Balanced Skin

Are you taking all the steps necessary to get the proper facial cleanse? Here, we’re going to give you an overview of how to effectively care for your skin. 

The key to skin is BALANCE. This means for you oily skinned beauties, not OVER DRYING and for you dry skinned beauties, not OVER MOISTURIZING. In the same breath, over cleansing the skin can lead to irritated, dry skin that produces more oil to compensate, instead of a fresh glow. Your beauty routine should include three steps for day and night, with a light cleanse in the morning and a deep cleanse at night.

Morning Cleanse

1. NO CLEANSER—There is no need to cleanse in the morning as you have deep cleansed the night before. Therefore, we recommend that you just splash tepid water on your face.

2. Tone—Toners are used to balance the skin's natural acid mantle, as well as clean up the excess dirt from your skin and shrink the appearance of pores. Avoid alcohol-based toners which are too drying on the skin.

3. Day Protection—Find a moisturizer with a minimum of SPF 15 for the day. You can opt for DEX's Mineral Tinted Hydrator; which includes an SPF 20. Yes, UVA and UVB rays are still effecting your precious skin even if your not spending hours directly under the sizzling sun. What do we always say? SPF is one of your best friends when combating or preventing aging.

Evening Cleanse

If you have prescribed face washes, the time to use them are at night when you really want to cleanse all the dirt, makeup, and sweat from the day.

1. Deep cleansing—First off, make sure you remove all makeup with a makeup remover wipe or any form of makeup remover. Depending on your skin type you should choose the following based cleansers:

How to pick a night cleanser?

Dry skin—Water based

Oily skin—Oil based

Sensitive skin—Milky based

Combination—Oil based

2. TONE—Like the morning, spritz your face with an astringent to shrink the pores, as well as calm and balance the skin tone.

3. MOISTURIZE—Use a separate moisturizer from your day time one (with no SPF) for nighttime. You don’t want to use a moisturizer with SPF at night because it’s best to give your skin a break from it (also completely unnecessary in the dark).

There are a few extra steps that only benefit your skin more like topicals and exfoliation.

TOPICALS—The fourth optional step is any dermatologist prescribed topicals for acne, anti-aging or any other skin problems. Your skin heals while you sleep, so this is the best time to apply those heavy duty creams for your skin’s ailments. This includes eye creams which we will mention below!

EXFOLIATION—This is so crucial and is often forgotten! While exfoliation every night may lead to irritation, it is necessary on a weekly basis to rid the dullness of skin and reveal a softer, more glowing complexion underneath. Try to exfoliate 1-2 times a week either with a clean washcloth or a more high tech tool.


Clarisonic is one high-tech exfoliator that's hot on the market! With different brush heads targeted to your skin type from dry skin to acne-prone, there is no excuse not to add this pretty little item to your skin routine. The patented micro-massage movements twist back and forth to gently remove more makeup and dirt from your skin. You'll be left with that glow you've been dreaming of!

EYE CREAMS—The skin near the eyes is very thin and delicate, which is why it's one of the first places we see aging. What's the best solution? Add eye cream to your nightly routine and ensure that this sensitive area on your face is protected. Plastic surgery fixes a lot of unwanted wrinkle problems, but being PREVENTIVE by using a nightly cream is even BETTER. Christine Valmy's Valessence 100- Anti-Aging is special for eyes.

 For more tips, tricks and beauty fun, follow us on Twitter @DEXNewYork.

Stefanie Thompson

DEX New York Cosmetics, Inc.

Ready, Set... BEAUTIFY!

So you overslept and now are scrambling to get to work on time for that big meeting. I know the feeling: panicking, looking at the clock, wasting time trying to figure out what you can skip to shorten your morning routine. We’re going to give you 7 things to do on those mornings you only have 10 minutes to zoom out the door.

1. Baby powder that hair—Oily hair is a norm—luckily there's a quick remedy for those days there is little time to wash your hair. Sprinkle a bit of baby powder at the oily parts of your roots and pat it in. Make sure to brush through to rid the white residue. Throw it on at night so the powder can absorb the oil while you sleep. Added bonus—it helps stop oil from seeping on your face as you sleep!

