course, a level up from that, which is coming out from stem cells and cytokines will be
SPEAKER_00:
Yes, eczema. So what is that?
SPEAKER_02:
That's a hybrid of growth factors and cytokines. So again, it's communicating to your skin, telling your skin to behave differently, to heal differently. In fairness, I haven't done too much research in that just yet. I'm still getting my hands and my feet under the whole growth factors. And for me, I find the best way to really appreciate a product is to use it, and to feel it. And then I bought a whole bunch, and I gave one to my 77-year-old mom, one to my girlfriend, who's got different skin than me, and then one to my sister, who has more oily, aphnetic skin. And every single one of them, their skin improved, and it looked sensational. So I was shocked. I took a photo of my mom's skin. I also posted it on my Instagram. on all my website, or not website, pardon me, on my Instagram and Facebook and TikTok so people could see. And that's my mom. That's real results from 77-year-old skin. Oh, I can't wait to see it.
SPEAKER_00:
So you've been using it for three months and you're still using it, right? Is it something you just... Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:
I stopped for, like I said, about three weeks because I needed another brand. So I'm catching back up again. Right. And you're like, oh, I got to go back to it. Yeah. Like, I was just like, I'm so sorry. Like, I even told them, I said, you're up against stem cells and cytokines. Are you sure you want me to tell you?
SPEAKER_00:
Right. Because that's like, it sounds like to your point, like what's starting to happen next, like this trend of like, I don't know what the category is. It seems like it's stronger, but it's not really stronger. It's just like more close to your... More advanced.
SPEAKER_02:
Yeah, more advanced. I would like to call it more advanced. Now, I want to say the caveat is you cannot get it off of Amazon. You're not going to see social influencers promoting it because you have to be a professional to have access to this. So myself, because of my my training, my business is I do skin care consultations online. And so my my shop, if you will, is unauthorized distributorship.
SPEAKER_00:
OK, so people can buy it from the link off of your socials on your website.
SPEAKER_02:
Yeah, exactly. Or off my website. Yeah, my website or my shop myself is where I have all my favorites in there. And or if they have a MediSpa in their location that carries the entourage, they can get that one as well. But do not buy it off at Amazon at a complete fakes. And this is not cheap stuff. So I think in the States, it's 220 for both bottles. And in Canada, it's gonna be 300 bucks. So yeah, Right? Yeah. So you have to put into consideration what your budget is. Um, how, you know, are you there yet? I always tell people, you know, use it when you need it, not beforehand because once you start it, it will be very, very, very hard to get off of it.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah. And it's like, I'm starting to notice this, which I never had before. Like when I wake up in the morning, cause I must be like pursing my lips at night or something. And then I'm like, what are these lines? Why is it starting to happen?
SPEAKER_02:
But that's the whole thing, right? And I mean, it's not going to make you a 20-year-old. I mean, I think we're all pretty, right? But at the same time, again, my goal is to help you achieve your results, whatever those may be. I have some people, the most important thing to them is melasma. Other people, it's aging. Sometimes it's all three. It's like, well, that limits us because what you do for melasma, that routine is going to be different from aging. You can kind of mix them together, but it can be, I don't want to give them like 16 steps.
SPEAKER_00:
That's ridiculous. Right. You want to make it easy. So Trenton Owen is an example. It's a different category, I guess. How does that compare to something like entourage, if someone's just doing tretinoin at night? I do tretinoin, but I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:
Well, tretinoin is a retinoid, right? So it's the retinoid family. So tretinoin, retinal, retinol. That's how I kind of do it. And then bakuchiol is a nice derivative of it. And basically what they're doing, and if I can simplify it, it's called apoptosis of the cell. It's telling the cell to die off faster. and produce better skin. So it's that stimulation that we're looking for within your skin, because our skin slows down as we age, right? So our skin cycle is typically 28 to 31 days. And when we start aging, it could slow down to 45 days. So when people say, hey, I don't I've used it for two weeks and I see nothing. I'm like, that's not even a skin cycle. You've got to give your skin time to absorb that ingredient, change, and then change together. So what a tretinoid is doing is it's basically killing off the top layer of your skin, forcing the bottom layer to reproduce faster. That's where the irritation, the flakiness, the dryness, it's basically you're killing it off too fast. So that's why people have such a hard issue. And it's so strong. Tretinoin, it's not encapsulated. There's no buffers. It's bazooka-based skin. If you have thick, hardy skin, you can handle it. If you're somebody like me, thin and dry, I tell you, retinals are better. That's where you want to go. But that's one component of how to change your skin. Vitamin C is another component to change your skin. Peptides, another component on how to change your skin. Now we have stem cells and cytokines, another communicator that is very robust. So, all you're doing is you're just taking your pillars and then you're adding an additional boost. Right. So, I guess that's the best way to put it because a lot of people can do tretinoin and they do great with it, but other people cannot. And tretinoin is not going to fill up the marionette lines.
