Game On

Ok... I have been SLACKING WAY too long.  I got my amazing results from my REVERSE regimen and then I started slacking a little. Quite honestly I had a handful of peeps tell me they could tell a huge difference, my face had a glow, it looked so much more bright, even toned... that I got happy and complacent. I actually read an article about that before. Can't remember where... but it seems to be true.  But while being complacent I was using the SOOTHE regimen sporadically, about once a day. I do get a very red and dry patch of skin on my chin so I started using SOOTHE before I was ready to amp up to the ANTI-AGE.  My red chin is practically gone. I will probably keep using the SOOTHE in the morning for now and only use the ANTI-AGE at night. I also don't quite have all the pieces of the ANTI-AGE regimen either.  That is another story.... who has time for it? No one... ok well here goes anyway :) ... 
I had a R+F "angel" help me out with purchasing quite a few of the R+F products to help me get a better start.  Since as you may have read I didn't have the cash to pony up the huge lot in the beginning.  Well my R+F "angel" was very helpful and generous initially and made me an amazingly wonderful proposal. One that I expressed a deep gratitude for and agreed with.  But in the sad way most people seem to work, greed set in and a certain someone got in her ear about what a great "deal" she was giving me and it suddenly turned from a generous wonderful help with R+F, to mind changing, price changing, available items changing, and an opportunity to make more money all in one weekend. Whateves... I continued to hold by our original agreement and got what I could, which I am still extremely grateful for! Trust me! Because of it I've actually been able to help out a couple other people so far. This is what it's about for me. helping people have a way to get amazing results.  So long story long.... I still need a couple things.  BUT.... now that my skin IS clear and even toned and nice and bright. I HAVE to get rid of my WRINKS because they are so much more apparent now.  So here goes.... I am going to do the AMP MD Roller tonight. 

I also have a Christmas party tomorrow night that I would LOVE to not be pasty white for. I think I'll throw on some sunless tanner too and see what kind of transformation we can get in 24 hours.  Which means shower+shave... which means GET GOING!

As always.... pics to follow.... eventually :)

Sunless Tanner

Here is my leg model for the sunless tanner.  No not my legs at all. Mine would probably be to the other side of the toilet and definitely not this in shape.  Because my model has been a user of other sunless tanners for quite awhile, her legs don't look that pasty white to begin with.  But I see 2 amazing things. 1 - this tan looks real! Not fake and gross and orange.  2 - she achieved this color only after using 2x.  AWESOME! I don't want to have to worry about remembering to use my sunless tanner for weeks at a time just to get a little glow.  With that being said, I do have a fancy Christmas party this weekend and I've currently sold all my tanners, and I won't get any more until Thursday. Christmas party is Saturday.  I will definitely post some before and after pictures and see if I get the same kind of results in only 2 days :).  Lucky you guys. 

Nice legs :)

Another blogger about the Roller!

I am completely aware that I am NOT the best blogger out there... there are definitely professionals... and I found one that happened to blog about R+F and the ROLLER.  I will be starting this anti-age rolling step on December 1st! So I will also be posting my own before and after photos (but not before you get the final REVERSE before and afters of course). But this is just a taste of the kind of results you're going to see from me as well.

(http://citizensofbeauty.com/beauty-reviews/review-rodan-fields-anti-age-amp-md-skincare-roller-review-a-must-read)

(Review- Rodan + Fields Anti Age AMP MD Skincare Roller Review- A Must Read!

Last night was a girlfriend night, a good hang time with a few of my “favorites” that somehow made combining Mexican food, apple cider, ice cream, and peanut butter cookies seem normal. I think that it should be normal. Whatever your thoughts on my food combo is, you have to admit having some serious girl time is therapeutic and completely satisfies that craving of Highschool days when you would sit around doing each others makeup for no good reason.  Last night was the “adult” version of that as we definitely talked makeup and fashion- but a hot topic we landed on was how we are closing in on 30 and need some serious anti-aging products. That subject is right up my ally, and I jumped at the chance to show off an amazing new product I received that I kind of can’t stop talking about.  Once you’ve read this review- you won’t be able to get it off your mind because the results are that astonishing!

About The Brand

Remember Pro-Active? Yes it is still around and I am sure that most of you, like me, tried it at some point. This however, is not Pro-Active, but it was designed by the same dermatologists, Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields. It is a new line of skincare for every skin type where you can achieve critical anti-aging benefits without having to actually visit a derm office. You won’t even find this in a derm office or at a department store- these items are sold exclusively through independent consultants who want to help you find the best items for your skin either in person, over the phone, or simply through their personal web-link. Okay- I hope I didn’t lose you at the “independent consultant” part. If you know me, this type of thing is not really something I usually promote as I don’t attend cosmetic/skincare parties etc. But this is very different, and very exciting and if I was going to do something like this, this would be it.

