You might remember from a few posts ago that I am a consultant for Rodan+Fields skincare. In that post, I explained my reasoning for joining this company, and I shared my first set of before and after photos. I was nervous to put all of that out there– not only show my skin in its naked form but to also say, in essence, “Hey, I am another person selling something!”

I am the first to shoot down most network marketing companies. My friends and family know this about me…which is why it was probably confusing as to why I would join such a company. For me, the reasons are simple. I use the products. I love the products. I want to share the products. I should make money for sharing these products. I WISH Target, Starbucks, and other businesses that I LOVE would pay me to use and share their products. But they don’t. And that doesn’t keep me from keeping them financially afloat each month, lemme tell ya.

So here I am, a full two months in from my starting date in April. Honestly… it has been better than I could have imagined. I don’t feel pressured to sell anything. I am inspired by really strong, business-savvy women on my team, but I don’t feel like a failure because my numbers don’t stack up to theirs. I feel encouraged, supported, and challenged.

When I decided to leave my teaching job at the end of this year, I started to have the same feelings I felt when I left my first teaching job 3 years ago. Identity crisis. Who am I now that I am not a teacher? Money worries. Will I need to “ask” Luke for money for everything now that I am not making my own? (our marriage doesn’t work like that anyway — but the thought was there) Fear of burnout. Will I really feel happy with my days if they are spent completely with my children?

The R+F business side helps to fill these voids for me. I still feel like a human being. I set my own goals, and I challenge myself to meet them. I am supported and praised when I achieve these accomplishments. Financially, I am making more money each month than I was teaching preschool, and I am not leaving my house or my children to do it….or throwing that money back into the classroom by buying books and classroom supplies.

I have talked to many people about the R+F products. I have gotten lots of “yes,” and probably more “no.” So, I thought I would center this post around the top 3 reasons why people turn me down.

1. It takes too much time. / There are too many steps. // I never wash my face. /// I am too lazy at night.

This was definitely me before I finally become so sick of dealing with relentless breakouts. I totally understand. However, my mom’s voice came ringing in my ears, “If you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always gotten.” And true confessions…I don’t wash my face EVERY night or EVERY morning. I try to, but life gets in the way. Some nights, I am seriously too tired to deal with it. Thankfully, I am not layering my face with lots of makeup anymore, so if I skip a night, my face handles it just fine.

I timed myself when I used my 4-step Unblemish regimen today, and it took just under 3 minutes from start to finish. This is my face completely clean and fresh after using the products. The marks you see are freckles, sun spots, and just a few post-acne marks…but no new blemishes!

2. It is too expensive.

Again, I totally understand this thought. Yes, the R+F products are more expensive than what you can buy at Target, CVS, Walgreens, etc. But honestly? You cannot compare the R+F products to these drugstore products. You just can’t. They are clinically studied, clinically proven products, developed by the same dermatologists that created Proactiv. When I used to use the cheaper stuff, I would use so much of it at once just to feel like it was working, which meant I was replacing it quicker. Did you know that R+F regimens (systems) last at least 3, sometimes 4 months? The price you pay is not a monthly fee.

When I would occasionally buy the more expensive brands at Ulta or Sephora, I was spending as much, if not more, than I spend on my R+F products, and I still never got the results I was wanting. I have tried so many brands and so many products.

And because I feel attached to all the money I have spent on these items, I tend to just keep them in a little graveyard in my bathroom. There are easily $250 worth of products in this basket that didn’t work for me, and I am just hoarding them because I can’t fathom pouring that money down the drain.

In hindsight, I should have just returned them when I realized I was unsatisfied, but many places only give you 30 days to return beauty products, and some of them won’t take them back if they are opened. To me, 30 days isn’t long enough to know if a product is going to work for you. Being honest, it wasn’t until after the 30 day mark for me that I noticed my blemishes REALLY disappearing with R+F. You have to give things time to work, but you also shouldn’t have to wait forever. R+F believes that if you don’t see results you like by 60 days, you can return what’s left of products for a full refund. Not store credit. A refund.

Let’s also talk about the money I am saving by not applying 4 different layers of makeup so that I can feel confident enough to leave the house. Do I still use concealer under my eyes? Yes, some days I do. Other than that, my routine consists of a very light mineral powder, maybe a touch of bronzer, and then my eye makeup. No BB cream, no foundation, no powder foundation, nothing. Do I love makeup? Yes! Do I still love Younique? Absolutely! Do I love the feeling of a fresh, clean face on hot summer days? More than anything.

So, yeah, you might end up spending more on your skincare than the $6.99 special on Cartwheel at Target, but this is going to work for you or you are going to get your money back. I like those odds.

