The Pamper Cottage

Looking back through my cruise photos, I was reminded of something I tell clients all the time: Your skin doesn't know you're on vacation.

She doesn't know you're at the beach.
She doesn't know you're on a cruise.
She doesn't know you're spending a long weekend at the lake.
All she knows is she's suddenly getting more sun, more sweat, different water, less sleep, and probably a lot less hydration than usual.

That's why so many people come home from vacation wondering why their skin feels dry, dull, congested, irritated, or just "off." The good news is that it doesn't mean you've ruined your skin. It just means she's responding to a lot of changes all at once. A little extra hydration, consistent SPF, and getting back into your normal routine can go a long way.

Are you taking any trips this summer? If so, where are you headed?

Women Veterans Day is coming up on June 12, and I wanted to take a moment to talk about why it matters.

Women Veterans Day is not a separate Veterans Day for women. It marks the anniversary of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act being signed into law in 1948, allowing women to permanently serve in the regular armed forces.

Women have always served. The Act didn't create women in the military. It recognized that our service wasn't temporary and wasn't going away.

As a woman veteran myself, this day is important to me because it helps preserve a piece of military history that many people were never taught. A piece of military history that is currently being threatened with erasure.

To celebrate our rich history, I'm offering an additional 10% off all services for women veterans from June 7 through June 11. This offer will be combined with my regular Armed Forces Courtesy discount of 30%.

Whether you served one enlistment, made it a full career, or anything in between: thank you for your sisterhood, your sacrifice, and the path you forged for those who came after you.

And if you're not a veteran, I'd love to know: had you heard of Women Veterans Day before today?

One of the weirdest things about being an esthetician is how many things people apologize for.

Their pores.
Their wrinkles.
Their freckles.
The breakout they're having.
The texture on their cheeks.
The fine lines around their eyes.
Y'all, I promise I've seen skin before.

Real skin has pores. Real skin has texture. Real skin gets breakouts. Real skin changes with age, stress, hormones, weather, medications, travel, and about a thousand other things.

Social media has convinced a lot of people that healthy skin should look filtered all the time. That's just not reality. My job isn't to make your skin look like an Instagram filter. My job is to help it function well, stay healthy, and be the best version of itself. And sometimes my job is reminding someone that their skin is doing a whole lot better than they think it is.

What's something about your skin you've learned to stop stressing over?

I know sunscreen isn't the most exciting skincare topic, but this time of year it's worth talking about (insert eye roll or groan here), so we're gonna do it anyway. One of the biggest misconceptions I run into is that sun damage comes from big events, like a beach vacation or a day on the lake. While that is true, most of the time it's the everyday stuff that adds up.

Driving to work.
Walking the dog.
Working in the yard.
Sitting at a ballgame.
Eating lunch on a patio.
All those summer things we love to do!

Those little bits of exposure add up over the years, and they can show up as sun spots, uneven pigmentation, redness, loss of firmness, wrinkles, and cancer. The good news is that protecting your skin doesn't have to be complicated. Find an SPF that works (they're not all created equal, friends), wear it consistently, and reapply when you're spending time outdoors.

My favorite is Image Daily Prevention SPF40 Protect and Refresh Mist. You can put it on, put your primer and makeup on top it, and then reapply the mist throughout the day, refreshing your protection and keeping your makeup in tact!

What's your biggest sunscreen struggle? Remembering it, reapplying it, or finding one you actually like wearing?

I think one of the healthiest shifts people can make in skincare is learning the difference between caring for yourself and criticizing yourself. Because those two things are not the same. One is love, the other is hate. One is positive reinforcement, the other is needless negativity. One is good for your self-image, the other is a sort of toxic sludge for your soul. You get where I'm going?

Taking care of your skin should not feel like a chore or punishment. It should not feel shame-driven. It should not feel like you’re constantly chasing flaws that nobody else can even see.

Good skincare can absolutely be corrective, those kinds of treatments absolutely do have their place. But truly healthy skin is also built through support, consistency, education, hydration, protection, and realistic expectations.

Sometimes the goal is brightening.
Sometimes it’s acne management.
Sometimes it’s barrier repair.
Sometimes it’s simply giving yourself one golden hour where someone else takes care of you for a change.

You are allowed to care about your skin without hating it. And The Cottagekeeper is here to give you permission to do just that.

What’s something about yourself you’ve learned to treat more gently over time?

Summer is Coming.

At The Pamper Cottage this month is all about summer skin prevention, hydration, and recovery.