SPEAKER_00:
Right. That's what I was going to ask. So, I'm fine doing tretinoin. It doesn't bother me. I mean, I don't do it every night, so maybe that's why. But sometimes I get a little dry flakiness. I feel like sometimes like you would put out a video like do you feel like it's plateaued and I don't know if it's plateaued like I feel like I need something else to like judge the skin to like to your point like give it more volume because it's starting to like come to you know so like what can make it more to your point, like more volume, thicker, etc. And I feel like the no one is more of just like wrinkle kind of, I mean, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:
It does actually help with the collagen production. So one thing that happens when we age as well, it just really sucks, is that the top layer of our skin gets thicker, but it's like the dead, dehydrated, dry stuff. And then bottom layer, actually, we lose that collagen. So yeah, underneath it, and that's where the volume, we lose that volume loss, right? So that's when it comes in, we're like, oh, that's not what I want to see. So when we're using, like I said, the tretinoin, we're stimulating that collagen to reproduce faster. And if you introduce it nice and slow into your routine, it's like learning how to run. If you go too fast, too much too fast, it's like, hey guys, wait up, I'm not there yet. Your body hasn't trained to turn over that with. So if you're finding that you're using tretinoin every single night and you can slather it on and nothing's changing, then I would recommend going up to the entourage. Got it.
SPEAKER_00:
Okay. That's helpful because I think a lot of our listeners probably do some form of retinol or tretinoin or something. And this sounds like it's like the next level up, which is really good to think about and exciting. I love all these advancements in skincare. It's just like seems to be evolving. Just exponentially.
SPEAKER_02:
It's sensational. I'm honored to be alive in this time where we have these options, right? And it's exciting. I've had so many different things now because of the way that things are moving. You know, I even had PRP done on my knee. So if anybody has that in their knee or any injuries.
SPEAKER_00:
That's interesting.
SPEAKER_02:
Yeah, they pulled it out of my arm, they spun it, and they put the plasma-rich platelets, and they just injected into my knee, and I have no knee issues right now. Wow. So medically, we're really evolving, and if you can kind of get over the ick factor of it, you know, kind of make your peace with it. They're injecting hyaluronic acid into joints now. My father had to have a hip replacement, but while he's waiting, it was just bone on bone. So what they did to try to alleviate that is they take hyaluronic acid and put it in there just to help that cushion. It's incredible what is available nowadays, but it's also making sure that you're purchasing what you need when you need it.
SPEAKER_00:
And from the right people, because I know there's so many bad things on Amazon. I don't buy a lot of skincare on Amazon because it makes me nervous.
SPEAKER_02:
I don't buy any hair off Amazon. That's a hard no for me because I have no clue where it's coming from.
SPEAKER_00:
I know. It's scary. It's scary. And is there any side effects from the entourage? Like do you get dry or anything like you would get with a retinol? Like what could people expect from that?