 What I Received And What It Is

There are many products in this line- but I was sent the coolest one in my opinion called the ANTI-AGE AMP MD™ System – 60 Day Supply . In the picture above you can see this long skinny blue item which is the skin roller I will tell you more about as you read on. Here is what the company say’s about this system, “The best spent minute in anti-aging. We developed the patent-pending ANTI-AGE AMP MD System to amp up your anti-aging results. AMP MD is a non-invasive, skincare roller clinically proven to safely and effectively condition the uppermost layers of the skin to allow for maximum benefits associated with the skin-transforming ingredients of ANTI-AGE Night Renewing Serum. Recommended for use in conjunction with the ANTI-AGE Regimen for best anti-aging results. System contains reusable AMP MD roller, two month supply of Night Renewing Serum, reusable Cleansing Vial and two month supply of Purification Tablets.”

This is the AMP MD- it looks like nothing, but is better than any at home skincare tool I have ever used, including the Clarisonic.

If you look close, you can see these small little dots on the roller. Each of these dots has a medical grade acupuncture needle in it that easily rolls over the skin. With that said, they are needles, so you do feel them, however, it’s not painful at all. When you do this, you are causing a very slight wound to the skin which allows it to heal and create more collagen.  So this tool is perfect for someone who is wanting to minimize or prevent fine lines and wrinkles, has large pores, or even someone who might have some acne scarring. We do something similar to this with lasers, same idea, with down time. There is another treatment called professional needeling that does the same as this roller, it’s done in a derm. office, or med-spa and it will cost you way more than this product.

How To Use This

You want to use the roller on one  section of the face at a time starting with your forehead, then the left and right side of your face, your chin, and down your neck. When rolling it, make sure to go up and down, side to side, and then diagonal. You want to do this treatment 3 times per week, working up to every night.

**I will be filming a tutorial on how to use this and will update this post once I do. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to do that before posting this.

Before I Used The Roller

** I am confident enough to put this picture up! Ugh- check out color and pores around the sides of my nose. Skin texture is not looking too hot.

Right After I Used It

**My skin looks a bit more red, and I definitely felt like I had given myself a treatment. Almost the feeling of having had a microderm, so a slight sun-burned like feeling. One I enjoy getting because it means I have had a good treatment in my opinion.

Next Step

After I was done doing the roller, I put on the Night Renewal Serum. Above is a picture of the container of the serum capsules. When you open it up, there are 30 blue capsules and you should use one after each time you do the roller. You just twist the capsule and then squeeze the product out and apply to the skin.

What This Does

From Their Site: “ANTI-AGE Night Renewing Serum Each mono-dose capsule contains a potent, proprietary blend of time-released peptides and retinol. Retinol enhances cell turnover to improve skin texture and minimize the appearance of pores, while peptides boost natural collagen production to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and increase skin firmness and elasticity.”
After your apply the serum, you should use a night cream, I did not receive the night cream from this system- but it’s always a good idea to stick when an entire line as they are synergistic with each other.

The Next Morning Was LOVE

Check out my after picture from the next morning! I want to point out that this is the exact same lighting, camera, and spot in my home and I did zero retouching and have no makeup on what so ever! My skin is a night and day difference from the night before, I am amazed and in shock at how much I love this roller and product! I never saw results like this with the Clarisonic. With that said, they do two different things, I am just pointing out that they are both tools to be used at home. If I were to choose one, I would go with this.

Caring For Your Roller

You need to be picky with this roller! Don’t set it on tables, it should be either on your face, in the disinfectant tube (below), or in it’s appropriate case so as to not mess up the needles.

Cleaning Your Roller

1) The clear tube and the tablets that comes with the roller are what you use to disinfect your roller after each use. Grab the tube- fill it up to the line with water and place the tablet inside. The water will turn a bright blue.

2) Place the end of the roller into the cap of the clear tube. Make sure to lock it in, I struggled with this step- it’s actually hard to get it in there! But once it’s locked in, it’s not going anywhere.


3) Place the cap and roller into the blue water and let it soak for 15 minutes. DO NOT let is soak over night- when the solution has changed colors to a light blue, it is time to take it out. Again, about 15 minutes.

