Howard Murad's Blog, page 26

Complimentary Express Services at Murad’s Flagship Store

If you haven’t visited our flagship store in Los Angeles yet, you’re missing out on two popular complimentary express services that our customers love! We invite you to come in, try our Guided Skincare Application and get a YouthCam Consultation.

Guided Skincare Application

This is a 20-minute guided application with a Murad Skin Health Specialist who will assess your skin and make recommendations based on your concerns, skin type and lifestyle. We teach our customers exactly how to use our products, how much to use, and what order to use them in. You will learn proper methods of exfoliation, as well as techniques to address the delicate areas of the eyes, neck and décolleté.

Our Guided Skincare Application is a great starting point for anyone who is looking to maximize her or his daily skincare regimen. Feel pampered, get educated and discover how to bring out the most beautiful YOU!

Based on your personalized skin concerns, you will experience one of the following Guided Skincare Applications:

Youth Building to improve texture and hydration.
Skin Renewing to boost elasticity and restore suppleness.
Sun Undone to brighten and even skin tone.
Clear Skin to calm and help clear acne-stressed skin.
Pore Cleanse to refine large pores and improve texture.
Customization to address a combination of skincare concerns.

YouthCam Consultation

Reveal your skin’s past and change your skin’s future. Inspired by a face-to-face consultation with Dr. Murad, the YouthCam high-definition camera consultation allows you to see skin damage and aging before it actually becomes visible to you in the mirror.

YouthCam analyzes fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation, redness, inflammation and pore size; then anticipates the future of your skin. Based on Dr. Murad’s decades of experience with thousands of patients, YouthCam’s proprietary software simulates a personal consultation from the Doctor himself.

Learn more about YouthCam and read real customer testimonials.

To book your complimentary express service appointment, call 323-413-2350 or just walk into the store!

Address:

Murad Flagship Store

8207 W. 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90048

Store Hours:

Mon.-Thurs.—11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Fri.-Sat.—10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sun.—11 a.m.-5 p.m.

The post Complimentary Express Services at Murad’s Flagship Store appeared first on Face Forward.

3 Ways to Enjoy A Healthy Summer Vacation

By Darren Becket, Health and Fitness Expert, Personally Tailored Fitness

Summer vacations are my favorite. Camping at national parks, soaking up sunshine time at the beach, and exploring unknown cities are among my top choices.

Last summer, my family and I spent two weeks cruise ship sailing off the southern coast of Alaska. I returned home with photos of caribou, brown bears, Dall sheep and glaciers. And had it not been for a clear plan, the cruise ship’s endless and tempting buffets could easily have sent me home with an extra dozen pounds, as well.

Thankfully, I caught myself grabbing seconds and thirds early on. My solution was to create three rules to get things under control, and the good news was that I could still enjoy the buffet. In fact, I actually returned home leaner, feeling both recharged and inspired.

Rule #1: Have a Light Breakfast with Four Glasses of Water

Most of us will indulge in food while on vacation. That means more calories than our bodies are used to during our normal routine. Adding four glasses of water to a light breakfast not only gives us a feeling of fullness, but it also provides valuable hydration. What’s more, it gives the body an extra break from the calorie-laden meals consumed at lunch and dinner. To lose extra weight, use this method combined with eating smaller portions for lunch and dinner. (Dr. Murad also encourages us to “Eat Your Water” – learn more here.)

Rule #2: Get in a 15-to-30-Minute Workout Routine Every Morning

The best time to work out on vacation is when you first get up. Set a timer and complete a few sets of stretches and/or exercises, touching briefly on all body parts. The goal here is to awaken the body fully so that it can detoxify and give you the mental clarity and strength to enjoy another beautiful day.

Rule #3: Spend Time Daydreaming

Don’t overbook activities. Consider skipping that sixth or seventh church, archeological ruin or museum in favor of a little down time. Studies show that daydreaming is not only good for our brain, but also for reducing stress. Head out into the woods, linger in a beach chair or at a scenic overlook and reap the benefits of a calm body and clear mind.

Darren Becket is a health and fitness expert who loves helping people step into their potential for greatness. He works closely with clients to create unique programs to meet each individual’s needs.  Personally Tailored Fitness includes personal training, massage therapy, stress management and nutritional services.

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Tips for Creating Beautiful Summer Recipes

One of the special gifts of summer is an abundance of beautiful, colorful, locally grown fruits and vegetables. Not only are these fresh, water-rich foods the perfect way to support the health of every cell in your body by eating your water, the short trip from farm to table means you’ll get better nutrition in each delicious bite.

