Skin Survival with Star Foodie host, Christina-Laia

From airplanes, to trains, buses, and underground metros – I do it all – literally, all the time. Not to mention walk to and from, an inordinate amount of destinations in an array of climates – from hot sun to snowflakes, and rainstorms in between. Sure filming, on either side of the Atlantic has its own gargantuan benefits, but like you guessed, there’s a but coming. The body, face, hair and skin; yup they get a pretty good beating. So I dedicated a great part of my spare time chatting with the experts, and figuring out how to maintain a healthy lifestyle in and outside of my anatomy. After I got the body, eating, and hair routine down pact, I dove into my arch nemesis. My problematic, nagging, always thirsty, rarely cooperative… nope not my boyfriend, my skin.

I’m sure we’ve all heard it by now, the epidermis is the body’s largest organ. Yes, I’m throwing “epidermis” in this blog for good measure because of course, its origin is Greek. In case you’re wondering, the word epidermis comes from the Greek roots epi meaning “upon” and derma, which means “skin.”

Taking over a total area of about 20 square feet on our bodies, it’s no wonder, that when my skin breaks out, feels dry, itchy or even on fire (yes it happens to me often) I feel like utter yuk! Adversely when its behaving perfectly, I couldn’t feel more instagram ready.

So let’s dive right into my current do’s and don’ts! (Most of which I learned, the hard, harder, and hardest way!)

I discovered early on in filming, that wearing any type of makeup on aircrafts was not good – for anything! We’re talking drying up, burning and even flaking from wearing layers of makeup on long flights 30,000 feet high. My trick for travel – all travel by the way, became tinted moisturiser. Stick to moisturiser (& sunglasses if you’re paranoid of photos) and your skin will feel smooth and moist after excursions.

I also adapted the tinted moisturiser method for the long hot days in Athens. A combination of heat, sun, sweat and acne prone skin had me break out time and time again while filming last summer. I stuck to a good quality, oil free, tinted sunscreen for days, and shifted to Matte Finishing loose powder for evenings on the Athens Riviera.

Ok back to the arctic. Since my skin reacts so differently during the different seasons throughout the year, I change up my routine according to the sun dial. Currently, it’s more like the snow dial, which I gotta say, seems to make my skin much happier.

After several beauty counter visits, in literally dozens of cities in 2 different continents, I finally discovered the truth. No one knew what worked for me. So like any self-reliant girl, I adopted a skin regiment that battles blemishes, drying and keeps me moist.


Watch my recent Star Foodies episode where I checked in at Q Esthetics to talk skin care with their Skin Care Specialist Toya!

AM – Good quality cleanser, Natural Toner
DayTime– Light Acne fighting Gel, Oil Free Liquid Makeup (moist with sunscreen) & Matte Finishing loose powder
PM – Good quality cleanser, Natural Toner
BedTime – Light Acne fighting Gel and Light Moisturiser, Eye Cream
Try: Alumier MD Spot Clearing Lotion $36 & Alumier MD AluminEye $94

3-4x a week I use an all natural face mask for 15 minutes, and use the same contents for spot treatment on persistent blemishes. My favourites are Clay masks.

When I remember, I add truffle based eye cream to my AM & PM regiment. I did however, regain milia in the area – so be careful with the richness of the cream!

Remember everyone’s skin is different, so trying out different products throughout the year, and adapting to climates is key!

If you’d like more in-depth info plus my favourite brands, give me a shout out!

Off to the set!

Christina-Laia xoxo

Top 5 tips to get in shape quickly but safely in 2019

A new year is the best time to start over, set goals and get ready to challenge yourself. If getting in shape is one of your goals, we want to help. Here are our top 5 tips to get in shape quickly but safely.

