My New Year's Resolution? No Concealer in 2016.

Did you make a New Year's resolution?  I made one.  Frankly, I usually don't make any, because it's just something to be broken in 3 months.  But I decided there was one I could make and keep, because it supports my need to save time and make life a little simpler.  I resolved to not wear concealer in 2016.  Yes, yes, that does sound a bit shocking considering I'm 41, but I'm telling you, that's what I've resolved to do.  Why?  Because I can now.

About 6 months ago, a friend of mine asked me to coffee.  I knew she was selling a new skincare product (Rodan + Fields), so I accepted a little reluctantly.  You see I'm a drugstore skincare girl (Neutrogena, Burts Bees, and Cover Girl all the way).  I have been blessed with good skin, so I have never really seen a reason for buying expensive skincare or makeup.  And even when I've tried more expensive products just to see if they are magical, I really haven't seen a difference.  So I wasn't looking forward to having to politely decline her sales pitch.

We met and chatted and I prepared for the pitch.  It turns out Rodan + Fields is from the dermatologists who created ProActive.  That got my attention a bit.  After all, I used to work in pharmaceutical marketing and I had actually questioned our physicians once about why ProActive was different and actually worked.  I learned it worked because your skin needs all three steps to effectively treat the skin issues (in this case acne).  So you could use just one step (like the cleanser) and see some results, but it won't really work unless you treat your skin with all 3 steps.

Well, I didn't have acne, at least not a lot.  So did I really need this?  I explained that my skin was mostly fine.  My only imperfections (bc after all it was fine) were:
1.  The redness on my cheeks, which I had discussed with my dermatologist.  My dermatologist explained that was just broken blood vessels that are now more visible because my aging skin is getting thinner.  And basically, there is nothing I can do about it except wash my face with cold water and wear concealer.
2.  The circles under my eyes.  Again, mostly a result of thinning skin, not lack of sleep.  Not much I could do but apply concealer.
3.  Some oiliness I seem to have developed as I've gotten older.  I have to reapply powder several times a day to control it.
4.  2-3 pimples that show up every month...again, something that has come with age or a change in diet.  Concealer does the trick.
5.  Last but not least, my skin often gets irritated if I try anti-aging products.  I want to prevent wrinkles, but I'm always hesitant to try products because they might make my skin red and irritated.

She said, "It sounds like you have sensitive skin."  What?  Me?  No, it's normal.  Right?  Well, now that you mention it and I laid out all of my flaws, I guess I do have sensitive skin.  Okay, so what does that mean?

Conveniently, she said, "You should try the Soothe line of products.  It comes with a cleanser, a soothing cream, moisturizer, and sunscreen.  And then you could add some eye cream to it.  Soothe builds up the lipids in your skin, making it less sensitive and thicker.  Therefore, the redness and circles will diminish and you might be able to use anti-aging products."  Whoa.  Whoa. Whoa.  That sounds like a lot of money to solve a few imperfections.  I don't think so.  "But...out of curiosity how much would that cost?"

She pulls out her trusty booklet and calculates it and says it depends on how fast you use it but probably about $65/month.  That's crazy.  I'm not spending that much on skin care.  But wait, what do I spend now?  So being the business nerd I am, I pulled out some paper and calculated how much I spend right now.  I use Neutrogena toner ($5/month), Olay Regenerist serum ($18/month), Neutrogena anti-wrinkle eye cream ($18/month), Burts Bees sensitive moisturizer ($10/month), and Neutrogena Healthy Skin cleanser ($6/month), Neutrogena sunscreen ($8/month).  I added that up and surprisingly, it came to $67/month.  And it was 6 steps a day for $67 vs. 5 steps with Rodan + Fields for $65.

Interesting.   Do I have to commit to this?  No.  Can I cancel any time?  Yes.  Can I get my money back?  Yes.  Okay.  Defeated, I said, "I'll try it."  So my products arrive the very next day on my doorstep.  I do love that!  I started using everything.

The first thing I noticed immediately was the oiliness completely went away.  I could leave the house without even putting powder on.  But if I did apply powder, I could guarantee my skin wouldn't get oily at all that day.

Then, after about a month had passed, I realized I had not had a single blemish.  Not even a hint of one.  Huh.  Interesting.

After about 3 months, I noticed I hardly had to use concealer on my cheeks or under my eyes to conceal the redness or the circles under my eyes.  I was putting on powder and Chapstick and walking out of the house everyday feeling great!

You know what the cherry on top of this story is?  Soothe actually works to build up the lipids in my skin, making it less sensitive.  So next month I'm going to start the anti-aging treatment and start preventing some wrinkles!  I never thought that would be possible.

So hence, I came to my resolution of not wearing concealer in 2016.  If you see me (and hopefully admire my skin), you can know that it is all me.  Maybe some eye makeup and lipstick, but definitely no foundation or concealer.  You can also know that I'm saving $2/month, 1 minute a day (in application time), and a monthly trip to Target all to look even better than before!  Not bad.

If you're interested in Rodan + Fields, you can learn more here.

#noconcealer2016