3. I want to do something about my skin, but just not right now.

We always think we can put things off. We always have a list of other things to buy and do before we take care of ourselves. We put the needs of our children, spouses, jobs, community, other family members, friends, pets, etc, etc, etc, above our own. We think there will be a better time in the future to invest in ourselves.

We are aging every single day. We are exposing our skin to harmful sun rays and environmental irritants. We coat our kids in sunscreen because we know it is good for them, but we forget that we still have skin to take care of, too!

For me, I wanted to show my girls that I could be confident in my own skin. I wanted to begin to reverse years of not washing my face, not protecting it from the sun, and simply thinking that the only way to feel beautiful was to be layered in makeup. It was starting to get out of hand. They would watch me apply makeup and ask, “What does that do Mama?” “What is that for Mama?” “Why are you doing that Mama?”

Ya’ll know my husband is a family doctor. Well, when he was on his dermatology rotation, he was fascinated by the damage we do to our skin, and he was highly motivated to begin some sort of prescription cream because he wanted to keep his skin looking young. He is a 30-something guy’s guy who likes to camp, run, play sports, and otherwise be a stinky boy. He is not vain, but he knew that he wasn’t doing all that he could to prevent lines, wrinkles, and sun damage. So, rather than use the prescription stuff, he has been using the Redefine regimen, and he absolutely loves it. We both can tell a big difference in his skin, and he believes that this stuff will keep him looking young.

So, as you can tell, I really believe in these products and the company that stands behind them. If I have inspired you to try any of our regimens, Unblemish, Soothe, Redefine, or Reverse, or any of our other products, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I am sitting here with a knot in my stomach.

Call it nerves.

Call it excitement.

Call it too much pizza for dinner.

I’m pretty sure, however, the knot has something to do with the fact that I just agreed to be a consultant with Rodan + Fields skincare, and it is now public knowledge.

So what about this is scary?

Ev.er.y.thing.

What if I fail? I don’t like loathe failure. Even a rock-paper-scissors dual gone wrong can tick me off for an hour. 

What if I look silly? Who really needs more selfies in their newsfeed?

How could I possibly help anyone with skincare? My husband is the doctor, not me.

But, as Kendra, the friend who inspired me to try the skincare simply by sharing her own personal results, told me — it is simply sharing what you like with your friends and family. That is all.

And I already do that here on this blog. I’ve told you how I fill in my nearly invisible eyebrows with this brow set. I’ve shared with you that the only way to get Noelle’s hair detangled is by using this cream. I’ve shared where we rent our strollers at Disney World, and, hell… I’ve told you where to pick up your child’s birth certificate (when she is already 8 months old).

I am probably a bit of an over-sharer.

Like the time I told you my cervix sucked. Or I’m sure you remember when I drank poop-flavored water.

So, I guess sharing is my thing.

I like to talk. I like to buy things. And when the things I buy do what they are supposed to do, I like to talk about that. I suppose it’s a match made in heaven.

You may be wondering why Rodan + Fields? Why now? Why sell it when I can just buy it like a regular customer?

Or you may not be wondering any of that, and that’s cool, too. I’m glad you stopped by anyway.

I think I have shared (hehe) with you that the year 2015 was a bit of a cluster for me. I don’t look back fondly on it. I don’t have many fun memories. All I remember are a series of events that lead to emotional stress in my life, and when I am stressed, my body tells the world, “HEY GUYS! SHE IS A FREAKING MESS! LOOK AT HER FACE! LOOK AT HER HAIR! LOOK AT THE WEIGHT SHE HAS GAINED!”

Yes, it’s true. My hair was falling out. My body was not happy living on Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A and Snickers bars. My skin was erupting into a series of grouchy volcanoes. All I could do was stare in horror as my complexion looked as bad as I had ever seen it.

You know what else wrecks your skin? Having babies. Lots of babies. Like 3 babies in 4 1/2 years. Hormones don’t help, but lack of sleep, lack of water, and survival eating (you know, like eating that remnant of a chicken nugget from your kid’s Happy Meal because WHY WOULD SHE LET THAT GO TO WASTE?). It all adds up to a yucky, dull complexion that started to take a toll on my confidence.

I tried a lot of different things to help my skin. Do you all remember when I put coconut oil and apple cider vinegar on my face? I really liked the way it made my skin feel, and I did notice some improvement in my breakouts, but I got tired of the mess of my homemade skincare. There’s just nothing luxurious about scooping some coconut oil out with a spoon and shmearing it on my face, and then removing it with vinegar. I got bored with it and went on to the next thing.

