ESSENTIAL BEAUTY REGIMEN

For Glowing Skin
Transforming your skin doesn’t happen overnight; research has shown that it takes
about three months to shed your old skin cells and fully regenerate new ones. Patience
and consistency are the key to reaching this goal so it’s important to develop a solid
beauty routine, one you can stick to.

I’m sharing with you my daytime and nighttime routine to help you get started on your
own journey to great skin. This is an easy routine I’ve been following for over a decade
and one that has kept my skin looking youthful. Many of my friends think I’ve barely
changed in the past 20 years and I have my mother and modeling career to thank for
that.

My mother because she taught me about the importance of skin care at an early age. 

Also because of her good genes - she is 78 years old and barely has any wrinkles!

And modeling because I had the privilege to work with some of the best skin care
professionals and makeup artists in the world! I was flown to London to shoot a
campaign for Boots No.7, worked with Lancôme and Dr. Perricone in NYC, worked for
Cover Girl in Singapore, shot the campaign for RMK Cosmetics (a Kanebo brand
created by Rumiko who used to be Kevin Aucoin’s assistant) in Tokyo, and did a
beauty feature with Mally Roncall for Redbook magazine. It’s by speaking to these
professionals that I learned so much about beauty!

And now it’s my turn to show you how beautiful your skin can be with this quick daytime
and nighttime skin care guide. I’ve also included a calendar that you can print out to
keep track of your skin’s improvements and changes.

If you have any questions, shoot me an email at caroline@pickledplum.com and I’ll do

my best to answer your questions.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Caroline xox
www.pickledplum.com
MORNING SKIN CARE

1. Washing your face.

Use lukewarm water on your face and pat it dry. I don’t recommend using soap in the
morning, especially if you use some at night to cleanse your face. Twice a day is too
much and the same goes for the rest of your body (two showers a day is unnecessary).
Soap strips the skin of its natural oils and dries it out, which in turn causes breakouts and
blotchy spots. Go easy on cleansing to keep your skin as hydrated as possible.

2. Lotion.
Use a skin softening lotion (also called a softener) to add moisture to your skin. A softener
is the exact opposite of a toner - instead of drying your skin it hydrates it and gives it a
sticky, bouncy layer. You can read more about it here and find a list of products I
recommend. I swear by skin softeners, I’ve been using them for over a decade and it’s
changed the way my skin looks. Most of the women in Japan (including my mother,
cousins, and friends) use a softener as well.

3. Serum.
You can skip this step if you are under 30. For the rest of us, choose a serum according to
your skin condition. Personally, I have to worry about sagging skin so I use one that helps
lifting and firming. Serums are much more powerful than moisturizers because they are
more concentrated in nutrients and other ingredients good for the skin. I have a list of
award winning serums you can take a look at.

4. Moisturizer.
Protect your skin from sun rays and free radicals such as pollution and smoke by using a
moisturizer that contains an SPF. Apply over the serum and gently tap your skin to
encourage blood circulation.

5. Foundation.
I know that some of you don’t like to wear makeup but let me explain why foundation is
so important. Not only does it even out your skin tone, it also protects your skin from free
radicals and sun rays. So you get double the protection when you use a moisturizer and a
foundation that both contain an SPF.

6. Loose powder.
For those using liquid foundation (anyone over the age of 30 should use liquid foundation)
grab your powder and a large powder brush. Dip the brush in the powder and get rid of
the excess powder by gently tapping the brush on your wrist. Lightly brush the powder
across your face and use a smaller brush to apply around the eyes and the nose. This
gets rid of the shine and adds another layer of protection. My favorite is Laura Mercier’s
Translucent Loose Setting Powder. It’s the only I use because of its barely there finish.

EVENING SKIN CARE

1. Washing your face.

Use a gentle foaming cleanser or cleansing oil with water and rinse well. Be very gentle
around the eyes as the skin in that area is extremely thin. If you wear waterproof makeup,
use a eye makeup remover and pads. Pat your skin dry with a face cloth. Never rub the
cloth on your face as the motion can be harsh on your skin.

2. Lotion.
Use a skin softening lotion (also called a softener) to add moisture to your skin. This is the
same step as in the daytime regimen.

3. Serum.
You can skip this step if you are under 30. For the rest of us, choose a serum according to
your skin condition. If you can only afford one serum - we all know how expensive serums
are - I recommend skipping the daytime step and splurging on a nighttime one. Only use
the serum at night as it may contain ingredients that can damage your skin when exposed
to the sun.