And with the rapid expansion of the farmers-market movement in the last 10 years, it’s easy and fun to enjoy different foods that are at their peak each week as the season progresses. Sometimes you’ll discover a fruit or vegetable you’ve never heard of or seen. Ask the farmer all about it and you’ll probably walk away with a new recipe or at least great tips on how to eat or cook that funny looking vegetable that just may be your new favorite food. It’s also nice to be able to talk to people who are involved in growing your food so you can hear about what they are harvesting and learn about the ripe treats that they will be offering during your next visit to the market.

But shopping is only half the fun. Once you bring home the bounty that you have “harvested” from the market, you have a wonderful opportunity to share it by creating a meal for your family or friends. As someone who loves to create art, I encourage you to think of all the colorful foods you bring home as if they were paints waiting for you to mix, match and blend into something unique and wonderful. Feel free to experiment and be brave and bold with your compositions. Think outside the recipe box and let the delicious and nutritious gifts of summer bring joy and good health to you and those you love.

Article by Howard Murad, M.D., FAAD, a world renowned skincare expert and founder of the Inclusive Health movement. Click here to learn more about Dr. Murad.

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How to Increase Skin Hydration

By Jen Harmatz, Murad Director of National Retail Education

Water is one of the most crucial things we need to keep our skin looking younger.

Have you ever forgotten to water a plant for a very long time? Imagine what the plant looks like. The leaves dry out, get papery thin and brittle, and crack. Depriving the plant of moisture also makes the stems wrinkle and shrivel up. Now think about that happening to the skin on your body or your face. Without proper amounts of moisture, our skin will act just like the plant.

Here are a few different things we can do to boost the moisture levels in our skin.

Eat Your Water

Dr. Murad reminds us to “eat your water” all the time, and it’s based on the Cellular Water Principle®. Eating water-rich foods like fresh fruits and veggies helps your cells stay hydrated, strong and healthy. Everything in the body is connected, which means that if you’re healthy on the inside, your skin will look stronger, healthier and younger.

This summer, add seasonal produce into your diet such as watermelon, mangos, peaches, papayas, asparagus, zucchini, green beans and cucumbers.

Hydro-Dynamic® Ultimate Moisture

Topically, you can fight dryness and the visible signs of aging with a moisturizer that contains humectants and emollients. Hydro-Dynamic® Ultimate Moisture is a powerhouse moisturizer that intensely hydrates, absorbs easily and quickly into the skin, and is gentle enough for someone with sensitive skin. It’s also filled to the brim with high-performance ingredients. Let’s take a look at few of them.

Collagen Support Complex:

You may have recently noticed a surge of hype around an ingredient called Hyaluronic Acid. It seems to be the new “It Girl” of ingredients to help us look younger. In fact, Murad has been using Hyaluronic Acid for years, along with an anti-aging peptide, as the major component of our Collagen Support Complex. Here’s the skinny on Hyaluronic Acid. It’s a humectant. Humectants are a category of ingredients that we want to have in a moisturizer. Humectants bind moisture to the skin, attract water from the environment around you, and help your skin preserve water. Think of it as a moisture magnet that will help the skin to look smoother. The genius of Hyaluronic Acid is that it has the ability to “smart regulate” the levels of moisture in your skin based on the humidity in your environment. So let’s say it’s a humid day; Hyaluronic Acid will pull in less moisture than it would on a dry day. Hyaluronic Acid naturally occurs in the body—it’s the body’s moisturizer—and as we age, we produce less and less of it.

Avocado, Sunflower and Olive Fruit Oils and Shea Butter:

These ingredients act as emollients, or skin conditioners, and they are another very important factor in a moisturizer. An emollient forms a barrier layer that traps moisture on the skin and slows the evaporation of water, increasing the moisture levels of your skin. They also help your skin look and feel softer. Emollients help impart the silky smooth feeling you have on your skin after your moisturizer absorbs.

RepleniCell® is another key factor to why Hydro-Dynamic® Ultimate Moisture gives us around-the-clock moisture lock. RepleniCell® is the method of how we pretreat the water that goes into our products. For a more thorough explanation of RepleniCell®, read this post by Murad’s VP of Product Development, Jeff Murad.

More is More

Last season at New York Fashion Week, many designers and makeup artists abandoned the typical glowing, highlighted skin created by shimmery creams and powders. Instead, they focused on hydrating models’ skin by layering on several coats of moisturizer to create truly naturally luminous skin. Whether you choose to use several layers of the same moisturizer or layer one moisturizer with another, you will create truly healthy-looking, nourished skin.