Without further ado: Introducing Golden Hour Reset, June’s featured seasonal facial. This 75-minute Summer Recovery + Barrier Renewal Facial is designed for both prevention, or (if you missed that boat), skin that’s feeling overheated, dehydrated, dull, congested, or just generally worn down from long days, SPF buildup, travel, sweat, and summer weather. You'll leave with skin feeling refreshed, balanced, hydrated, and polished.

Golden Hour Reset includes:
• Ultrasonic exfoliation
• Ultrasonic infusion
• Red LED therapy
• A deeply hydrating masque
• Chilled eye treatment
• Hand and arm ritual
• Your choice of a scalp massage or foot and leg massage during LED time

April's powerhouse Sun Safeguard is returning for summer!

Sunveil Protection Infusion
A targeted antioxidant ultrasonic infusion designed to support and replenish sun-exposed skin.

Sunglow Aftercare Embrace
A cooling hydration ritual paired with cold hammer therapy to calm and refresh overheated summer skin.

Both summer enhancements may be added onto eligible services throughout June.

What’s your skin struggling with most this time of year: dehydration, congestion, redness, dullness, or something else entirely?

One of the biggest problems with skincare on social media is that people are constantly being sold someone else’s skin.

Someone else’s genetics.
Someone else’s hormones.
Someone else’s lifestyle.
Someone else’s filters.
Someone else’s lighting.
Someone else’s procedures.
Someone else’s budget.

And then people wonder why the exact same products are not giving them the exact same results. It's because skincare is not copy-and-paste. What works beautifully for one person can completely overwhelm, irritate, dry out, or break out someone else’s skin.

That’s why I will always care more about understanding your skin than chasing whatever product, ingredient, trend, or routine the internet is obsessed with that week.

Your skin does not need to look like someone else’s skin to be healthy. It needs support that works for YOU.

What’s a skincare product or trend everyone else seemed to love that your skin did not want?

One of the hardest parts of skincare right now is that people are trying to build routines backwards. They buy products first. Then try to figure out what their skin needs afterward. But skin is individual. What works beautifully for one person can completely overwhelm another person’s skin.

That’s one of the reasons I created A Cottage Welcome.

It’s not just a seventy five minute facial. It’s a complimentary consultation followed by a customized treatment designed to discover your skin first, then build a treatment plan. Your concerns, your sensitivities, your goals, your lifestyle, your stress levels, your routines, and how your skin is behaving right now will determine what products and tools you need. Not your skin six months ago and not an influencer's skin on TikTok.

Consistency only works if the plan actually fits the person. Sometimes people think customization means “fancy.” To me, it means being educated and responsible.

Your skin changes.
Your stress changes.
Your hormones change.
Your environment changes.
Your skin routine should change accordingly.

Healthy skin is built through consistency, and consistency starts with understanding what your skin actually needs in the first place.

What’s one skincare product or trend you tried because it worked for someone else, but absolutely did not work for you?

I’ll be honest. Memorial Day has never felt like a “big sale” kind of holiday for me. I deliberately avoid any company who does push the sales aspect and cringe when I see "Happy Memorial Day" posts, ads, and banners.

For a lot of us, it’s so much more than a day off, a BBQ, or a beach day.

We reflect on those we've lost. We live our complicated lives as survivors. We realize that it's heavy in ways that are hard to explain to people who haven’t lived inside military life.

So today, I’m not really thinking about perfection, productivity, or pushing harder.

I’m thinking about rest.
Slowing down.
Checking in with ourselves.
Taking care of the people around us.
And remembering that bodies and nervous systems carry more than we realize.

The Cottage will always be a place where people are allowed to exhale and rest for a little while. A place where you can be your most authentic self. A place to remember your loved ones with someone who loves them too, even though she's never met them.

Whether today feels peaceful, painful, busy, lonely, meaningful, or any combination thereof, I hope you find at least one quiet moment for yourself.

What does Memorial Day mean to you?

I think one of the biggest shifts in skincare happens when you stop asking, “How do I force my skin to behave?” and start asking, “What is my skin trying to tell me?”

Sometimes breakouts are irritation instead of “dirty skin.”
Sometimes oiliness is dehydration instead of “too much moisture.”
Sometimes sensitivity is barrier damage instead of “just sensitive skin.”
Sometimes “dullness” is exhaustion, stress, lack of sleep, over-exfoliation, or just life happening all at once instead of needing another harsh treatment.
Skin is not separate from the rest of you. It's the largest organ in your body, the first line of defense.

That’s one of the reasons I care so much about creating a calm environment at the Cottage. Good skincare is not just products and machines. It’s also feeling safe enough to slow down for a minute; to let your body relax; to let the products work.

The older I get, the more I realize healthy skin and a healthy nervous system are probably a lot more connected than people think.

What’s something your body has been trying to tell you lately that you’ve been working on listening to?