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Full-time beauty: How real women balance a busy life with healthy skin

Sometimes, skin care can be an afterthought as we juggle career, household and family. And yet we still search for a way to have it all and look good trying. Meet three women who’ve developed their own strategies for fitting it all in without letting it get to their skin.Make Time for What Really MattersTara Vera, 37, is a managing partner at Now and Zen PR, a boutique marketing communications a
Estée Lauder
There is more to being a model than beautiful clothes and great makeup, says Therese Kempf; proper skin care is essential.Today

Sometimes, skin care can be an afterthought as we juggle career, household and family. And yet we still search for a way to have it all and look good trying.

Meet three women who’ve developed their own strategies for fitting it all in without letting it get to their skin.

Make Time for What Really Matters

Estée Lauder
Tara Vera says the eyes have it when it comes to looking fresh under pressure.Today

Tara Vera, 37, is a managing partner at Now and Zen PR, a boutique marketing communications agency where she heads the children’s products division. At home, she is full-time mother of two kids with their own busy schedules. For Tara, life is a constant balance between family and work.

Her secret weapon to looking healthy and beautiful? “Honestly, mascara and concealer are my best friends. I’m not a big makeup person at all, but I carry them with me everywhere.”

Eyes also matter to Tara: “I always use a hydrating eye product under my eyes every night before I go to bed. Sometimes, again when I wake up in the morning.”

Most important: making time for what really matters. “I make sure to block time out for both my family and myself, no matter how busy work may be. Good luck trying to email me between 6pm to 9pm each day.”

You’ve Got to Love Yourself!

Estée Lauder
For Phyllis Spencer, nothing beats a good workout – and a good skin detox – for vibrant skin.Today

As I always say to everyone in my class: You’ve got to love yourself.”

Phyllis Spencer lives by those words. At 48 years old, she works as both a police officer for the city of New York and a fitness instructor for the YMCA. Add a 14-year-old son into the mix and you can imagine just how busy Phyllis is.

“Being an officer, I am very proud of wanting to stay in shape. Working out is my natural high. After nine-to-10-hour days patrolling the streets, I go to the gym and teach four to eight classes a week.” Phyllis says this is the secret to the skin she is so proud of. “Sweating a lot is the key to keeping my skin clean. Constantly being active keeps my pores open. That, combined with a good facial cleanser, and my skin always stays clean.”

But for Phyllis, the most important part of her skin care regimen is staying physically healthy. “Working out keeps your skin fresh and young, and keeps you looking beautiful. I think I’m pretty beautiful!”

A Toner for Supple Skin

Estée Lauder
There is more to being a model than beautiful clothes and great makeup, says Therese Kempf; proper skin care is essential.Today

Looking fresh and beautiful is a requirement for Therese Kempf. A 31-year-old fashion model, she has to keep her skin looking vibrant and radiant for the camera while still keeping up with a hectic work and travel schedule.

Therese says a consistent cleansing schedule is key.

Take her nightly routine, for instance. “My job usually requires the use of all kinds of makeup on both my face and my skin. At the end of each day, I always purify and cleanse my skin with a facial toner. It’s about cleaning off the makeup and keeping my skin healthy and oil-free.”

She also pays attention to the strength of the toner. “I always use one that is on the milder side. I’m cautious of keeping my skin from drying.”