SPEAKER_02:
So if you are prone to acne or breaking out, you definitely will have a bit of a breakout. It usually subsides within two weeks. So again, my sister was acne prone and so forth. She broke out first couple of times, looked at me sideways and said, just push through it, just push through it. And then after her, her pores were so tight, I was shocked. Wow. I was shocked. I'm like, holy crap, you look like a porcelain doll. And she's 55 to put things in perspective. So if you are prone to breakout, you will breakout. It is rosacea safe. But again, rosacea is a green wiener. So just be mindful of that, that you probably won't have an issue. But if you're nervous, just go nice and slow. And then of course, everybody else from aging to dry skin, there is a healthy amount of Bacupyl in it, which is a retinoid derivative. So yes, you can dry down a little bit, especially if you try to pair your retinoid with it. Because I know a lot of people have asked me this, can I use my retinoid or my tretinoin with it? Yes, you can. I don't know if you actually need it. Right. Because the product is, like I said, the longer you use it, the more skin cycle you have of that ingredient. Right. It's almost duplicative. Yeah. It's almost like you don't need extra. Have I tried a retinol with it? Yes. Did it Bonus, I think so. I thought I looked sensational. But now this go around, I'm going to do it without it and just see how she rolls. Because again, it's something I can always add in. Exactly. But she can be a little bit dry. And it's really important if you do suffer from dry skin, always use a little bit of oil in your routine somewhere. Just because it's going to help keep you plump and juicy. And you can use a little light oil during the day and you can use a heavier oil at night. I love skin glazing.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah, I was going to say, what kind of oil do you like? Do you have any brands that you recommend? Oh God, I love so many.
SPEAKER_02:
That's the problem. I've tried so many. I love a good blend, like in its simpler form, it's nice. So for one, I like putting just a hint, like one drop underneath my makeup. It'll make your skin look flawless. You want to use a nice light oil. I love Diana Madison. She's very like, she's got the prickly pear in her formulations. She has not only the nicest oil to use that for, but also the best masks I've ever used. And there's another one. Oh gosh, what's it called? It's a purple bottle. It'll come to me in a minute, but that one was sensational under makeup as well. If you're more on a budget kind of idea, oh, Kiehl's. Kiehl's recovery, sensational. Nighttime, for me, I need something really heavy, so I'll do the Herbivore Phoenix Oil. That's my holy grail. Another really good one is the Pharmacy. I believe it's Honey Halo Glow something or other. That one's really rich. I love that one. It just sucks everything in and it keeps the skin really, really healthy.
SPEAKER_00:
We just put that on at the end to give it a nice
SPEAKER_02:
And you pat it on. You don't want to rub your oils because it can break down. Well, not break down, but yeah. No, I would say it breaks down some of the other products, especially depending on how they're formulated. So I always say, if you have oil, just pat it on your skin. And a good trick that I want to tell everybody out there, I know the nighttime is the hardest time to do your skincare routine. And I just want to put this out there. Do your skincare routine when you're done for the day. If you're done at three o'clock and you're like, it's going to be zombie day, pajamas, bras off, let's go. Just get it over with. Exactly. Just do it. And then that way when you're, you know, you sit on the couch, you're like, I am done. Perfect. Then you can go to bed. You don't have to worry about your skincare. So even if you use an oil or any of these other products, it's kind of taking care of that. Well, is it going to go on my pillow? Well, yeah, if you do it right before bed, as long as you sleep on your back, you're going to get some on your pillow. But yeah, when you're home for the night, just do it early. My little two cents. Do it as soon as you get home.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah, good idea. Exactly. When you put on the sweats, it's time to do your routine and then you're done and you can have your glass of wine. But she gears, what are your thoughts on, because I've been testing a couple like toners, like Korean skincare type stuff. Have you been in, have you tested that world of all of those brands or what are your thoughts there?
SPEAKER_02:
Yeah, lots. I get lots. Well, Depology is Korean. I don't know if you guys realize that, but it's Korean. They're one of my absolute favorites because, again, they're independent, so they have really great companies. I did a video on Body, and there's one, I can't even remember the name, I'm so sorry, but it's a really good exfoliant, especially if you have ingrowns. I don't know about you guys, but I shave my bikini line. I don't have And sometimes I get ingrowns or, you know, and that little peel was so good because you could put it in your bikini line. It was so gentle. It didn't, and then that way I didn't get any bumps. So there's lots of amazing products from the Korean line, but I will say this, the caveat is still the same as any other products out there. There's a lot of okay products. You know, so just kind of keep that into consideration just because it's Korean doesn't mean it's the holiness of holy. It's just a different format and they have different techniques. They have different ingredients. But at the end of the day, does it change your skin any differently than another brand? I don't know. It would depend.
