THE DALLAS LOOK BEST FACE FORWARD

Today, the terms skin regimen and skin care should be synonymous. For years, since the advent of makeup in fact, women have covered up, painted, and concealed while all but ignoring the basics of conscientious daily skin care. Fortunately, with the 1970s came an addition to our beauty lexicon. Instead of washing with soap and water twice a day and applying a ladylike dab of heavy cold cream every night, regardless of skin type, you can now choose from a number of excellent regimens in every price range and for all types of skin.

What is the advantage of a regimen? Basically, a renewed awareness of the importance, both now and in later life, of consistent skin care coupled with the use of specially formulated products for your specific skin type. In other words, products that won’t leave dry skin suffering the ravages of cosmetic acne from the overuse of cleansing creams and moisturizers, or troubled young skin clogged by the excessive use of oil-rich creams.

Good skin care is essentially a question of several options: You can go to a dermatologist who treats skin problems but doesn’t deal with the nuances of a fine complexion; or you can consult an aesthetician who diagnoses your skin type, prescribes an at-home regimen, and monitors the results; or you can purchase the over-the-counter regimen geared to your skin type and budget.

The over-the-counter approach offers endless possibilities. In the past 10 years, cosmetic companies both here and in Europe have created a number of regimens (two new ones, Halston and Diane Von Furstenberg, will be available this spring). To simplify matters, we’ve chosen four regimens, with their various steps and benefits, for four common types of skin. Included, as well, are analyses of five other excellent skin-care programs.



DRY SKIN



Regimen: Geminesse Enriched Moisturizing Program by Max Factor

Cost: About $60

Products: 6

Available at Joske’s and Sanger Harris

Hollywood-based Max Factor had its beginnings in theater makeup and was known as a “color house” until a decade ago, when it joined the major shift in the cosmetic business to skin care and created Geminesse, its luxury skin-care line.

Geminesse Enriched is one of six treatment regimens in the Max Factor range; its six-product collection for dry skin works on three different levels: providing oils to prevent further moisture evaporation, humectants to supply moisture to skin cells, and PCA, a secret formula that is claimed to stimulate the skin’s natural moisturizing factors.

The ritual begins with a gentle massage of Cleansing Concentrate, a milky liquid that looks and feels like a daytime moisturizer, but lifts makeup and grime to leave the skin softly shining – pampered instead of briskly clean. Follow with alcohol-free Enriched Moisturizing Skin Freshener, a cooling lotion that can be used everywhere, including the delicate area around the eyes; and Living Proof Hydracel Masque, an apricot-colored gel of transparent clay, essential for the weekly removal of cellular debris. Complete the regimen with lemony Enriched Moisture Complex Lotion or, at night, the slightly heavier Enriched Moisture Complex Cream. The cream leaves a dewy, nongreasy residue on the skin.

At night, for eyes, use Geminesse Eye Cream, a sheer gloss of very rich oils that should be applied gently and sparingly from the outer corner of the eye along the rim of the cheekbone, avoiding the under -eye circle. The cream liquifies on the skin’s surface and affects the entire eye area.



OILY, TROUBLED SKIN



Regimen: Payot

Cost: About $90

Products: 10

Available at Sanger Harris and Betty Myer Faces.

The Payot line takes its name from Dr. Nadine Payot, a skin-care wizard who used her knowledge of medicine and chemistry to found the Payot Institut de Beauté in Paris in 1925.

There are now more than 30 Payot skin-care products available (including an antiwrinkle mask made from amniotic fluid). Over the years, Payot has retained its image as a beauty house with a slightly medicinal approach. For instance, no synthetic perfumes are added to any of its products. Consequently, each one smells of its ingredients – from Swiss alpine lavender to sulphur and zinc oxide.

The Payot counter is often stop two for people with oily, troubled skin who’ve already received over-zealous attention from a dermatologist. Often, the harsh products recommended to control acne strip the skin of its oils and leave it irritated, parched, and flaky. The Payot regimen for oily, troubled skin takes the middle approach, relying on astringents and antibacterial cleansers, as well as the use of soothing creams and moisturizers.

The seven-minute, twice-daily regimen is very effective in controlling oil and preventing break-outs. In the morning, wash your face with Savon Active for a quick surface cleansing, then apply Lotion No. 6, a gentle green astringent made from menthol, alum, and plant extracts.