Pro tips:

Layer Hydro-Dynamic® Ultimate Moisture with your favorite Murad SPF for those days when you need an extra glow.
Or simply create the ultimate dewy look by applying several layers of Hydro-Dynamic® Ultimate Moisture for that “fresh-from-the-facial” look.

 

Jen Harmatz is a seasoned makeup artist and skin specialist who has worked on the GRAMMY Awards and the Oprah Winfrey Show. She knows from experience that perfecting the “canvas” lets you put your best face forward. She has created education initiatives to empower people across multiple channels to improve their skin, life and overall well-being.

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Murad in the Media

It’s always an honor when our products are featured in a major publication. In May, four different magazines gave Murad products a shout-out. And three of those mentions were for our newest product Invisiblur™ Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30. Here’s what they had to say:

Good Housekeeping delivered its Beauty Breakthrough Awards in the May 2015 issue and Invisiblur™ Perfecting Shield has earned a spot as one of the Best New Skin Care Products for the Face. “A sunscreen you won’t believe is a sunscreen — it’s totally clear! Kept makeup in place and softened lines.”

Dr. Oz’s The Good Life magazine delivered its list of 7 Cool Anti-Aging Breakthroughs in its May 2015 issue, and we’re thrilled that Invisiblur™ Perfecting Shield was included.

Town & Country published an article in its May 2015 issue about spring’s new skincare offerings, citing that a select few products are an ideal marriage of natural and choice synthetic ingredients. Murad’s Invisiblur™ Perfecting Shield was included in the skincare product list titled a “perfect union.”

In Marie Claire’s May 2015 issue, Murad Resurgence® Renewing Eye Cream was highlighted in the magazine’s @Work Mogul Maintenance feature. The Vice President at Mercury Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., Vicky Vadlamani, said she uses Murad Renewing Eye Cream daily as part of her morning routine.

 

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Meet Makeup Artist Ruth Haney

Ruth Haney is a professional makeup artist who works in film and television. She studied fine arts in college and has a passion for oil painting. Now, Ruth is paying it forward, helping other women fulfill their dreams of becoming makeup artists.

Describe your journey to becoming a makeup artist.

I have been an artist all my life. Years ago, I was about to have my first showing of my oil paintings when a producer discovered me while I was waiting tables at a restaurant. He gave me the number of my soon-to-be mentor, which changed the course of my life. Before I knew it, I got my first job doing makeup on General Hospital. Every day, I am grateful for that producer who thought I should not be a waitress, but the artist I was meant to be.

What’s your favorite part of your day?

Doing any kind of specialty makeup, from cuts and bruises to extreme makeup. It presses you to be creative while still giving the director what he or she has imagined.

If you weren’t a makeup artist, what would you be?

This is an easy question. I would be an oil painter. I love to paint. I paint whenever I have an opportunity. I usually have several canvases started at any given time.

What is your mantra?

Be the best person you can be every day, and be kind to everyone you meet.

How do you stay healthy?

To stay in good health, I take minerals and flaxseed every day. I try to get to the gym at least three times a week. I really enjoy my yoga classes.

Where was your last vacation?

My last vacation was to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It was incredible! Every street had artists and musicians. I enjoy watching people and, not to mention, great food.

What’s your biggest beauty secret?

Lipstick application. I line with a pencil, filling in the edges on the top and bottom. Then I mix my lipstick with gloss, or I mix two or three colors to make a beautiful shade. The pencil holds onto the color, keeping it from bleeding around the lips. To finish, I use my brush and some base. I run the brush around the lips on the outer edge so the lips have a flawless appearance.

If you were stranded on an island, what one makeup item would you bring?

Well, you can make eyeliner and eye shadow with ashes from a fire. You can use coconut water for your body and hair. Lip gloss can be made with berries and coconut oil. So it has to be mascara. Everyone looks better with mascara!

How do you pay it forward?

I try to pay it forward every chance I get. I like to do volunteer work as often as possible; many times at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital and for an organization that provides makeup and hairstyling for homeless young ladies going to prom. The last few years, I have been a mentor to young makeup artists and hairstylists trying to get into the entertainment industry. I help them develop a written plan to reach their goals and give them advice along with direction to find work.

What Murad products can’t you live without?

Acne Spot Fast Fix
Post-Acne Spot Lighting Gel
Time Release Acne Cleaner
Rapid Collagen Infusion
Renewing Eye Cream
Essential-C Eye Cream
Intensive Age-Diffusing Serum™
Daily Cleansing Foam

Dr. Murad has changed so many people’s lives with his amazing products, so I just want to say thank you to Dr. Murad!