▌The Europeans do have it right with hair care, the less you wash it, the cleaner it stays  for longer. As ▌Americans, we are obsessed with showering, but we're not saying give up your daily shower. Instead, try ▌washing your hair every other day; we swear you’ll notice a difference.   

2. Wash your face—No time for a shower! Use a light face wash for mornings with cold water to wake you up, instead of a shower. Your face will look fresher, and you’ll feel almost as good as if you had time to scrub down.

3. Brow It UP—Whoever declared skinny, bare brows to be the look of the century needs their head checked! We know women are terrified of looking like Frida Kahlo (rest her soul, we love her), but it COMPLETES every woman’s face. We’re not talking about creating a bigger brow, we mean filling in the goods you got to frame your face! Too afraid of that fake drawn eyebrow look with a pencil? Use eye shadows as brow filler with the DEX New York Flat Eye Shadow Brush (BR-07)  and the Mineral Pressed Eye Shadow in The Dakota Spice to match your hair color. It’s softer and makes your eyebrows look naturally fuller. Don’t believe us, check all the runways and find a designer who likes models with non-existent brows!

▌And next time you go threading or waxing, tell her to ease up on the tweezing. We love CLEAN brows, ▌not NAKED ones.

4. Eyelashes—We can’t stress enough the importance of eyelashes to your overall look. Like eyebrows, they MAKE the look. So YES, grab that scary looking eyelash curler and train yourself to use it. Load up on the mascara, which easily takes you thirty seconds. Sky-high lashes have as much of an effect as black liner. They awaken and open your eyes, making you look alert and fresh. If you have an extra ten seconds, swoop your lower inner eyelids with some white eyeliner to pop your sleepy eyes, while minimizing the red from them.

5. Perfume—“A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future.” Coco Chanel was a woman who knew what she was doing, listen to her advice! One who wears perfume gives the appearance of someone who had time to get ready in the morning and look her best. It gives an intangible addition of elegance to everyone. Spritz it on and you’ll instantly feel sexier and put together. This is the easiest step in a morning routine, it should not be skipped, NO EXCUSES!

6. Lipstick—Always have a neutral lipstick for the days you cannot plan what look you want. We recommend a natural pink like DEX New York lipstick in Court Street Apricot.

7. Tinted moisturizer—You don’t have to cake your face to look put together. Just make sure you give yourself something to add a bit of color to your face like our DEX NY Mineral Tinted Hydrator.

We promise you’ll be out the door within 10 minutes. Having a complete, ready-to-conquer-the-world look is not about layers of makeup, it’s about accentuating your features, and it doesn’t take long!

For more tips, tricks, and beauty fun, follow us on Twitter @DEXNewYork.

Stefanie Thompson

DEX New York Cosmetics, Inc.

Skin Superheroes

Beach season is upon us and with that comes the joys and pains of days out in the sun. There is something so pleasing about feeling the sun radiating all over and warming your body. But then of course, there’s the brutal post-beach day sunburn to kill the rest of your weekend, not to mention the long-term damage of sunburns. While we cannot express enough the importance of protecting your skin during these blazing summer days (which should be protected everyday anyway), here are other ways to ensure your body is able to cope with harmful sun rays.

1. Eat foods with antioxidants.  Make the following foods everyday staples in your summer diet, because they can fortify your skin protection on the beach as an added bonus to sunscreen. Try adding more dark green veggies like kale, collards, spinach and broccoli, as well as tomatoes, carrots, watermelon or any other brightly colored fruit or vegetable.

2. CHOCOLATE- Yes, believe it or not, dark chocolate has a wonderful source of antioxidants, just remember to consume in moderation like a small square or a cup of hot cocoa.

3. Green and Black Teas- Whip up a batch of cold ice tea with lemon and throw in some frozen fruits like strawberries to make a tasty beach cooler.

4. Big Hat Diva- Over-the-top brim hats are in! Why not add one to your beach look and protect your skin while looking fabulous on the beach!

5. THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND- Whether you are laying out in the sun with that book you’ve been dying to read or absentmindedly watching fellow beach-goers, pay attention to the wind. You may feel cool from the beautiful breeze, but the sun is still beating on your skin.

For more tips, tricks, and fun with beauty and health, follow us on Twitter @DEXNewYork

Stefanie Thompson

DEX New York Cosmetics, Inc.

Drama 101: Eyes like Adele

The sultry cat-eye: some of the greatest women through history from Cleopatra to Adele have been cat-eyed. How many times have you felt brave enough to try the sleek wing that always seems to fill the pages of Vogue? This timeless look is sometimes a girl’s worst nightmare when the stroke between crisp and sloppy is small.  As a daily cat-eye girl myself, I do admit there are days I just can’t seem to get it right. Here are some tips on how to make your cat-eye clean without throwing your tube of liquid eyeliner in the garbage.

1. Use a sharp felt or solid-tip black liquid eyeliner or a cream liner like our DEX New York Luxe Cream Eyeliner in Alegria.

2. Curl your eyelashes. A cat-eye opens your eye and makes it look wider; compliment this look by making your lashes sky high.

3.  It’s about building the line, NOT sweeping it. This translates to a step-by-step process. Start by closing the eye you are about to do and place your finger in the outer edge of your eye and pull gently. This creates an even, steady area to create your line.

4. Next start your line midway between the inner corner and mid-eye and slowly following your lashes to the end of your eye.

5. STOP RIGHT HERE- The most challenging part of the cat-eye is the tail. Slowly extend the tip to your desired length slightly curving outward, but not too much (note: if your eyes are smaller don’t make too long a line!) Add slight thickness by making a very thin triangular shape at the tip.

6. Once you have the rough thin-line, go back slowly and make your line thicker or smooth it out.

7. Steadily connect the main line towards the inner corner of your eye. Be careful not to make it too thick, but more of a diminishing line as you get closer to the inner eye.

8. Try to avoid using colored eye shadows with a cat-eye. The cat-eye is elegant and clean, you don’t need any other extravagance added.

9. Practice makes PURR-FECT. You may not become an expert after the first time, but don’t give up and soon enough you will be an expert cat-eye applicator.

For more beauty tips, follow us on Twitter @DEXNewYork.

Stefanie Thompson

DEX New York Cosmetics, Inc.

Join DEX & Donna Karan - June 12th

DEX Lifestyle Resolutions

We asked a few loyal clients and staff from DEX New York what they hope to do a bit better - from fashion to beauty, lifestyle, and relationships - in 2009.
Diane S., beauty client
"Quit smoking and drink plenty of water daily so my makeup application is more effective. After all, I need to work on the inside out too."

Laura L, sales manager
"Wear sheer stockings again because they make me walk tall." "Brush my hair upside down before yoga because it stimulates more chakras." "Ride my bicycle along the river every weekend with my dog." And, "stop kissing my doormen because they get in trouble."

Raven R., atrium assistant
I am planning on making 2009 my year to blossom as a Stylist/MUA at DEX. My goal is to be ready to take on Fashion Week fall '09. Look out New York! Get ready to be Ravished by Raven.



Catalina C., Makeup Artist
"To enjoy life, appreciate the lessons, nurture the small things that enrich our existence and manifest love in everything I do."

Anna P., beauty client
"I want to be able to take more risks in my daily beauty regimen, and not be so stuck on the same old smoky eye, and nude lip."

John C., graphic designer
"I want to make all of my designs reflect more of the fierceness of the DEX brand."

Scott W., hair designer
"To be the best that I can be, and work with more amazing beauty and fashion editorial photographers."

Naomi P., hair designer
"To be able to meet more of my goals, helping others in the process, learning more of what I do best, and spending more time with the ones who mean the most to me in life."

Elizabeth G., beauty client
“Wear more lace-front hair additions. This is the time to spruce up your tresses, and a girl cannot have too many looks because it is what you are seen for most in New York City.”