by Misty Milioto | Feb 28, 2022 | March 2022, Stuff
Clean up your (skincare) act with Anne’s Apothecary’s clean, eco-friendly beauty products.
Searching for a clean conscience? Look no further than Anne’s Apothecary, a Black female-owned skincare brand that offers 100% clean, eco-friendly skincare products in a recently opened (gorgeous!) DTR brick-and-mortar—with upcoming workshops and demos to boot (think learning how to make natural lipstick, tinctures, therapy oil, candles and more).
Founder Anne Lawoyin’s retail storefront comes after years of hard work and myriad local farmers market appearances—not to mention the national acclaim her in-house, handcrafted formulations received from the likes of Elle, Brides and Prevention.
But if you ask Lawoyin, she’ll tell you she’s always been a maker. Prior to immigrating to Raleigh from Nigeria in 2008, she regularly made natural skincare products. “It’s a process that I find incredibly therapeutic,” she says.
“If I have a choice to control what I put on my skin, I’ll choose [products] that have been as minimally processed as possible.”
—Anne Lawoyin
But it wasn’t until the nurse-turned-natural beauty philosopher’s mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 that she became concerned about her exposure to unknown toxins in the environment and in the products she used. That’s when Lawoyin once again turned to making natural, plant-based skincare products—not only as a way to cope, but also to provide clean products to others.
Lawoyin also believes that killing animals for beauty is a vain concept… thus her focus on plant-based ingredients. To wit, she employs plenty of plant extracts—such as licorice, which she says is great for hyperpigmentation—to help enrich her products, ranging from acne spot therapy and aloe gel to aromatherapy soap to botanical hand and body lotion.
So the next time you’re in need of a little self-care Sunday, Anne’s Apothecary has you covered from head to toe. annesapothecary.com
by Illyse Lane | Oct 28, 2015 | November 2015, Polish, Stuff
We take a break from asking the pros and, instead, ask someone we think has great skin – Raleigh resident Ami Seier – to share her skin care secrets.
For 42-year-old Seier, skin care is high on the radar. Her interest developed while she was in her 20s living in Denver, doing the occasional facial and microdermabrasion, always careful about what treatment she selects due to her pigment. Now, as a business owner (Pure Barre Raleigh, North Raleigh and Cary), wife and mother of two, her time is limited, so taking care of her skin is all about choosing products with worthwhile ingredients and embracing a routine at home.
Non-Negotiable
Seier washes her face twice a day – every morning and every night – no matter what.
Favorite skincare product Lines
SkinMedica
SkinCeuticals
Obaji
Must-Haves
SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5: Retinol night treatment for lines, tone and texture.
SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum: Contains both antioxidants and a growth factor to improve fine lines, skin tone and texture.
Obagi Professional C 20% Strength: Packed with Vitamin C, an antioxidant known for cellular turnover.
Obagi Nu-Derm Eye Cream: Moisturize and protects the eye area, twice a day, every day.
Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream, SPF 25, a combo sunscreen & moisturizer
Healthy Life, Healthy Skin
Seier has found a clear connection between a healthy lifestyle (exercise, healthy foods and lots of water) and good skin. “I think that if you can make exercise and healthy eating a habit, then your lifestyle forms behind it,” says Seier.
If-She-Could Indulgence
• The mélange peel offered at her old spa in Denver.
• The SkinPen at The Museum Spa
Makeup Philosophy
When it comes to makeup, stick to a few products, and learn how to apply them. And when you have good skin care, you probably don’t have to cover up as much.
by Illyse Lane | Aug 22, 2015 | Polish, September 2015, Stuff
Fresh face
Skin in an after-summer slump?
Show it some love with just a single laser treatment.
One laser treatment may be all you need to refresh and rejuvenate your skin. “There are certain conditions such as rosacea, broken capillaries and acne that likely require multiple treatments,” says Kile Law, president and founder of Blue Water Spa. “But if you’re looking to improve dry skin that’s lost elasticity, one laser treatment can give you visible results that will last.”
While the cost of a treatment may set you back a few pennies, think about this: Since a laser treatment targets a specific area and a particular concern, it’s the most effective way to not only bring back that natural, healthy glow, but also make all those products you invest in—you know, your vitamin C serums, your BB creams and hyaluronic moisturizers—more potent. So, whether you’re dropping $300 on a moisturizing cream (La Mer, Clé de Peau, Chanel anyone?) or heading to your neighborhood drugstore for Roc’s Retinol Night Cream, your products will penetrate the skin better after a laser treatment, making your entire skin care regime more effective.
How do you figure out if a laser treatment is right for you?
“You should always be seen first, to make sure the treatment you’re interested in can give you the results you want,” says Law. “You also want to make sure that you’re seen at a medical spa, where PAs and nurse assistants are there to treat you.”
Chin up
If your double chin is bringing you down, we’re about to lift your spirits. An innovative, non-surgical breakthrough treatment that contours and improves the appearance of that stubborn, double chin is now available in Raleigh only at Davis and Pyle Plastic Surgery.
Ideal for both men and women bothered by those fat pockets under the chin, Kybella™ is a 15-minute, in-office treatment requiring little to no down time. During the procedure, tiny needles containing deoxycholic acid are injected into the fat deposits beneath the jawline. This chemical destroys fat cells, and the result is the gradual diminishing of the fat deposits that create the double chin we loathe. Most patients see best results after a series of two to six sessions spaced a month apart.
— Davis & Pyle Plastic Surgery, (919) 785-1220, drgmdavis.com
The energizer
There may not be an actual fountain of youth, but many locals swear by SeroVital for raising their energy levels, shrinking stubborn belly fat, increasing lean muscle, minimizing wrinkles and helping with sleep. Could this be what we’ve been searching for?
“As we age, the production of human growth hormone (hGH), also known as the youth hormone, decreases and so does our energy, ” says Laura Dalton, who owns the GNC North Hills with her husband, Carter. “SeroVital is a capsule with ingredients that may stimulate your growth hormone levels naturally, resulting in decreased body fat, weight loss and ultimately, more energy.”
For athletes and gym addicts, the benefits of hGH for recovery and endurance is not new. But what is new is the more mainstream discovery of how ordinary people—especially those in their 30s, 40s and 50s – can benefit from more hGH. “Everyone wants to feel better and help ward off the negative effects of aging,” says Dalton.
The key to success for those who have tried SeroVital seems to be giving it at least eight weeks for noticeable results. “One customer recently came in for his fourth box. SeroVital seems to be the only thing helping his wife’s hot flashes,” says Dalton. “She also has more energy than usual—exercising after work without it being the tough struggle it used to be. He has also been taking it and has noticed a reduction in the wrinkle and lines surrounding the eye area.”
SeroVital one month supply available $99; mention Raleigh Magazine and receive a 15 percent discount.
— GNC North Hills, (919) 787-0462, visitnorthhills.com/location/gnc/
