My 'Lovely' Skin

This is the story of my not-so-lovely skin and how we have learned to live together in relative harmony.

Whenever I run into the Mary Kay/Avon/Fill in the Blank lady in Target, in the parking garage, in the mall, everytime I breathe, they love to tell me how lovely my skin is. I know they're just blowing smoke up my rear to get me to buy their crap, but it always makes me laugh.

Because my skin is hard work. It's scrubbing and washing and oil control and dryness and redness and scarred and a pain in the butt. Makeup is my friend, but it can only cover so much. So I know that, if I want my skin to be awesome-o for my wedding pictures, I am going to have to try to fix what's underneath.

Here's a short history of my battle with my face. When I was in middle school/high school I had not TERRIBLE but pretty bad acne that was stubborn as all get out. I was already an unpopular and weird kid (some things never change) and the extra pressure of the acne made me very self conscious (not to mention that the monsters that are middle school students enjoy pointing out each others faults). So, I begged my mom to take me to a dermotologist. And go we went.

Over the next few years I saw multiple dermotologists and was put on multiple perscriptions that did little or nothing. I remember both Differin Creme and Differin Gel, both of which were gentle and helped a little but just didn't do the job. I also remember Benzamycin, which had to be kept in the fridge and was so harsh it made my eyes burn every time I put it on my face.

In light of the fact that nothing seemed to be really 'taking care' of my acne, I went on Accutane.

If you don't know what Accutane is, or what it's best known for, let me entertain you with a selection of pictures related to Accutane.

(The pictures on the back of EVERY pill container, that is a pregnant woman with a slash through it, by the way. Source.)

(Yeah, like that's NOT the scariest thing you'll ever see when you're 15! Don't get pregnant, here's why! Source.)

(This is pretty much the schedule that ruled my life for about a year. Pregnancy tests of two different kids MONTHLY. And I wasn't even DATING yet. Source.)

Other side effects of accutane other than being SCARED OUT OF YOUR MIND? Depression, suicidal thoughts, severe dry skin, inability to heal, acne flair ups, and headaches. I read on one of the scare sheets (and I got many, many scare sheets) that Accutane actually changes the pressure in your skull!

Anyway, scary baby pictures aside, the accutane did help get rid of a large part of my acne, but it was still bad and at this point I was getting out of high school and going into college. I still couldn't seem to get control of my face.

Ok, I lied, that wasn't short.

Anyhoodly-hoooo, now I use Proactiv.

(Source)


I use it everyday. When I got a full time job and moved out of my parents house, I actually stopped using it for awhile because I couldn't afford it. Basically, it blew. I broke out and when I did, it was PAINFUL cystic acne that took weeks to go away. Eventually, my mom offered to pay for it because she couldn't stand to see me going through it all again.

So I am pretty much on top of it now. Scrub, toner, repairing lotion, oil control, moisturizer. Every single step, once a day (except for the moisturizer, twice a day). And I have a sulfur mask that I try to use once a week because for some reason my forehead and ONLY my forehead likes to hold on to a smattering of acne for old times sake. Grr on you forehead!

And if it gets really bad, I go twice a day on all of it. I may do this the week before the wedding. I will also mask the night before. (Stupid forehead!)

I use a light cover-up under my eyes (because I carry suitcases wherever I go) and a light powder. If I change makeup, I break out for a week. This does go away, but I have to work this into my plan for makeup. The artist I picked uses MAC so I have to go get some of that to let my skin do it's song and dance before the wedding.

And I have to figure out my redness situation. I am trying to work up the courage and the funds to buy this:

(Thirty Freakin Eight Dollars from Amazon)

As my biggest 'red zone' is also my biggest 'oil zone', my nose, I don't know how that will work out. I try to avoid putting too much on my nose so I don't end up with an oily, cakey... ick, dude. I don't even want to talk about it anymore.

So here are a list of my other skin concerns and my fixes (by the way, when the Mary Kay lady says you have won something, don't believe them. You haven't won anything you wouldn't be getting if you weren't a bride, weren't at a bridal show, or weren't a sucker.)

Those stupid suitcases: Mary Kay Indulge Soothing Eye Gel in the morning (I keep it in the fridge and it feels all nice at 6:30 am) and TimeWise Firming Eye Cream at night. Seems to be working, but I also have to admit that insomnia and genetics have done a number on my eyes and no miracle is going to change that.

My chapped and chewed up lips: Mary Kay Satin Lips Set (Mask & Balm)

The backs of my arms, bumpy and scarred up. This is apparently a problem that a lot of women have. Well girls, try this out! It is my new FAVORITE THING EVER:

(Mary Kay Loofa Body Cleanser: Lotus and Bamboo)

It actually has Kiwi seeds in it. It is gentle, but you can feel that baby working. After a week, the backs of my arms were smoothing. I kept going for a month or two and even the SCARS were starting to go away! I have stopped using it to save it up for the month before the wedding but I really think I might buy more. It is totally worth the $16.00 price tag! And it smells HEAVENLY. I got it for free to try, but I think this will probably be in Christmas presents because I. HEART. THIS. STUFF. Best stuff ever.

Dear Women that I would be buying Christmas presents for, you read NOTHING.

Dear Proactiv and Mary Kay, I will take payment for promoting your products in cash NOW kthnxbai.

Did you indulge in any new (and expensive) products in the name of pampering yourself and/or looking/feeling great for your wedding? Did you find anything great that you plan on holding onto after the wedding?