Like many people, I have struggled for a large chunk of my life with acne. I don’t remember when it started exactly, but sometime during the sixth grade, I first began breaking out. It started out small – a pimple here, a zit there – but as puberty overtook my body and my hormones, things got a little out of hand. I don’t have any pictures from that time (for a good reason), but I’ll give you a little visual: I was the epitome of the nerdy middle schooler stereotype. I wore glasses that did not suit my face, had just gotten braces, wore nothing but hoodies that made me look like a sack of potatoes and, yes, I was struggling with acne.
In order to combat this new onset parasite that had overtaken my face, I did probably some of the dumbest things I could’ve done:
1. I washed my face with bar soap. Yep.
2. I never used moisturizer because my face was already oily so why bother making it worse?
3. My forehead was the worse area so, in order to hide my insecurity, I wore my bangs in front of my face every hour of the day.
Now if you know anything about skincare, you’re probably cringing so hard right now. Needless to say, none of these brilliant strategies worked very well in clearing up my acne; rather, it only added gasoline to the fire.
As I got older, I slowly learned more about skincare. I bought actual facial cleanser, started moisturizing, and permanently got my hair off of my forehead. I learned what toner was and obtained an unhealthy obsession with face masks. My skin still wasn’t great in high school though. As I went through college, it slowly got a little better, but I still broke out constantly no matter what products I tried – and trust me, I tried them all. Some made it a little better. Others made it worse. But it seemed like no matter what I tried, I just didn’t get the results I wanted.
And then I tried Curology.
I had heard of Curology before; since I looked at skincare products so often, I constantly got ads for them on social media. I was incredibly curious about their product – a magical serum that would cure my skin? – but I was skeptical and poor and just didn’t have the confidence that something like that could help. Why bother spending so much money on something that didn’t even work?
Recently, however, I got a new ad featuring their offer of a $4 trial set, complete with their cleanser, moisturizer, and serum. What do I have to lose? I thought as I clicked the checkout button. I filled out a profile with my skin concerns, uploaded a few pictures of my face and then all I had to do was wait.
Day 1
My trial came in after a few days in a cute little box that said, “Sooo good to see your face :)” on the inside of the lid and had a little card telling me about how to use its products. My doctor had reached out to me a few days before (yes, they gave me a real dermatologist who prescribed me specific ingredients for my skin), who had listed off what she was prescribing me and a few extra questions.
I began with the cleanser, of course. I will admit, it smelled very strange – most of the products I used before had fragrances, floral or citrus or something or other – but this one smelled almost medicinal. It felt much lighter than the products I had used previously, and I honestly felt that it was because they only added what you actually needed without all of the extra flare that some other products feel the need to add.
Next was the special serum, which is what I was really excited about. This is the special mixture that my doctor concocted specifically for me based off of my profile, which was supposed to work its magic on my acne. It was thicker than I had expected it to be, but it spread easily and blended in smoothly without leaving an extra residue or oil.
The moisturizer was really where I felt an immediate effect. The cleanser and the serum needed some time to work, but the moisturizer instantly made my face softer than it had ever felt. It was such a light moisturizer, and it didn’t leave my skin feeling heavy or oily or anything like that like most other products I’ve tried have. After just one use, my skin was feeling like satin.
Week 1
For an entire week, I followed the instructions I was given: I used the cleanser and moisturizer in the morning and then used the cleanser, serum and moisturizer at night. By the end of the first week, I was honestly already starting to see results. My acne was beginning to look better. I was still breaking out here and there – probably partly because I was almost on my period and partly because I work an early shift and didn’t often have time to wash my face in the mornings and the fact that it was an incredibly stressful week – but the amount and severity had already begun to reduce.
The redness in my face had begun to cool down so that my skin tone was finally looking more even, something that had never happened before, and my skin texture was feeling amazing. While before I had large pores, rough patches and oily skin, now my face was beginning to feel like the smooth canvas I had always wanted it to be.
Week 2
The trial sizes only lasted me two weeks, but by the end of those two weeks, I was already sold. My skin was looking better than it had in years. I still had one or two breakouts throughout the week, but the product was still working its magic every day. My cheeks were no longer a splotchy red but still had a rosy tint to them the way I liked it, and my skin was as soft as satin, the texture no longer feeling rough and rocky. The oiliness from my face had balanced out as well, leaving my skin feeling supple and healthy.
Needless to say, when I ran out of the trial products, I bought the full thing.
It has been about three weeks now that I’ve been using Curology, and I’m still seeing more and more results every day. I’ve officially stopped buying drugstore products that didn’t work on my skin anyway and basically swear by Curology. It is a little bit pricey – you make a $50 payment every two months, so that averages to $25 a month – but honestly, considering the results and how much I was already paying on a million drugstore products, I’d say it’s more than worth it. I finally feel comfortable and confident leaving the house with no makeup on, something I’ve been struggling with for only God knows how long. And honestly, I really do just feel more confident overall.
Keep in mind that my case of acne was definitely not the worst. I didn’t have cystic acne and it didn’t cause me physical pain (most of the time). Also, you don’t have to have clear skin in order to be beautiful. However, my acne was something that I had always struggled with and that heavily affected my confidence, and I wanted to do something about it.
Also, keep in mind that every skin type is different. Yes, this is something that is specifically catered to you and you can always talk to your doctor to alter your prescription if it’s not working. However, with some cases, this may not be the answer for you. But for $4 to try it out, what have you got to lose?
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!