As it is for most women my age, my 30th birthday is coming stronger, faster and more horrifying than a Game of Thrones winter. All these years of tanning, drinking and working in smoky bars are starting to catch up with the moneymaker known as my face. And we can’t be havin’ NONE of that. So what’s a girl to do? Sure, you can go out and blow hundreds of dollars on miracle creams and spend hours applying them to your face. If you can afford that please do! However, it has been my own personal experience that the creams and serums aren’t and never will be any match for good old fashioned botulism injected straight into the forehead. I now consider it part of my beauty routine. It’s quick, mostly painless and, when applied by THE RIGHT PROFESSIONAL, gives beautiful, moderately long-lasting results. (For more info on Botox click here.)
Please allow me to take this time and emphasize that i am BY NO MEANS a medical professional. Everything I am telling you should be taken at face value (pun intended.) I am simply sharing MY experience with a cosmetic procedure and my own personal beauty routine.
Some things you should consider when deciding whether or not to poison and paralyze the nerves in your face are as follows:
1.)FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO YOUR RESEARCH!! There are literally THOUSANDS of hacks out there wanting to take your money who claim to do “botox” when who knows what they’re really shooting you up with. In my town alone, there are at LEAST 10 “weight loss” clinics who claim to do botox for $7 a unit. First off, when injecting poison into your face, this is really not the time or place to try and save cash. Botox around here costs, on average, $10-$12/unit. Some places will run monthly specials, but for the most part this is true. Secondly, you don’t know who in the hell they have given permission to do the actual procedure. No matter how you slice it, Botox Cosmetic IS an invasive medical procedure and should ONLY be handled by an EXPERIENCED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL! This can mean all the difference in how your results turn out! Placement of the Botox can determine something as small as what lines disappear and be as detrimental as making one side of your face droop! And this stuff lasts for months! Do you want to spend the next 3 months of your life looking like sloth from The Goonies??? I didn’t think so.
2.) NEVER BE TOO CAUTIOUS! So let’s say you found a doctor who seems legit. Great! Now start asking around. Get references from people who have had the procedure. If they give you the greenlight, make your appointment. When you go in, however, I ALWAYS ask to see the bottle they are getting ready to inject from. Don’t worry about sounding like a bitch. This is YOUR BODY! You have every right to know that what they are putting in you is ACTUAL FDA APPROVED BOTOX and not some nasty crap from Guadalajara that will turn your head into a pinata that shoots candy out your ears every time somebody whacks you with a stick! This website has AMAZING tips for identifying actual botox and you should really check it out.
3.) IT’S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME! There is a reason for the old adage “all good things in all good time.” Botox will typically not settle in and start to look correct until around a week after injections. It all depends on how your body metabolizes it. So don’t expect immediate results. Hold your horses! Within a week you are going to see those ugly lines and wrinkles being replaced with smooth, tight skin.
Now for my own skin care routine. I’m basically a lazy ass so there’s not much to it. But this little routine that I’ve picked up just over the last few months has made a world of difference in the appearance of my face. Every time I wear makeup, I make sure to take it off. Even if it’s just with those little makeup removing towelettes. I have to. I cake on makeup for an hour and then go work in a bar where people chain smoke for 6 hours. I simply cannot let all that crap settle into my face any longer than necessary. I personally recommend Aveeno Active Naturals Ultra Calming makeup removing wipes. They smell amazing and do a pretty good job of getting gunk off your eyes.
I also use a microdermabrasion tool every time I wash my hair, which is around 3-4x/week. I use a deep conditioning treatment every time I wash my hair because I’m trying to this thirsty mess to grow, so this makes for the perfect opportunity to exfoliate my face. I use the Neutrogena Microdermabrasion System and really just buff the hell out of my face. It gets rid of dead skin and tightens a lot of wrinkles.
I finish up with a natural face wash I found in the organic section of my grocery store. The company is called Andalou. I just love this face wash and am definitely going to try their other products. You can check out their website here. 
My only other advice is to invest in a great moisturizer! On top of that I botox as needed, around every 3 months or so. You don’t want to overdo it. I mean, I’m still young. 25 units every now and again, just to smooth and prevent future wrinkles. And there you have it. My opinion on injectables and skincare!
Appalachian Barbie 