Thank you, Ruth, for taking the time to chat with us. Your passion for your work and for helping others is inspiring. We wish you continued success in your life and career.

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Get the Look — The Perfect Natural Lip

Temperatures are rising, and the sun is shining. Yes, summer is in the air, and there is no better time of year to rock a perfect natural lip than now! We love a luscious natural lip for a few reasons: it’s super easy and it looks perfect with any summer ensemble. Best of all, when you use super soothing and hydrating lip formulas, your lips will stay moisturized throughout the dry summer months.

Here’s how to achieve the perfect natural lip in 2 easy steps:

Step 1: Plump the Pout

Apply a thick layer of Rapid Collagen Infusion for Lips, and let it absorb for 2 minutes. This will keep your lips soft and supple longer, and give a plumper, fuller look.

Step 2: Au Naturel Finish

Finish with a sheer lip balm such as Soothing Skin and Lip Care for a subtle, moisturizing gloss to really bring out your natural lip color. Reapply throughout the day and before bedtime to keep your lips fully hydrated.

Click the infographic below to view it on Pinterest and pin to your own board for future reference!

 

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Eat Your Sunscreen Recipes

Now that summer’s here, we hope you have your sunscreen ready to go. But another way to protect yourself is by “eating your sunscreen.” Dr. Murad says eating certain foods can improve your body’s natural environmental defenses and increase your cellular health. Although daily SPF is essential, it’s helpful to double up on your sun protection through foods that help from the inside out.

Since June is National Fruit and Vegetables Month, here are 3 recipes to help you eat your sunscreen:

Spinach Pomegranate Salad with Pears and Hazelnuts

Pomegranates are rich in polyphenols, which provide anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative protection to fight free radicals. Spinach contains coenzyme Q10, which helps neutralize free radicals and minimize the damage they cause from penetrating your cells.

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons roasted hazelnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 ounces spinach leaves

3/4 cup finely shredded radicchio

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts

1 large Bartlett pear

Preparation

In a small saucepan, boil pomegranate juice until reduced to 1/4 cup, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool. Whisk in lemon juice, oil, salt, thyme and pepper.
In a salad bowl, gently mix spinach, radicchio, pomegranate seeds, and hazelnuts with dressing. Divide among 6 plates.
Quarter pear and core. Thinly slice crosswise, and then stack slices and cut into matchsticks. Arrange pear slices on salads.

Recipe from Myrecipes.com

 

Herb-Parmesan Roasted Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain carotenoids, which help protect cells from the danger of free radicals that may be produced by the body, pollution, cigarette smoke, and more.

Ingredients

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 1/2-inch-thick tomato slices, from 6 medium-sized tomatoes

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add olive oil and stir to form a moist mixture.
Arrange tomato slices on baking sheet and spoon a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of the Parmesan mixture on top of each slice, dividing evenly. Use your fingertips to press into an even layer. Bake until tomatoes are soft and topping begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Recipe from Health.com

 

Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Mangoes are rich in Vitamin C, which is responsible for producing collagen to help skin look plumper and younger.

Ingredients

1 ripe mango, peeled, cored and diced small (about 2 cups)

1 cup diced pineapple

½ cup minced red onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Directions

Mix together all of the ingredients and season with salt to taste. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips. The salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Recipe from Browneyedbaker.com

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The Importance of Sun Care for All Complexions

Protect that skin; it’s the only one you’ve got!

By Jen Harmatz, Murad Director of National Retail Education

Here’s the myth:

Only people with fair or lighter skin can get sunburned or skin cancer.

Here’s the real deal:

Yes, it’s true that those who have fairer complexions may burn more easily and are more susceptible to skin cancer. But it’s also true that while people who have much deeper complexions rarely burn, they can get skin cancer caused by over exposure to UVA and UVB rays.

Sun worshippers be warned – no matter if your skin tone is lightly pigmented or heavily pigmented, it’s important to protect it from the harsh rays of the sun.

UVA rays can prematurely age your skin, causing age spots and wrinkles. Yikes! So while you think you’re getting a “healthy” glow, you are actually doing more harm to your skin than good. The healthiest glow you can get comes from self-tanners and bronzers. UVA rays can also pass through glass, such as that of your car windshield. UVB rays cause sunburns. Both UVA and UVB have been linked to cancer.

