This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olay. The opinions and text are all mine.
Growing up, I was one of those really lucky teenagers who never suffered from acne or blemishes or those other ugly hormone driven nuisances. I never wore makeup. I steamed my face and made at-home facial products to keep my skin as flawless as I could. And it remained that way all throughout my 20s and early 30s. Then, at the age of about 33, a week before my youngest’s 1st birthday, I’d gotten strep throat and had to get a shot of penicillin for the first time. As it turned out, I got a horrible reaction to the medication and, coupled with a skin condition I’d contracted from a parasite during a trip to Mexico, I’d gotten the absolute worst skin breakout I could ever imagine. My face and entire body was covered with dark spots and rough patches that lasted for almost an entire year!
In my attempt to conceal this from the public, I started wearing heavy makeup every single day and on top of the daily stress of parenting 2 kids, I took less and less care of my skin and it all went downhill from there… Fast forward to 5 years later, and my flawless face had pretty much faded away. That’s why I was so excited when approached by Olay to take part in a 28-day fresh face challenge.
So, for 28 days, I replaced my current cleanser with the following regimen using products from the Olay Luminous line. I also cut back on makeup during this time, just to give my face some time to breathe, although the Olay Luminous Micellar Water does a great job in removing leftover makeup.
What I did
Step 1: Morning and Evening-cleanse with the Olay Luminous Micellar Water – The Micellar Water is a facial cleanser – made with rice bran and aloe extract -that removes makeup and impurities in one step, without harsh scrubbing!
Step 2: Morning and Evening- apply Olay Luminous Miracle Boost Concentrate – This is an ultra-lightweight face booster/serum that blends Olay’s most potent tone-perfecting ingredients to fade the look of dark spots and uneven skin tone.
Step 3: Mornings – apply Olay Luminous Light Hydrating Lotion – A non-greasy, lightly scented, ultra-fast absorbing face lotion that hydrates to plump skin, even skin tone and fade the look of dark spots to illuminate skin.
Step 4: Evenings- apply Olay Luminous Overnight Mask – This is a gel treatment that absorbs into the surface of the skin and works to hydrate the skin overnight and even tone at the surface cell level.
Why I did it
If there’s one thing I can do for myself – physically, mentally, emotionally – it’s to take care of my health and that includes skin health. Even with all of the stresses in life and parenting, I still go out into the world every day and I want to look and feel my best. What I love about the Olay Luminous line is the fact that the products give you that radiant, glowy look, but without the heavy, oily feel. So many skin care products fail to find that balance, particularly for African American women. They help to even out our tones and complexions without sacrificing personal comfort.
The results
First, my goal was to merely try the products out and at the very least, keep my skin from getting any worse. My results, however, far exceeded that expectation. I actually started seeing results within the first week and the PM ritual, the Overnight Mask in particular had me loving my morning glow! Again, during the day, I never had to deal with that heavy feeling face, although the moisturizer kept my skin from getting dry as the day went on.
Try it for yourself!
Do you have fresh face goals as well? I encourage you to try the Olay 28-day challenge for yourself and see what results you come up with! To get you started, head to the Olay website to purchase the Olay Luminous products!
Oh my so sorry to hear about the nasty skin breakout that you got that left scars for a year. But look how flawless you look now your skin is goals. You see I have had breakouts since I was 14 when I got my first period lol. I have oily skin so it makes sense !
Your skin is absolutely goals ♥ I honestly rarely base my skin care on one brand only but these products seem really decent and worth trying
Oh it sad to hear of that scars but I’m happy that Olay helped you look glowing, clean. I think I shall look forward to take that 28days challenge, since i personally love Olay products.
Amazing results for what is know to be a drugstore product! Some of us pay hundreds if not thousands to get these results. It is so good to know that we can try out these “lesser” brands and achieve fantastic results. Thank-you so much for sharing this
Wow, you have beautiful skin and was lucky to have flawless skin a majority of your life. Thanks for sharing and offering your opinion the the okay line. I just might give them a try!
Am glad this worked for you. I don’t also break out much , but just get some few spots her end there. Does Olay work for African skin?
YES! I am African (Liberian) as well. My mom and grandmother have sworn by Olay for years.
Omg your skin looks flawless! I’ve actually never had an outbreak before really, but I get stressed when I get small pimples due to eating junk food! haha. I thought the last photo was an ad from olay, your smile is so pretty!
My mom has used Olay products for as long as I can remember and has flawless skin. I’ll have to ask her if she’s tried the Luminous line. ps: I’m so sorry you went through such a terrible bout with your health. I hope all is well now. You look beautiful and your skin is amazing. x
Hi! I’m curious to know how your spots were. Were they dry, itching, how does it look?
That would be so crazy to avoid any of the major breakouts as a teen and then experience them later on in life in such a significant way. I have had minor ones, but usually they come about through razor burn on my face. Not sure why. Ah well. Glad you found a product that can assist with clearing things up.
Glad you found the perfect skincare for you. Stick to that! Olay is one of the best and my favorite skincare brand as well.
Your skin looks very clear now..even i love the olay lotion for hydration!
Thank you for sharing. It is so challenging to find an affordable skin care line and Olay has been around forever. I will give it a try. I still get break outs and I am in my mid 40’s. Cringe.
I understand the feeling from a beautiful skin turns to scars for a year. I have had such times. Borrowing Olay has helped you look smooth and clean. I expect to use this product.
Loving your skin complexion, when you find a product that surprises you with amazing results, stick to it.
you have such a beautiful skin 🙂 I should revisit OLay counters , that micellar water looks like a product I should try
Nice post!! I will look into this line. Definitely looking into ways to take better care of my skin.