Alexandra Engler is the beauty director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she’s held beauty roles at Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com.
October 31, 2023
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Celebrity esthetician Candace Marino knows what it takes to get that smooth, glowing, flawless complexion that Angelenos are famous for. In fact, she’s earned herself the moniker of “The L.A. Facialist” because her work so perfectly encapsulates that Southern California glow.
“Los Angeles is a place where lots of folks have to sell themselves by what they look like. We have the entertainment industry right here. And so everybody wants to look good and everyone wants to feel good,” she says of what makes L.A. such a unique beauty hotbed. “We have a demographic that wants to take a more medical approach for longevity purposes, but in their daily lives they’re crunchy—very into what they put into their body and what they put on their skin.”
And that juxtaposition—the balance between aesthetic and holistic modalities—is exactly where Marino finds herself in her own work. Here, some of her best skin care tips, but be sure to tune in to the whole episode to learn more.
Pigmentation issues are entirely preventable
With age, skin changes. This is a fact of life. However, as Marino explains in the episode, some of those differences are entirely avoidable. “Textural aging—like wrinkles and fine lines—is something you expect when people age, but pigment is optional,” she says. “If you protect and care for your skin, you don’t have to have the discoloration.”
Age spots occur when a grouping of cells overproduces melanin in the skin. And this is triggered by damage to the skin cells, including from environmental stressors, acne, wounds, and UV exposure. Most notably sun damage accounts for up to 80% of all aging concerns.
“When we’re talking about sun damage and pigmentation from the aging process, I have to recommend sunscreen because we want to protect that skin. There is no use in doing treatments or using other products for pigment if you’re going to further get sun damage,” she says.
Outside of sun protection, it’s important to stick to the basics: “An antioxidant serum is imperative to coat and protect the cells so they prevent further pigmentation. These can actually inhibit pigment from forming. And in the evening, I like a retinol or something that will help accelerate cell turnover,’ she says. “With the right preventative skincare and a treatment plan— where you’re doing things to brighten the skin—you absolutely do not have to have crazy dark spots.”
Apply eye products in thin, light layers to help hydrate, thicken, and brighten
As a woman with chronic under eye circles, I asked Marino specifically about what I can do to help improve the look of my very tired eyes. Her first tip? “Get more sleep,” she says.
Then she goes on to explain one cause of dark circles: “For a lot of people, under the eye area is hollow, so a lot of times you’re seeing the underlying anatomy that’s causing the shadow,” she says. “So for those folks, you want to thicken the skin.”
As for skin care, “one of my favorite ingredients for under the eye area is vitamin C and peptides,” she says, noting she likes iS Clinical C Eye Serum Advance Plus. “Vitamin C in itself is a pigment inhibitor and antioxidant. Copper peptides are amazing for stimulating collagen, which can help thicken the tissue.”
But then—and here’s key—is to layer the eye serum with a thicker cream. “Serums contain thinner molecules, so they go to the deeper layers of skin and they create a change,” she explains. “But I love eye creams—so I’ll put the serum on first and then I’ll layer it.”
Her favorite eye cream to layer over it is the Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Cream. “You want something under the eye to nourish, brighten, and also protect. So it’s super important to protect the under eye, because that tissue is so delicate.”
Always wash your face at night
It feels repetitive to talk about the importance of washing your face at night, but it’s worth re-emphasizing here. Most folks think it’s just about breakouts and clogged pores, but skipping the nightly wash can actually lead to wrinkles too.
“Cleansing is obviously super important, but I don’t think people realize how important it is. When you go to sleep and you haven’t thoroughly cleansed your skin, you’re allowing dirt, oil, makeup, sunscreen, and all of the things from the day to just settle into the fine lines,” she says. “And the more you’re letting things settle, the deeper the line. Wrinkles are actually a form of a scar. It’s an area of skin that’s creased and has lost collagen, so we want to prevent that from happening further.”
