I turned 40 in March. Most women dread it, but for me the birthday came and went without incident. There were no tears, no time lost examining myself at the mirror wondering where my youth has gone.
People always, and I mean always, gasp and then ask what my secret is when they find out how old I am. It usually comes up when I meet someone and we get to talking about our families, and I mention that my oldest son is turning 20 this summer. My daughter will be 18 in the fall, and the next one in line will be 16 after Christmas... and then there's the 7 year-old. People assume he's my oldest but then I say I have four children and it doesn't add up. Then I say I'm 40 and they say, "No way!"
Here's a selfie I took on my cell phone after my haircut one month before my 40th birthday. I'm just wearing a smidge of mascara, otherwise there's no makeup, not even powder.
Now, still in the spirit of sharing untouched photos, here's a photo of me and my husband getting into position with a blind couple at their wedding. Do I look 40 here? How old does my husband look?
To answer my question, he is 4 years younger than I am. He said he looks old in this picture. Ha! I almost said, "Next to me you do."
Now, to the point.
Obviously there are many factors that affect one's appearance. I don't smoke, and since I became aware of my allergies, I've given up prepackaged and processed foods. But I admit, I don't drink enough water, I don't exercise as much as I should, and I go to bed pretty late and wake up early. I could do better. Instead, I rely on my skincare products to pick up the slack.
I am wary of trying new skin products because most have either soy or papaya or some variety of salicylic acid, three things on my allergy list. I wash my face with the amber Neutrogena bar, and I use plain, raw shea butter as a face and body cream. People constantly tell me that their products are better and I can hardly bear the ensuing argument. But then I was given a sample of Nerium. I looked over the ingredients, and as far as I could tell at first glance, it looked safe for me. I gave it a shot, and three days later I was noticing marked improvements in my skin texture and tone, and my eyelids started lifting or depuffing, whichever make them look tighter and brighter.
The best part is, I didn't have any adverse reactions.
I safely switched to this, nothing went wrong, nothing itched, nothing broke out, and nothing burned. I use the night cream, which is essentially a mask you leave on all night. After it soaks in completely, I slather on my usual shea butter layer, which is completely acceptable. Nerium does its work while I sleep, then in the morning my skin looks and feels fabulous. Now I look at people in nearly any age group and I want to tell them about Nerium, but that seems rude. So I'm telling everyone, without bias, about this wonderful product that I secretly call "Youth Serum."
Realistically you'll notice the texture change pretty quickly, but it takes a week or so to get an idea of what it will do for wrinkles and puffiness, and in about 3 weeks, people remark that when they compare before and after photos, there's a real noticeable improvement.
Another tip: I am a childcare provider, and my knees are (were) embarrassingly rough and dark colored from crawling around with the kids every day. I was mortified when I tried on the dress I wore to the wedding. I thought I was going to have to wear stockings, but Nerium AD saved the day! I also use it on my hands and slip on cotton gloves before I sleep. It used to be that even if my face looked youthful, my hands gave my age away. Not anymore!
So I urge you to head over to Nerium through my link, and read over the testimonials, the ingredient list and the science behind the product. It's not an "all natural" product by any measure, but it's fantastic and you might be able to tolerate it. This is the first anti-aging product, or "wrinkle cream," I've come across that doesn't have harsh peel chemicals. Bonus: this one is gluten free and soy free.
If I could put sparkles and animations around that, I would. Gluten free and soy free. No papaya. No salicylic acid.
I am not a Nerium agent. I do feel obligated to mention that if people sign up to be preferred customers through my link I get free product. But the same benefit is available to any other customer as well. If you sign up for recurring deliveries (Preferred Customer), and then get just 3 people to do the same, your future deliveries are free as long as they are also receiving deliveries. So don't let the cost scare you! They also have a 30-day money back guarantee. If you have a reaction or just don't see results within 30 days, you can get your money back. So again, don't be deterred by the cost.
I would pay nearly any price to stay youthful! And looking youthful makes me feel youthful, which makes me happy, outgoing, adventurous, which leads to feeling more youthful, and helps me feel healthy. Feeling good is an excellent motivator to maybe try something new, change your diet, make new friends, whatever you've been wishing you had the confidence to do.
Here's an ingredient list, and a link to the website follows. I have been told that some people have temporary "sensitivity" that is very short lived, and the advice is to stick with it if it's not a true allergic reaction. That's a personal decision, and that's where the 30-day guarantee comes in, in my opinion. I'm thrilled that I didn't have any reaction at all. Not even redness. Good luck!
Water, NAE-8 Proprietary Blend (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Nerium Oleander Extract), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Peptide Matrix (Collagen, Elastin, Glycosaminoglycans), Caffeine, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Isohexadecane, Ceteareth-20, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitan Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Coleus Forskohlii Root Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Disodium EDTA, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate.
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