Price and Value

I am a huge believer in investing in your skin and taking care of it as it is the body’s largest organ! If you were just to purchase what I am showing you here, the price is $200.00. Not bad for an amazing tool and skincare product. If you were to go to a dr. and have this done it would cost you $85+ per treatment. Obviously you will need to replenish the capsules and the disinfectant tablets, but the roller doesn’t need to be replaced for a year if taken great care of. There are other items in this system that go well with the roller and with the capsules and they are sold as a system as well.

How To Order - you can go HERE and click on “customize your routine” to  see what the Dr.’s would recommend for you.

Success story #2!

Here is another success story.  My friend B has only been using Roden+Fields REVERSE for 3 weeks.  The first 2 weeks she also started very slow (every other morning, etc...) so really she has only been using it day and night for only a week. AMAZING!! I only have pics her forehead... but it is enough to see some pretty crazy results.  That's it for now - but had to share!

Before picture.  Also one of my first posts on this blog

After 3 weeks of REVERSE

Week 1 vs Week 3

1 week in October 11, 2011

3 weeks. October 26, 2011

So we have a lot of work to do with our photos and angles, we know, we know... BUT I had to show some progress because otherwise you might think this is a big joke.  The lighting is COMPLETELY different in these 2 pictures, which explains the color of my skin.  But check out my spots... that is what we're working on here. We should have done the 2nd one without smiling. No need to focus on the wrinkles yet.  But wrinkles aside.... what do you think?  Pretty crazy huh? My skin is significantly more dry in the second picture too.  There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it was 80 degrees out and sunny in the first picture, not so much either of those 2 things in the second.  Also this REVERSE regimen is pretty strong and it does dry my skin out too.  I wasn't using a moisturizer because I didn't want to mess with my results, but that's just crazy.  My skin NEEDS moisture.  So I've been using a little more as of late. We'll see if it makes a big difference. With my photos tomorrow we'll try to be as close to the first ones as possible again.

As always ... to be continued.

Picture retakes!

So how many times in school did you have to get "re-takes" of your school pictures? This may actually be my first time.  Not because my pictures were always so stunningly beautiful, but because we were too cheap to pay to have them taken again. hahaha! Well, we did RETAKES of my first R+F pictures.  Which may seem like cheating because my retakes were 1 week after my first ones.  But trust me, once you see the retakes you'll know I am not sugar coating anything here. The later ones are worse than the first ones.  But this is because my camera just didn't do my face justice and my photog's camera is da bomb.  So here are a few new pictures.  These aren't the latest.  These are actually from October 11. 2011 so almost a month ago.  We're taking more pictures tomorrow and I'll post those again as soon as I get them. 

Ok, this stuff definitely did not show up on my first pictures!

I actually have been noticing my mole under my right eye getting lighter.

So I actually do have some pictures from October 26 too. I'm going to post just one.  We did a horrible job of using the same poses/angles/expressions so I don't have any pictures that match up with the first ones.  Oops. But the one I do have you'll see in a minute and be amazed :).

Unconventional and "my why"

Business starter kits and my reason for getting involved with selling R+F.... 

Today was the cut-off day for my ability to purchase a starter kit with R+F.  They let you sign up for just a really small fee but then HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you purchase a kit to help you get started with your new business. Well, I didn't have the cash to make the big purchase. I wanted to - oh how I wanted to. Since I've been using the R+F products I've been jonesing for more, I want them ALL, and they would have been at an AMAZING discount, as in I really couldn't afford NOT to buy it.  But I couldn't do it. I don't have it, I can't borrow it and it wasn't possible, so I didn't. So here's to starting the way they DON'T recommend. Here's to selling without a load of samples to show. Here's to proving to top salesperson so and so that I will do this the unconventional way and still succeed.

This leads me to "my why".  R+F suggests you write down why you are in this business. Why it's important to you to be a part of this.  I think this is a great idea.  My why has changed a 100x in the past month since I started. But today, I came up with another part that I'm hoping I'll be able to make a difference with.  With R+F they have a "spotlight on success" newsletter they send out a few times a year. I was reading it today and there is a lady on there that contributes 50% of every Rodan + Fields paycheck to a micro-loan foundation to help women begin their own entrepreneurial businesses. Awesome idea!! How many people don't ever give their ideas or dreams a chance because of lack of finances.  This isn't exactly going to be part of my why, but it's the inspiration behind a part of my why. So why? Why am I doing this?  First and foremost I'm doing this because I would LOVE great skin. I would love to look young and vibrant for many many many more years to come. I also would LOVE to be able to make some extra cash.  To take a vacation when we wanted to, to bring our daycare on our vacation, to buy a certain something, to have a huge nest egg, to comfortably send my kids to the schools we want from now through college, and lastly my latest addition to be able to take a % of my earnings and use it to help someone.  Someone, anyone, everyone :).  I have said so many times I wish I could do more for others, help pay for something, cover a lunch, coffee, dinner, random gift without thinking 2x how it's affecting my personal bottom line.

