No Makeup, No Filter - My Skin Stripped Down - A Before & After with JL Essencials
Real talk, I’m in my early 30’s and I still struggle with my skin…constantly. I could easily blame it on genetics, the amount of makeup I use, my diet, or my sleep schedule. There are a million and one things to point towards when you’re trying to troubleshoot skincare issues. I believe that all of these factors can absolutely play a role in your skins’ overall appearance. In my opinion, the root of the matter stems from which products you’re putting on your face day in and day out.
Let me be clear, I did not receive an education for skincare, I’m not an expert and I’m certainly not claiming to be. But that’s the category that most of us fall into, isn’t it? We have knowledge being thrown at us through blogs, social media, ads, personal encounters, you name it, it’s in our face (literally).
I’m writing about this line because I finally found something that works for me. I would not stand behind, or endorse a product that I didn’t truly believe in and want for you all to try as well. I hope you try it out for yourself and that it works for you too. At the end of the day, every single one of us is different and we can take the information that’s provided to us and make moves for ourselves. This move made a HUGE difference in my skin…see & try for yourself!
Before & After
So here it is, no makeup, no filter, just me. I’d like to note that this was not the easiest thing for me to post. It’s tough to be this open and vulnerable. I want you all to truly see what my before and after looks like with the help of the JL Essencials line and J Lounge Spa. Keep reading below to see how this transformation happened.
Before
After
Before
After
JL Essencials Skincare Line + CBD Influence
A little background on the CBD skincare product line JL Essencials. Founders of J Lounge, Jen & Julie, created this skincare line with the intention of replacing harsh chemicals with simple plant-based ingredients. When I met with Julie & Jen, they shared with me that the cannabidiol portion of the line comes from a local farm in a city North of Boulder, how cool is that?! Everything is created with purity and simplicity in mind.
CBD oil is all the rage in skincare right now and there’s a reason why! CBD oil is known to help clear skin and acne breakouts.
Let’s get to the specifics:
The below products are the ones I’ve been using which have led to this incredible transformation of my skin.
Balance Simply Cleansing Gel:
This cleansing gel is so simple yet serves all the needs you could ever imagine. I put a TON of makeup on most days. It’s incredible, this gel removes all of the junk I cake onto my face. It smells like lavender and aloe (some of it’s main ingredients). It leaves my skin feeling super clean.
Glo Simply Resurfacing Beads:
Jojoba beads create a scrubby-beaded feel as you use this product. I love a product that you can actually feel as you use it. What I mean by that is that I can feel the difference in my skin from the minute I begin application to the end rinse. Its goal is to remove the dead skin cells and it does just that. I only use this every couple of days so that I’m not being too harsh on my skin.
Balance Simply Lavender Mist:
BUY THIS PRODUCT. Seriously, this lavender mist is everything. I use this in the morning and night. It hydrates my skin and smells fantastic. It acts as a toner which is crucial in your daily skincare routine.
Balance Simply Full Spectrum Face Oil:
Here’s where the hemp extract comes in and boy does it! This stuff is liquid gold, I’m not kidding. I use this as my last step and it leaves my skin feeling incredible. It helps with redness and blemishes. It also helps to kill bacteria which can lead to gross breakouts. It leaves my skin feeling very hydrated.
Shop the Balance Simply Full Spectrum Face Oil here
As a side note, with each purchase of JL Essencials, they give back a percentage to the Cancer League of Colorado. Not only are they producing some incredibly thoughtful products for our skin, they’re giving back as well.
Rose Complete Hydration Facial
As much as we want products to be our end all be all, it takes more work than just applying them morning and night. Of course, good daily practices will help fuel our body and keep our skin hydrated. Though it takes more than that to really get the most out of your skin. I’d been using the JL Essencials products for a few weeks at this point and seen some big improvements (i.e. as mentioned above, red spots were reduced, breakouts were minimal and my skin was even & hydrated.)
I went into J Lounge located in Boulder, CO to get their Rose Complete Hydration Facial. Below is a description of the overall service:
“We begin with microdermabrasion or dermaplane to remove dead skin cells from the surface. Next, we use a gentle vacuum and HydroWand to deeply infuse a custom blend of serums into your skin. This treatment increases microcirculation and hydration and includes our JLESSENCIALS ROSE COMPLETE RESTORATIVE FULL-SPECTRUM SERUM for the ultimate hydration and calming properties. Scalp and hand massage are included. Finish with our Glo Simply mask, leaving your skin dewy, soft, and glowing.”
Let me note that this was so much more than what is written above. It left my skin feeling incredible for days beyond the facial. The owner Jen Z. was my esthetician and she was outstanding. She made me feel so relaxed throughout the entire hour. I honestly went into the facial thinking that microdermabrasion was going to hurt my face. Jen explained to me prior to the microderm that it feels like a cat tongue licking you and that could not be more accurate! Also this is gross, but the amount of dead skin cells that came off of my face during this process was RIDICULOUS. So gross, but it also makes sense why my skin felt so incredible following this facial, think of all the junk that came off of my face that I’d been carrying around!
The HydroWand felt so good on my face and neck. The products used, including the rose serum, are all from the JL Essencials line. They left my skin feeling so dewy and soft for days following the facial.
Head over to my instagram stories to see the microdermabrasion and Hydrowand in action.
Important things everyone should be doing:
Drink water and lots of it. I try to drink two of my Nalgene bottles daily which equates to 64 ounces. The old saying goes “drink half of your body weight in ounces daily” so do it! It won’t just happen though, you have to be prepared! Make sure you have a water bottle that you like and can rely on. I use this style below:
Skincare Consistency. Stay consistent with your skincare regimen. It will take your skin a while to get used to any new routine so stick with it.
Sleep. I struggle with this one the most but it’s so crucial!! Isn’t it the worst when someone says “Oh you look tired”. There’s a reason they’re saying that, our skin is a tell tale sign when it comes to lack of sleep. Try to get those z’s, your skin will look better and you’ll thank yourself later!
This journey to clearer skin hasn’t happened overnight but with the help of the JL Essencials line and J Lounge, my skin is on track to look the best it ever has.
Click the links below to check out the JL Essencials line and if you’re in the Boulder/Denver area, please check out J Lounge. There’s nothing better than supporting a women-owned local business.
J Lounge Natural Nail Bar & Spa
Take 20% off of your JL Essencials order using code JLE20 plus receive free shipping on all orders over $50!!
