Skin Deep
Growing up in a small town, Kate Somerville had to create her own opportunities. Her passion for skin care, paired with her hard work, led her to become a well-known specialist to the stars (Jessica Alba and Paris Hilton are among her clients). Her line of products, which is still rapidly growing and can be found at Neiman Marcus, has drastically changed the appearance and confidence of her clients, as well as transformed them on the inside.
AFM: Why is skin care so important to you?
KS: I grew up with severe eczema. I knew what it was like to really feel uncomfortable in my own skin. It was embarrassing. I would go to dermatologist after dermatologist, and they would give me a cream that maybe would work for a month or so and then my skin became this problem I had to solve. I had to figure out my own remedies. When people don’t feel their best, I get it. That really fed me to say I’m going to create something that works, and I’m not going to stop formulating until I find a solution.
AFM: How did you get to where you are today?
KS: Luckily, 20 years ago I fell into a doctor’s office and that’s where my career started. I found a great chemist, and we got to work on products. I went to school for interior design and grew up in a small town. I was waitressing three jobs, so that wasn’t going to cut it. I had a friend who was a dermatologist. I went around to all the plastic surgeons and rented space from them. I started working on people’s skin pre- and post-operatively, and I landed in some doctors’ offices that really saw my tenacity and taught me a lot. I got to treat people from all over the world including celebrities and idols for me growing up.
AFM: What makes skin beautiful?
KS: If you can walk out of your house and throw on a little bit of blush, a little bit of mascara and some lip gloss, and feel really good about your skin, that’s good skin. It’s not wrinkled, it doesn’t have brown spots everywhere and sun damage and doesn’t have acne or rosacea; it’s healthy skin. If you have those issues, I’m here to tell you you don’t have to live like that.
AFM: What do most women do wrong when it comes to skin care?
KS: I think the biggest issue is, if they have a combination of skin problems, say, oily in the T-zone and dry around the eyes and outer face, they’ll use anti-aging everywhere or acne products everywhere. They need to really look at their skin and say, ‘O.K., I have acne here and here so I’m going to put acne products here and here, and I’m going to put anti-aging here.’ Look at your skin like it’s an ecosystem. Really getting to know your skin is important.
AFM: What skin care advice would you give to an Arizonan?
KS: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, ExfoliKate, ExfoliKate, ExfoliKate. Exfoliation is so key because it’s so dry here that your cells die faster. Exfoliate two or three times a week, which is going to help get off the dry skin cells, help wrinkles, pore size and get the damage off before it turns into dark spots. Hydration and moisturization are two different things. Look for a serum hydrator [like Kate Sommerville Quench]; a good moisturizer seals it in. Make sure you know your skin type and look for peptides because peptides are going to keep you young. Sunscreen also protects your skin.
AFM: What do you like to do when you’re in Arizona?
KS: Spa, spa, spa. And hike!