So like I've said before, this blog isn't to convince you of anything other than an honest look at how my new adventure is working out for me, but I felt like if I made "my why" a little more public, it would help keep me driven to prove I can make this work without breaking the bank to do so.

Where have you been?

To my few faithful followers out there, I'm still here!! I've just come across a couple road blacks for the time being.  First and foremost - my camera is taking CRAPPY pictures.  How in the world am I going to show if this stuff really works as amazingly as I say it does, if I can't give you good pictures to confirm it.  So I've hired a professional... well, I didn't hire her and she technically isn't a professional, but very very close!!  As soon as I get some photos from her I'll be posting again.  We took some 2 weeks ago and again yesterday, in a parking lot, at a restuarant, next to a lady eating her lunch in her car. Hahaha, that wasn't embarrassing AT ALL. Oh and I haven't seen any pictures yet, but my photographer says she can tell a difference. She even asked if I was wearing make-up. Ha... Boo-ya! This is how much I'm dedicated to this project.  Also, the forehead girl from the first pictures on here is starting her Reverse skincare regimen next week, and I'm waiting on some good before pictures from her too.  Also.... just got some sunless tanner to try! I've heard again it's fantastic. As in only applying 2 days in a row for a great real looking tan, and then not needing to use it again for about 5 days. It also doesn't smell horrible. I've tried my share of sunless tanners and most don't sound comparable.  I'm going to have someone else test that for us initially too.  I don't think it would be fair to have an natural subtle tan in my "after" pictures.  Of course everyone looks better with a tan. And lastly, going to try some micro-dermabrasion on the back of my upper arms.  Gross I know, but those dang little red bumps always show their ugly face this time of year, all winter long. I wonder if photog will take pics of my arms for me too :) hahaha.

So hold tight... I'm still using and still loving and you'll see what I mean in the next week or so.

PS - oh and isn't this picture kind of funny... those that know me from my "construction" days... hahahahaha... where's my stop/slow sign right?

Week 0 vs Week 1

So I've been using the REVERSE Regimen for 1 week.  But since it's a pretty strong system, it's advised to only use it in the morning every other day for the first week.  To date I have only used it 4 times. Last Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Today (Monday).  Tomorrow I'll start using it every morning. Ooh fun ... we'll see if I can actually keep this up every day for a whole week!  But anyway... I took some pictures today to see if there was any difference so far.  At first, when looking in the mirror, I didn't think so at all. In fact I felt like some of my age/brown spots were even darker than when I started.  But here are just 2 pictures and you can tell me. Ha - who am I kidding, no one comments on here. But anwyay... you'll at least be able to see for yourself.  I'm a little disappointed in my pictures again. I know I said that last time.  But I feel like they aren't bright/clear enough. I could stand outside, but if I keep this up there is no way I'm going to go outside in the blistering cold weather that is right around the corner just to take a pic.

Before I used ANYTHING on my face a week ago.

After 4x of using R+F in one week.

See what I mean?  I feel like I actually see a difference now, so it's making me question my photography skills, not the fact that this stuff might actually be working. Hmmmmmm .... well we'll try again in a week and see!

Simplify

I was visiting with one of my closest friends today and we were trying to figure out how to get rid of the extra STUFF that seems to accumulate everywhere in our homes.  We know the motto "everything has it's place", but what do you do with the things that you don't know where it's place is? So before leaving her house today on a organizing note - we promised we'd each get rid of 5 things from our closet to help kick start the process.  I went home and did just that. I actually filled a couple bags of clothes to take to Goodwill and then felt really good about my small progress. So I kept going. Today was also one of the days I needed to do my REVERSE regimen, so I was in the bathroom doing so and looked in MY bathroom drawer.  It was a hot, hot mess.  I started thinking that this skincare line could really help me minimize the amount of things I accumulate in my bathroom as well. The friend I mentioned earlier and I have a horrible need/desire to get free samples when out shopping. Even if I know I'll never buy the real thing ~ I take a sample just in case. What if it's amazing, what if it's the best thing ever for my face? What if, what if?