Melanin determines the color of our hair and skin. The amount of melanin you have governs your skin tone. The more you have, the deeper your skin tends to be, and the less you have, the fairer your skin tends to be. In the past, it was thought that the more melanin you had in your skin, the safer it was for you to be out in the sun. In fact, people thought if your skin was heavily pigmented, then you didn’t even need to wear any sunscreen! Though you might not burn with a deeper skin tone, you may still tan. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, tanning, like getting sunburned, is your skin’s reaction to DNA damage caused by exposure to harmful UVA and UVB rays.¹ This means that if you aren’t wearing any sunscreen, then your skin is being hurt by the sun.

It’s even more important to be vigilant about sun protection if you have a deeper complexion, because often when skin cancer is detected, it is in the later stages when there are fewer options to treat the cancer.

This is why it is so vital, no matter the color of your skin, to wear sunscreen every day!

Here are some basic sun safety tips:

Look at the Sun Protection Factor rating or SPF on your sunscreen. The SPF rating lets you know the strength of sun protection offered by a product:

SPF 15 protects against approximately 93% of UVB rays
SPF 20 protects against approximately 95% of UVB rays
SPF 30 protects against approximately 97% of UVB rays
Any SPF over 30 protects against approximately 98% of UVB rays


Generously apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen to exposed skin every day, regardless of the weather, time of year or amount of time you’ll be outside.

Only broad-spectrum sunscreen will protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays.
80% of potential UV light passes through clouds, leaving you vulnerable even on cloudy days.


Reapply sunscreen often if you are outdoors.
Seek shade when outdoors for prolonged periods of time.

Avoid being in the sun during the hottest times of the day, typically between the hours of 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.


Wear protective clothing and hats to shield skin from UV rays.
Wear sunglasses with lenses that block UV rays.
Do not use tanning beds.
Eat colorful, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables like oranges, broccoli, strawberries, pomegranates, and kiwis to help boost natural cellular protection against sun and free-radical damage.

In July 2014, the Surgeon General named skin cancer as a major public health concern. Even one bad sunburn in childhood increases the risk of melanoma later in life. Children and elderly people are more vulnerable to sun damage. It’s important to make sure they are properly protected with strong sunscreens of at least SPF 30 and protective clothing. Those who have allergies and rosacea might want to try sunscreens without fragrances and alcohol, as these formulas tend to be gentler on the skin.

Worship the sun no more; instead worship and protect your skin. As I said earlier, it’s the only one you’ve got!

Jen Harmatz is a seasoned makeup artist and skin specialist who has worked on the GRAMMY Awards and the Oprah Winfrey Show. She knows from experience that perfecting the “canvas” lets you put your best face forward. She has created education initiatives to empower people across multiple channels to improve their skin, life and overall well-being.

The post The Importance of Sun Care for All Complexions appeared first on Face Forward.

The Healing Power of Creativity

“Art therapy opened up my world to new passions and possibilities.” – Dr. Howard Murad

We are all meant to create in one way or another. Creating relieves stress, distracts your mind and soothes your soul. It inspires you, liberates you and gives you a whole new perspective. And there is solid research showing that art therapy is good for our mental, physical and spiritual health.

Dr. Murad experienced the healing power of creativity firsthand, and it transformed his life. In 2008, after undergoing retinal surgery, Dr. Murad had to keep his head down with his chin on his chest for nearly a month while the retina healed. He started painting to pass the time and discovered an unexpected passion for art, which became a pathway to reintroduce play and freedom of expression back into his life.

Dr. Murad said, “Through art, I have found a delightful way to reintroduce a sense of playful creativity back into my life – something that can benefit anyone’s mental and physical health.”

Here are some common forms of art therapy:

Visual Arts. Drawing, painting, pastels, clay, photography and collages.

Performance Arts. Acting, singing, dancing, improvisation, stand-up comedy and playing an instrument.

Writing. Essays, short stories, monologues, poetry, music and journaling.

Crafting. Sewing, jewelry making, scrapbooking, knitting, woodworking and flower arranging.

This is just a quick list we put together for you, but the options are endless. Many people also love to cook, bake, garden, decorate, decoupage and create beautiful mosaics out of broken glass. Choose an activity that brings you joy. If you love dog grooming, then tap into that creative outlet, and see where it takes you and how it makes you feel.

So if you find yourself stuck, stressed or in any kind of physical or emotional pain, heal yourself with a little art therapy. Use the art form of your choice to express your feelings. Let the art heal you. Use it on a regular basis as preventive medicine.

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