Kate Somerville Class!

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had a fantastic weekend, I know I did!  On Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend a skincare class with my sister taught by the skincare expert herself, Kate Somerville.  I was barely able to sleep Friday night I was so excited to meet her.  As a complete skincare junkie, I am totally obsessed with the Kate Somerville line and in fact, it was the first skin care line I ever used (and still use).  It honestly was such an amazing day, and such a great opportunity.  Truly a Kate Somerville girl for life!

Kate Somerville, my sister Lauren, and me

The "classroom" was set up beautifully, and had a similar vibe to Kate's actual clinic in West Hollywood.  The walls were draped in pretty cream fabric and big round tables were set up, packed with every product from her line for us to play with (we were also given light snacks and drinks)!  With no more than 25 people in attendance, it really felt like a one on one chat with Kate.  She talked to us for a little over an hour, telling us why she developed certain products and how she created them and even how she herself uses them!  It was pretty incredible!

The room setup, photo courtesy of Nordstrom

During and after Kates' class, we were welcome to ask questions, and let me tell you, asking Kate Somerville herself which products you should be using was pretty amazing!  She really gave personalized answers and shared some of her inside tips and tricks!  I took detailed notes throughout and thought I would share them with you all!

Kate talked about 4 main things we should all be incorporating into our skin care routines:

1. Exfoliate- exfoliating is so important, especially in the winter time.  When the weather starts to get colder, we are more prone to dry skin and we need to slough it all off!  Her personal exfoliator from her line, Exfolikate, is definitely not only a fan favorite, but a favorite of mine as well.  Kate recommends exfoliating 2-3 times a week to maintain a healthy glow.
2. Retinol- Kate talked about how important using Retinol is, especially for women over 30.  Retinol helps the overall health of the skin, and can have many benefits, such as wrinkle reduction and improving skin elasticity, pore size, and discoloration.  She recently launched her own retinol product, called "Retasphere."  This is a groundbreaking product because it delivers the retinol to the skin in a very unique way.  The retinol is packed in a lipid and is delivered to your skin in a time released manner, making it gentle on the skin, unlike some other retinols that can leave you dry and flaky.  Kate recommends using Retasphere 2-3 times a week as your nighttime moisturizer.
3. Hydration- Hydration is very important and keeps our skin looking young and fresh!  To keep the skin hydrated, Kate recommends using serums, oils, or her coveted "dermal quench" at-home treatment.  This product infuses the skin with wrinkle-relaxing PFC-Oxygen carriers, hyaluronic acid, and botanical extracts, which give the skin an immediate lift and glow.  This at-home treatment closely mimics the pricey celebrity favorite Dermal Quench Oxygen Treatment at her clinic (which is AMAZING).
4. Moisturize- a moisturizer is a must in any skin care regimen.  It locks in your serums & oils, as well as keeps your skin from getting too dry.  Your moisturizer should depend on your skin type- if you are oily, try Kate's Oil Free Moisturizer, or if you are dry, try her Nourish Moisturizer.  If you are concerned about wrinkle prevention, go for her Age Arrest Moisturizer, and if you have lots of redness in the skin, opt for her Deep Tissue Repair Moisturizer.  Personally, I love her Oil Free Moisturizer, her Age Arrest Moisturizer, and for days when my skin is especially red and dry, her Deep Tissue Repair.  

Kate's products can be pretty pricey, but when asked if we were only going to invest in one of her products, what should it be, Kate quickly replied "Age Arrest Moisturizer."  It is what Kate herself uses, and is overall a fantastic product.  I personally use it morning and night and it keeps my skin hydrated, glowing, and overall happy.  It also prevents against wrinkles, which is always a factor when I am investing in skincare.  Since I am 23, I currently do not have wrinkles I am trying to treat, but still look for skincare that will prevent or delay the wrinkles from settling into my skin.  This is my new favorite moisturizer, and I repurchased a second jar at her class.

