Obagi NuDerm Review (& other skincare favorites!)

Ok so I'm finally dishing all about one of my favorite skincare lines. No, this is not some kind of sponsored post (I think only 15 people read this blog so, why in the world would anyone give me anything for free!). These are products I've purchased and this is my honest review so other friends (the few that do read this) can benefit from this if they need as much help as I did. Because Lord knows I always need help when it comes to my skin. 

My skin has been a struggle since I was a teenager. Number one culprit being acne. I still to this day battle it no matter how many prescriptions I've been on , skincare lines I've tried or dermatologists I've seen. Number two culprit since having my boys: melasma. For those of you who aren't familiar with melasma, it is grey-brown patches (dark spots) that show up most likely on the forehead, cheeks and chin. Women are more likely to get it than men and that is because it is mostly hormonal. Of course, when you get in the sun (hello Summertime, yes even with sunscreen on!) they pop out more. My face after a spout of beach trips and lake days this Summer ending up looking absolutely DIRTY, even with gobs of makeup on top of it. 

That's when I knew I had to resort back to a skincare line that I splurged on two years ago right after I had Charlie, when I stopped nursing him. It was the Obagi NuDerm line with 4% hydroquinone. It truly helped minimize (not completely take away) my melasma and overall made my skin look better. Now, after two years of researching hydroquinone and different studies that have come out, everyone figured out that it's absolutely TERRIBLE for you , needs to be removed from the market immediately and so Obagi stopped adding hydroquinone into any of it's products. Trust me, I haven't used it since. 

BUT, again after this Summer I wanted to resort back so once again I waited for it to go on sale from Dermstore.com (an authorized Obagi retailer) and I splurged on the $300+ six piece Obagi NuDerm "Hydroquinone-FREE" line. So yes, no hydroquinone in this one and I also didn't have a Retin-A RX like I did last time to add in with it, but I decided to experiment and just see what the line would do for me on it's own. 

There's no use in even starting this line until you're done being in the sun or if you are super strict about wearing a big hat over your face. I began after our last beach trip and started the line August 7th. Here's the results in about exactly eight weeks, with the pictures on the right/bottom taken last night on October 10th. **unedited pics obviously, with zero makeup** 

I tried to get the same lighting but yeah one was taken during the day the other at night but both had ample bathroom lighting and taken on an iPhone 7 (I feel like those are legit pics, right? For those of you who know me know I don't even leave the house to go get gas without putting on makeup, so this is huge for me. Again, just wanting to help others who have been dealing with this ANNOYING problem, known as melasma) 

TIPS & WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE OBAGI NUDERM LINE

• it comes with sunscreen (SPF 50) and you do need to wear it EVERY. DAY. Honestly you should avoid getting in the sun, period, if you're on this line.

• yes, it's like six steps - morning and night - but it's all numbered and you get use to it - trust me - it's super quick (not to mention if you're desperate like I was, I knew I would do whatever it took). I love having products on my face during the day under my makeup (trust me, you can't ever tell. it soaks in immediately) because I feel like it's working to slough off those skin cells every minute of every day...and it does!

• because of the cell turnover, it does minimize acne as well (also a big win for me!) and fine lines and wrinkles. this line is great for those who don't even have melasma, as it will overall make your skin appear brighter, lighter, more fresh faced and tight!

• it smells amazing. i love all of the products, the #4 exfoliator does sting a bit but again, you know these products are working!

• these are MEDICAL GRADE products that you can only get from a plastic surgeon's office, esthetician or an authorized dealer like Dermstore or Premierlook.com (they run sales on Obagi frequently, so sign up for their emails)

• these products work FAST. I was nervous that without the hydroquinone, it wouldn't work as fast on me (had even read reviews that it would not) and while I'm sure it works even faster WITH hydroquinone, this is of course a much safer option and you see I achieved results in just nine weeks. I actually could see a difference within the first month. Now, I honestly don't know if I'll ever stop using this line. That's how much I love it.

Then there's this miracle stuff. Sure, the packaging looks sketch, BUT it's what's inside that counts. I heard about it from a Brianna Stanko YouTube video and immediately ordered it from her verified skincare website, PremierLook! I was skeptical, but desperate. I have tried anything and EVERYTHING for adult acne. Mostly hormonal and some cystic. This magical cream , along with cutting way back on dairy (nope, not even completely out) has helped tremendously! 

If you just get sporatic breakouts, this is a lifesaver. Even if it's a monster of a zit, you put this sulfur / tea tree magical potion (umm yeah, so this stuff doesn't smell so lovely) on it and I promise you if it's not gone the next day then it will be the next. It's crazy. Dries it right up. It's $36 for this tiny tub, but I swear it takes just the TINIEST amount. It seriously goes a long way. I've had mine for probably two months now and it doesn't even look like I've made a dent in it. I use it at least once, twice...even three times a week depending on the breakouts. They say it's great for rosacea too!

Also I haven't been using this long but I've heard amazing reviews on Skin Medica's TNS Illuminating Eye Cream and hope it helps with the crow's feet (#thisis33). Again, purchased on sale and I'm always a firm believer that you get what you pay for. It's got anti-aging peptides to promote collagen regrowth. That's what you want. Maybe I can do a review on this in a few weeks. I've been using it morning and night too!

The older I get, the more I understand how truly important it is to take care of your skin. You're never too young to start! There's always things I need to be better about - like staying out of the sun - but since I wasn't blessed with great skin (rats, my sister and mom definitely were but I inherited my dad's skin. haha) I have to always work overtime to keep it looking somewhat decent. 

So if you're dealing with this same (constant) struggle, giiiirrrl I feel ya. Here's to sharing what works and what doesn't and helping each other out! Feel free to email me if you have any other questions about Obagi : sandi@scsugar.com