It amazes me how you can think you know someone, but really don't know much about them at all. That includes knowing yourself. I thought after 30+ years of living in my body, that I knew everything I needed to know about myself...physically anyway. It wasn't until I tried Rodan + Fields out that I realized, that this whole time I've been living, I've also been mistaken about my skin type.
Has anyone else recently discovered this about themselves? I mean, it wasn't like I lost sleep over it, but I felt almost silly for not knowing myself well enough to know to purchase the proper type of skin care. Anyways, this post isn't about me discovering myself. This is about my experience with Rodan + Fields. As I was strolling through pictures on Instagram, I saw some free samples of this on there. Those of you who know me, know that I love freebies. But I genuinely was interested in this product. The lovely ladies Aimee and Andrea were gracious enough to send me out some samples. And to answer your question, no I wasn't being greedy. It was one of those things that they had different items in their post and I didn't realize until after I received the items that it was from the same company. This taught me a valuable lesson, always double check company names before asking for any free sample. I've done it again! I've managed to make this all about me instead of the product (I really need to work on that)
Anyways, as I was saying, I learned a lot about my skin after trying these samples. I received a: Active Hydration Serum, Intensive Renewing System, Microderm Abrasion Paste, Lip Renewing Serum, & Eye Complex. If you want to know how it worked out for me, then continue reading!
Now before I tell you what I think, I want to let you know that both of the lovely ladies asked me my skin type. I told them normal to dry, because that's what I thought. I had to tell you that so you can better understand my experience. I will begin with the eye cream. The eye complex that I used was meant to help with puffy and dark circles around my eyes. I was advised to leave the complex on between 30 minutes to a half hour. As you can see in the picture below, these were the results.
Excuse the eyebrows, as you can see I'm still needing help with those. I'm a work in progress! But, honestly I couldn't tell a physical difference after an hour of the cream being applied around my eye area as instructed. But I did feel a difference because the area around that eye became sore and burning. It didn't swell, it didn't turn blue, it didn't make me so hideous that I couldn't step out of the house. It just was very uncomfortable.
This is where me not knowing my skin comes in. I realized that my skin wasn't dry to normal, but instead sensitive. I washed it off to offset it's effects, and to give my face a fresh start, but unfortunately, the pain didn't stop until 2 days later. Now, I'm not saying that the complex doesn't work. I'm simply saying that it was too strong for me. The next thing I want to share is my experience with the Intensive Renewing Serum. Now this surprised me! I thought my skin was already soft and smooth, but when I used this at night, when I woke up, my skin was still soft and velvety smooth. That's a plus for me!
The same night that I used that serum I also used the Lip Renewing Serum. At first when I used it, it moisturized my lips; however, when I woke up in the middle of the night, my lips were dry again. So I wasn't a big fan of the lip serum. So the next day I gave the Active Hydration Serum a try, and I used it with some sunscreen. Usually after a long day at work, driving towards the morning sun, walking to my job in the morning sun, sitting in sub-zero degree temps for 8 hours, then walking in the 5 o'clock sun, and driving towards the 5 o'clock sun, my face feels lifeless and dried out. But, I noticed that it didn't feel that way. I still had some "oompf " left! This really made me feel good. So when I got home, I was super excited to try the last sample that I received, the Microderm Abrasion Paste.
According to package instruction, it advised that if you have sensitive skin, to add water before applying. So, learning my lesson from the eye complex, I added probably more water than I was supposed to. But even watered-down, this was still too strong for my sensitive skin. But, I believe that it is perfect for those with normal/dry skin. Although it seemed too strong for my skin, I did notice a brighter, more even complexion. Maybe it was a combination of the whole regimen, but overall, I liked how my skin appeared. So, here is what I'm feeling and why.
Out of all of the samples I tried, the Active Hydration Serum for day time use was my favorite. My least favorite was the eye serum, because it took so long for my eye to feel good again. Keep in mind y'all, I chose the products that are for normal/dry type, not sensitive skin. So if you have sensitive skin, or think you have sensitive skin....try the products that they recommend for sensitive skin.
Would I purchase them? I'm going to be completely honest. As a single mother of 3 children, going through a divorce, going back to school, it does not currently fit in my budget. But, it may be a great fit for you. I know some of y'all "got it like that" or are "blessed like that", so I'm going to give you the prices! The eye complex is $62. The Intensive Renewing Serum is $99. The Daily Cleansing Mask is $43. The Lip Renewing Serum is $56. And the Active Hydration Serum is $108. If you are interested in purchasing from this skin care line or want more information about Rodan + Fields, you can contact Andrea on instagram at @andreaspruell or her website at www.aspruell1.myrandf.com. You can also contact Aimee on instagram at @alucenta26 or on facebook at https://m.facebook.com/randfalucenta.
So, have you tried anything from Rodan + Fields? If so, how did it work for you? Are you still trying to figure out what "skin type" you have? Let me know in the comments below. As always, Stay Beautiful, Stay Healthy, and Stay Blessed!