Kate also talked about her clinic-to-go pads, which are great to use in the winter because they provide extra exfoliation for dry skin.  Each pad is a professional strength treatment peel- and when you use them consistently, you will see a reduction in pores, fine lines, hyper-pigmentation, acne scarring and dullness.  The pads promote cell turnover, and give you the most brilliant glowing skin!  A box of these pads comes with 16, and Kate recommends using two a week for 4 weeks straight.  I picked up a box of these at her class, and will do a review after 4 weeks!

A product that received a lot of attention was Kate's newest product, Dilo Oil.  While some people were wary of putting oil directly onto their skin, Kate assured us that this was for all skin types.  She first discovered this product while she was on the island of Fiji.  She noticed how all of the local women had such great skin, with no brown spots or wrinkles, which was odd considering they spent a lot of time outdoors at the beach, exposing their skin to harsh elements.  A little while later, still on the same trip, Kate was getting a facial at a Fiji resort and noticed her esthetician was putting this wonderful smelling oil on her face.  Kate immediately asked what it was, and the esthetician explained to her that it was Dilo oil, and all the locals used it not only as their moisturizer, but also as their sunscreen!  It was their secret to maintaining such great skin!  Kate took this information back to her chemist here in LA and got to work- and a little while later, Kate Somerville Dilo Oil was born!

To use this oil, you can do one of three things: Apply it before your moisturizer, apply it mixed in with your moisturizer, or even apply it AFTER your moisturizer for an added glow and sun protection.  While this product cannot be marketed as a sunscreen because of certain regulations, Kate said it does act as a sunscreen!   It also helps immensely with brown spots, which are a big concern for a lot of women.

Towards the end of the talk, Kate hinted at the fact that she will be expanding her makeup line very soon!  She recently came out with her CC cream (which I love by the way) to test the waters and see how people reacted to it.  However, her biggest goal with her makeup is that she wants it to be good for the skin.  She does not want to create makeup for the sake of adding more products to her line.  She genuinely wants each and every product to help the skin and be good for the skin.  For instance, her CC cream not only contains SPF 50, but also has brightening agents such as Arbutin, Licorice Extract, and Natural Amino Acids, which act to improve and even out skin tone.  It also contains moisturizing sodium hyaluronate which minimizes water loss, helping to keep skin looking plump and dewy.  As you can see, her "makeup" isn't just makeup.  Its more like skincare disguised as makeup!

When Kate discovers a new product, she doesn't simply make it, package it, and sell it.  Rather she makes it, than re-makes it, than tests it out on herself as well as her entire team at her clinic.  If she needs to tweak it, she does.  If she needs to start all over, she will.  Only after both her and her team try it and love it, she will begin using it on her personal clients.  If it is a hit at her clinic with her clients, she will start the process of selling it in big name stores, like Nordstrom, Neimans, etc.  She really puts her all into every product, ensuring it will actually do what it says it will!

Kate also mentioned a new product that should be coming out shortly!  A Quench hydrating mist!  If you aren't familiar with Kate's line, her Quench line is great for keeping the skin extremely hydrated.  I use both the Quench serum and face mask and cannot wait for the mist!  This seems like it would be great to spray on throughout the day to keep your makeup looking fresh and keep your skin hydrated!

Of course I couldn't leave the class without picking up some products!  I picked up her oil free moisturizer and Age Arrest moisturizer (both of which I was re-purchasing), as well as her clinic-to-go pads and the Dilo oil.  I have not tried either of these products, so I will post reviews as soon as I try them out!

We were also given a goody bag as we left, which had travel sizes of her Exfolikate and Deep Tissue Moisturizer!  I absolutely love both of these products and was so excited to receive them!  Won't they be perfect for traveling?!

I compared the travel size to my own full size bottle so you can see the difference in size! 

If you are interested in any of the above products, you can find them all here.  Similarly, if you are interested in booking an appointment at Kate's Clinic, you can do so by clicking here.  If you have not been to her clinic, and are in the Los Angeles area, go and treat yourself.  I am telling you, you will not regret it.  It is the most gorgeous and peaceful place to have a facial.

Thanks for reading!  I hope you found this helpful, and maybe even learned a new tip or trick!

xoxo
linds&bells