Set attainable goals

It’s quite simple. If you set unrealistic goals, you may end up getting disappointed if you do not achieve them. Instead of setting a goal like losing 30 pounds in 3 months, break down your goals into smaller yet achievable goals. A great example would be to set your weekly goal to go to the gym at least 3 times and work out for 30 minutes. It is specific, realistic and achievable. One thing that can help you achieve your goal of getting in shape is to reward yourself. Did you go to the gym 3 times this week? Great! Now, you can grab a drink with your friends.

Nutrition is everything

When you are looking to get in shape safely, it is about how many calories you put in your body and how many calories you would burn. The key is to stick with the diet you can keep up. Make sure to balance your nutrition (protein, fat, and carbs) and portion it right.

Exercise right

Everyone knows that you need to exercise to get in shape safely. At the beginning of your journey, it is hard to know which exercise is right for you. With the technology these days there are many resources at your fingertip. Nike has a great app called Nike+ Training and this is a great tool for a beginner. You can also join a local gym and there are free training classes you can take advantage.

Boost your metabolism

High metabolism = burning more calories. When you are burning of everything you are eating, there is less chance to store fat. Vitamin injection ( also known as B12 injections) can help boost your metabolism which in turn helps you with getting in shape safely.

Non-surgical fat loss option

This is a viable option for you if you are someone who is healthy, active and nutritionally balanced yet you have a hard to lose the fat pockets. There are non-surgical options such as SculpSure, Vanquish, Mesotherapy Injection with deoxycholic acid, and combination treatments like Q Body Sculpt is next-level fat loss treatment with skin tightening effect. It takes as little as 25 minutes to complete these treatments, so it will fit perfectly into your busy schedule. All fat loss treatments target fat cells and destroy them. And your body will not produce additional fat cells anymore which means your results can be permanent as long as there is no drastic weight gain. These technologies are FDA and Health Canada approved, so you can get in shape safely with them.

Top 5 Unisex Holiday Gift Ideas

It’s this time of the year again. Everyone is in the holiday spirit and Christmas trees are up everywhere. However, we know that it can be stressful especially trying to find a perfect gift. No worry, we are here to help! Here are our Top 5 Unisex Holiday Gift Ideas.

Medical Grade Skin Care

Did you know that commercial (over the counter) skin care products may not be as effective as medical grade skin care? Medical grade skin care is formulated to effectively target skin concerns. However, It can be purchased only at medical clinics or medical spas. One of our top medical grade skin care lines is AlumierMD. They have a wide range of facial cleansers, moisturizers, and serums to target a range of concerns for all skin types. Not sure where to start? You can always contact us . We can help you pick out the best products for your loved ones.

We love AlumierMD Every Active Vitamin ACE serum to prevent free radical damage to our skin. Here is how to use it properly.

Give the Gift of Gorgeous Skin

Skin treatments are definitely one of the top 5 gifts for people who care about their skin. Pamper your loved ones with our famous Q Max Facial (Featured on Marylin Denis) or multipurpose Deep Exfoliation Photo Facial (amazing for promoting collagen growth, reducing redness, smoothing wrinkles, treating sun, age spots & hyper-pigmentation, improving acne & acne scarring). Here is a great before and after from 1 treatment!

Before and After of Deep Exfoliating Photo Facial

Memberships

Whether it is a Netflix subscription or Apple Music even our Q VIP membership ( great for skin care lovers, we offer 10% off all skin treatments and 6 free Q Max Facial for our annual members), memberships are a nice holiday gift for people who will utilize the service throughout the year. They will definitely think about you every time!

DIY Gift Ideas

If you are like me and not planning to spend too much on a gift, you can go about the Do It Yourself route. Some great ideas would be DIY Holiday Bath Bombs, DIY Holiday Granola, or if you are a crochet wiz, DIY Holiday Sweater would make a nice gift! While making DIY gifts, it is all about adding that personal touch and wrapping it up. Here is a great gift wrapping video!

Gift Cards

Last but not least, gift cards are versatile, easy and affordable. Definitely useful as a last minute holiday gift!