The Minimalist

When I met Olga, my aesthetician at the Kinara Spa in Los Angeles, I was fresh on the heels of a decade spent as a magazine beauty editor. In the course of those ten years, I had plucked and prodded, massaged and moisturized, peeled and pampered every inch of myself to a disgustingly thorough degree. It’s all in a day’s work, I’d think, as I slathered the latest $200 miracle cream on my skin. Waiting (not so) patiently for the miracle to appear before I moved onto the next jar full of promise the following week, sometimes the very next day.

The problem: my skin was a wreck, and it turned out that it was revolting against all of that effort. I had surface dehydration, and therefore some solidly clogged pores on my chin and forehead, from overly aggressive exfoliation. The litany of chemicals I’d put on the rest of my face had wrought havoc in the form of small pigmentation spots on my cheeks, a darkish tone to my upper lip, and a light brown spot in roughly the shape of the continental United States on my beleaguered forehead. I had both wrinkles and the occasional bout with acne, which I thought was colossally unfair and a result of unfortunate genetics. I was not the Elephant Woman, exactly, but I did my best not to leave the house without concealer.

Olga, God bless her, is not your typical scolding facialist. “You have great skin underneath there, I know it,” she said to me, and lo and behold, it emerged. It took six regular monthly facials, which involved a thorough cleansing and an exfoliating peel, in order for me to see the promise there. And I was so happy with the results, I’ve gone back every month for a year. Now, my skin looks better than it has in years. The facials are great, sure. But I think the real secret to success is that I use only four products on it, the same four products every day with very little variation and without fail. And anyone who’s invested in the latest high-tech skin rejuvenating system/mask/regimen will read it and silently weep: (No surprise, a few of the products are Kinara’s own) Kinara Rehydrating Cleanser Calming Wash, followed by a Fenix SPF 30 Rehydrating Sunscreen in the morning (it’s dual action, moisturizer and protection); at night, the same cleanser, Kinara Lactic Acid Hydrating Serum (which also exfoliates), and Primavera Natural Balance Eye Renewal Treatment cream, which I got from