My Skin Story

Holy moly! I have totally neglected this blog. I'm sorry for that. It was so neglected that it gave me the runaround when trying to login.

I had to come here today to post some things I'm very, very excited about.

I have a lot to say and not a ton of pictures for it, so I'll add random photos throughout the post ;) 

just to keep it visually entertaining.

For the last 18 months, since Norah was born, I have struggled with my skin. It's oily when it has always been extremely dry. I'm breaking out like a teenager, but I never broke out as a teenager. It's so embarrassing. I have tried COUNTLESS OTC  products. Things would seem to help for a bit, but then it just got out of control again. I would have decent skin for 2 days only to battle another month with it to get two more good days. It's neverending.

At least she's cute. Maybe bad skin was worth it...

I'm a Mary Kay consultant because I love their makeup. I'm thankful for that makeup because for a year and a half, I've needed it every single day. I'd give my skin a makeup break if I were staying home, but had to apply makeup if I left the house. I was so, so, so embarrassed.

In August, I went to a dermatologist. She prescribed a cream used for Rosacea that was also supposed to help acne. I told her multiple times that I was still  nursing. She told me I was fine. I believed her. I used it a couple days before I randomly started reading the packaging. There was a section for nursing mothers that concluded with, "Nevertheless, a decision should be made to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.

Um, what? I immediately stopped using it. Then I thought, if it's not good for baby while breastfeeding, how is it even safe for me period?

This is when I started looking into more natural ways to treat my skin. I even found a local place to buy homemade soap to use. It definitely helped and it was cheap!

In the fall, my mom gave me some Arbonne products. All I  knew is they were out of my budget and I used them sparingly. I loved them, but didn't want to fall in love with them and not be able to afford them. ;)

Fast forward to December. My mom gave me some more Arbonne products as a Christmas gift and I began using them daily and nightly. I started noticing a difference in my skin right away. My forehead was getting smooth, my breakouts were not as bad. I became a believer.

January 8th, I decided to challenge myself to drink more water. I decided to drink a gallon a day for an entire month. I think 20 out of the 30 days I drank the full gallon. The other 10 or so days, I drank 3/4+. A lot of water. I was, prior to this, drinking 2 cups of coffee each morning, maybe a glass or 2 of water, and the rest was sweet (not crazy sweet) tea. I'm still not enjoying drinking water, but I am LOVING my skin!

iphone photo, so quality not the best

Can you see the difference? Yes, I've still got a ways to go before I'd consider saying I have good skin, but for the first time in 18 months, I'm comfortable with my skin.

I'm still drinking tons of water (this challenge ended Feb 8) and continuing my Arbonne products. I love Arbonne so much! How much? Enough that I believe in the products and have decided to become a consultant. More on that and the products I love in  my next post!