How do I find anything in here anyway? 

I actually took a couple of these containers and emptied them down the sink so Jaidyn could have her own "make-up"

Ahhhh pure bliss!!

So today I cleaned out my drawer and all the little sample packets that were in it.  I then took a picture to remember them by, and threw them away.  You would not believe how difficult that was at first. Those items were FREE! How could I throw away free stuff? But I have to hope in the R+F product I'm using now. I am putting all my faith in those little bottles to not disappoint me.  And just think ... if this stuff works like they say it will. I will then be able to throw away the foundation/make-up I have taking up room in my make-up bag! I think that will be even better!

The Regimen

 Ok. Here goes.  If you've read anything so far you'll know I am NOT a big "time for me" kind of girl. Most days I'd rather take a nap than a shower.  But my little brochure here is very detailed and gives a great easy to follow outline.  Now can I really take 5 minutes a day for me?

 

    

So according to this I have to start slow.  Only once a day, every other day for the first week.  I did it for the first time last night and was SO impressed with how soft my skin felt afterwards.  But then again - when is the last time I used an exfoliating face wash, toner and cream.  I honestly can't even tell you.  It went well. It's not really going to be that time consuming.  I washed my face with the wash.  It says a quarter size. I used a nickle size and had plenty. I am NOT about to waste this stuff or use more if I don't have too. Then I patted dry my face and used the toner.  I dipped my cotton in that a couple of times. I also included my neck on everything I did.  It then said to let the toner dry so I brushed my teeth while waiting for that.  Lastly was the lightening treatment. This was a pretty thick cream/lotion.  It had a smell to it.  But not a bad one.  It sort of reminded me of the proactiv days a little. That recommended a generous dime size and I probably used a generous pea size.  I'm not trying to be skimpy, I just don't have the world's largest face. Thought maybe I could always add more if I needed.  So there I did it and I'm actually itching to do it again!  But as I was told by a friend today.  I need to be patient and run the course. I am pretty sure R+F knew what they were talking about when they created this product and wrote the regimen! Who am I to argue?  Plus if I go like gang busters on the first few days it will probably make my skin freak out and then this whole thing would be pointless.  So here's to 5 minutes of me time!

The pics

Ok here goes ... the best of the worst, or the worst of the best? I can't get over how hot I am in these pictures! Just for the sake of this project though I made sure to take them after my boot class last night so I looked extra good!  Disclaimer too ~ as I look at these I feel as if the pictures don't completely do my skin justice. Maybe it's just my personal perception. But I think it looks worse in person. I may have to hire a professional to really help me grasp the full picture.

Nice lines between and below the eyes and around my mouth

No that isn't bronzer on my cheeks... just lots of sun spots/age spots/baby spots

   Again - no bronzer - spots. Also a dark red area on my chin.  This actually STARTED when I started using my Philosophy Miracle product. 

Oh me oh my.. can we say gobble gobble ... look it's a baby turkey neck!

The biggest thing to notice here is my lack of strong jaw line. of course the wrinkles too. 

After the REVERSE regimen for the sports and freckles - starts the wrinkles and FIRMING up! 

The Honest Truth vs Honestly

So it's only been a week and I am changing the name of my blog already. The Honest Truth sounds so stuffy and serious.  This is a blog for pete's sake. So now I'm calling it Honestly. Ha because it sounds more fun.  As in - Honestly? Really? Seriously? But really does it matter what it's called? I just realized a day ago that I forgot to even put titles on my posts. Like i said ... I am VERY new to this.  Honestly :). 

Freckles

So quick cute kid moment.  I have a 3 year old daughter, Jaidyn. She is wise beyond her years. Tonight before she was heading to bed she saw the R=F box on the dining table and asked me what it was.  I told her it was momma's skincare for her wrinkles. Jaidyn then told me she had wrinkles too. I said no way - she was way too young, her skin was perfect. She sat then up on the chairs at the table, stretched out her legs and proceeded to point out on her legs all her FRECKLES! See mom, I do have "wrinkles/freckles". I told her we'd start tomorrow.

R Day!

