I have never really experienced the standard “bad skin” most people go through during some period in their lives. I credit this to my mom. When I hit puberty she took me to the local Clinque counter and started me on their three step program. As I got older, we switched to Proactiv. Then I got married and couldn’t afford Proactiv anymore and switched to just some random over the counter type stuff. I was fine with this routine for awhile but I could tell my skin wasn’t as clear as it could be. While I haven’t ever really had acne, I do have skin tone issues. Lots of discoloration and stuff that I deal with and good products help even that out!
I’ve always been the type of person to talk to strangers. I enjoy meeting new people, and especially find joy in complimenting them. My grandmother looked wonderful for her age but had a lot of wrinkles, and I’d rather not follow down that path. Something I always was on the hunt for when people watching were older women with pretty skin. I’d approach them, compliment them, and ask their secret. Almost 100% of the women I asked said they were loyal to one product. That they stuck with the same thing for years and years and years (most of them said “Oil of Olay” I think this was mega big back in the day or something!).
My “research” got me thinking and made me realize I needed to quit using whatever random stuff I’d buy from the store and make a true investment with my skin. Thankfully, I have a MEGA supportive husband who understands the importance of starting to take care of myself while I’m young, to prevent aging before it begins! I started hunting around for good, reputable products with the goal to find something that will be around until I’m a little old lady myself!!!
I was invited to attend a Mary Kay party and really was impressed. Whenever I thought Mary Kay I had always thought it was for old ladies. But it’s not! They have GREAT products, that are also very affordable. I knew I didn’t want to use Clinque again (I do NOT like their moisturizer, wayyy too thick for my skin type) and I didn’t want to use Proactiv either (one of their products BLEACHES everything you touch with your face…our sheets were all bleached out when I used it, not cool!). I got the info that night and sat on it for awhile, I wanted to do plenty of research and make sure Mary Kay was the best move.
While pregnant with Brittlynn my skin tone got very uneven again. I have melasma pretty bad anyway (where you get darker patches of skin) but pregnancy makes it even worse. There aren’t many products out there that are SAFE to use while pregnant and nursing and that help even skin tone and lighten darker areas, but Mary Kay has a such a product! I decided then to invest in Mary Kay as my sole skin care line and plan to continue to use it for good! Since I was pregnant, I wasn’t sure if it was the products or the hormones from pregnancy that made my skin shine. Now that I’m no longer pregnant, I know it’s the products! I have been using them for over a year now and literally have had under five pimples total (watch me break out today after writing this!). My melasma was much less noticeable this pregnancy than with Kye’s pregnancy and my skin is so much softer and clearer than ever before!
Here’s a breakdown of all the Mary Kay products I have used or tried and my opinion of them:
1. Timewise Miracle Set: This is the most important thing obviously! I wash my face with the wash morning and night. Then I put on either the night serum or the spf followed with the moisturizer. I like all four products. They are light (I HATE stuff feeling heavy…I’m not a “thick lotion” type girl) and make me feel clean. They also last a long time! I can stretch it to last a solid 4-6 months with no issues. I typically run out of the night serum first.
2. Even Complexion Essence: This is the product that brought me to Mary Kay to begin with! I go through this the fastest and usually buy two of them at once so I’ll always have a back up ready. I put it on after I cleanse my skin and before I apply anything else (so prior to the night serum or spf). It REALLY makes a difference in my skin!!! I also have the Even Complexion Mask. I need to do a better job using it but I often forget…who has 10 minutes to let that junk sit?!?! When I do use it, I feel immediate results and enjoy the refreshing feeling it gives me. But I just don’t remember to do it! I still have a TON of it left from the first purchase I made!
3. Microdermabrasion Set: This is GREAT! I use it every couple of days. I keep the scrub in my shower and love that exfoliation feeling. You can really tell it’s taking off the yucky skin! Then the second step really leaves your skin feeling so smooth and renewed. You can’t use this every day and I still have the original stuff I bought. It lasts a LONG time so def a worthwhile investment!
4. Hand and Decoilete Cream: I know this seems random. But you see older ladies ALL the time who have fabulously young looking faces, but their necks and hands give away their true age. I want to start YOUNG in conversing the youth in those areas. This is a GREAT cream and is so light yet feels soft. I put it on right before bed but could probably start using it in the mornings too. A great tip is to use ALL of your facial skin care on your neck as well. It will help keep that skin tight and young!
5. Oil Mattifier: I have ALWAYS had normal skin but when I first decided to purchase Mary Kay my skin had become very oily. I looked shiny in pictures and it drove me nuts. I purchased this product and put it on before applying my makeup. It worked GREAT. Once I got on the Mary Kay products though, my skin quickly changed and was no longer oily. I didn’t even have to finish this bottle! When I was dealing with the oil issues I also bought the Oil Absorbing Tissues to use to blot my face throughout the day. They were MUCH cheaper than other similar products out there and worked great at keeping me camera ready haha!
6. Firming Eye Cream: When I first purchased my set, I bought the firming eye cream but I realized it’s really for people who already have wrinkles. I do think it’s important to use some sort of cream on my eyes each night to prevent wrinkles so I now use the Age Fighting Cream since I think that’s more suitable for my current needs.
