(I have not been asked to review this product, nor have I been compensated. Also, the directions clearly state not to use on acne. I ignored that.)
I have hesitated to share my before/after pictures for several months. The "before" is so gross and icky, that I was (still am) embarrassed to post on Facebook/Instagram. The "after" is so incredible that I hate not to share. So, I decided to post it here so that my gross skin wasn't visible except to those interested enough to read. Besides, my friend who sells this stuff deserves the advertising.
The Back Story
I had moderate acne as a pre-teen and teenager. It was enough to leave scars, but not the "crater" scars. Nothing really controlled it, but eating well helped. When I stopped eating lunchroom food, which was greasy at the time, it improved significantly. Age, lifestyle, hormones, etc. caused it to reduce to the occasional blemish by the time I was in my twenties. Basically, the acne was non-existent.
Then about a year ago, maybe a year and a half, I started getting pimples along my jawline and under my chin. Big ones. Out of the blue. The kind that are so deep, you feel them coming because of the tenderness before the redness even appears. The lovely ones. I attributed it to the fact that I often sat at my desk with my chin in my hands--recipe for spreading bacteria to my pores. I broke the habit. They became more frequent and more than one at a time. So, I decided it was because I was HORRIBLE about washing my face at night. Started that habit. (This acne was bad enough to motivate me to do things I had never done.) No improvement. It definitely flared up more around my cycle, but what could I do about that? Still only my jawline and under my chin. I started using acne products I hadn't tried since my teen years. Nothing.
Hooked
Meanwhile, my friend Jessica Long had started selling Nerium products, which follows a home party, multi-level business model (best way I know to describe it). She often posted before/after pictures and such on Facebook. It's not cheap and was marketed for reducing fine lines, increasing firmness, and evening out discoloration, so basically anti-aging. I'm frugal and just wasn't interested in spending money on something I considered to be a luxury. Besides that, I know my way around Photoshop a little too well, which makes me a skeptic of before/after pictures. A few months later, desperation hit, and some of the before/after pics made me thing it might help the acne. After all, it was supposed to shrink pores and improve overall skin health. She offered me a trial size, and so I tried it. The next day, the existing blemishes were shrinking rather than peaking. Nine days later, the blemishes were non-existent.
I have hesitated to share my before/after pictures for several months. The "before" is so gross and icky, that I was (still am) embarrassed to post on Facebook/Instagram. The "after" is so incredible that I hate not to share. So, I decided to post it here so that my gross skin wasn't visible except to those interested enough to read. Besides, my friend who sells this stuff deserves the advertising.
The Back Story
I had moderate acne as a pre-teen and teenager. It was enough to leave scars, but not the "crater" scars. Nothing really controlled it, but eating well helped. When I stopped eating lunchroom food, which was greasy at the time, it improved significantly. Age, lifestyle, hormones, etc. caused it to reduce to the occasional blemish by the time I was in my twenties. Basically, the acne was non-existent.
Then about a year ago, maybe a year and a half, I started getting pimples along my jawline and under my chin. Big ones. Out of the blue. The kind that are so deep, you feel them coming because of the tenderness before the redness even appears. The lovely ones. I attributed it to the fact that I often sat at my desk with my chin in my hands--recipe for spreading bacteria to my pores. I broke the habit. They became more frequent and more than one at a time. So, I decided it was because I was HORRIBLE about washing my face at night. Started that habit. (This acne was bad enough to motivate me to do things I had never done.) No improvement. It definitely flared up more around my cycle, but what could I do about that? Still only my jawline and under my chin. I started using acne products I hadn't tried since my teen years. Nothing.
Hooked
Meanwhile, my friend Jessica Long had started selling Nerium products, which follows a home party, multi-level business model (best way I know to describe it). She often posted before/after pictures and such on Facebook. It's not cheap and was marketed for reducing fine lines, increasing firmness, and evening out discoloration, so basically anti-aging. I'm frugal and just wasn't interested in spending money on something I considered to be a luxury. Besides that, I know my way around Photoshop a little too well, which makes me a skeptic of before/after pictures. A few months later, desperation hit, and some of the before/after pics made me thing it might help the acne. After all, it was supposed to shrink pores and improve overall skin health. She offered me a trial size, and so I tried it. The next day, the existing blemishes were shrinking rather than peaking. Nine days later, the blemishes were non-existent.
It's easy to get complacent, so sometimes I'm lazy and tired and skip washing my face. It catches up to me, and I will have a breakout. Using Nerium, though, the pimples are smaller, not as deep, and dissipate more quickly. Sometimes, they don't even peak before clearing up. When I'm consistent with it, the pimples just don't happen at all.
The Regime
Here's the regime that works best for me. I can tell a difference if I skip one of these steps. (I have pretty oily skin, except my cheeks.) Morning shower, wash face with Cetaphil for normal to oily skin. After shower use Clean & Clear essentials deep cleaning astringent. Night time: Cetaphil, C&C astringent, Nerium.
The Regime
Here's the regime that works best for me. I can tell a difference if I skip one of these steps. (I have pretty oily skin, except my cheeks.) Morning shower, wash face with Cetaphil for normal to oily skin. After shower use Clean & Clear essentials deep cleaning astringent. Night time: Cetaphil, C&C astringent, Nerium.
Again, I'm frugal, so I try to stretch my Nerium as far as possible. One bottle is supposed to last a month. Mine lasts about three. I started out just using Nerium on my problem area. After it worked so well, I became curious what I might see on the rest of my face. I started using it on my face every other night while still using it on my jaw every night. Honestly, I didn't notice much difference. I stopped using it on my face. My face started getting more oily during the day and more quickly too. I didn't make the connection at first because I hadn't noticed it reducing the oil. But just out of curiosity, I went back to using it on my face, and the oiliness improved significantly. I'm not sure why other than reducing pore sizes? Smaller pores and less oil makes sense as to why it helped the acne I suppose.
I don't have a before/after picture of my face because I didn't plan on using it on my face. I didn't really have any lines and wrinkles (oily skin!), so I haven't noticed visible changes other than the reduced oiliness, which is hard to photograph. I would say that my skin is healthier, and I find myself using less makeup and less often because I'm more comfortable in my own skin. I also haven't experienced my usual wintertime dry and scaly patches on my cheeks.
If you're interested in trying out this product, please contact my friend Jessica Long. http://www.nerium.com/jmlong
The Nerium AD (night cream) that I use is $110 unless you're a preferred customer and then it's $80. Considering it lasts me 3 months, it's no more expensive than something like Proactiv and much less harsh on my skin.
I don't have a before/after picture of my face because I didn't plan on using it on my face. I didn't really have any lines and wrinkles (oily skin!), so I haven't noticed visible changes other than the reduced oiliness, which is hard to photograph. I would say that my skin is healthier, and I find myself using less makeup and less often because I'm more comfortable in my own skin. I also haven't experienced my usual wintertime dry and scaly patches on my cheeks.
If you're interested in trying out this product, please contact my friend Jessica Long. http://www.nerium.com/jmlong
The Nerium AD (night cream) that I use is $110 unless you're a preferred customer and then it's $80. Considering it lasts me 3 months, it's no more expensive than something like Proactiv and much less harsh on my skin.