Modern Living

It’s been just over 3-months since I started the Rodan + Fields REVERSE Brightening regimen and began using Lash Boost. Today I’m sharing my experience, results, and what’s next for me in terms of skincare.

After watching months of before and after photos appear on my Facebook feed for the Rodan + Fields regimen and jealously yearning for long beautiful lashes, as promised by R+F Lash Boost, I gave into a Cyber Monday deal and splurged on a skincare and Lash Boost set. I started the regimen and began using Lash Boost in early December. It’s been about 3-months of consistent use, maybe missing 5-days total, and I’m happy with the skincare results and have seen definite lash growth.

A Bit About My Skin

I naturally have pretty clear skin, I don’t really remember having breakouts growing up and even now, I only have a rogue pimple every now and then on my chin.  I am also blessed with relatively small pores and smooth skin. I consider my skin to be normal in terms of oil but err on the side of sensitive when choosing skin products.

My skin does have some redness issues — specifically around my nose and cheeks, as evident in the before photo below. I also have moderate bags which are always covered with concealer. My biggest issues are a couple popped blood vessels that I’ve had forever and are a bit more noticeable, adding redness to my face. Honestly, I don’t remember not having them — one’s under my left eye and the other on my nose.

My Skincare Routine Before Rodan + Fields

Before using R+F I simply washed my face in the morning while in the shower with [amazon_textlink asin=’B004D248U4′ text=’Neutrogena Natural Face Wash’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’f558ff08-2cf5-11e8-92ad-6994737b8512′] and tried to remove my makeup most days before going to bed — using a [amazon_textlink asin=’B00NR1YLDQ’ text=’Neutrogena make-up remover cloth’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’05ae838a-2cf6-11e8-86fc-5936c7ff5fff’], which obviously left some residue….  I also used an [amazon_textlink asin=’B001IM5VT4′ text=’Aveeno moisturizer’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’203018b3-2cf6-11e8-bf41-ddf73552101e’] twice daily once after I showered in the morning and again before bed.  Plus [amazon_textlink asin=’B004D2DR0Q’ text=’sunscreen daily’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4111e9c5-2cf6-11e8-834a-ed6fcd55b8df’] during the sunnier seasons.

Also, a couple times a week I used a Lush exfoliator and this pumpkin mask for brightening but that was about it. And as I mentioned before, there are a few additional things I do daily (and continued to do during the R+F process) which I believe contribute to my skin health.

So in short, my before regimen was pretty straight forward, my skin was relatively good and I had a routine

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B004D248U4′ text=’Face Wash’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’bf67ae55-2cf6-11e8-8fda-3f9c78fc85ed’]
• [amazon_textlink asin=’B00NR1YLDQ’ text=’Make-up remove’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ad959bb7-2cf6-11e8-ac35-2f5232d6a263′]r
• [amazon_textlink asin=’B001IM5VT4′ text=’Moisturizer’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9dde79c7-2cf6-11e8-9a7f-35019b09abb0′]
• [amazon_textlink asin=’B004D2DR0Q’ text=’Sunscreen’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’89cab49e-2cf6-11e8-9a60-1970996945b6′]
• Mask and Mask

But like I said, I was curious about R+F and seriously wanted longer lashes without having to go the falsies route which is expensive and requires constant fills.

Here’s How the Rodan + Fields Regimen Works

The REVERSE Brightening regimen comes with one bottle each of

• Exfoliator
• Toner
• Dual Active Brightening Complex
  • Vitamin C Formula
  • Retinol Formula
• SPF 50 Sunscreen

You begin the regimen by using each of the products once every other day then gradually work up to using each product twice daily.  My first time using the products, my skin felt quite warm and the products burned (I use this word cautiously but that’s how it felt) as there was more than a tingling and it was quite uncomfortable.

I started using the products every other day for the first week and after a few days, all of the burning subsided as my skin adjusted to the new products.

Knowing that my skin is a bit more sensitive, and finding it odd that the regimen required you to exfoliate twice daily (which I found to be quite excessive) I found my own rhythm with the R+F skincare products.  Here’s what I ended up doing

1. Morning: Wash my face with my go-to [amazon_textlink asin=’B004D248U4′ text=’Neutrogena face wash’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’2fdf0792-2cf7-11e8-93fa-9dad4cec7e76′] and applied my regular [amazon_textlink asin=’B001IM5VT4′ text=’Aveeno moisturizer’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’421840d1-2cf7-11e8-802e-c9bfc66db236′] followed by the R+F sunscreen
2. Nightly: Removed makeup with my [amazon_textlink asin=’B004D248U4′ text=’Neutrogena face wash’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4c4255f8-2cf7-11e8-8249-e505922415f5′], followed by R+F toner then a pea-sized amount each of the R+F Vitamin C and Retinol formula
3. Every Other Night: Exfoliated with the R+F exfoliating scrub followed by the rest of the regimen (toner, vitamin c, retinol)

My Rodan +Fields Skincare Results

Following this system I created for myself over the course of 3-months (December-March) here’s the results I experienced.

As you can see my redness has disappeared and my skin is much more even overall so I believe the reigning worked.

But, I’m left asking myself — is it the specific R+F regimen that worked or was it the overall process of using an exfoliator, toner, and serum regularly that made a difference?

I wasn’t using these kinds of products (toner, vitamin c, retinol) before starting R+F and I’m curious to find out what would happen if I switch out the products (exfoliator, toner, serums) for something more natural/organic and used it as frequently as I used R+F. 

Would my results be similar? Would my skin maintain it’s more even coloring? 

After my R+F products run out, I’m leaning towards trying a similar regimen with product & ingredients that are better for my skin (at least according to Skin Deep Cosmetics Database site).

Are you still with me? I know this post is rather long but I wanted to group it all together.

Last Boost Results

So this is a little bit more straightforward. Before Lash Boost, I had short stubby eyelashes as evident below. I started Lash Boost the same time I started the R+F Brightening regimen and missed maybe 5 days of Lash Boost use throughout the entire 3-month period.

With Lash Boost, you apply it once nightly but it should be done only after thoroughly removing all of your eye makeup and clearing your eyes of any of the eye makeup remover residue. This will ensure Lash Boost is applied to your lashes directly rather than on top of makeup or remover residue.

My suggestion is to apply the boost directly to your top lashes at the base, right where the lash and your skin meet. When using the wand, I’d gently tap off excess boost from the wand back into the applicator bottle as you only need a thin application of the boost.

As directed, I applied Lash Boost to my top lashes with my eye closed, counted to 10 to allow the boost to soak through to my bottom lashes then opened my eye and repeated on the other side. I also found doing it this way (counting to 10) allowed the serum to dry slightly so nothing fell into my eyes.

I’m extremely happy with my Lash Boost results. They are definitely longer even without any mascara but are accentuated even more when I apply a [amazon_textlink asin=’B0764N5S4X’ text=’primer + mascara’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hermodernkitc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’2e00b590-2cf8-11e8-abc3-59ff3413e85c’]. The lash growth is 100% noticeable and I’ve had compliments on my lashes from both friends and strangers.  It’s a product that I’ll likely continue to use and will buy again, although it’s pricey it’s still a savings compared to lash extensions over time.

Have you tried R+F regimen or the R+F Lash Boost? I’d like to hear about your experience and if you had similar results.