7. Makeup: I wasn’t really looking for makeup when I started with Mary Kay products. I had always used Bare Minerals powder and was happy with that system for my face make up (I’m a hardcore Mac user for my eyes!!!). I decided to try the Mineral Powder Foundation and it’s GREAT. It’s MUCH cheaper than Bare Minerals and it combines the three powders into one so it’s also quicker and more effective. I wouldn’t say it’s better than Bare Minerals but I think they are equally matched and since it’s cheaper and faster, the Mary Kay wins out for me! I’m a big bronzer girl…my face is VERY white and doesn’t actually match my body at all (I 80 sunscreen on my face when out in the sun…to make it appear more tan I apply Banana Boat Summer Color Deep Dark Color Self-Tanning Lotion after I put on all my Mary Kay stuff but before applying any makeup. I’ve used TONS of different self-tanners and this is by far the best. Not oily, not streaky, not orange! Very even, good coloring). I need bronzer to help give my face that natural sun-kissed glow and I really like the Mineral Bronzing Powder (I have always LOVED Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Bronzer but they stopped making it and I don’t like the replacement).
8. My long-time friend, Danielle, has recently become a Mary Kay consultant and knew I loved the products. She sent me a few samples to try and those included The Botanical Effects cleanse, Botanical Effects mask, and Satin Hands. Of the three, my favorite was the mask. It was so thick and I love that in a mask! The Even Complexion one is thinner so it doesn’t have as refreshing of a feeling as this one does. I really, really liked it!!! My skin felt SO smooth after and I just wanted to keep touching it 😉 I did not really like the cleanse. It was a little too grainy for me and I like the lightness of the Timewise cleanser better. I also like the Hand and Decoilete Creme better than the Satin Hands. The Satin Hands had a VERY lotion feel (which I know a lot of people like…I just don’t like the feeling of lotion) and it took awhile to sink into my skin. I put it on before bed and it felt yucky to me so it took me longer to fall asleep. I know it has lasting power and you’re supposed to be able to wash your hands a bunch of times without losing the softness, but for me it’s not worth that yucky feeling in the beginning. Once it did soak in though they were very soft!
As you can tell I’ve used a good bit of Mary Kay products and will continue to stay loyal to this brand. I LOVE the Timewise Set and HIGHLY recommend it, as well as the Microdermabrasion and Even Complexion sets!!! I know it may seem expensive when you first start with it all, but honestly they last for a LONG time. I just opened my third Timewise Set (only because I was out of the night cream) in a YEAR. And I still have plenty left of my first Microderm set. Not only is it affordable and long lasting, but it WORKS. I love the way my skin looks and I feel confident that these products will help me stay looking young long into the future.
I haven’t been paid by anyone to say this stuff, I truly do just love the products and the results I’ve seen and enjoy sharing my experiences with all of you! Danielle did send me the samples I mentioned and in exchange I’m letting you know about the GREAT deal she has going on right now! She’s offering the entire Botanical Effects Line for $50 instead of $58 or she’s offering 20% off any Botanical Effects product (I’d grab up that mask, it’s awesome!). You can shop through her Mary Kay site here. I know she’s just starting with the company and would appreciate support on this new adventure for her!
What skin care products do you use?!?! I’m really on the look out for a GOOD concealer. I have a few sun spots that are a BEAST to cover up. Any good suggestions?!?!
Also I’ve appreciated how wonderfully the Even Complexion line has helped my skin, but once I’m done nursing I plan to do something more invasive to REALLY attack my darker melasma spots. Any recommendations? I have this ONE mega dark spot on my cheek that drives me INSANE. I edit it out of every picture! The Mary Kay has helped it become lighter and I also started using the Clinque Spot Serum (I am about done with the BIG bottle of it…I apply it right after my cleanse, before all the other products). It has helped lighten it even more, but I want it GONE and I know that I can’t do that until after I’m done nursing. Anything hardcore will go into my milk supply and we don’t want that! I’ve had spots lasered off before and they took away the dark spot and instead left me with a white one. Um, that’s really no better?!?! I’m not sure what route I’ll be able to take this time around or what the options really are to help???
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I have a lot of these products and love them! I need to get better about my skin care routine- shame on me. I will have old lady hands.Desiree and I just talked about Botox yesterday!!
Emily – this is awesome!!! I know you didn't mention me! haha – but I am sooo happy you are so satisfied with your Mary Kay products! Love you girl!
I know what you mean about looking 'shiny' in pictures but what really bothers me is looking at myself in the mirror and wondering if I look 'shiny' to other people. I sometimes wonder if it is just the lighting over my mirror but other people will see my in all sorts of lighting and I also knnow there is a confidence factor I want when I look in the mirror before I leave the house. (I like to think I am not vain and obsessed) The fact that you mention Mary Kay products are not just a bunch of old ladies having a little party AND are not harsh chemicals that peel or 'Bleach' your skin as you put it means I will have to try a few of these especially the 'Oil Mattifier' and I too worry about my neck all the way down to my collar bone