SPEAKER_00:
Everybody's different. It probably goes into the four pillars that you were talking about. It's just another brands, but yeah. Correct. Another formulation.
SPEAKER_02:
But if I find something I love damn straight, I'm going to talk about it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:
I got to share it with my friends. Yes, we need to know all the things. And then what are you seeing? I know you do a lot of private skin care consultations or people obviously DM you and stuff. What are people asking about? I know the trend of these growth factors and all of that is coming out, but what are people asking? What do they want to see? What are they having issues with? Yeah, how to build a routine.
SPEAKER_02:
I think that's the biggest mistake that we're seeing in my industry, in the aesthetic industry. We're not teaching people how to build a skincare routine. And just to kind of pull the curtain back and share a little bit, when I grew in my aesthetics, all my online, my skincare routines and so forth was all from the company. So, you know, you work at a spa, the company rep comes and tells you all about their product, how absolutely amazing it is. And then, you know, when you work with different companies, they carry different brands. And then when you're recommending these products to your clients and they're coming back and they're giving you feedback, that's the best information you can get because now you're knowing, well, that's not working. So first you have to flush out if they're using it right, because 9 out of 10 times there is a bit of a user that we have to kind of make sure that people are using it properly. But the second component is not every skincare product will work for that person. The active ingredients in there are not in there for that person and that skin type and that issue. And we're not teaching that. Right. And that's where I think a lot of people are getting frustrated because you go to a company, yeah, they'll build you a skincare routine. They know nothing about you. They don't look at your skin. They don't know your history. They ask no questions. It's very basic. So for some, that works. People with normal skin can pretty much get away with almost anything. But if you're like me, dry, dehydrated, you have rosacea, you have oily skin, completely different story. Right. Everyone's different. I think what's coming down the pipeline, especially on TikTok, you have a lot of formulators, and they're telling you, actually, no, you can pair all these things together. I get nervous when they say that because you're going to have somebody that's going to pair an exfoliate with an acidic form of vitamin C and burn the lips. And I really want to say, just because one person can do it does not mean you can do it. And so what I would like to do is I would like to see the dermatologists, the estheticians, and the formulators come together and provide information. I feel we're missing that key component. I consider myself a bridge between the dermatologist and uh the the formulators because what I do for myself is I research every product and then if I have an opportunity I will talk to the actual formulators at that company right and I talk to them about how do you formulate because one formulator will say no you can do this and another formulator will say no you can do it that way it's very interesting yeah it's there's a lot of where we there's a lot of stuff in between that we're not agreeing on so and then it's based on experience bias opinion
SPEAKER_00:
It's a lot. It's what's trending. Yeah. Well, that's why we're lucky. We have people like you that can give us all the correct information and then can come on podcasts like Nirvana Sisters and give us all the things we need to know because you're very trusted and we appreciate it. Okay, I could go on all day but I want to give you time back, but I have a last question for you and this is a beauty question because of course we always have to do a beauty question. I saw you had a video and I've noticed your lashes are gorgeous and you've been using method lashes I saw, which I hadn't heard of. I played around with lashes for a while. I'm not wearing them now, but sometimes I'll throw them on again and then I saw the method and I was like, oh, I want to hear about those.
SPEAKER_02:
Oh my God. I'm using them 99.999 percent of the time. I was actually ordering them before we- Oh, that's so funny. Because I ran out. So method lashes, actually my girlfriend, I can't take any credit for it. She was the one wearing them. I'm like, God, your lashes look so good. Did you get them done? And she's like, no method lashes. You actually put them on underneath your lashes. Yeah. What? Like, no way. And I mean, again, when I did my aesthetic training, I actually learned how to put every single individual last moment. I hated it.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah, it takes forever.