4. Moisturizer.
Apply the night cream with your hands and gently tap your skin to encourage blood flow.
Just like a night serum, a night cream contains more ingredients to nourish your skin
because our skin regenerates while we sleep. But if you can only afford one cream, I
recommend buying a daytime cream and combining it with the nighttime serum. A
nighttime cream is too heavy to be worn during the day and may contain ingredients that
can damage your skin when exposed to sunlight.

5. Moisturizing your neck.

Your neck also needs love! Use a neck cream before bed time and take a few minutes to
gently massage it all the way down to your décolleté.

6. Sleep on your back.

When your skin is squished into one position, over time it starts to wrinkle. And the longer
the same action is repeated, the more likely these wrinkle are to become a permanent
fixture on your face. That’s why doctors recommend sleeping on your back without putting
too much pressure on either side of the face to avoid wrinkles. Silk pillowcases may also
help because they extract less moisture from our skin than cotton pillowcases and reduce
friction between your skin and hair against the pillow.
 5 Minute Lymph Massage (To Brighten Up Your Complexion)

This quick massage was created by Chizu Saeki, one of the leaders in Japanese skin care, who
also used to be my cousin’s mentor at Christian Dior in Tokyo! She explains that detoxing the
lymph nodes by giving them a quick massage can greatly brighten up the complexion. She
recommends doing this quick massage while watching TV or taking a bath, or right before
applying makeup. This will tighten your skin and make it glow.


Behind the
Behind the

ears ears

Sides of the
Sides of the

neck neck

Above the
Above the

collarbone collarbone

1. Behind the ears: Using both thumbs, massage the underside of your jaw all the way up to the
back of your ears. When you get to the hollow part behind the ears, press the lymph nodes and
gently push down.

2. Sides of the neck: Using the opposite hand for each side, press the lymph node under the ear
with your index finger while keeping the palm of your hand flush against your neck. Then gently
and slowly slide the hand down toward the collarbone. Repeat the same for the other side.

3. Above the collarbone: Using your fingers, gently press the hollow part above each clavicle and
slide them toward the shoulders.

4. Armpits: Finish by massaging and pressing the armpits to drain the lymphatic waste.
My Beauty Regimen
Print this page to keep track of your beauty regimen. Schedule ahead of time when you are
planning to use a mask (once a week), scrub your face (once or twice a week) and use other
skin treatments. This will help you develop a beauty routine that works for you and yields great
results!


 MONTH:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

• Use a facial mask once a week.

• Use a facial scrub once or twice a week.

• Use a softening lotion (softener) every day.

• Use a day time moisturizer with SPF every day.

• Use a night serum every night.

Monthly Beauty
• Use a night cream every night.
Selfie
• Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day.

• Go easy on dairy products to avoid breakouts.

• Go easy on meat, eggs and soy to avoid breakouts.

Has my skin improved since last month? What are the changes I’m noticing? What changes
did I make to my skin care routine?
My Diet Regimen
Print this page to keep track of your eating habits since food can cause acne, dry skin and breakouts.
Paying attention to how your skin reacts to certain foods or food group can be the difference between
having smooth skin or problem skin. Beautiful skin starts from the inside! Drink plenty of water, go easy
on alcohol, sugar, fried foods, meat and dairy, and adopt a more plant based diet for best results.

MONTH: Answer by writing HIGH, MODERATE, OR LOW

WEEK 1
Worse

Alcohol ________
Water ________
Meats ________

My skin looks: Same

Fried foods ________

Sugar ________
Dairy ________

Better
Fruits ________ Vegetables ________ Fish and Tofu ________

WEEK 2

Alcohol ________
Water ________
Meats ________
Worse

Fried foods ________

Sugar ________
Dairy ________
My skin looks: Same

Fruits ________ Vegetables ________ Fish and Tofu ________ Better

WEEK 3

Alcohol ________
Water ________
Meats ________
Worse

Fried foods ________

Sugar ________
Dairy ________
My skin looks: Same

Fruits ________ Vegetables ________ Fish and Tofu ________ Better

WEEK 4

Alcohol ________
Water ________
Meats ________
Worse

Fried foods ________

Sugar ________
Dairy ________
My skin looks: Same

Fruits ________ Vegetables ________ Fish and Tofu ________ Better

Has my skin improved since last month? What dietary changes have I made? Did I indulge
in certain foods?

New product(s) used: _________________________________________________________________

Result: _______________________________________________________________________________
© 2019 Caroline Phelps