Beautiful Skin

Consider skincare as self-care

By Bridget Graham

In order to have beautiful skin, we have to make sure we are taking care of it.

“Skincare is like going to the gym,” Kat James of Malibu Shine said. “Basically, you can go to the gym and spend one hour with a trainer—but it won’t keep you in shape. For whatever else you do [at a med-spa], it’s what you do at home that has the biggest impact.”

At-home skincare can be as easy as a few minutes a day.

“People will say three to five steps is too many,” James said. “But those steps can be done in as little as 15 minutes.”

Her biggest tip: Exfoliate! Without exfoliation, skin ends up dull, and dead skin can’t utilize even those most expensive product.

“Exfoliate two times a week,” she said. “The basic cell cycle is 26-28 days. Skin is meant to be sloughed off to be radiant and plump. You want fresh skin to absorb fresh product.”

As James noted: Cleopatra took milk baths to exfoliate. (Milk is high in lactic acid, a natural exfoliant.) Meaning, the Egyptian queen knew the secret to beautiful skin.

James’ other best tips? Remove make-up / wash face with a cleanser; use eye cream, a serum, lotion and a neck cream.

“Consider this self-care,” James noted. “It’s a mindset to take care of yourself and your skin.”

James has fallen into the mission of educating people on skincare and self-care. Her TikTok following is growing by the day, up to almost 332,000 followers at the time of this MTM story. And, it all started when she found the social media platform by accident through her children. (She was using theirs, which they subsequently banned her from so she didn’t “ruin” their algorithm.) With an 89% female following, between the ages of 35-75, this wide demographic demonstrates that no matter our age, we want to know the secrets of good skin … without the gimmicks.

“There will always be trends and gimmicks, so don’t jump on the bandwagon” James said. “But there are certain ingredients that will always be beneficial to all. Those include hyaluronic acid serums, and products that provide hydration.”

Skincare at the spa really falls into two categories: anti-aging and problematic. Some of the best tools for anti-aging include radio frequency and microneedling. They fall into the “medium cost” range James said, but said there is a huge ROI for the skin. For problematic skin, look for microdermabrasion and deep cleansing treatments at the spa.

Not only is skincare a huge beauty focus for 2022—but so is makeup and color. Which means there is room for lots of fun.

“I think it started with the show ‘Euphoria’ and the very futuristic makeup look,” James noted. “It really opened up looks we haven’t seen since the 80s and 90s.”

She noted that trends have been nude and naturals for so many previous seasons but now we’re shifting color to the mainstream—especially on the eyes. It was most prevalent with the idea of masks only exposing the top

quadrant of the face, but even with mandates changing, the idea of color isn’t.

“Think sparkle, high shine, eye gloss, lashes and different placement of shadows,” she said.

James has spent her career in the beauty industry and has worked with and for Estee Lauder, Chanel, Kiehl’s, Bergdorf Goodman and Dr. Brandt in various roles including account executive, product developer, trainer and buyer. She also has consulted for several prominent plastic surgeons. When it came time to migrate to the West Coast for family, after spending years in New York, she knew Malibu was going to be home after she saw kids riding bikes and ice cream trucks when driving through town. She then combined her beauty smarts with community and opened Malibu Shine. Now, with a social media presence, women all over are benefitting from her years of knowledge—from the most complex to the simplest of concepts.

“I did a TikTok on how to put on foundation after a request in the comments,” James said. “I would have thought that was so basic, but I can’t believe how much there is to share.”

There’s so much to communicate she said because trends change, no question is too minor, and a person’s skin is not the same every day. She recommends trying options and learning your skin.

“Picking a favorite product or only staying with one product is like picking a favorite jacket,” she said. “It all depends on what is needed during a particular season.” ▪

Instagram @shinebeautymalibu; TikTok @shinebeautymalibu

ExfoliatE two timEs a wEEk. thE basic cEll cyclE is 26-28 days. skin is mEant to bE sloughEd off to bE radiant and plump. you want frEsh skin to absorb frEsh product. Kat James