SPEAKER_02:
I did not like that and paying $200 every two weeks to get them redone. Yeah, I used to do it. It's a nightmare. I did that for like two or three months and I'm like, what am I doing? This is ridiculous. Yeah. But I like the convenience of them, right? So when she got me on method lashes, they're broken up into four or five different sections. And what you do is you just put the glue underneath your clean lashes. And then you put like a little bit of glue on there's like a little A little edge, I guess it is. And then what you do is you don't put it on the actual waterline, just above the waterline and then type it in and then you put all three or four or five versions. You just kind of work from the outside in and then they give you a sealant. And what I like to do is I like to take the tweezers and I put the sealant between the tweezers and then I squish it. Okay. Those will last me seven to 10 days.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah. Okay. So they're similar. I used to use, or I still have them, but I haven't used them in a while, like Lashify or Headcandy is another brand. Similar. But I want to try those because they look like really good ones and they can last seven to 10 days. That's good. I always have a hard time washing my face when I have lashes on because I feel like around the eyes, it's hard to do eyeshadow and stuff because you feel like it's hard to get off. You have to be very careful. That's the only thing that bugs me about wearing lashes. But I was just thinking to myself, I'm like, I got to put them on again because sometimes when I don't want to put on makeup, if you just have those lashes on, you look ready to go. It's amazing.
SPEAKER_02:
You can go to the gym. You don't care. I know. little SPF and tinted SPF in your lashes.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah, and you're light like me so I have lashes but you can never see them because they're so light so I always have to put on mascara or I look so washed out and I was just thinking to myself I'm like I gotta do this again because it's like getting annoying.
SPEAKER_02:
It's so worth it. I'll tell you the first time you do it it's gonna be a hot mess you know you don't want to be doing it the first day when you have like something really big you're not you know it's like everything else.
SPEAKER_00:
It's a learning curve.
SPEAKER_02:
A little bit of a learning curve, but oh my god, I love them. I'm kind of obsessed with them. Because again, I can wear them for a week. I can sweat in them. I can do everything that I need to do with them. They don't blow off. Sometimes if I use too much oil close to my eye, it will break down the glue. But the glue is more like a rubber base, so it doesn't hurt your lashes at all. It's very flexible. So I just tell everybody, when you're washing your face, I hope you're using a face cloth, because that little face cloth, if you wrap it around your finger and you just kind of glide it, it won't touch them. You'll be just fine because remember they're attached underneath. Right. You just kind of glide them over top and then you can just do like a little either a q-tip or a gentle gentle rub on top to make sure if you've got any like eye shadow on top of the lashes just to gently get those off. Yeah. And they're affordable. You get three lashes for 30 bucks. Yeah, that's good. Three sets. So you buy the box and you get three sets of lashes. So like that's three weeks worth of lashes for 30 bucks. Yeah, that's good.
SPEAKER_00:
I love them.
SPEAKER_02:
I also have them on Shop My Shelf as well. Okay, good. We'll check that out. Anytime I love something, it goes on the Shop My Shelf because, I mean, I had When I start doing my online skincare routines, my clients usually ask me, hey, I'm done this moisturizer, what's next for my skin type? And when you have a hundred people asking you the same question, you're like, I need to design something for that. That's what Shop My Shelf is. It's basically a hub where all my links are, including the online shopping method last year and all your traditional stuff that you can find, Saravay. A lot of people like to use Shop My Shelf as their guide.
SPEAKER_00:
I know. I was just going to say that because everything's vetted by you, so you don't have to wonder. It's like, okay, we know it's all good. It's just a matter of what we need and what's going to work best for us.
SPEAKER_02:
and what's affordable, because I have different affordabilities on there. It's curated based on skin type. So if you kind of like, oh, I'm dry, then you go into the dry and you'll see all the different cleansers, all the moisturizers, all the oils, all the things that can work for you or skin type, and you can build your own routine based off of it.
SPEAKER_00:
I love that. Okay. We'll link to it for sure.
