Beauty: Do's & Don’ts by Skincare Expert, Vanessa Hernández

Glow like a star and protect your skin with 101 tricks for healthy skin from Los Angeles’ most on-demand aesthetician and L'Oréal’s brand ambassador.

Don’t get confused! These aren’t just any skincare tips you search for on the Internet. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but there is nothing better than listening to those who know it all!

Described by many as young, passionate and endowed with the special ability of healing, literally, Vanessa Hernandez is one of Los Angeles’ most in demand aestheticians and currently L'Oréal’s brand ambassador.

She is also one of those lucky women who discovered their dream career at the early age of 22, after being mentored by NYC skin guru Dangene Enterprise. With Dangene, Vanessa learned exactly how to make her clients feel beautiful inside and out by combining cutting-edge technology with her natural healing techniques. The end result: flawlessness!

Now, Vanessa is looking to pass on some of that expertise and breaks it all down with Quinceanera.com. What’s the basic cleaning process? When to start protecting your skin? What are the most common skincare mistakes teenagers do? What’s the real difference between a moisturizer and a serum? And much more!

(Want to know? Keep reading!)

“The first thing we notice about women is our skin – smooth, soft, but more importantly, is it healthy?” Vanessa noted. She continued stating that in order to prevent wrinkles, black spots, sun marks, etc., we need to act NOW! Yup… and by “now” she means at the early age of 15.

FIRST DO:

• DO exfoliate at least three to four times a week. Even though it might irritate your skin, using an exfoliation scrub gently will remove old dead skin.

Now, “it’s not all about exfoliation,” Vanessa says. There are plenty of ways to hydrate your skin, which bring us to our second “Do”.

• DO use a serum or a moisturizer to help you combat multiple skin concerns down the road.

You are never too young to use a serum. As opposed to a moisturizer, the serum is formulated with smaller cells; therefore, it penetrates a lot deeper into the pores while a moisturizer just sits on top.

• DO exfoliate to get rid of blackheads. It will help you get rid of dead skin blocking your pores and causing blackheads and pimples.

THE MOST IMPORTANT “DO”

• DO, and we say it out loud: DO use SPF 15 to 20 protection, minimum, at ALL times.

“Women love to tan, and we all know why. However, we must know that the sun is our skin’s biggest enemy and its consequences will be reflected in years to come,” Vanessa says. “Right now, it’s all about prevention.”

DON’T go to bed without washing your face!

This passionate skin care guru also mentioned one of the biggest teenage nightmares: acne. THIS BRINGS US TO OUR VERY FIRST DON’T:

• DON’T overuse creams to prevent acne, just clean your face in the mornings and nights and keep your face lotion-free.

• DON’T use anti-aging products. You are never too young to protect and nourish the skin, but using a moisturizer that contains SPF protection is a great start.

• DON’T go to bed without washing your face. Even if you’re not wearing makeup, it is important to refresh your skin.

Vanessa Hernandez’s role as L'Oréal’s brand ambassador is to “educate women about the importance of skincare to help prevent chronic diseases.”   And she certainly ended the interview on a high note by sharing the most basic, but very helpful skincare routine, (made especially for those who have a tight schedule). 

• Cleanser: As the first step in all skin-care routines, this soapy ritual gently clarifies pores and removes impurities.
• Exfoliate: this process is necessary to remove dirt and dead skin and to speed up cell turnover and regeneration.
• Apply serum to hydrate and to make your skin appear more radiant.

Tip: Use a different serum for the day and a night moisturizer.