The BIG DAY! My R Day - my REVERSE DAY!!! My highly anticipated package has FINALLY arrived. It's 9:45pm though and I still haven't opened it. I haven't opened it because I still haven't taken my before pictures. 2 reasons for that. I don't know if I'm going to be able to take them myself and I don't want my hubby to take them for me.  I know he sees me like this every day, but I don't really want him behind the camera taking them.  Weird? Probably. Reason two, I don't want to take pictures of my face anymore. Hahaha. Sure it sounded like a good idea initially.  I'm wondering why I did this. Funny.... this is exactly what happens when I'm about to do something out of my "normal/comfortable" element.  I am thinking "why in the world would I post my naked, bare face online for everyone to see".  But really, let's be honest, everyone already can see my face. It's ME who doesn't want to look at ME.. Ha. Isn't that the worst? Unless you have the highest confidence in yourself.  Seeing flawed pictures of myself is nothing short of depressing. I am usually a pretty big picture freak too - of others. However, when it's of me there are usually a BUNCH of takes to make sure it looks good, not too many chins, great smile - not too big or fake. I know some of you are completely agreeing with me because you're the ones I take these pictures with!!  And if you're not agreeing then that's fine too. You just keep on being pretty.  So anyway... I'll start tomorrow.  But here she is!

Half Truths

Ok. So far I am full of half promises.  I said I would post pics of my face "tomorrow" and haven't yet.  I also said my skincare was coming yesterday, and it didn't yet.  Ugh.  Wow, I am just full of honesty and truthfulness.  Well, truth be told, I did take pictures of my face. But they were with my phone/camera in the evening.  When I first looked at them I couldn't believe how gorgeous I was and also how crazy I was to be posting these raw close up pics.  But then I remembered this is what people see every day anyway.  Lucky you guys :). But anyway, back to the pictures.  When I went to post them online they didn't do my skin justice.  I can't post ok pictures and then rant and rave about how awesome this stuff is.  So I need to take some better ones.  I have a semi fancy camera to do so.  Now who do I want to take them of me? I'll find someone soon.  Before Monday.  Because that is when my skincare is ACTUALLY scheduled to arrive.  What I got yesterday was just this ...

 I was actually really really disappointed when I opened up my fedex box.  But once I re-tracked my orders. I realized I was only focusing on the Business Plan tracking.  Not my product tracking.  That is now scheduled to arrive Monday. Note to the people in charge of making up the rules for R+F.  As a courtesy to your new consultants SEND OUT THEIR STUFF RIGHT AWAY.  If I owned the company I'd even do overnight.  Because wouldn't you want your peeps to get the product as soon as humanly possible? Time kills all deals... the longer I wait to receive my product, the more annoyed I get that I don't already have it.  Anyway...  We'll see you cats Monday. 

A little history

A little history for you.  My new R+F skincare regiment is due to arrive at my house tomorrow via FedEx. So excited to get started on this!  One of the biggest reasons I am most excited about this new product is because I am a mom of 2 young kids and I often, almost NEVER take time to make myself up in the mornings. Ok who am I kidding. I've never taken time to make myself up. That ends up being just for special occasions, which doesn't include going to work unfortunately. If I had a $1 for every time someone at my work said "you look tired" or my favorite "you look like a ... new mom".  I would be filthy rich. So the moral of the story is this.  If I can make my skin look it's best, without covering it up with make-up, then I'm going to try it. I think I don't have time for make-up and skincare, so I'm choosing skincare in hopes that I won't need the make-up.  But in the promise of full disclosure, I must say that I did find a pretty amazing mascara that I actually do get compliments on. So we'll definitely be keeping that.

So sad to say... here is what my skincare regiment has looked like over the past year(s)... 

It was fine. Great. Good. No sunscreen though which was a bummer, but I didn't really care too much.  So when that was gone, I looked in my drawer for something to just get me by and found this:

And this was horrible to say the least! I couldn't stand it, it smelled and didn't work as a moisturizer. I felt like my face was more dry after using it.  But as you may begin to notice, I didn't really care and just kept using it... until it was gone.  So now I am currently using the following:

What? Are you kidding me? A $70 bottle of Philosophy and a  $.99 travel size tube of lotion? Body lotion? Yup... this is me every morning - and sometimes at night - for the past couple weeks.  But I let it get this bad because I knew I would be starting up this other gig. I wasn't about to go buy another moisturizer when I knew I was going to try something else new. Let me tell you this isn't working either.   I actually have been using the Philosophy for a few months. I kept really concentrating my usage of it around the fine lines on near my mouth.  Which I have as a non-smoker and my friend who has been smoking for over 10 years hasn't.  So not fair.  Anyway... I'm bummed the lines are still there.  Granted I am sure the lack of support in other areas hasn't helped the cause... but it's definitely time for something new!