How I Said Goodbye to Makeup

Before those who know me in real life call me a liar, let me provide this disclaimer :: I do still wear mascara, blush, and sometimes under-eye concealer, BUT I no longer have to apply heavy foundation creams or spend $40 a pop on a tinted facial moisturizer. Hallelujah!

Disclaimer over, now back to the point of the post.

No matter how hard I tried, my face never looked completely natural with foundation on it. If it did feel and look natural, that seemed to last a few hours before my face started feeling and looking oily. Plus, I am not a fan of that “caked on” makeup look, and honestly, that’s exactly what I felt like my face looked like most days.  {Well, up until a few months ago.}

And then there’s the matching and seasonal game. I was told more than once that I needed two colors of the same product — one to apply during the winter months when I hadn’t been in the sun much and the other to apply when my face was a little more tan. It was also suggested that I needed an oil-free version of a product in the summer months and a more normal version during the drier months. All that to say, it got overwhelming…and expensive. And honestly, I felt like it was all fake — or at least that’s how if let on my face.

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Above is a real life picture of all the foundation, moisturizers, or creams {most priced over $40 a tube} that I owned and rotated on my face prior to this summer — all in an attempt to improve the texture, hydration, or cover the flaws on my face. But that all changed one day back in June. I met with our sponsor Dr. Camille Cash and her team, and they, once again, opened my eyes to one of their preferred skin care regimens. Remember back when I turned over a new leaf and vowed to devote more time, or actually just time, to taking care of my skin. Well, with the help of Dr. Cash and her team, plus some facials and a series of microdermabrasion treatments that I received elsewhere, I’ve seen a tremendous change in my skin over the past eight months. The texture is better, the fine lines are less obvious, and my face feels more healthy.

I feel that the skin pen treatments from Dr. Cash’s team were the one single treatment that sealed the deal on the improvement in my face. Changing the texture and hydration of my skin with the skin pen allowed me to be more satisfied in my bare skin, without applying layer after layer of makeup. The skin pen uses many tiny needles to penetrate and poke tiny little microscopic holes through the epidermis. The holes allow for 1} rapid collagen turnover and 2} substances, like all these expensive creams we use, to actually penetrate to the dermis. It’s doesn’t hurt — in fact, they use a numbing cream to ensure that you don’t feel it. I’ll be honest the skin pen is the cheapest option, but I’m convinced that it’s worth it especially for cases of severe scarring and texture issues. Don’t believe me? Then check out these real-life before and after pictures here.

I do feel like the skin pen treatments were the single one treatment that sealed the deal on the improvement in my face —  changing the texture and hydration of my skin that allowed me to be more satisfied in my bare skin, without applying layer and layer of makeup.  

Now that’s exciting and all, but for me, nothing is more exciting than the fact that I no longer feel the need to cake on foundation creams, BB creams, CC creams, foundation powder, or tinted moisturizer most mornings. Yes, I’ve tried them all, and yes, I still own a handful of half-used {at best} bottles of these. See proof above. 

So back to that day in June when I met with Lynnette, an aesthetician, at Dr. Cash’s Willowbrook location. I was complaining about how some of my products made my face “feel sticky” and that my face seemed to always “shine” {and not in a good way}. She assured me that I would notice a difference from the skin pen mentioned above as far as the texture of my skin was concerned, and then she gave me two samples of two different products. These two different products changed my regimen for the better and for a long time to come I suspect.

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The first product is an antioxidant product to fight the aging process of the skin. This product is a Skinceuticals product. I have fallen in love with this brand thanks to Dr. Cash and her office, but I know that many companies produce an anti-aging antioxidant serum so the important take home here is — just be sure you’re using an antioxidant on your skin {followed by sunscreen, of course}. I apply it every morning, just after cleansing. I love that the skin on my face feels more firm.

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The second product was the game changer for me. I no longer wear all that makeup in the picture above — I just wear this. The best part? It’s just sunscreen. That’s it! It’s called Physical Matte UV Defense, and it is from the Skinceuticals line also. I can’t imagine another company producing anything better than this one. That’s how much I love it!  Not only does it have the sun protection that I need for my face each day, it also has a matte finish which provides some complexion coverage. The Skinceuticals website describes it as this ::

a “mattifying 100% physical sunscreen formulated with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to provide high broad spectrum UV protection. It is proven to maintain a matte finish even in hot, humid conditions {Hello, Houston!}. It’s weightless mousse texture dries to a powder finish, optimizing makeup application.”

The description is spot on. A sunscreen product {that we’re all recommended to wear, right?} that goes on with a non-oily fashion and provides a matte, powder-like finish. Sign me up, please! And the best part is this bottle, at just over $20, is cheaper than most all of the makeup products seen above.

My face isn’t flawless or wrinkle-free — it’s far from it. I do want to slow down the aging process as much as I can, though, which is why I follow instructions and apply my antioxidant and my SFP each day.  I am just thankful that now that’s all I have to apply, and I can stop there. My morning routines are more simplified now, and I love that I actually feel like I’m “wearing” my own face.

*Note :: There are many online sites that sell Skinceutical products, but please note that some of these sites have reportedly sold unauthentic Skinceutical products.  Before placing any Skinceutical order, contact a Skinceutical rep here to check for authenticity or just visit Dr. Cash’s office to pick up your own products today to ensure you’re getting the real deal. Dr. Cash’s office is honoring a 15% discount on their products from now until December 31st — just be sure to tell the front desk that you’re a reader of Houston Moms Blog!

Camille Cash, M.D.
2150 Richmond Ave #103
Houston, TX 77098
Phone: (713) 571-0600


Please Note :: While this may be a sponsored post, as always – all thoughts and opinions about Dr. Cash and her team are completely my own!

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Tiffanie V
Tiffanie, originally from East Texas, has called Houston home for over 10 years now. She and her husband met during undergraduate studies at Stephen F. Austin State University. They have one son, Preston {Jan 2011}, who was born with a very rare congenital heart condition and underwent a very successful open heart surgery at Houston's own Texas Children's Hospital when he was just two days old. In October 2013, Tiffanie welcomed a daughter, Hadley, into this world. She adores seeing life and this great city through the eyes of her children. She is a practicing physician assistant, passionate about Endocrinology and diabetes. Committed to connecting moms and families to all the fabulousness of this great city, Tiffanie started serving as our Sponsorship Coordinator in January 2014. Her days are now filled to the brim with taking care of her family, her patients, fielding sales calls, and scheduling sponsored posts. Her favorite pasttimes include drinking a full-bodied glass of red, retail therapy, a nice long run, and being near a beach - water soothes her.

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