SPEAKER_02:
Yeah, that's for everybody. Initially, that was just going to be for my clients, but then I had so many people ask, and I'm like, well, here, build your own routine. If that helps you, great. Quick thing, if you do shop off my shelf, I do get a small commission. As you should. Want to be honest, you know, I appreciate people that you do take it, but I also go to the manufacturers and try to get discount codes for you guys. I do my best to help. So everybody, everybody wins in that, in that scenario, but you don't have to, you can use it as a reference. If you want to run to Sephora, the shopper's drug mart and pick up what you need. Yeah, by all means, go right ahead. And then I also, what I did new this year, which I was working on last year is I have now online skincare routines available for purchase.
SPEAKER_00:
Oh, that's new.
SPEAKER_02:
That is very new. I worked my butt off. So what I have is advanced aging skincare routines for oily skin, dry skin, rosacea, delicate skin, oily skin, acnetic skin, and I'm putting out the entourage. So if you want to get into the entourage and you want to know what you can pair with it and what you how to build it into your routine. I actually built a specific routine for it. It also includes microneedling. So if you want to get some extra microneedling. I also did an advanced peptide solution. So that would be one for people who don't need the anti-age yet, but they want to do as many peptides as they can. And I give you examples, my top three, so you can pick some of your best choices. So you get not only the program, but exactly how to build it. And if you have ever any questions about your routine, all you have to do is email me and I can answer any questions for people who've built their own. And they just have like, can I do this and this? Yeah, absolutely. You're good to go.
SPEAKER_00:
Okay. So where can people find this? Is this on your website?
SPEAKER_02:
That's on my website, www.beautyjm.com. Thank you, Amy.
SPEAKER_00:
Love it. A little self-promotion there. And it's good too, because I know it's really hard to get an appointment with you. So like this is like a nice alternative and then that's great that you can answer questions if there are questions that come up.
SPEAKER_02:
Absolutely. Once you purchase the routine, if you have a question, I am happy to answer them because I understand there's only one of me. So I've opened up as much as I humanly can, but I'm trying to do education routines, answer questions. It's a lot of work. So a lot.
SPEAKER_00:
Well, thank you for your time and for being on the show again. We want to have you back as many times as you want to come, because every time I learn something new and you're just so just Your knowledge is so deep, but it's so helpful for people like me and our community who is like, you know, they know a little bit, but to be able to get deep into it and to really understand it and to know what works and doesn't work and to, you know, do things slowly and carefully is really important. So appreciate you being here as always.
SPEAKER_02:
Love it and I appreciate you giving me an opportunity to tell people like there are you can afford to skin at any age don't worry about that and just know that you have options and just be very mindful of what are you trying to do with your skincare routine and then purchase based on that. Yeah. So the influence of influencers and I know I'm technically one of them now but ask yourself what does this product do for me if this is all about like lightening and brightening your skin and that's not your concern, don't get that product. You don't need it. Exactly. Is it just a moisturizer? A really nice moisturizer? Is there any actives in there? If there's no actives, then it's just an expensive moisturizer. There's nothing in it that's going to change your skin.
SPEAKER_00:
Right. I always joke around like all these younger people, like in their 20s, like I feel like skin care has gotten so big over the last five years or so that like all these young people now, by the time they're older and in our age arena, they're going to look amazing because when I was young, I had no routine, didn't even think about it. And now there's so much education that all these people are really taking care of their skin. By the time they get to be older, they're going to look amazing. Yeah. Because they've been doing it all along versus me who was in the sun and damaging my skin for however long I was doing that for. Didn't we all do that?
SPEAKER_02:
Maybe oil on a redhead, bad idea, I regret it.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah, I'm like, did I wear SPF every day? No, it didn't even occur to me.
SPEAKER_02:
It wasn't a thing. No, we didn't realize that. We knew it wasn't great, but we didn't care. I don't know why I wanted that LA glow. I never got the glow. I just got freckles and then eventually skin cancer.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah, me too. I've had a lot of basal cells, so I'm in the shade and sunblock every day, but that doesn't happen until you're older. In my 20s, I wasn't. Exactly. We didn't know that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:
So much has changed. And that's the best part is that the education is out now and it's exciting. It's really, really exciting. I'm I'm loving this. It's great time to be in the field.
SPEAKER_00:
Yeah. Thank you, Natasha, for being on the show, as always. And we'll see you soon. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.