Follow by treating the drier areas of the face with a film of Hydriane, a water-based moisturizer. If your skin is breaking out, apply Pate Grise, a blend of organic sulphur and zinc oxide, or the stronger, camphor-rich Spéciale 5 to problem areas.

At night, cleanse with Emulsion Puri-fiante to dissolve dirt and oil, and again apply Lotion No. 6. Because oily skin is not necessarily tough skin, Payot recommends an application of white Créme No. 2, made from zinc oxide, Swiss alpine lavender, and beeswax to soothe inflamed or tender areas. (Payot users claim Créme No. 2 works miracles on everything from diaper to razor rash.)

Once a week, more often if necessary, tighten and deep-clean the skin with white astringent Masque Irradié, made from borax and irradiated clay. During the day, cover problem spots with Crème Trai-tante Teintée (available in three shades), a makeup that doesn’t interfere with the healing action of Pate Grise or Spéciale 5.

COMBINATION SKIN



Regimen: Glemby

Cost: About $80

Products: 10

Available at Joske’s Hair Salon, North-Park



Glemby, the international hair-salon company, has launched a treatment line of detergent- and fragrance-free skin-care products. Consultation is an important part of the Glemby approach, and the line is available only through a trained cosmetician who analyzes your skin and suggests an immediate repair program that is to be followed by a daily regimen.

Glemby’s combination skin program (for the oily zone and dry cheeks), comprising three masks, a soft scrub, a toner, and several moisturizing treatments, leaves the skin glowing, soft, and smooth, but involves a considerable investment in time and money. For the first two weeks, the one-hour No. 3 mask and a soft scrub treatment is prescribed every second night; after that it’s only needed once a week with a special midweek patch program in oily areas.

First, clean the skin with Highly Efficient Cleansing Cream and apply the clay-based Herbal Oil Blotting Masque. Your eyes will smart from the pungent pine smell, but you’ll feel the skin tightening as the masque draws out impurities and absorbs excess oil. A splash of cold water leaves the face fresh and glowing and the pores noticeably tightened (but remember, pore refining is never permanent).

Apply No. 2 Revitalizing Sea Weed Masque, and let it dry. Your face will feel as if you’ve applied a generous dose of deep-heat liniment. Relax for 15 minutes – more if you have the time. Rinse with tepid water and apply the third masque, Refresh-Mint Jelly, to help stimulate circulation and revive tired skin. Again, wait 15 minutes and rinse.

By now your face will feel “mentholated.” Follow with a gentle massage of white, whipped Soft Scrub to remove dead cells. Rinse with warm water. (Soft Scrub’s oil base makes it gentle enough for even the dry-cheek area of combination skin.) Tone the skin with Highly Efficient Toner and pat the driest areas with highly concentrated Essential Night Treatment.

Sparingly lubricate the eye area with Special Formula Eye Oil and daub the nose and other oily areas with Blem-aid, a pink oil-absorbent lotion with drying and healing properties. During the day, apply Dramatically Effective Moisture Concentrate or the less-rich Dramatically Effective Moisture Lotion. Again, both moisturizers contain humectants and should not be used around the eyes.



SLIGHTLY OILY



Regimen: Erno Laszlo

Cost: About $150

Products: 6 to 8

Available at Neiman-Marcus



At present, there are 13 Laszlo regimens, including three for men and two for adolescents. Products in the regimen are never sold individually; the Laszlo customer pays approximately $150 for a six- to eight-product regimen, a package that automatically includes membership in the institute. A membership card entitles the customer to replace products as necessary or seek advice from institute consultants in New York, where every skin profile is kept on record.

The regimen for slightly oily skin is typical. In the morning, wake the skin with a hot-water wash using Sea Mud Soap. Rinse with 20 splashes of hot, soapy water and follow with 10 more splashes of hot, clear water. Pat your face dry and apply Light Controlling Lotion to soothe the skin and close the pores. Saturate a cotton ball with Regular Normalizer Shake-It (available in eight shades) and sweep it over the face to further tighten pores, control bacteria, and equalize color. (Regular Normalizer Shake-It won’t hide blemishes, but after about 10 weeks the Laszlo people claim there won’t be any blemishes. According to Laszlo specialists, every regimen requires fine tuning and new members are encouraged to check back after two weeks and as problems arise.)