I tried Ava Anderson nontoxic skincare in addition to Beauty Counter, another natural skincare line. While I saw brief success with these brands, I quickly realized that my skincare needs far surpassed what these natural products could do. (I do still really enjoy the Beauty Counter lustro oil from time to time when my face feels especially dry)

I tried face washes from the drug store, and my skin just became extremely dry and sensitive. I was basically all out of ideas when Kendra posted her own personal before and after photos of her skin now that she uses Rodan + Fields. I was extremely surprised and honestly impressed that she posted something that had made her so self-conscious for all the (Facebook) world to see.

This is something I have never been able to do — go bare-faced in public. I always, always, always have makeup on my face, and I have always, always, always been envious of the women who I perceive to be natural beauties. They don’t wear makeup, and if they do, it is very light and minimal. I am sure it doesn’t take them as long to get ready in the morning, and I am sure they feel so free knowing that their skin is glowing without the help of a shimmery powder (not that there’s anything wrong with shimmery powder. I freaking love shimmery powder).

My girls watch me get ready in the mornings, and they see that it takes a layer of primer, foundation or BB cream, concealer, and powder to make my skin look remotely acceptable (in my eyes) to be seen. This process not only is time consuming, but it also brings about a lot of questions from my girls.

“Mama, what are you putting on your face?”

“Why are you doing that?”

“When can I wear makeup?”

“I want to cover up my freckles.”

I always say, “You’re beautiful enough without makeup,” but this message inherently says, “but Mama can’t be seen without it.”

This isn’t the message I wanted to send to my children, so I decided to get over myself and my general disapproval of things people sell on Facebook and just try the skincare that gave Kendra her impressive results.

And the rest is history.

I would have 60 days to try the skincare line, and if I didn’t see the results I wanted, I could send it back and get a refund.

Yeah, yeah. I have failed you.

My goal was to do my Friday Favorites on Fridays (imagine that!?). I missed last week because I was hosting a baby shower at my house and simply couldn’t get it done in between stashing the giant mounds of laundry in hidden corners of my house.

This past Friday, my Noelle turned 6, and I was too busy eating cake.

But. BUT! I had some time this morning to really ponder what my favorite things are at the moment, and I am going to circle back around to my newfound love and obsession with these cosmetics.

So, I present to you, Friday Favorites on Sunday (because we all wish that Sundays were Fridays, anyway).

Maybe it’s silly. Maybe it’s vain. Maybe it’s frivolous. Maybe I don’t care? I am really trying to grow into owning my thoughts and feelings and wants in life, and I absolutely love putting my makeup on in the morning.

I have always loved doing “makeovers” with friends and taking “glamour shot” photos with my parents’ Polaroid camera. My dad would buy the $15 film cartridge before he and my mom would leave for the night, and my best friend, Allison, and I would have crap tons of fun dressing up in my mom’s clothes, putting makeup on, and taking photos to document it all.

I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that we did that. I won’t share how old we were, but I will give you a hint. We were much older than we should have been.

Anyway — when I was younger, I would use any allowance money I had to buy the cheap makeup at Target. As I have gotten older, I have enjoyed spending a little more money on higher quality products. You name it, and I have probably bought it at some point…Smashbox, Bare Minerals, Urban Decay, Too Faced, Benefit, Tarte, etc, etc, etc.

And I have to say, I have been disappointed a few times after purchasing an expensive cosmetic item only to realize that it didn’t work the $55 worth of miracles that it promised. Into the graveyard of cosmetics it would go (the back of my makeup drawer), never really to be worn again.

In my first Friday Favorites, I talked about how I had resisted the Younique brand for a variety of reasons. It seemed like everyone was selling it. It seemed like all the photos I saw online were of women and their mile long eyelashes that looked a little too extreme for daily wear. I would get Facebook messages from perfect strangers, inviting me to their online makeup parties. In general, I wasn’t a fan.

Then, my friend, Candace, was running a sale, I think, and I just decided to try it. I started with the eyeliner, lipgloss, and the mascara (because I had to see what it was all about), and I was hooked. For a little while, I was embarrassed to admit that I loved it. I didn’t want to be just another bandwagon rider.

However, I realized that you like what you like, and when you like something so much to keep buying it after it runs out, you feel like you want to share that love with everyone you know.

So, here I am, including my five favorite products for a natural face. I think sometimes when we see photos online of this brand, we tend to think it looks too fussy or too heavy for everyday wear. I get it. I teach small children, and if I wear a bright lip color, they freak out and ask me about it all day. I have to, for the most part, keep it pretty natural and understated.

Read on to learn a little more about the products that I have grown to love. Are these products pricier than drugstore brands? Yes. Are they worth it? I believe they are.