Your face is now ready for pHelitone Concentrate (available in four colors) to lubricate the eyes while concealing dark circles. Finish with a dusting of Controlling Face Powder (available in three shades) to absorb oil, close pores, and give the skin a matte finish. (Some slightly oily complexions may need Liquid pHelitone, an oil-based foundation that’s applied over Shake-It on dry skin areas.)

At night, remove eye makeup with Ocu-pHyl Lotion and face makeup with Active pHelityl Oil. Follow with Sea Mud Soap and Light Controlling Lotion just as in the morning. At bedtime, apply Heavy Normalizer Shake-It, a water-based lotion that controls oil and the spread of bacteria during the night. Because skin functions are more active while you sleep, a double application may be necessary on the t-zone and any other problem areas.



MATURE, DRY SKIN



Regimen: Germaine Monteil

Cost: About $100

Available at Neiman-Marcus, Sanger Harris, Joske’s



Germaine Monteil, one of the first French designers to move into beauty care after the Second World War, pioneered the use of treatment products and rich light creams.

As a specialist in the treatment of mature, dry skin, Monteil has developed four lines of wheat germ oil, protein, and collagen-based products to promote skin elasticity.

Highlights of the seven-product Acti-Vita regimen are the Rich Whipped Cleanser, Pure Cream Toner, Enriched Moisture Cream, Enriched Eye Cream, Acti-Vila Cream (night cream), Line Smoothing Formula, and Lip Emollient.



Regimen: Orlane

Cost: About $280

Products: 5

Available at Marie Leavell and Neiman-

Marcus



Orlane, the ne plus ultra of French beauty houses, recommends its B21 line when the first signs of skin aging start to appear. Orlane’s not-so-secret formula is glutamate of arginine (GA), a dipeptide that works on the germinative layers of the skin, where aging begins. Because the five B21 products work below the epidermal layers, they can be used effectively on all types of skin.

The star of the line is Creme B21, a night cream so special that you only need to use it 10 nights a month. The 2.5 ounce jar costs ninety dollars because of its combination of shark oil, royal jelly (secreted by worker bees to feed their queen), and GA. Other products in the B21 line are Super Hydratante B21, another night cream; Creme Fluide Body Cream, a body and bust preparation; Emulsion B21 Day Cream; and Lotion Stimulante Col-loidale B21 toning treatment.

OTHER REGIMENS

Regimen: Clinique

Cost: About $35

Products: 3

Available at Neiman-Marcus and Lord & Taylor



Simplicity and common sense are the ground rules of the Clinique regimen.

The basic Clinique regimen consists of super-fatted soap, available in two strengths, to be followed by Clarifying Lotion, and, finally, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion to be used only where the skin feels dry.

Clinique’s business is built on demystifying skin care. It offers a number of excellent booklets on handling skin-care problems.



Regimen: Elizabeth Arden

Cost: About $100

Products: 11

Available at Sanger Harris, Titche’s-Joske’s, Colbert-Volk, Lord & Taylor, Marie Leavell, and Dougherty’s Pharmacy



Visible Difference, a deep-penetrating moisture-cream complex, is the basis of the four Arden skin regimens. Arden says there will be a dramatic improvement in the skin’s moisture “pads” after 21 days as Visible Difference works to penetrate and plump up more than 20 cell layers, improving the skin’s texture and light-reflective ability.

The 37 different skin-care products are all “chemically keyed” to work together. Each carefully constructed regimen requires about 11 products to work effectively.



Regimen: Christian DiorCost: About $100Products: 8

Available at Lord & Taylor and Sanger Harris



Hallmarks of the Hydra-Dior line are its scientifically developed creams packaged under strict, sterile laboratory conditions. The line has three regimens – for oily, dry, and normal-to-dry skins.



Dior’s Equalizing Moisture Cream is one of the essential treatments in the line. It’s a shock-treatment night cream that remoisturizes dehydrated skin and draws water deep into the under layers of the skin. When applying the cream, be careful to avoid the eyes. It can cause puffi-ness and a stinging sensation.